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by Charles Miller

It was almost twenty years ago that the Smart Phone came into the world. Apple and Google are the two main systems. In order to install useful apps you must have an account with one company or the other. But if you buy a phone, there is nothing stopping you from turning it on and using it to make phone calls; you do not need a company account to just do that. This week I want to contrast the differences between this state of affairs and the direction Microsoft is now taking with its Windows Operating System.

With Windows 11 Microsoft is now attempting to force all computer owners to have a Microsoft Account just to use your Windows computer. There is a big difference between this account and the aforementioned accounts needed to add apps to a smart phone. Namely, that if you have an Apple or Google smart phone, you do not have to use your account with those companies in order just to be able to use your phone. By contrast, Microsoft is attempting to make it obligatory to ask their permission to use your computer every time you turn it on.

Just imagine buying a new car and learning it would not start unless it had internet access and you were required to ask for permission every time you drove it. The dealership might tell you "It's a feature for your protection." But it would be a constant annoyance, and if caught out in the middle of nowhere with no internet access and the car refused to move, it could be dangerous. This hypothetical scenario begs the question "Who owns the car? If you need the manufacturer's permission every time you use it, then is it really your property?

Microsoft has been trying with limited success for decades to sell "Software as a Service" (SaS). Basically this is renting software or providing a service you can use only so long as you continue to pay the monthly or annual fee.

In my opinion what Microsoft has done with Windows 11 crosses the line between service and property. My computer is my personal property and I should not need anyone's permission to turn it on. I am okay with paying Microsoft (and others) for their services I use, but I draw the line at having to have anyone's permission to have access to the computer I own.

Microsoft has already moved to transition some of its proprietary software to SaS. The one most people are familiar with is the Microsoft Office Suite which includes Word, Excel, etc. This services now costs about $100 USD per year. I am okay with that because there are alternatives, and I can choose to use those.

So far Microsoft has not been able to sell its customers on the idea that Windows should be a service paid for every month. Everyone outside Redmond, Washington rejects the idea, however; Windows 11 forcing its users to have a live internet connection in order to use the computer would appear to be a way to get everyone prepared for what comes next. What many in the IT world suspect that will be is that one day soon you will be required to pay a subscription fee every month in order to turn on your computer.

I am not okay with that and, I suggest, you should not be either.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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