The approach of many software manufacturers is not really new, so they do not require their products to be registered online, and then advertise here with the associated advantages for the customer. However, since most users are not interested in creating another account for a software for which they have paid, but simply want to remain anonymous, this approach has so far had only moderate success.

That is why some have started to introduce an online obligation when activating / registering the software. The manufacturers are well aware of the fine line on which they are moving, but on the other hand they see the need for the considerable losses caused by software piracy. Microsoft is currently only a test that was carried out by some randomly selected Windows insiders.

However, we also suspect that Microsoft does not carry out such tests out of sheer boredom, but that there are definitely concrete plans for the future that will eventually be implemented.

As everywhere, the principle “No rule without exception” applies, and thus an online constraint required by the manufacturer during installation can often be avoided relatively easily. To do this, you simply cut off the online connection during the setup process, which then automatically switches to an offline mode (previously not visible).

However, later you have to live with the constant messages that appear on the screen, but please activate or register the software online. As a rule, current software is provided with a version check, which checks each time it is started whether the version used is still up to date, and of course whether there was already an online registration.

In the long run, this should get on the nerves of most users so that the online registration / activation will be done after all.