Submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world [bot] to technology@lemmy.world
You can’t get rid of it, you can only hide it: Microsoft imposes controversial Windows Backup on users::Like it or not, the Windows Backup app installed in Windows 10 and Windows 11 is here to stay, with Microsoft calling it a “system component” that can’t be
AI generated porny chick
Tbf that’s my favourite kind of AI generated person
Could be real but filtered and low res. The lack of symmetry on the nose is unusual for AI. The teeth do look a bit weird though.
The article lists it as generated by midjourney
coming soon: Monthly subscription to use windows with the justification that it uses an online service in order to work
“Embrace Extend Extinguish”
I can’t wait for the eventual warning pop-ups and emails, warning me that my onedrive is almost full (70%)
You can just say no to the tool and keep using whatever local backup you have.
Honestly I hope, would be a big boom for Linux which I already use
This year is the year of Linux, just like every year before it.
Probably an unpopular opinion, but I don’t see a problem with subscriptions for commercial software. Fixing bugs and security issues after release is an ongoing effort that costs money, so a one-time purchase isn’t really economically viable in the long run. I honestly wouldn’t feel comfortable using unmaintained software that might contain known but unfixed vulnerabilities.
As someone who advises on and implements software at work that would be sorta ok if these companies charging several thousand a year would actually fix bugs and provide proper support. Zendesk is a pretty big display of this: feature requests lay dormant in their support pages, the only way you can get support is through a chat where the rep will point you to an article you already read most of the time, updates that ever obfuscates settings into a dizzying amount of menus in the admin panel, and so on. All for a minimum of $55 a month per seat if you want email and calling. The issue is costs are sky high for practically no value
Have you checked how much money Microsoft have recently? Their current model doesn’t appear to be a problem for them.
Still $129 for the initial license key, too
what do you mean by this
do u think a cloud pc (with constant server costs) shouldnt be a monthly fee?
ugh ew thin clients that probably will work even worse
It’s been a thing for years already for enterprises
For those of you who are now worried about you win10 or 11 install:
Lastly, this article had 0 sources and was misleading
Reason #2720183 to use Linux.
Imagine how much better the computing landscape would be today if we actually prevented MS from doing anticompetitive and often straight-up illegal stuff in the 90s to gain their monopoly
Actually I kinda don’t want to, because we might not have been quite as driven to get Linux to the point it is at
That would require government oversight and accountability. Best I can do is regulatory capture and the continued gutting of American anti-trust law.
I know everyone hates the automatic response of “just switch to linux” in response to Microsoft’s BS. BUT, it’s really so true - more people need to just do it and get over their fear of linux. It has been a totally stable easy option for a long time now.
Install an easy distro like mint and you’re literally up and running in a gui environment in like 10 minutes. Your grandmother could run it no problem. For the gamers out there - a good chunk of your stuff just works these days, and you can always dual boot windows for that game that doesn’t perform well (even better just get a small cheap 2nd hard drive and you can’t screw it up).
Thank you to all the people who contribute to linux and have given us a totally viable alternate.
It’s just not that easy for a majority of people. It still takes some work and knowledge to do just about everything. From picking an distro, installing it and then running different programs. And games are far from perfect.
Linux doesn’t have a backup option?
Linux has so many options it’s ridiculous. It doesn’t force you to use them or to upload sensitive data to Microsoft’s servers—and therefore the NSA’s—though.
Is that a question, or are you just keen for everyone to know you uptalk?
Linux can do literally any backup plan you want, to anywhere you want, with the click of a few buttons. You almost have too many options that all work great.
Doesn’t r sync also ship with like everything? Ya I know - a scary command line - but anyone online could help you in one minute. Ask a few questions, ok here’s this crazy long command that looks scary, but it’s really not that bad. Just run this command when you want to do a backup and your good. Come back here if you need help restoring (hint boot into another live environment and swap the source and destination and run it backwards)
Linux backups are cake.
MacOS has had time machine for over a decade.
How is this different except for the fact it’s not our Lord and Savior Linux?
I don’t remember Time Machine backing up to someone else’s server.
iCloud does, and if memory serves you can’t remove that either. But like iCloud, you can simply not sign in.
Holy shit. Just not “no” when it asks if you want to set up backup, and keep using what you already use.
It’s less difficult than falling over.
It’s always sad to see users being mistreated like this but what never ceases to amuse me is the amount of time that Windows users are willing to waste in order to remove all this trash from their systems and have a usable experience, only for it to be ruined again with something worse with the next update. At this point, they either don’t know that alternatives exist or they have Stockhom syndrome or something.
I used to do that A LOT and you can still find all my old guides on my website as a testament to that, they were soooo long, it took hours to do a “clean install”, they took days to write, and even then I would run into so many issues because of Windows Update… One day I realized that I was doing more work to make Windows usable than the average Arch user and I just gave up. Linux wasn’t ready for gaming yet so I had to dual boot for a while, but thankfully that’s not a problem anymore. I couldn’t be happier.
