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I thought the days if needing to "sudo" to install applications on windows were long gone; doesn't basically everything happily do user installations now? I wo

I thought the days if needing to "sudo" to install applications on windows were long gone; doesn't basically everything happily do user installations now? I would view a demand to escalate as basically proof that the application is about to do something janky, if not outright malicious. On linux, if I can't build and run software with just my user account, that software has some explaining to do. Virtually every desktop application should be able to run without escalated privileges.

Ajedi32 6mo ago
"C:/Program Files" is still the recommended place to install programs, and it requires admin privileges to write to. Some programs (ab)use C:\ProgramData for that purpose instead and therefore don't need admin privliges. But even with that hack, ultimately Windows still uses the https://xkcd.com/1200/ https://xkcd.com/1200/ permission model. (Everything runs with full access to all your data.)
- TiredOfLife 6mo ago
  On Windows enabling access control is 4 clicks. The problem with enabling it by default is that every time MS tries to harden the defaults there is much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth
vpShane 6mo ago
on windows and mac they just get a prompt and a lot of people don't read it, care, nor wonder what it's actually doing they just want it to work. I know you all know this but companies will do this knowing that exploiting all of us. I use Linux and agreed on all those points. when I used adobe before it wanted to charge me a fee to cancel my subscription and wouldn't let me just 'cancel' in their system so I just blocked the payments on my card and dipped out. good software, garbage company
- amarant 6mo ago
  Heh, I had a similar situation once, but my bank wouldn't let me block the transactions. So I switched banks. It was a interesting call with my previous banks support folks.
- TiredOfLife 6mo ago
  On linux they just use sudo and similary don't read, care or wonder.
TacticalCoder 6mo ago
> On linux, if I can't build and run software with just my user account, that software has some explaining to do. Yup same. The software I install as root are those shipping stock with the distro. Others I compile and run from user accounts (like Emacs, which I always compile from source).
Dylan16807 6mo ago
Your impression is pretty far off, I think. Just naming a program setup.exe makes it escalate by default. Many installers can be used without escalation but going the traditional path isn't suspicious.

Ajedi32 6mo ago

"C:/Program Files" is still the recommended place to install programs, and it requires admin privileges to write to. Some programs (ab)use C:\ProgramData for that purpose instead and therefore don't need admin privliges. But even with that hack, ultimately Windows still uses the https://xkcd.com/1200/ https://xkcd.com/1200/ permission model. (Everything runs with full access to all your data.)

TiredOfLife 6mo ago
On Windows enabling access control is 4 clicks. The problem with enabling it by default is that every time MS tries to harden the defaults there is much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth

vpShane 6mo ago

on windows and mac they just get a prompt and a lot of people don't read it, care, nor wonder what it's actually doing they just want it to work. I know you all know this but companies will do this knowing that exploiting all of us. I use Linux and agreed on all those points. when I used adobe before it wanted to charge me a fee to cancel my subscription and wouldn't let me just 'cancel' in their system so I just blocked the payments on my card and dipped out. good software, garbage company

amarant 6mo ago
Heh, I had a similar situation once, but my bank wouldn't let me block the transactions. So I switched banks. It was a interesting call with my previous banks support folks.
TiredOfLife 6mo ago
On linux they just use sudo and similary don't read, care or wonder.

TacticalCoder 6mo ago

> On linux, if I can't build and run software with just my user account, that software has some explaining to do. Yup same. The software I install as root are those shipping stock with the distro. Others I compile and run from user accounts (like Emacs, which I always compile from source).

Dylan16807 6mo ago

Your impression is pretty far off, I think. Just naming a program setup.exe makes it escalate by default. Many installers can be used without escalation but going the traditional path isn't suspicious.