Ask Paul: March 4 (Premium)

Feliz Viernes from Mexico City! Here’s another amazing set of questions from readers to kick off the weekend.
Windows Hello preference
jwpear asks:

Paul, are you aware of any way to set the order of sign-in/auth options in Windows 11? I have a Windows Hello capable camera--Logitech Brio--and the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint reader. I much prefer the camera and would like that to be the default, using the fingerprint reader only when the camera is unavailable (e.g. in a video meeting). I do not see a way to set the order or a default. It seems that Windows randomly selects an option. Sometimes is uses the fingerprint reader, even when the camera is available, and sometimes it uses the camera. At this point, I'm considering just removing fingerprint, but then I'll have to resort to a PIN or password.

I assume you’re referring to those times when you’re already signed into Windows but need to authenticate for some reason? Obviously, if you’re sitting down in front of a PC that’s not signed in, facial recognition would kick in before you could touch the fingerprint reader (unless you’re not directly in front of it, I guess). Maybe less obviously, some newer laptops have fingerprint readers integrated into the power button, and in that case, that form of authentication would happen first because it passes through as Windows loads.

That’s an interesting question. I don’t ever use facial recognition except for testing as I prefer to explicitly sign in, but I’m not aware of any way to specify a preference.
Microsoft Loop
ggolcher asks:

When Microsoft Loop was announced last Fall, I got excited about a product that mixed the power of drafting content in Office with the data flexibility and versatility of Notion. It may be a great substitute to SharePoint for us. Yet, since then I haven't heard anything. I wanted to ask you if you had heard anything about Loop? Also, just out of curiosity: what's your take on it? Am I setting myself up to be disappointed?

I think that depends on how you use SharePoint. I think the collaboration functionality of Loop and SharePoint will sort of overlap in the same ways that the internal communications capabilities of Teams and Outlook overlap. Meaning that Loop, like Teams, is sort of a new way of doing this but that companies will continue using both for the foreseeable future. In part because the new thing will never do everything the old one did, and in part from inertia and employees who can’t fully move on.

But given that you’re not a fan of SharePoint---completely understandable---the good news is that Loop isn’t just new, it’s a completely different generation of solution with a completely different set of thinking behind it. And so if Loop doesn’t work for you, it won’t be because it’s just like SharePoint, or shares the same issues, or whatever. (I think.)

Microsoft announced Loop at Ignite 2021. And I think that’s why we’ve not heard...