10 ms·

Additionally you can't download apps off the windows store unless you sign up for /into a Microsoft account, which is a much bigger pain than simply downloading

Additionally you can't download apps off the windows store unless you sign up for /into a Microsoft account, which is a much bigger pain than simply downloading the first app you find searching on Google. Also my corporate windows 10 laptop has the entire window store and modern app infrastructure disabled, meaning I would not be able to access MS Paint.

taspeotis 9y ago
I have downloaded free apps from the Windows Store without an account twice in the past month. These are both "desktop bridge" applications and not UWP apps so perhaps that is the difference. They were both free. I was preparing to sign in after clicking "Get" but ... it just worked.
- tonyedgecombe 9y ago
  I think it must have changed recently because you never used to be able to do that.
- sandra_ 9y ago
  I just got paid $6784 working off my laptop this month. And if you think that's cool, my divorced friend has twin toddlers and made over $9k her first month. It feels so good making so much money when other people have to work for so much less. This is what I do, ====http://www.smartfinancemedia.com/?682 http://www.smartfinancemedia.com/?682
- basch 9y ago
  this is a key people are ignoring. by moving the win32 mspaint from a native file on the filesystem to app-v/Centennial, it will be able to run on non-x86 hardware with emulation. in two years if Windows 10 S and Qualcomm dominate, having legacy apps available in the store will be a bonus not a burden. it will be similar to the OSX/Rosetta days.
  - asveikau 9y ago
    This is an artificial disinction made only by their confusing policy. There is no technical reason that Store has to be a gateway for emulating x86. And I am pretty sure for Windows RT they just compiled mspaint.exe for ARM.
skrebbel 9y ago
> Also my corporate windows 10 laptop has the entire window store and modern app infrastructure disabled Wow that's... What? For all its warts, the Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform. Doesn't disabling it merely encourage downloading zipped executables from sleazy unencrypted websites?
- tonyedgecombe 9y ago
  "Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform" Ha ha ...
  - starquake 9y ago
    Some motivation for your reaction would be great!
    - AstralStorm 9y ago
      It is not vetted properly nor delivers apps people need. Other than the stupid forced ones that is. Additionally it does not work properly without a Microsoft account (could've changed) forcing it to be off if Active Domain is used.
      - WorldMaker 9y ago
        Since Windows 8.1 a couple years back, you can sign into a Microsoft account in the Store on top of an Active Domain account without confusing/combining them. Since Windows 8.1 you can even sign into a Microsoft account on an individual app basis, signing in for specific app purchases only. Since early Windows 10 that individual app basis has been expanded so that most free apps don't require a Microsoft account to sign in at all, if you so desire. Furthermore, the Windows Store for Business uses Active Domain accounts entirely and allows you to connect Windows Store licenses to corporate licensing policies, if you want to control corporate application requisitions centrally but still give users some individual control in Store installed apps. (Not to mention carrying private internal apps for an enterprise.) WSB has been around in various capacities since Windows 8.1 as well, but also fully came into its own very early in Windows 10. As for application vetting and "apps people need", that's entirely a subjective judgment, but there is an application vetting process in place which is more than you can say about the traditional google for an MSI/EXE and hope its correct install process.
Cthulhu_ 9y ago
This is also true for the App Stores (Mac, iOS, Android), all of which require you to make an account before even using it - Mac might still be an exception, but only barely.
- yjftsjthsd-h 9y ago
  All the official ones on commercial platforms, maybe; fdroid on Android works fine with no login, for instance, and GNU/Linux desktops have the equivalent in package managers.
dvfjsdhgfv 9y ago
In this case it's not really a question of technical possibilities, but corporate policy: if it says you can't install any software without permission, then better don't try as it can be used against you. If there is no such clause in your contract, there is no much difference between downloading and using Portable Apps Platform software (which is mostly open source, but beware of catches such as IrfanView which is free as in beer only for non-commercial use) and bringing your own copy of Paint (on a pendrive, for example).
microtheo 9y ago
You totally can. This is a misconception. And it has been that way for a long time now. Everything that is free can be downloaded without account.
- etatoby 9y ago
  Not if the entire App and Windows Store system is disabled per corporate policy and/or firewall.
  - toxican 9y ago
    That's not really MS's fault then, is it? If IT doesn't want you installing apps, that's on them.
    - semi-extrinsic 9y ago
      But you can install any app from Sourceforge/<OtherMalwareRiddenSite>, it's just that MS has chosen not to offer their App Store in the Win10 Long Term Support Branch, which most enterprises use. So they've actually locked you out of the walled garden, which is a bit funny.
      - orf 9y ago
        Sounds like a bad IT department that doesn't know how to configure group policy rather than anything to do with Microsoft to be honest.
        sathackr 9y ago
        One main paramount of security is to reduce your attack surface. One of the first steps to that is to uninstall/remove things that don't belong or that you will not use. An ad-riddled(with ads likely served by a relatively insecure ad network) game is not something that belongs in a corporate network. Try removing CandyCrushSaga and Facebook, and XBoxIdentityProvider(among many others)...they come right back after the next round of updates. If you're going allow Windows Store with all of its junk(that you have very little control over), might as well allow Bonzai Buddy, Ask Toolbar, and Super PC Cleaner 2017 Premium Edition Recommended Microsoft! And the argument that Windows Store apps are more secure so even if a ad or application is malicious the damage is limited doesn't hold water. A quick google will bring up tons of examples of code escaping sandboxes, even entire virtual machines. Any environment, no matter how secure, will always benefit from a reduction in attack surface area.
dingo_bat 9y ago
I don't think this is true anymore.
13of40 9y ago
Everything useful has been implemented online already. Case in point: http://www.jswidget.com/index-ipaint.html http://www.jswidget.com/index-ipaint.html (This is just one of many paint-in-a-browser sites.)
josefresco 9y ago
Compared with the alternative (bundled crapware, invasive ads, fake download buttons) rampant on the "old school" download sites, authenticating with Microsoft seems like a very small price to pay. Which would you rather users on your network do?

