From early announcements it appears that Windows 11 (at least home edition) requires you to use a MS account to install, activate and use the OS fully.  If you do not want to be logged into your MS account, you can operate in "S mode" (Secure mode) which will only allow you to run apps from the MS store in the "Micosoft Edge Secure Browser".  This apparently means NOT Media Composer.

There were no details on a "Pro" version of Windows 11 but a news release from Geekwire indicated it might be titled "Windows 365", a streamed, cloud-based subscription operating system costing up to $162 per month depending on the features a user selects to use.  It too will require full-time connection to MS servers as it will "stream" each "feature" to you as you need it (and, of course, stream back to MS servers all your keystrokes so they can determine if/when you need a new services or state-change in an running service etc.)  And due to the increased MS tendency to post notifications about their own wonderfullness, great news, and amazing apps you can't live without, I can envision editing sessions constantly interrupted by MS "market-ware" announcements.

So, for those who have do not want the Apple abuse, can't tolerate the upcoming MS abuse, will Avid be developing a version of Media Composer for Linux?

As a side note, can someone explain the difference between ransomware and subscription software? "Pay by date certain, otherwise you will not be able to access content you created because it is encoded (encrypted) in our proprietary format." 

dude.  look how long it takes them to update to m1 support and normal features.  A lot of these editors are not that tech savvy (i dont include myself in that generalization).

but you can dream! lol

As far as I can tell they are trying to get people to use the new S version of Windows which, like Mr Cole said, requires any software you install be available through the MS Store, which is a non-starter as we oftern need odd-ball utilities or software such as VLC, or MC etc etc that problaby wont be in their store. (I can't imagine using AvidLink within a MS "wall") I wouldn't buy a S version of the MS OS. If you get S you can switch to the "regular" Win OS but can't go back to S. It seems very Googlish in how they want to wrap their OS around a MS account like a Gmail account. (My Office 365 account uses my dan@take-one.net as my MS Account) But you'll probably need a free @ms.com address at least to get through the install. After you install I would hope you could change your own email to your MS account... if it will let you, sometimes that can be rather "sticky" process. Of course it's not until you install the OS that you can change your own email address to your MS account. Plus there's a TPM 2.0 chip in a W11 machine that provides "hardware-based isolation, proven encryption". Not sure how that affects the upgrade process.

As far as I can tell they are going to great lengths to make people aware the Internet connection and MS account is a requirement for the Home edition but not the Business version. They don't state it outright as a requirement and only mention it in reference to the Home version, but they're not real clear about this in the W11 Business/Microsoft 365 cut-sheet... https://bit.ly/3CfKNSU

They're saying W11 should work on machines 18-24 months old. I have a HP Z840 and new Asus Laptop. Personally I'm waiting as long as I can and plan on staying with W10 as long as possible. 

The writing has been on the wall for quite some time now. The business model behind the subscription based licensing model is developing products less and less compatible with the niches like TV broadcast and TV production. (And I wonder how the medical, sience and military are dealing with this.)

Several Avid products, iNews & Mediacentral UX for example, were from the start RedHat based. They have now been joined by Nexis storage and ingest & playout servers called Fastserve and cloudUX using CentOS. Will more follow? probably.

For me the question is not so much if (and when) Avid needs to step away from Apple and Microsoft OS's. What I care about is what Avid wants to move to in the future. Most of the command line based servers with web based user interface and management pages get the job done up until now.... But if you ask me to compare for example SQL and MongoDB, or for example Avid Interplay assist and mediacentral, the old windows based products were much much much more efficient in their functionality and performance. 

I however believe this is not the result of the choice of OS, it's a question of long term investment into developing and testing products with intuitive user and maintenance tools. Tools a customer can trust to get the job done in time (also after a power failure). From where I'm sitting this motivation, cheaper is better, might result in all of us making $0,- with unreliable products at the end of the day. That said, freeware tools like Capser CG, FFtrans, OBS get better and better and I guess the editing capabilities of the free version of Resolve too. Times are changing.

I doubt MS will alienate the half a billion industrial and commercial users. Do not be overly concerned by some of the click bait articles you may run across.

wmcole:

As a side note, can someone explain the difference between ransomware and subscription software? "Pay by date certain, otherwise you will not be able to access content you created because it is encoded (encrypted) in our proprietary format."

One has been deemed 'legal' by governments, who's lawmakers/legislators are in the pay of multinational corporations.

The other is not - although it's questionable as to whether ransomware is also state sponsored!

To quote 10cc...

"it's a wonderful world when you're rolling in dollars..."

wmcole:

As a side note, can someone explain the difference between ransomware and subscription software? "Pay by date certain, otherwise you will not be able to access content you created because it is encoded (encrypted) in our proprietary format."

'Avid' blurs the line between the two i.e. continue paying us to get 'fixes' to most - but never all - of the myriad 'bugs' that were included (at no additional cost, mind) with the last version you bought before your perpetual-product 'support period' expired. (And No!!! - we don't issue standalone bug-fix patches that fix all the identified bugs up to and including the last version you had prior to said expiration of the 'support period. You shouldn't have been a cheapskate, should you have?)

