Why Microsoft? Why do you insist of me using Linux?
I was thinking … how is it possible for me after more than 25 years of Microsoft Windows to migrate everything to Linux and not look behind. Let me explain.
Microsoft was a part of my life, as my main operating system since I can remember. Started back in the day with Windows XP and continued with all new OS Releases (except Vista, dodged a bullet there). After using Microsoft Windows privately in my school years, I was given the opportunity to deepen my knowledgebase with the Server part of the operating system. Started therefore my career of System Administrator, on Microsoft Operating system. That had followed me for many years, advancing with the Operating System versions and even culminating with the shift to Cloud, again on Microsoft technologies, Microsoft Azure. So Microsoft was and still is a big part of my life, having countless discussions with my Linux admin colleagues over what OS is better. It was always a pleasure hearing them out and adding my appreciation for Windows (admitting always also the bad)into the mix causing the hole discussion sometimes to explode :)
In the last several years, I would estimate with the first appearance of Cloud Computing, somehow, something started to change. Microsoft Windows together with integration of Microsoft Office slowly became the norm for many companies, especially for the ones already using Office on Premise. Microsoft promised the companies a seamless integration and licensing benefits not easily to be overlooked. Windows became an operating system more and more pushed for the options offered to companies to control their environment no longer for the average user that bought his license together with the laptop from the store. And that rupture is visible more and more in the company’s way in approaching a discussion with the average user.
One alarming feature, Microsoft Recall, made the headlines for being one of the most intrusive, if not the most intrusive feature a manufacturer has brought to the market. Having your activities being photographed and be presented to “you” at a later stage like memories. My intelligence and the intelligence of millions was insulted in such a way, rarely seen in the IT world. And it was presented like one of the best features Windows has to offer.
As a CEO, my eyes would have dropped a tear, if such feature would have passed. It was the supreme spying mechanism of users within a company. I was pleasantly surprised by the prompt answer from the community and admins everywhere disabling \ blocking \ making everything in their power that the feature remained blocked. In the end, Microsoft themselves backed down and did not enabled it. However, the feature is still there, was not removed from the Windows feature set for “some reason“. So there is still hope from the view of the money making company that somehow, maybe redefined, will come back to users.
Presenting Microsoft recall was a pivotal moment for me that made me say openly, that the moment when Microsoft will come and ask me to have everything in the cloud, in that moment our relationship for so many years will be terminated.
Fast forwarding to the present day, another “great news“ from Microsoft. Integrating Copilot in every aspect of your operating system and office would be one of them. Something no one asked for and I would be surprised if someone use. AI integration pushed on the userbase without stopping and presenting it as an option. Maybe they fear of losing the AI war what is now undergoing, but that is no excuse from my perspective.
Another great news were options used until now to bypass the need for Microsoft account at installation, will be removed. So you are obligated to have a Microsoft account at installation in order to proceed.
For me that was the last straw! Showing a clear path what Microsoft sets, moving MY PC to a service I did not ask for and suggesting along the way that the change is because “I am too stupid“ to configure my PC at installation and I will miss critical features for the use of my computer. Primeagen released a great video discussing how Microsoft suggests again, insulting our intelligence, explained that the change is for our own good. You can have a look over his video HERE.
The possibility to overcome this still exists, using for example registry keys, but for the regular user I would say it seems very hard to implement. This is why there are some great guys like Chris Titus, who have made a tool, which not only let’s you bypass the local account creation but also let’s you with a clean installation of Microsoft Windows 11.
All you have to do is to, within the OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience), open a command line using Shift+F10.
In the command line you need to add:
curl -L christitus.com/bypass -o skip.cmd
For the readers who are a bit more tech savvy you can fork the project from Chris and configure your own XML with all settings and configurations you want.
You can have a look over his video HERE
Coming back to my last straw, what are the next steps? As previously mentioned in a post, currently I am looking for a laptop. Added to the list of requirements also Linux compatibility. My next machine will no longer be a Windows machine and I have no remorse configuring it as such. I did my best trying to understand how this company caters to his user base, but fail to see the end of the tunnel anymore.
With that being said, I am happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below. Does it make sense to switch to Linux after so many years? Or should I remain on Windows because they will definitely change their strategy in the future?
Until next time, TFG