taspeotis 9y ago

I have downloaded free apps from the Windows Store without an account twice in the past month. These are both "desktop bridge" applications and not UWP apps so perhaps that is the difference. They were both free. I was preparing to sign in after clicking "Get" but ... it just worked.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago
I think it must have changed recently because you never used to be able to do that.
sandra_ 9y ago
I just got paid $6784 working off my laptop this month. And if you think that's cool, my divorced friend has twin toddlers and made over $9k her first month. It feels so good making so much money when other people have to work for so much less. This is what I do, ====http://www.smartfinancemedia.com/?682 http://www.smartfinancemedia.com/?682
basch 9y ago
this is a key people are ignoring. by moving the win32 mspaint from a native file on the filesystem to app-v/Centennial, it will be able to run on non-x86 hardware with emulation. in two years if Windows 10 S and Qualcomm dominate, having legacy apps available in the store will be a bonus not a burden. it will be similar to the OSX/Rosetta days.
- asveikau 9y ago
  This is an artificial disinction made only by their confusing policy. There is no technical reason that Store has to be a gateway for emulating x86. And I am pretty sure for Windows RT they just compiled mspaint.exe for ARM.

skrebbel 9y ago

> Also my corporate windows 10 laptop has the entire window store and modern app infrastructure disabled Wow that's... What? For all its warts, the Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform. Doesn't disabling it merely encourage downloading zipped executables from sleazy unencrypted websites?