Ransomeware is without consent ie. extortion.

Subscription is an agreement between 2 parties.

The problem is that programmers are expensive to hire.  They need that continuous revenue to pay them, and everyone else's salary.

Compare it to editing.  There's a reason editors usually don't like a flat rate.  They prefer getting paid per day/week/etc.

The Wizard of Ounce:

'Avid' blurs the line between the two i.e. continue paying us to get 'fixes' to most - but never all - of the myriad 'bugs' that were included (at no additional cost, mind) with the last version you bought before your perpetual-product 'support period' expired. (And No!!! - we don't issue standalone bug-fix patches that fix all the identified bugs up to and including the last version you had prior to said expiration of the 'support period. You shouldn't have been a cheapskate, should you have?)

Wizard,

Imho the problem is not just Avid stepping away from releasing bug fix patches without new functionality. The problem I see are the new features introducing new issues needing new fixes resulting in a self sustaining need for a continued subscription loop. But obviously this is business 2021. But what makes things unworkable is a 3 steps forward 2 steps back situation where new versions break existing fuctionality (or compatibility) resulting in loss of valuable time and eventually missing deadlines.

Simply said: When I have to protect my customers from the updates my software suppliers release, things start to get out of control. The situation puts more and more pressure on loyalties towards different parties in the food chain. And this problem extends far beyond Avid. 

EDIT: And the question related the topic of this thread. Would a Linux version of MC help in this perspective, by taking Apple and Microsoft out of the equation, or will the development of it effectively complicate the situation or just restart a new loop? I do not know.

Not looked into it but surely this is just for using apps via Microsoft ecosystem, trying to make it like iOS and android? Surely there's still a way, even if they've made it difficult to find, to have a local account and use a pc and software installs as we always have? otherwise it's no longer a computer. 

I think Avid on Linux is highly unlikely. If what these rumours say is true about Windows 11 and time will tell, then I will make the move to Mac when Avid can port to the pro versions of M2. I'm no a fan of the locked eco system of Apple and premium cost of common hardware but the new generation of Arm based processors shows real promise and the OS works as one still. Let's hope Titler+ is usable by then or we really are stuffed. We may even be glad of old versions of Avid then and hardware that can't be updated to 11.

MC on linux would be a sensible choice, this is why it's not going to happen. Both Resolve and the Lightworks have linux versions, they offer freedom of choice to the customers, and in the meanwhile they're ready for the day OSX and Windows will be unusable. That day is close, and Avid won't be fit. The game is almost over. 

I don't think MC is ramsonware, it's only an overpriced piece of software, just look at Resolve and the Lightworks (again!). The thing is the lack of a long term vision, combined with greedy stockholders. Think of the august price increase, what was that if not a greed driven decision to pump cash into the bank accounts of the stockholders? Avid is not a non profit organization, fair enough, but if they want to remain in business they have to respect and better serve the customers, we're not ATMs after all. 

Mercer:

We may even be glad of old versions of Avid then and hardware that can't be updated to 11.

A worst case scenario could be older perpetual licenses going up in value on the used market for a while.

But if the business model of classic perpetual software goes south, I think one or more manufacturers will jump in that gap. Maybe resolve will by that time have grown into a beast of an editor, or Apple sees the light.

In a broader perspective... I think climate related, right to repair, licensing regulations and government ruling + market forces will over time balance things out. My main worry at the moment is if Avid has the internal leadership dynamics to adjust itself to these changes. With 25 years of experience and what I'm seeing the last 2 years... I'm sceptical.

well in our experience - linux is a steep learning curve and would prohibit using many other useful tools. We had one Linux device in a 30 PC avid world and it simply wasn't worth the pain or the learning curve. Obviosly that would change if we had 30 seats. but there would need to be a big reason to switch. 

Overpriced is interesting.. It's not dissimilar to premiere, def more expensive than resolve but we are also subscribed to niche software that's way more expensive than a seat of Avid - Think Auto QC, filesharing, dead pixel, etc etc  Boris is not disimilarly priced and it's just a small bit of the edit process. Resolve pricing makes it easy to get more licences.. Adobe/Avid is in that area where we definitly think whether we can get by without, 

Also whether it's twice the price or half the price per year doesn't make a huge difference to my business model.. It's one of the smaller costs of running a facility in my experience. 

Nige

nigelgourley:

Also whether it's twice the price or half the price per year doesn't make a huge difference to my business model.. It's one of the smaller costs of running a facility in my experience. 

Nige

Exactly, I don't get why all these folks belly ache about the cost of Avid in the big scheme of things in running a business. It's the core of what we use to earn a living and a monthly subscription seat costs about the same you'd pay to go out to diner. Heck our insurance bill used to be $8,000 a year. If Avid didn't exist then we'd be forced to use Premiere or Resolve. I've always considered software developers partners in my success. When my ex-IT manager wanted to use pirated software I wouldn't let him do it. Now if T+ could just get its act together. Boris is my work around to that situation.

Dan