Romkslrqusz

It never seems to be the people who have actually used the mouse complaining about the port location.

A brief 1-2 minute charge nets you hours of use, it’s really not a big deal.

On the bright side, it didn’t happen just before/during your vacation. I have friends who spent their honeymoon with COVID

Can’t actually buy MacOS, you have to buy their hardware. For the time being connecting with an Apple Account is still fully optional.

The new version of this is coming across a reddit post where it seems like OP replies “Thanks, that worked!” to “In protest of Reddit’s API changes, I have removed my comment history. Fuck u/Spez”

Working in IT Support, the fact that Outlook refers to webmail and two distinct email clients makes understanding user’s problems a nightmare.

Not to mention data recovery

Interesting timing, these practices are about to be super illegal under Oregon’s SB1596 right to repair bill that just passed

If you’re at that point of not trusting a company, the best practice would be to avoid using their devices or connecting them to your network.

There are plenty of other ways to track and identify users, a company could conceivably bake whatever the hell they want into the operating system and doesn’t need to rely on you creating an account with them to achieve that objective.

I used the term “unhealthy paranoia” due to the logical fallacy that is at play.

Then don’t?

If you still want to use Windows and use their encryption solution, manually enable Bitlocker and store the recovery key yourself.

There are also third party encryption options.

There are dozens of more probable scenarios that could have the same outcome. Mitigation is as simple as keeping at least one backup, a recommendation as old as home computing.

Ironically, the problem you describe most commonly applies to systems with Intel Optane storage technology, so it’s hardly even a Microsoft Issue.

Hi, repair shop owner here.

Automatic Bitlocker encryption has been a thing since TPM 2.0 devices hit the market in 2018.

If a device is UEFI, Secure Boot is enabled, TPM 2.0 is present, and the user signs in with a Microsoft Account , then the disk is encrypted and the recovery key is saved to that Microsoft Account.

If those conditions aren’t met, automatic encryption doesn’t happen.

As long as they know their Microsoft Account Identifier, users can easily get to that key through the first search engine result for “bitlocker recovery key”: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/finding-your-bitlocker-recovery-key-in-windows-6b71ad27-0b89-ea08-f143-056f5ab347d6

We don’t really have a hard time with it - if a user provides their login PIN, a short terminal command will let us grab a copy of their key before BIOS updates or battery disconnects.

I have had very few cases where folks suffered data loss because of Bitlocker. Most of them were HP Laptops that used Intel Optane accelerated SSDs - encrypting what is effectively a software RAID0 is a recipe for disaster.

The other few had an unhealthy paranoia where they were reluctant to share anything about themselves with Microsoft, yet still decided to use a Microsoft operating system. While setting up the computer, they created a new Outlook.com email (instead of using their primary email), made up a random birthday, and did not fill in any recovery options like a phone number or secondary email. With the password (and sometimes even email) forgotten, they created a situation where they could not prove the online account was theirs and therefore could not get to the recovery key that had been backed up.

I do think that Microsoft should have this as an opt-in feature during the out of box experience, which is how Apple has it set up for Filevault and how most Linux distributions are set up. Ultimately, most users will still mash “next’ through the process and later blame the computer.

I have had quite a few clients have their laptops stolen after car breakins. Their biggest stressor was the possibility of thieves having access to the data on those machines, and the fact that we knew their systems were encrypted with Bitlocker brought them a lot of relief.

The automatic encryption and subsequent backup both took place because you were using a Microsoft Account

*stressed depressed lemon zest

I wonder of “conservative hardware evolution” in this context just means that it’ll still be a switch, just with upgraded internals.

The fact that the built-in screen might be 1080p implies a decent leap in performance. That’s twice as many pixels as a 720p/800p screen.

The bugs are quite literally a feature.

There’d be half a game if they took out the Terminids.

They had (or maybe still have) an extended warranty / free replacement program for this issue

Hobo Wars and Bubble Boy were my jam

Firestorm, Battlefield V’s Battle Royale, released in 2019. The news here is not that the feature will exist, it’s that it will be Free To Play.

Firestorm actually introduced the armor system that the much more successful COD Warzone went on to use.

As someone who repairs consumer electronics for a living I’m inclined to disagree.

People are routinely installing batteries of dubious quality because the original device manufacturer will not sell them one, but the part is available within their authorized repair network.

I have clients come to me after a manufacturer quotes more than a device’s original purchase cost for a replacement screen. I’ve also had circumstances where that part is unavailable because the device is too new and the aftermarket through third-party vendors hasn’t had a chance to mature.

Schematics are only made available through leaks.

The current state of the OEM PC landscape is the main driving force behind Right To Repair legislation. Valve entered the market already compliant.

I’ll add that one of my clients got a $150 quote from Valve for an out-of-warranty repair/replacement of the mainboard, which is pretty incredible considering that’s the most expensive part in the device.

From a hardware/repair standpoint, the OEM PC and Steam Deck ecosystems are far apart from one another.

While technically true at a literal level, “proprietary PC” gives the impression of closed systems like OEM laptops. “Just” has a bit of a diminutive tone to it.

While Steam itself is proprietary / closed source, the Deck’s Linux OS foundation is open source. Despite being developed by Valve, Proton is also open source and is a massive boon for the viability of Linux gaming.

OEM parts are directly available from an official supplier along with detailed repair documentation - things stop short of schematics, which I look forward to seeing change. Third party parts (screens, face button tactile upgrades, etc) are available and able to function uninhibited. The device is clearly designed with user customization and reparability in mind.

With that said, the deck feels so much less proprietary than the PC ecosystem.

Not saying that you are wrong or that people are right to be downvoting you, I just think your phrasing comes off a bit harsh which led to negative impulse reactions. I know that my initial response was negative until I sat and thought about what you actually meant for a minute.