So about 50 million users, sold for 2.5 billion. That's about $50 per user. Each account with its own email.
Right now, when you start the Minecraft launcher, it checks with the Mojang servers to see if your account is paid/ok.
Thus, Mojang potentially can track the usage: times, IP used, etc.
How will you feel when this same tracking information will be owned by Microsoft ? (nicely data mined, correlated and potentially being shared with arbitrary three-letter entities)
Then, after that, the launcher will check for new versions of the launcher and I think potentially will download new ones.
Also the same thing happens for the actual game: depending on what Minecraft version you want to start, the corresponding java jars/files/resources are downloaded to your machine.
Currently, in both cases, those seem to be hosted on amazon servers.
Quite likely that will change and they will be hosted on Azure or whatever servers are under Microsoft control.
A windows box downloads upgrades from Microsoft regularly, so that's not much of a discussion there. But a mac/linux box will download all this stuff from Microsoft servers, every time. There is closed source and then there is closed source. Downloading stuff from a game company that cares for its existence (or at least its more or less indie status) is one thing. Downloading stuff from a behemoth that can steamroll any PR disasters of revelations that its binaries contained whatever peculiar/potentially malicious code is another thing. (or just code that doesn't work for competitor's platforms)
Minecraft can collect information about your machine (the "Machine Specs Collection" under "Snooper Settings..." in the "Options"). Things like OS/java version, graphic card, memory, that kind of things. Yes, you can disable it if you are that concerned about privacy. Now, the code will came from Microsoft. The collection might be mandatory ("it's for your own good because we can improve the user experience") or might contain "subtle" bugs. Sure, such things might exist even now, but, again, as I mentioned, there is closed source and then there is closed source. (see previous paragraph and the bit about "sharing" info further up)
Well, that assumes you will still be able to play it on your beloved linux box, after being rewritten in C#/DirectX (which even if it doesn't happen for the current version, it will very likely happen for future versions, with non-MS platforms being left to rot)
Remember what was in store for the XboxOne before the PS4 forced them to back down... Now there is nobody to force them.
There are countdown traffic lights in Japan -- I've seen them -- in Kobe by example... BUT for the crosswalk, for the pedestrians.
I agree it's a dangerous thing for cars.
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So about 50 million users, sold for 2.5 billion. That's about $50 per user. Each account with its own email.
Right now, when you start the Minecraft launcher, it checks with the Mojang servers to see if your account is paid/ok.
Thus, Mojang potentially can track the usage: times, IP used, etc.
How will you feel when this same tracking information will be owned by Microsoft ? (nicely data mined, correlated and potentially being shared with arbitrary three-letter entities)
Then, after that, the launcher will check for new versions of the launcher and I think potentially will download new ones.
Also the same thing happens for the actual game: depending on what Minecraft version you want to start, the corresponding java jars/files/resources are downloaded to your machine.
Currently, in both cases, those seem to be hosted on amazon servers.
Quite likely that will change and they will be hosted on Azure or whatever servers are under Microsoft control.
A windows box downloads upgrades from Microsoft regularly, so that's not much of a discussion there. But a mac/linux box will download all this stuff from Microsoft servers, every time. There is closed source and then there is closed source. Downloading stuff from a game company that cares for its existence (or at least its more or less indie status) is one thing. Downloading stuff from a behemoth that can steamroll any PR disasters of revelations that its binaries contained whatever peculiar/potentially malicious code is another thing. (or just code that doesn't work for competitor's platforms)
Minecraft can collect information about your machine (the "Machine Specs Collection" under "Snooper Settings ..." in the "Options"). Things like OS/java version, graphic card, memory, that kind of things. Yes, you can disable it if you are that concerned about privacy. Now, the code will came from Microsoft. The collection might be mandatory ("it's for your own good because we can improve the user experience") or might contain "subtle" bugs. Sure, such things might exist even now, but, again, as I mentioned, there is closed source and then there is closed source. (see previous paragraph and the bit about "sharing" info further up)
Well, that assumes you will still be able to play it on your beloved linux box, after being rewritten in C#/DirectX (which even if it doesn't happen for the current version, it will very likely happen for future versions, with non-MS platforms being left to rot)
Remember what was in store for the XboxOne before the PS4 forced them to back down ... Now there is nobody to force them.
There are countdown traffic lights in Japan -- I've seen them -- in Kobe by example ... BUT for the crosswalk, for the pedestrians.
I agree it's a dangerous thing for cars.