Ignore the luddites, this will be a very important can’t-live-without feature in the years to come. Once the privacy issues are worked through, and yes, luddites, they can and will be worked through, this will be a differentiating feature that every other OS plays catch up to. It already exists in some tools like ssh playbacks.
Imagine you’re working on a problem and solved it 6 months ago. You forgot to bookmark the site, and you just can’t find it again. No problem. Query Recall to show you what problem it was and how you solved it.
This is a memory of what you did during a user session on your computer…
This is a “I forgot my keys” type solution for the average user. For the power user, it has a ton of uses including what were those settings I changed last week, they seem to have worked and I want to document them, or recap the game I played last week so I’m not completely lost when I start my next session.
So what you’re saying is…if you remember to save things, you’re giving up your privacy/security for nothing?
Those are such weak use cases for letting Microsoft take screenshots of my computer like the DPRK. The one time a year I might find it useful is just not worth the risk. And I really don’t like this being thrust upon less-techy people who don’t understand what they’re giving up.
That is not at all what I am saying. Of course not using it is your choice and your right, but saying there is no use or value (for anyone) for this is willful ignorance at this point.
Edit: it also does not have to be a trade off of your privacy and/or security either. This tech can be done securely and with privacy-retention, but what I am seeing and hearing from this thread is that it is Bad. No. Matter. What.
I didn’t say there was no use, I said there was very little benefit.
Your only reasoning for saying it will be something people wouldn’t be able to live without is that it will save you time when you forget to bookmark something you want to find 6 months ago. I don’t find that compelling at all and I can’t fathom it being a “must have” feature for 99.99% of people.
To your edit, it is unquestionably a trade off. You are being monitored by Microsoft. Screenshots of your computer will be uploaded to their servers regularly. It doesn’t matter what happens with them - that information is now out there. Even if it was impossible to hack Microsoft (lol), there is no way to spin this to say you aren’t giving up privacy. Until this is feature is completely offline with no telemetry going to a corporation, it is a privacy nightmare.
Windows 11 is free and as the saying goes, “if you’re not paying for it, YOU are the product.” So yes, most people think this is bad no matter what.
Well you did say the tradeoff of security was “for nothing” which is why I said that. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with memory issues in my older age and would love to have a memory coprocessor that helps me. I think the interface (interaction between user and the tech) will be critical here for making it usable. Regarding privacy, M$ has been touting it is offline (unless that has changed), which is why they are going to the trouble of building out these LLMs and multimodal LLMs and the Copilot PC with accelerator chips built in. It will be as secure as any other file on your computer, but the stakes will be higher for leaks, no doubt. New encryption schemes will undoubtedly be required as it’s on the cusp of being a digital part of the users’ self.
I’m not going to downvote you, because I’m genuinely curious: Why would this be a “very important can’t-live-without feature”, what’s the argument?
Because from where I’m sitting as a user of various Windows & Linux products for several decades, this has never been anything I’ve asked for or needed, let alone wanted to take up >20Gb of my hard drive space. What is the Use Case sales pitch that convinced you?
I’m absolutely looking for a real answer, not here to downvote or troll.
When you say “the tech is useful” I don’t see it that way from my perspective because I can’t think of any specific scenarios for this tech to prove valuable to me, in terms of the way that I interface with an OS.
What I’m hoping for from you is a Use Case; what specific application of this tech would you, the End User, find to be a vast improvement in the way that you interface with Windows?
This is an accessibility wet dream. That’s the biggest use case IMO. Take all of the people who struggle with memory issues or who are blind. This will completely change their life.
A few other use cases I put in a sibling comment. Sorry, you caught me on the defensive!
This isn’t an unreasonable suggestion, but I’m not seeing accessibility mentioned anywhere on the Recall site. For those with sight issues, I’m unclear on how the process would be with the necessary screen-reader that MS is silent on compatibility with. Sure, text to voice is a thing, but that would only be useful at home unless you really want to have a computer read out loud everything it’s got in Recall.
I’m talking more abstractly about the tech vs your concrete here today Microsoft Recall implementation of the tech. It’s unfortunate M$ isn’t working towards accessibility now, but this tech will enable such things.
I appreciate the positive outlook for the possibility of things, but I live in a world where Microsoft has already violated customer trust and privacy, so I’ll stick with what evidence supports. Evidence supports that this is not about customers, and is instead a new way for them to get additional data.
The risks of this being done incorrectly, at all, are much more worrisome than any speculative fiction I might want to entertain about them.
That is seriously deranged. Copyright exists for the corporations. Any individual artist that goes up against them Loses. Every. Time. That’s my biggest gripe about AI=Bad people, my opinion of them is that they are hypocrites, have they seriously never file shared a mp3 a day in their lives?
There is also other uses for this tech than “theft” from artists. How about driving tech that learns from people’s driving footage.
That’s a great first step but by no means the only component. You forgot analyzing the images, cleaning any privacy issues, and securely deleting the images, and of course indexing the information and making it available for queries. Best to not even store the images, IMO.
Oh… you weren’t serious? At least try to understand the tech if you’re going to badmouth it.
Ignore the luddites, this will be a very important can’t-live-without feature in the years to come. Once the privacy issues are worked through, and yes, luddites, they can and will be worked through, this will be a differentiating feature that every other OS plays catch up to. It already exists in some tools like ssh playbacks.
What is important about this?
What will this allow me to do that I wasn’t able to before?
What benefit does this feature have to the average user? What about the power user?
Great questions!
Imagine you’re working on a problem and solved it 6 months ago. You forgot to bookmark the site, and you just can’t find it again. No problem. Query Recall to show you what problem it was and how you solved it.
