Reply to: Microsoft enables Shadow IT

[cojak]

You couldn't make it up

https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/...f_the_dangers/


Shadow AI: Staffers are bringing AI tools they use at home to work, warns Microsoft

Microsoft, the corporation that just 13 days ago implored customers to bring their Copilot to work, has now published a report warning of the dangers of Shadow AI.

[ladymuck]

You couldn't make it up

https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/...f_the_dangers/


Shadow AI: Staffers are bringing AI tools they use at home to work, warns Microsoft

Microsoft, the corporation that just 13 days ago implored customers to bring their Copilot to work, has now published a report warning of the dangers of Shadow AI.

[willendure]

I use LibreOffice Calc, but not Writer (the Word clone).

I have always thought if you want to write an ungly document, use Word. And Writer is worse even.

If you want to make a useful document, write HTML or use a Wiki to write it for you. Then you can send out the URL or anchor links within the page even.

If you want to make a pretty document, use LateX, or as I do, a front end for it like Lyx, since who has time to learn LateX.

The online Word you get with an Office 365 account is terrible and so slow an unweildy to use. Lots of people complain about how hard and time consuming writing in it is, but no-one seems to ever suggest not doing it at all!

[woody1]

I use OpenOffice. Their "Calc" seems as good as Excel to me. Opens MS docs fine.

Been using Win ll for nearly 3 years now. Can't say it's an improvement over 10 but then 10 didn't seem much of an improvement over 8 either.

I hate to think what 12 will be like.

[cojak]

I use LibreOffice. It does for me.

[Protagoras]

Yeah, but even that they mucked about the UI something awful. The older version wasn't pretty but at least you could find things!

Excel is about their only irreplaceable product though, you are right. But even then, most things these days I don't need that much functionality so a Google Sheet will do. And its there automatically on every computer I log into Google on, which is nice.

+1. I don't think that the UI has changed for the better. I do wonder whether changes are only for the sake of change, since I certainly can't find any benefit. Charting is one area where I'm sure it used to be easier.

There's been a lot of progress but for most users, Word 2 and Excel 4 on Windows 3.11 was - and probably still would be - adequate.

[willendure]

The only MS product I use is Excel and I know it very well and wouldn't like to give that up. But it runs perfectly on Mac, so no need for Windows.

Yeah, but even that they mucked about the UI something awful. The older version wasn't pretty but at least you could find things!

Excel is about their only irreplaceable product though, you are right. But even then, most things these days I don't need that much functionality so a Google Sheet will do. And its there automatically on every computer I log into Google on, which is nice.

[Protagoras]

Seriously, why does anyone bother with Windows anymore? But while I have worked a companies that tolerate Macs or Linux, I have never worked at one that does not mainly run Windows. They could save a fortune and have better systems if they switched to Linux.

100%.

It was reported in July that "The public sector spent a cumulative total of almost £2bn on Microsoft software licences during the first five months of a five-year discount agreement between government and the tech giant."

https://www.publictechnology.net/202...-discount-mou/

Large companies / public sector have decades of investment in MS products, training, infrastructure etc so upgrading is not going to be easy or quick and I'd imagine a lot of resistance to an IT manager wanting to do this. But it would clearly save a fortune in the longer term.

There are many articles around at the moment advising users what to do to upgrade to Windows 11, and much comment about the amount of hardware that's considered obsolete.
I've not seen any mainstream publication suggesting upgrading to Linux, but I'd agree this or Mac would be a sensible approach for many.

The only MS product I use is Excel and I know it very well and wouldn't like to give that up. But it runs perfectly on Mac, so no need for Windows.

I will admit to having a Windows 7 laptop. This never connects online and is never upgraded; it is only used for configuring specialist hardware where the software limits the platform upgrade options.

[willendure]

True. But there is nothing interesting on my phone. Even deleted my banking app and just use the pocket calculator style passcode device to log in to their website when I need to.

[ladymuck]

Yes, I read that in The Register yesterday. Apparently use a throw away email address to register the PC then set up a local account and delete the Microsoft profile.

One of the comments on the article was quite spot on - You're used to needing an account to use your mobile phone so an account to use a PC isn't so big a leap for most people.

EDIT: just don't enable bit locker

[willendure]

Saw they are banning local only accounts on Windows 11 - internet connected accounts only. Its not your computer (or data), its Microsofts!

Seriously, why does anyone bother with Windows anymore? But while I have worked a companies that tolerate Macs or Linux, I have never worked at one that does not mainly run Windows. They could save a fortune and have better systems if they switched to Linux.

Their productivity suite should be rebranded as an anti-productivity suite. Teams, Outlook etc? Absolute shambles. For example, today I wanted to arrange a meeting for all the people on my daily standup teams chat/meeting. Can I just create meeting from that with all the people in it? No. I had to manually enter them all one by one into the meeting invite. Could not even do a cut and paste, because they are just icons in the chat, not email addresses. FFS. Just burn it with fire, Teams is an awful awful piece of software.

[Paddy]

I use Copilot, but not to write any code. 80% it produces something useful. The rest of the time it hallucinates functions that don't exist, invalid syntax etc.

Unfortunately, as with some other Ai systems, it gets lazy and searches the Internet to crib off forums and elsewhere with out checking authenticity and viability.

[ladymuck]

Well I never. My phone has that. Never noticed it before.

I have two onedrive accounts - work and personal. Just checked - photos are backed up to personal, but there is a "Turn off back up" option.

Interesting, I couldn't find a turn off option. I've since uninstalled it so the point is moot. Interweb instructions implied such a thing existed but the descriptions didn't match what I was looking at and the usual menus didn't have it either.

[NotAllThere]

Is this where the ability to have multiple users on some phones could be handy?
I've read that Android supports multiple users and has a guest mode.

Well I never. My phone has that. Never noticed it before.

I have two onedrive accounts - work and personal. Just checked - photos are backed up to personal, but there is a "Turn off back up" option.

[ladymuck]

Is this where the ability to have multiple users on some phones could be handy?
I've read that Android supports multiple users and has a guest mode.

It does, but I've never used it.

If I had to install things using an account provided by a client then I'd definitely want to test that out.