I’m aware of all of this, but most of the software I use is Windows only. Recommending GIMP/whatever seems like enough to a proud Linux user, but it really just doesn’t cut it. I’m savvy enough to get rid of all the stuff I hate about windows or switch to Linux, but I’m comfortable enough to stay with wondoes
I only run Linux on my server, but even so I feel like I can run almost everything I ever use on Windows, or an equivalent on it. MacOS exclusive apps are actually a bigger problem for me.
For image editing, GIMP was commonly recommended like a decade+ ago, and it’s still a decent option if it’s what you’re looking for. But now there are several alternative, mature tools that are Linux native, like Krita, Inkscape, Darktable, etc… The Affinity suite is usable on Linux via Bottles, as are some versions of Adobe suite, like Photoshop.
I just have migrated to using an untrusted Windows Gaming PC exclusively for that and Debian for everything else. Go ahead, harvest my wasted hours on steam and chat trashtalk, idgaf.
it reminds me of twitter users were reduced to 100 tweets for a while so they’d follow a 30 step workaround to see that 101st tweet but would still say masto is “too complicated”.
Lol, the thread below this one starts with “So? Sure you can’t get rid of it but also you don’t have to use it.”
Yea, Windows users act like it’s some kind of immovable object that you just have to deal with and that they’re so smart because they spend hours applying some dodgy hack by wading through that god awful registry editor rather than just editing config files and having full control over their system. Oh no but then they’d have to open the terminal which is such a problem for them.
It’s unfortunate that MMOs and competitive games generally have poor linux support. Mostly because of anticheats. It’s the only reason I still have windows on my gaming PC.
The MMO I play mostly works on Linux via Proton just fine. (And when it does have the occasional flaw, it’s something accidental, like breaking the exit function so you have to kill the process instead.)
Bingo, Linux is catching up but at the moment it’s still lesser in as far as ease and availability to game.
I’ve been on Windows since 3.0 (not 3.1) and MS-DOS, back when DR-DOS was a thing and IBM’s OS/2 was a rising star, and the joke about how if operating systems were airlines, Linux would be the one where all the passengers bring parts and tools and build it on the runway themselves.
Oh, how the turns have tabled. Today, I installed Debian 12 with GNOME DE on an old 2010 MacBook, and then installed Budgie Desktop on top of that as an optional profile. It fucking screams on 13 year old hardware, lol. I’m not even done trying out all the distros and DEs I want to try out; that’s just one. When I’m done playing with that I’ll blow it away and install a different distro instead. And I didn’t pay a penny for any of them.
There is literally no reason for me to stay on the sick, bloated advertising delivery/data collection system that is Microsoft Windows.
I’ve grown up with windows (started with windows 95 in elementary school) and have been a Linux user since 2009. Watching windows decline and the Linux desktop grow and mature has been quite the ride. I’ve been distro-hopping for years and have finally settled on Debian Testing. It does exactly what I tell it to do. It helps me accomplish whatever task I’m doing and then gets out of the way.
Windows on the other hand is the polar opposite of that. Constantly nagging you to use OneDrive. New panels and “experiences” popping up out of nowhere. Unskippable OOBEs after a major update that force you to navigate some dark pattern if you have the audacity to resist using a Microsoft account. The telemetry that you know is running under the hood 24/7. Hands and knees begging you to use Edge to open PDFs?!?! Using windows today is like using Clippy - the operating system.
Linux has come such a long way, and outside of some proprietary edge cases, I can no longer imagine using Windows as a daily driver
Yep.
Windows 10 was the window into what was to come and how microsoft wanted to ruin windows in the future, Which was further ruined “refined” in 11.
I’m on linux to stay now, now that I’ve ironed out most of my problems, the only issues I have anymore are manufactured and artificial issues, like Amazon refusing to stream in anything higher than 360p because my system isnt “secure”, or like AMDs stupid convoluted AMDRewards system not working.
Yes. When I first booted up Linux Mint – the first distro I had tried since Red Hat came on a dozen or so 3.5" floppies – I couldn’t believe it. I was expecting something a LOT less developed and shiny, but no – and Mint is one of the lighter ones. That’s why I’m trying so many, including ones I already know I won’t use as a daily driver, because they’re all fully fledged, completely operable computing environments.
If it hadn’t been for MS Office I’d have done this long before now, especially when I got into a mandatory-Windows-Upgrade-and-break loop a couple years ago. But I absolutely despise the newer Office versions; they seem to break more with each release. If I have to go back to older versions to run it on Linux, that’s just one more favor the FOSS community will be doing for me.
Clippy - the operating system.
