That’s true and if Microsoft decrees “Windows is included at no charge with a Microsoft 365 license”, I would think that’s many times more palatable.

You’re right that Microsoft’s main source of income is enterprise customers. But at the same time, I strongly believe that IT departments worldwide would start to seriously consider what tasks they really need Windows or Microsoft Office for and start considering giving as many employees as possible Macs or Chromebooks or even Linux systems. An additional $5 a month multiplied by a thousand systems is $60,000 p.a. I do see IT directors trying to minimise the number of Windows licenses wherever possible in that case. Does the receptionist really need Windows when the scheduling software is cloud-based? Can we replace it with a Chromebook? Is it finally worth it to give the designers the Macs they’ve been clamouring for? And the big one—do we really need Active Directory specifically now that everyone’s got a Mac or a Chromebook? These are questions that have to be answered by IT departments worldwide and every time they’re answered in the affirmative, it costs Microsoft another customer. Not everyone will switch, but the impact will still be non-negligible, and people will also think twice before getting Microsoft systems in the future.

I think you’re right. Microsoft isn’t stupid enough to try this.

You have to understand that the bulk of computer buyers aren’t really that computer literate. As someone who worked 4 years in IT, I’ll tell you that the average computer user doesn’t even know how to install a graphics card driver, let alone do any other stuff. If given the choice between even $5 a month or learning to use a Mac or a Chromebook, people will learn to use a Mac or a Chromebook. Linux isn’t even a consideration.

The vast majority of people are perfectly happy with Google Docs/Slides/Sheets for daily personal use. If the choice comes down to using the Google office suite or paying a subscription, people tend to avoid paying. I know ZERO people who subscribe to Office 365 for personal use (besides those tricked into it). They either pay for the one-off license, pirate if they know how, use copies paid for by their work, or use alternatives.

People don’t care that ChromeOS and MacOS are locked down. They don’t do anything that requires the “unlocked” operating system and you can bet your ass that if Microsoft starts charging a subscription fee, Apple and Google’s marketing teams will jump so hard on that it’ll crack the pavement.

If Windows 12 becomes subscription-based, Google and Apple will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Imagine trying to sell a computer to some old lady with a subscription OS:

This computer costs $300. But to run it you need to pay another $10 a month.

“Do you have any where I don’t have to pay every month?”

Salesperson proceeds to recommend a Chromebook or a Mac.

The technically-savvy would look for Windows 11 machines, those who could and know how would install Linux, others will buy a Chromebook or a Mac, and only the truly stupid would pay the subscription.

Exactly my point!

Well, it is technically “piracy” but it’s amateur piracy. No need to get fancy with torrents and VPNs or whatnot. Just download the software and… not pay.

I’ll add your snap if you can recite the full rules of Magic the Gathering

Yes, you are breaking a law. Copyright infringement in this manner is an offence under the Copyright Act 1957 punishable with up to three years imprisonment and a fine.

…but not legal. Being poor doesn’t necessarily mean you’re inclined to break the law. Besides, Linux is useful if you perhaps want to later get a job in the tech field.

That’s because even a grey market Windows key costs US$20 nowadays and that’s over ₹1,600. For comparison purposes, the largest Indian banknote is ₹500.

A reminder for context: it’s not summer yet in Antarctica. Summer doesn’t start until December. It’s still supposed to be cold.

This is a straight-up national security issue for Taiwan. Its chip factories are an integral part of its defence strategy and it needs to be able to use them as leverage to survive.

I wasn’t aware that rsync also copied system files. I’m curious to know why my method is unsafe. The only potential problem I see with what I did is mixing up if and of in dd.

That’s true, but most Lemmy clients default their sort to “Local” (only posts from the instance you registered on). I don’t think there are many dedicated NSFW instances that are federated, at least not with my instance (lemmy.ml). Your experience may differ. The problem is that if few people can access and are aware of a community, then fewer people will post in it. That might explain why there is a lack of good porn communities on Lemmy compared to Reddit.

I think many major instances prohibit NSFW communities.

No one realises they’re the fool because they’re too busy laughing at the “fool”!

(guess who said this!)

For me, nothing. Everything I want to do works without root. I don’t tinker with my phone. It doesn’t do anything cool anyway and that’s what I have a PC for.

I love playing these games. Everyone thinks I am an idiot at poker because I always make stupid bets and give off obvious “tells” in the first few rounds.

People are unbelievably easily manipulated. We were playing a big blind of ten cents and I managed to win twenty dollars in one night.