This is a memory of what you did during a user session on your computer…
This is a “I forgot my keys” type solution for the average user. For the power user, it has a ton of uses including what were those settings I changed last week, they seem to have worked and I want to document them, or recap the game I played last week so I’m not completely lost when I start my next session.
So what you’re saying is…if you remember to save things, you’re giving up your privacy/security for nothing?
Those are such weak use cases for letting Microsoft take screenshots of my computer like the DPRK. The one time a year I might find it useful is just not worth the risk. And I really don’t like this being thrust upon less-techy people who don’t understand what they’re giving up.
That is not at all what I am saying. Of course not using it is your choice and your right, but saying there is no use or value (for anyone) for this is willful ignorance at this point.
Edit: it also does not have to be a trade off of your privacy and/or security either. This tech can be done securely and with privacy-retention, but what I am seeing and hearing from this thread is that it is Bad. No. Matter. What.
I didn’t say there was no use, I said there was very little benefit.
Your only reasoning for saying it will be something people wouldn’t be able to live without is that it will save you time when you forget to bookmark something you want to find 6 months ago. I don’t find that compelling at all and I can’t fathom it being a “must have” feature for 99.99% of people.
To your edit, it is unquestionably a trade off. You are being monitored by Microsoft. Screenshots of your computer will be uploaded to their servers regularly. It doesn’t matter what happens with them - that information is now out there. Even if it was impossible to hack Microsoft (lol), there is no way to spin this to say you aren’t giving up privacy. Until this is feature is completely offline with no telemetry going to a corporation, it is a privacy nightmare.
Windows 11 is free and as the saying goes, “if you’re not paying for it, YOU are the product.” So yes, most people think this is bad no matter what.
FWIW I did not downvote either of your comments
Well you did say the tradeoff of security was “for nothing” which is why I said that. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with memory issues in my older age and would love to have a memory coprocessor that helps me. I think the interface (interaction between user and the tech) will be critical here for making it usable. Regarding privacy, M$ has been touting it is offline (unless that has changed), which is why they are going to the trouble of building out these LLMs and multimodal LLMs and the Copilot PC with accelerator chips built in. It will be as secure as any other file on your computer, but the stakes will be higher for leaks, no doubt. New encryption schemes will undoubtedly be required as it’s on the cusp of being a digital part of the users’ self.
I’m not going to downvote you, because I’m genuinely curious: Why would this be a “very important can’t-live-without feature”, what’s the argument?
Because from where I’m sitting as a user of various Windows & Linux products for several decades, this has never been anything I’ve asked for or needed, let alone wanted to take up >20Gb of my hard drive space. What is the Use Case sales pitch that convinced you?
There was no sales pitch. I hate Microsoft and do not talk to their sales people.
The tech is useful.
I’m absolutely looking for a real answer, not here to downvote or troll.
When you say “the tech is useful” I don’t see it that way from my perspective because I can’t think of any specific scenarios for this tech to prove valuable to me, in terms of the way that I interface with an OS.
What I’m hoping for from you is a Use Case; what specific application of this tech would you, the End User, find to be a vast improvement in the way that you interface with Windows?
This is an accessibility wet dream. That’s the biggest use case IMO. Take all of the people who struggle with memory issues or who are blind. This will completely change their life.
A few other use cases I put in a sibling comment. Sorry, you caught me on the defensive!
To Microsoft, sure. But what about the users? Which problem or problems were being solved?
Biggest impact is accessibility. Think people with memory issues or blind. This tech will change their lives.
This isn’t an unreasonable suggestion, but I’m not seeing accessibility mentioned anywhere on the Recall site. For those with sight issues, I’m unclear on how the process would be with the necessary screen-reader that MS is silent on compatibility with. Sure, text to voice is a thing, but that would only be useful at home unless you really want to have a computer read out loud everything it’s got in Recall.
I’m talking more abstractly about the tech vs your concrete here today Microsoft Recall implementation of the tech. It’s unfortunate M$ isn’t working towards accessibility now, but this tech will enable such things.
I appreciate the positive outlook for the possibility of things, but I live in a world where Microsoft has already violated customer trust and privacy, so I’ll stick with what evidence supports. Evidence supports that this is not about customers, and is instead a new way for them to get additional data.
The risks of this being done incorrectly, at all, are much more worrisome than any speculative fiction I might want to entertain about them.
That’s some genuine ghoul logic. You’re a Luddite if you value your privacy and resist predators. Great take lmao. Totally hinged.
Seems like I struck a nerve.
If calling it that will make you feel better, who am I to stop ya?
https://thenib.com/im-a-luddite/
That is seriously deranged. Copyright exists for the corporations. Any individual artist that goes up against them Loses. Every. Time. That’s my biggest gripe about AI=Bad people, my opinion of them is that they are hypocrites, have they seriously never file shared a mp3 a day in their lives?
There is also other uses for this tech than “theft” from artists. How about driving tech that learns from people’s driving footage.
$ scrot “${XDG_CACHE_DIR:-”$HOME"/.cache}“/shot-$(date +”%D-%H").png
Put in /etc/cron.hourly, make executable, done.
Edit: right, copilot analyzing. Just run OpenCV over the images.
That’s a great first step but by no means the only component. You forgot analyzing the images, cleaning any privacy issues, and securely deleting the images, and of course indexing the information and making it available for queries. Best to not even store the images, IMO.
Oh… you weren’t serious? At least try to understand the tech if you’re going to badmouth it.
I should extend that program and call it
scrotum