From: bencollver@tilde.pink   
      
   After 40 years of being free Microsoft has added a paywall to Notepad   
   =====================================================================   
      
      
   If you want full access to Notepad, Microsoft now requires users to   
   pay, with the new changes to 40-year-old software adopting the   
   'freemium' model.   
      
   TL;DR: Microsoft has introduced a paywall for Notepad, requiring a   
   Microsoft 365 subscription to access new features like the AI-powered   
   Rewrite tool.   
      
   Notepad has been around for more than 40 years, and throughout that   
   time, Microsoft made simple software free, but that time has now come   
   to an end, or at least if you want full access to Notepad.   
      
      
      
   After 40 years of being free Microsoft has added a paywall to Notepad   
      
   The age of Notepad having a paywall has arrived, with the simple   
   writing software now prompting users to sign into a Microsoft account   
   to access new tools such as Rewrite, a new feature that uses   
   artificial intelligence to rewrite highlighted text. Users attempting   
   to use the new feature will be prompted with a Microsoft account   
   sign-in page, and if the account doesn't have an active Microsoft 365   
   membership, the user will be required to sign up. This is the   
   paywall.   
      
   It should be noted that you can still use Notepad without a Microsoft   
   account, and users can go as far as removing the Rewrite icon   
   completely from Notepad. Despite the ability to still use the   
   software without an account, Microsoft has received some criticism   
   for implementing what is most definitely a paywall/advertisement for   
   a built-in piece of Windows software.   
      
   This criticism comes after Microsoft slowly started baking in   
   advertisements for its other services within the Windows 11 operating   
   system, such as ads for Game Pass within the Settings app, various   
   ads within the Start Menu, and even File Explorer. As explained by   
   Windows Central, Microsoft has adopted the "freemium" model for   
   Notepad, which, for those who don't know, means the initial software   
   is free to use but has specific features are locked behind paywalls.   
      
   From:    
      
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