More from the OpEd ...

... Once upon a time, when you ran Windows on your desktop, it was your desktop. Oh, the IT department might have called the shots on how much you could do with it, but you could write what you needed to, and it was all kept nicely on your PC or your choice of network drive.

Those days are long gone. ...

First, Microsoft started replacing standalone applications with cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) programs such as Microsoft 365. Today, you have little choice but to run Microsoft 365. In addition, unless you turn it off, every file you make or save ends up in OneDrive. ...

Now, there's a new twist. Microsoft's been hinting at it for a while, but on Nov. 10, Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's president of Windows, tweeted: "Windows is evolving into an agentic OS, connecting devices, cloud, and AI to unlock intelligent productivity and secure work anywhere."

What does that even mean? ...

It means -- as near as I can decipher -- that with Microsoft's Agent Workspace and Copilot Actions notes in this latest and greatest version of Windows 11 (OK, that may be an oxymoron, but bear with me), you'll run AI agents in isolated, secure workspaces.

These agents will have their own user accounts, Agent ID, which are separate from the primary user (you).

Mind you, to work, these agents must have access to your account's permissions via the Windows On-Device Registry (ODR) to manage your files, automate routine tasks, adjust settings, and work with your system tools. ...

[more at the link]