This article is absurd. It's a thin client, or possibly an "extremely" thin client, a dumb terminal.<p>They have existed in the past. They will exist in the future. The fact that it's locked to one particular server is irrelevant. If you don't want to use that service - don't buy it!
The author of this post seems to think that a) Microsoft is targeting end users with the device (they're not, they're targeting IT departments) and b) that IT departments don't know exactly what they're getting into or have no control over this thing<p>IT administrators will have plenty of control over this, and the software it runs, and the configuration of it<p>I'm not sure the author has ever worked in or has any knowledge of corporate IT departments, their priorities, or how any of it works
You're mainly paying for the software on this device, keeping everything in Intune is a big selling point rather than having to fiddle around with third-party thin client management software from the vendor. If this device supported Azure Virtual Desktop it'd be a no-brainer for orgs that lean heavily on it like mine.
It just seems like a product that is aimed explicitly at places like call centers, where employees are expected to universally have apps 1-3 only. I find that setup pretty gross, but it makes sense from an IT Management perspective.<p>I didn't get the impression that this was meant for home, or even most office use. I don't think it would make sense in either setting because each would have more complex user requirements and weird edge cases. Maybe the author is right in the long run? I'm sure MS would love mote control and a monthly subscription fee from every customer...I just don't see MS being nearly so candid, as they are in this video. I'd expect way more cheesy stock footage, mixed in with ominous warnings about "darkweb" and ransomware. The video in question was more like "This makes your job easier" not a "This makes your <i>life</i> better". Heck, they didn't even mention some cheesy AI-gimmick tie-in.
Like others have said this is just a thin client. The concept has existed since the beginning of modern computers.<p>This is functionally no different than Chromebooks and Google ”imprisoning” hundreds of school districts.<p>Besides, “the enterprise” has been “imprisoned” by Microsoft for decades. They were never going to switch over to Linux or anything else en masse.<p>Even companies that did have Macs were still buying Microsoft Office since before Office was even available for Windows.<p>Also, IT departments love locked down computers and I’ve seen plenty of places that use Citrix with terminals.
Sounds like a good product. Definitely not a fan of free software's monotonous take on proprietary software.<p>Yes, we get it, it's proprietary, anything else to say?
There are also several links in there to previous HN discussions where the author feels this is an "I told you so" moment.<p>I certainly miss the feeling that home computers were going to be empowering--not merely situationally useful--to individuals. Affordable capital equipment, not just a service for hire.<p>The next greedy iteration, slowed by the US' lingering anti-trust laws, will probably involve limits on installed software, and websites that might somehow compete with anything offered by Omni Consumer Products.
I am the author of this article. The moderators on Hacker News don't let me post here anymore, and they de-emphasize my articles that anyone else posts to prevent them from being viewed by many people. If I recall correctly, they even shadow banned worldofmatthew for a while for posting too many of my articles? So, I am surprised that so many people found this post. Since the moderators still allow me to comment here... As I said in my article, "And, please don't insult my intelligence by comparing this device to a thin client. I have installed OPNSense on a thin client to make it into a very nice home router. Something useful like that will very likely be impossible with this device." So, apparently some commenters here didn't read enough of the article to get that far. I like thin-clients, because they are general-purpose computers. I haven't tried every one, obviously, so some might not be, but I love the one I have. The problem with the Windows 365 Link, as I see it, is that it is as far as it can be from a general-purpose computer--although it isn't out yet, so we can't really know for sure what its capabilities are. My main objection to the Windows 365 Link is that I see it not as merely another locked-down corporate device but as a harbinger of things to come for us all. I am sorry that so few people here seem capable of understanding the long-term corporate goals that this device highlights, and that is the source of my frustration that leads to my hostility in this article. I see all of the freedoms that we once looked forward to from what we once called "the computer revolution" being taken away one by one. And the attitudes of most of the people here on Hacker News are one reason this is happening. Many of you think you are so smart, but either you aren't smart enough see what is coming, or you simply don't care. Either way, I feel sorry for you.
Is this similar to Microsoft Xbox’s “Cloud Gaming (beta)” where it just streams you the picture from the server? I see comparisons below to Chromebook but at least a Chromebook boots offline. From my experience with the cloud gaming, the image quality is atrocious and honestly I can’t believe the marketing team features it so prominently on the store page. So all I have to say is, those shots in the youtube video are probably composited.