My opinion on some the of the issues with the current deployment strategy of Microsoft related to e-waste, chip shortages, household budgets, and more.
Episode #11-44 released on June 29, 2021
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Windows 11 looks like it is going to be slick and all nice, but a quick test shows that Secure Boot, even if present but turned off, just will not do. Not to mention the necessity for TPM module version 2.0. TPM, or Trusted Platform Module, is a piece of hardware that allows for encryption for sensitive data. However, this means that there are plenty of computers that support everything but the TPM module, and Windows 10 is set to expire in 2025.
Microsoft once said Windows 10 was the last operating system, and virtually all computers support Windows 10, the majority of computers with discreet graphics, also, support Direct X 12, too. It is, also, safe to say that the number of computers that do not support secure boot is slowly dropping, too. That being said, Microsoft is pushing for security features that already existed in Windows 10 but are required in Windows 11.
If the TPM module is being used to encrypt all data, this poses serious threat to data recovery techniques, especially if used broadly on a system. And this is already on top of difficulty in recovery of data of non-encrypted drives. Then there is the issue of processing overhead, if all data is encrypted, even video games, you will have a slower experience than with Windows 10.
Then, there is the e-waste problem. Electronics are notoriously hard to recycle, and it is relatively impossible to extract all rare earth elements in any device. This means that there are a lot of computers out there that run fine for the user that will end up not being updatable and either the person will be forced to buy new hardware or ignore security concerns and just keep using Windows 10 until it is so past due that nothing works anymore on it and end up switching to a different operating system.
Then there is the silicon chip crisis. There are simply not enough processing chips available for all developments now. This forced upgrade will simply exacerbate the problem and the amount of adoption will artificially be low.
Then there is the issue of having all users connect with a Microsoft account and being connected to Internet for installation of operating system. While the majority of people have access to the Internet in developed countries, it does not mean they have home Internet services. There are, also, a lot of families who cannot afford to have the Internet either. Furthermore, many families may have a single computer and will not necessarily have the knowledge to create multiple accounts on a PC. While, the accounts are free, it does beg the question of why? Microsoft already makes money from Xbox Live, The Windows Store, Licensing, and other services. Why do all users need a user account? Especially, since this was never the norm before and it does not provide any form of data security unless you pay to have OneDrive access, which requires Internet access, which is not possible for many families, and these would be the same families who would not be able to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on overpriced hardware during a worldwide silicon chip crisis.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Dot Net