We asked our readers what they think of Windows 11's forced Microsoft account requirement, and the answer is clear. Too bad it's not on the official list of improvements coming to the OS in 2026.
The complication comes from when I need to use proprietary windows-only software for whatever professional or recreative reasons.
Free (as in freedom) software is great for 90% of situations, but there are things free software just can not do.
Wine exists but it’s mostly focused on video-games, and honestly, it’s such a pain to get a windows program to run on wine that I prefer to just have a second SSD with Faildos and boot from it when I eventually need to use such programs. Which I make sure to unplug the ethernet cable when I do.
Running windows in a VM is still… running Windows. It’s not idealistically different to having a dedicated Windows computer. There’s nothing magical about running Linux as a host that makes Windows less evil.
We’re literally talking about proprietary software that has no linux or mac equivalent. This is not the place for you to try putting the morality of windows users on trial.
ugh. Get that. For that use case I actually ended up getting a cheap little KVM and migrated my win7 build to a rackmounted box with a CRU. No NIC, I KVM over when doing data recovery (or playing bullfrog games)
The complication comes from when I need to use proprietary windows-only software for whatever professional or recreative reasons.
Free (as in freedom) software is great for 90% of situations, but there are things free software just can not do.
Wine exists but it’s mostly focused on video-games, and honestly, it’s such a pain to get a windows program to run on wine that I prefer to just have a second SSD with Faildos and boot from it when I eventually need to use such programs. Which I make sure to unplug the ethernet cable when I do.
Bottles has made wine a lot better. Also, I keep a Windows in a VM, isolated where it belongs.
Unfortunately VMs aren’t a solution for my use case since I need no latency realtime audio or GPU acceleration
I just vm’d my entire win 7 machine with no nic.
Running windows in a VM is still… running Windows. It’s not idealistically different to having a dedicated Windows computer. There’s nothing magical about running Linux as a host that makes Windows less evil.
We’re literally talking about proprietary software that has no linux or mac equivalent. This is not the place for you to try putting the morality of windows users on trial.
Unfortunately VMs aren’t a solution for my use case since I need no latency realtime audio or GPU acceleration
ugh. Get that. For that use case I actually ended up getting a cheap little KVM and migrated my win7 build to a rackmounted box with a CRU. No NIC, I KVM over when doing data recovery (or playing bullfrog games)
When does that come up recreationally?
If I can’t do something I don’t do it.
Specialist audiovisual, and 3D software.
But I can, all I need is a pirate copy of the software, and extra SSD and computer goes brrrr.
Life is too short for me impose restrictions on myself and missout on life just because Richard Stallman says so.