Jfc, lol. At least Clippy wasn’t all up in my shorts and sending the data back to the mothership. Gotta ask, though, given your age: did you ever get to use Microsoft Bob? You probably don’t remember all the commercials; it was Faith Ford hawking MS Bob every time you turned on the tv. But using it, omfg. You boot up into a “living room.” I shit you not. MSBob was a . . . really fucking weird five minutes, lol.
Use local accounts only and do not login to a Microsoft account.
Is that possible on Windows 11?
Yes. When installing and it asks for your email address just use no@thankyou.com then type anything in for the password. It will fail then you can enter a local account.
Yes. I had to do that on my latest reinstall. I had to create a local account after the install and log out of my MS account. It really tried to force backups, which is super annoying.
You could also use Linux. I mean you’re starting to hack your machine just as much as a Linux user.
You also can’t use a work or school account, according to Microsoft:
Important: You must use a personal Microsoft account with Windows Backup. Work or school Microsoft accounts won’t work.
There is also no way to use the backup app with local storage, like an external hard drive; you can ONLY back up to OneDrive with this.
As a non windows user, can someone explain to be what all the fuss is about? It sounds like people are grumpy that they’re being shown a feature that they can’t use or don’t want to use, and MS is going to let people hide the UI for that.
What is wrong with this solution? Are people not going to be happy until every spec of the feature’s code is stripped from the OS?
It’s another way of trying to force users into using OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud service, and paying for the privilege. It’s not a big deal for the tech savvy, but it’s a great way to capture subscriptions from those that are not. Using it also requires a Microsoft account.
The thing is, if you can’t uninstall it, then Windows will repeatedly try to shove the feature into your face, until you enable it again
Igor a pop-up that said: “Hey we have backup to OneDrive now! Do you want to turn it on?” [Yes/no/don’t ask again]
But they said they’re going to allow the user to hide it.
Are people grumpy about burning hard disk space for a feature they don’t use? Every operating system is littered with convenience features that not everyone enables. Why does this feature strike a nerve?
What’s wrong with having a built-in backup feature?
Windows could do that whether or not it’s installed.
It sounds like people are grumpy that they’re being shown a feature that they can’t use or don’t want to use,
That’s the problem right there. They’re trying to sell you a new feature. That’s an ad. Ads have no place in an operating system.
I think you’ll find a number of… specific OS users, let’s call them, who will tout that they can uninstall anything from their OS without complaint or warning. Same response as being unable to completely uninstall internet explorer back in the day.
It feels like lemmy is getting preachier by the minute. You drink milk and don’t read your self hosted emails in emacs? You must be some kind of monster.
Windows bad. Linux good. Not study finding content that fits this narrative.
Who cares? Windows has included a backup app of some sort since NT. The only way this is more than click bait would be if they were forcing you to use it.
It’s nothing like the old backup apps. They were useful this is more forced cloud spyware which at this point is the entire OS now
forced cloud spyware which at this point is the entire OS now
Typical Microsoft garbage ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So? Sure you can’t get rid of it but also you don’t have to do any backups.
Despite what this article is trying to imply you’re not actually forced to do any backups, so Microsoft are not seeing your information. Also to probably be encrypted anyway, but who knows.
You don’t have to use it, so this entire article is basically a big while load of nothing.
I consider everyone still using Windows by now to be masochists of the worst kind.
Who would want to have backups of important files one a Microsoft server? Probably located in the USA, where it’s contents are free game for the snooping agencies? If you are not a US citizen (and even that is no real protection) they will hoover every byte about you “just in case”.
You got to love all the ads that are now a part of windows
All I’ve wanted for a decade is a built-in backup solution to rival Time Machine but noOOoooO…
I had OneDrive randomly dump a chunk of my files into the website Recycle Bin so I never touched it again. (Yes I know user error is the usual thought but I would have known about dragging multiple things from different folders since at the time all my photos, documents, etc were up there.)
File History I still use but that’s janky, occasionally crashes in the Settings (this is on multiple machines with W10, haven’t touched 11) and wouldn’t backup iCloud Drive. (which I’ve since dumped too since I have a glitch support hasn’t been able to fix that results in broken sync in iCloud for Windows and rapidly ballooning logs)
I’m wondering if it’s even backing up files or just saving to cloud which isn’t a backup.
You can’t get rid of it, you can only hide it
Not exactly true, there are ways you can remove system components, what they really mean is that Microsoft Doesn’t want you to and will fight you as much as possible to prevent you from doing so. The biggest barrier in doing it is that you’ll have to figure out your way through it on your own because it’s “not supported” and most people won’t give help or support for these kinds of modifications.
And here is the CEO complaining that Google uses unfair policies to push it’s apps. Fuck both of them.
spez@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Yup, that ai generated image kills me more than the news.
Empricorn@feddit.nl 1 year ago
“YouTube face” is annoying enough scrolling through videos, but it’s even more unnecessary here!