I could never understand why people are so against MS account. There’s a similar requirement to use products from Apple and Google and everyone is ok with that.
It’s the tracking vs utility conundrum. At the start people kind of knew that Google was gathering their information in return for free services like Gmail etc. And those services were useful/didn’t show significant drawbacks etc.
But with Microsoft (who historically have allowed local accounts since the start and have comparatively only recently required or pushed for a linked account), the detriments are evident to people who use their computers for more than just surfing the web and watching Netflix or Tik Tok. It rubs them the wrong way when they have to connect a computer to the Internet to even set it up.
Some people don’t live in a place where internet is a standard. Others don’t necessarily want to set up a computer for themselves but for their small business or their aging grandma or for their kid (who can’t legally sign up for anything but a child’s account and that’s significantly locked down in ways that maybe the adult doesn’t want to deal with).
Some people work in fields where they have a different threat model and don’t want Microsoft or other companies siphoning up their private data. Some of them are still forced to use Microsoft products because of work etc.
The thing is though, people should have the choice when they are buying a product that will belong to them about what that product does and how it functions. And the vast majority of people who do want that choice are against this measure and measures like it.
You can install Android without any Google account. And install alternative stores. Similarly, you do not need AppleID to install MacOS. I believe this is the same for iOS.
Technically you can, but then your phone is pretty useless.
not really most of the stuff you from the play store can be installed without it.
Can you use Google Pay you paid for? No. Can you use Google Maps you paid for? No. The list goes on. That’s unless you only want to browse Lemmy and post silly memes all day.
I didn’t pay for any Google bullshit and barely use anything of theirs these days. I paid for the hardware. There are literally full custom roms that sandbox and/or disable their junk
You did pay for everything, you just decided you won’t use the features you paid for. Your loss.
No they didn’t. Google doesn’t allocate money out of the Android phone sale for any of these services.
These services make money by making you the product. They don’t make money unless you use it.
GrapheneOS is literally better than stock android.
On iOS, apple barely shoves their bloatware down your throat. Their methodology is the opposite actually. Simplistic and debloated, for the most part. Google doesnt force you into anything either. There are alternative software that you can use.
With windows the only alternative is Linux, but a small fraction of people know about let alone use Linux so thats not really in the conversation.
Windows wants to force you to make an account/log in with one which cant be done offline unless you do some commandline workarounds in win11. The issue is, this is a PC. Not an iPhone. Not a Samsung. It is your own dedicated hardware that you should be able to use as you please without being forced into an online-only system that forces copilot down your throat.
Your pc isnt “a Microsoft computer”, its a computer that happens to run an operating system made by Microsoft.
iOS IS the bloatware.
so is Windows
This guy just wants attention.