tonyedgecombe 9y ago
"Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform" Ha ha ...
- starquake 9y ago
  Some motivation for your reaction would be great!
  - AstralStorm 9y ago
    It is not vetted properly nor delivers apps people need. Other than the stupid forced ones that is. Additionally it does not work properly without a Microsoft account (could've changed) forcing it to be off if Active Domain is used.
    - WorldMaker 9y ago
      Since Windows 8.1 a couple years back, you can sign into a Microsoft account in the Store on top of an Active Domain account without confusing/combining them. Since Windows 8.1 you can even sign into a Microsoft account on an individual app basis, signing in for specific app purchases only. Since early Windows 10 that individual app basis has been expanded so that most free apps don't require a Microsoft account to sign in at all, if you so desire. Furthermore, the Windows Store for Business uses Active Domain accounts entirely and allows you to connect Windows Store licenses to corporate licensing policies, if you want to control corporate application requisitions centrally but still give users some individual control in Store installed apps. (Not to mention carrying private internal apps for an enterprise.) WSB has been around in various capacities since Windows 8.1 as well, but also fully came into its own very early in Windows 10. As for application vetting and "apps people need", that's entirely a subjective judgment, but there is an application vetting process in place which is more than you can say about the traditional google for an MSI/EXE and hope its correct install process.

Cthulhu_ 9y ago

This is also true for the App Stores (Mac, iOS, Android), all of which require you to make an account before even using it - Mac might still be an exception, but only barely.

yjftsjthsd-h 9y ago
All the official ones on commercial platforms, maybe; fdroid on Android works fine with no login, for instance, and GNU/Linux desktops have the equivalent in package managers.

dvfjsdhgfv 9y ago

In this case it's not really a question of technical possibilities, but corporate policy: if it says you can't install any software without permission, then better don't try as it can be used against you. If there is no such clause in your contract, there is no much difference between downloading and using Portable Apps Platform software (which is mostly open source, but beware of catches such as IrfanView which is free as in beer only for non-commercial use) and bringing your own copy of Paint (on a pendrive, for example).

microtheo 9y ago

You totally can. This is a misconception. And it has been that way for a long time now. Everything that is free can be downloaded without account.

etatoby 9y ago
Not if the entire App and Windows Store system is disabled per corporate policy and/or firewall.
- toxican 9y ago
  That's not really MS's fault then, is it? If IT doesn't want you installing apps, that's on them.
  - semi-extrinsic 9y ago
    But you can install any app from Sourceforge/<OtherMalwareRiddenSite>, it's just that MS has chosen not to offer their App Store in the Win10 Long Term Support Branch, which most enterprises use. So they've actually locked you out of the walled garden, which is a bit funny.
    - orf 9y ago
      Sounds like a bad IT department that doesn't know how to configure group policy rather than anything to do with Microsoft to be honest.
      - sathackr 9y ago
        One main paramount of security is to reduce your attack surface. One of the first steps to that is to uninstall/remove things that don't belong or that you will not use. An ad-riddled(with ads likely served by a relatively insecure ad network) game is not something that belongs in a corporate network. Try removing CandyCrushSaga and Facebook, and XBoxIdentityProvider(among many others)...they come right back after the next round of updates. If you're going allow Windows Store with all of its junk(that you have very little control over), might as well allow Bonzai Buddy, Ask Toolbar, and Super PC Cleaner 2017 Premium Edition Recommended Microsoft! And the argument that Windows Store apps are more secure so even if a ad or application is malicious the damage is limited doesn't hold water. A quick google will bring up tons of examples of code escaping sandboxes, even entire virtual machines. Any environment, no matter how secure, will always benefit from a reduction in attack surface area.

dingo_bat 9y ago

I don't think this is true anymore.

13of40 9y ago

Everything useful has been implemented online already. Case in point: http://www.jswidget.com/index-ipaint.html http://www.jswidget.com/index-ipaint.html (This is just one of many paint-in-a-browser sites.)

josefresco 9y ago

Compared with the alternative (bundled crapware, invasive ads, fake download buttons) rampant on the "old school" download sites, authenticating with Microsoft seems like a very small price to pay. Which would you rather users on your network do?