[lucb1e]

I'm not complaining about Windows 10 in particular.

I'm complaining about walled gardens and application "stores" that require an account in particular, even when they don't require payment information (making them not a store at all, just a walled application garden).

And yes, I have used the Windows Store once or twice, but I don't see how that changes anything.

[scholia]

Does needing an account really make it a walled garden?

I borrow books and CDs from a public library: I need an account.

I borrow videos from BlockBuster or stream them from Netflix: I need an account.

I want to comment on HN or whatever: I need an account.

I want to get a job, I need an account (SSN etc).

[jhasse]

In some cases, yes:

Want to borrow a book from another library because it's missing in yours?

Want to switch from Netflix to a different streaming provider, but don't want to lose all your history?

You can't easily because you're in their walled garden.