JorgeA
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Posts posted by JorgeA
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7 hours ago, Tripredacus said:
After having some real-world time put in on Windows 10 finally, I have decided that I will use it on my next work computer. I would prefer Enterprise 10586, even if it doesn't appear there is an LTSB of that build.
My only complaint about the Cortana/search box is that you need to click into the field twice before you can type in it.
Will you try to mitigate the issues with Windows 10, or will you live with them?
--JorgeA
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The fire is spreading...
Microsoft faces new lawsuits over aggressive Windows 10 free upgrade pushQuoteThat criticism has spread around the world, including China, where there have been murmurs of possible legal action over Microsoft's upgrade efforts...
Now, Microsoft is facing further legal action over the handling of its free upgrade offer, both at home and abroad. As The Seattle Times reports, three men filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in the US District Court in Florida last week, claiming that the frequent 'Get Windows 10' upgrade prompts were in violation of laws regarding unsolicited electronic advertising, and potentially in breach of Federal Trade Commission regulations on 'deceptive and unfair practices'.
Microsoft is also being sued in Haifa, Israel, over allegations that Windows 10 was installed on PCs without their owners' consent, which the lawsuit argues is contrary to Israeli law.
Both of these lawsuits are seeking class action status, which - if awarded - would open up the company to considerably wider, and costlier, litigation than dealing with a handful of individual cases.
--JorgeA
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1 hour ago, xpclient said:
Malware alert: Bob 10 Anniversary Downgrade Pro edition is now behaving like malware and AUTO downloading and auto installing random promoted apps from the Store because they SECRETLY changed some policy settings to make them exclusive to Enterprise and Education editions: http://winaero.com/blog/microsoft-locks-some-group-policy-options-to-enterprise-editions-in-windows-10-anniversary-update/ Oh well, I only test this crap because it can be forced some day and I want to be prepared. Back to 8.1 with Classic Shell.
I can hardly believe it -- not even a registry tweak will work anymore??
This is going to annoy professionals and businesspeople who bought Pro precisely because they expect it to give them greater control over the OS. Now they have to put up with all sorts of bloatware, just because the Lords of Microsoft decreed that it must be so.
The basic agreement between Microsoft and its customers used to be, "You pay us for the product and you can do what you want with it." Now it's changing over to, "You pay us for the product and we tell you what you can do with it."
Microsoft's increasingly imperious attitude is offensive and outrageous.
--JorgeA
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Tim Sweeney: Microsoft is trying to kill Steam with Windows 10
QuoteThe risk here is that, if Microsoft convinces everybody to use UWP, then they phase out Win32 apps. If they can succeed in doing that then it's a small leap to forcing all apps and games to be distributed through the Windows Store. Once we reach that point, the PC has become a closed platform. It won't be that one day they flip a switch that will break your Steam library -- what they're trying to do is a series of sneaky manoeuvres. They make it more and more inconvenient to use the old apps, and, simultaneously, they try to become the only source for the new ones.
--JorgeA
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Microsoft makes Cortana unkillable in Windows 10 Anniversary Update -- but you can disable her
The distinction seems to be that the UI for disabling Cortana is being removed even as it remains possible to get rid of it via Group Policy or in the Registry.
Bottom line: the less-technically inclined will get sucked into the Cortana matrix, with no evident way out; staying free of it requires increasing amounts of expertise.
--JorgeA
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8 hours ago, TELVM said:
For the benefit of those uninitiated in this gem of dystopian sci-fi:
[video]
[/video]
Speech monitoring brought to you, courtesy of Skype. Everything you say goes into our cloud servers and is subject to the Microsoft Services Agreement...
--JorgeA
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8 hours ago, NoelC said:
Yeah, sorry, I forgot to post it before...
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement/upcoming.aspx
-Noel
Thanks, Noel. Here's one "interesting" thing in the change list (#6):
QuoteIn the Xbox Live and Microsoft Studios Games and Applications section, we’ve clarified that, if allowed by your Xbox privacy settings, Microsoft can publish your name, gamertag, gamerpic, motto, avatar, and games that you’ve played in communications to people on your Xbox friends list. We’ve added that for any device that can connect to Xbox Services, we may automatically check your version of Xbox console software or the Xbox App software and download Xbox console or Xbox App software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Xbox Services, using unauthorized Xbox games or Xbox apps, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices with an Xbox console.
[emphasis added]
Reminds me of the intro to the old TV show The Outer Limits:
[youtube]
"We are in control, do not try to
adjust your setmodify your hardware..."--JorgeA
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ExtremeTalk: Does anyone actually love Windows?
QuoteWhen Microsoft announced Windows 10 back in January 2015, Satya Nadella described the operating system’s goal as follows:
“We want to move from people needing Windows, to choosing Windows, to loving Windows,” he said. “That is our goal.”
[...]
I’m going to move to Windows 10 anyway, because I want access to DirectX 12. But speaking strictly for myself, Mr. Nadella, no, I don’t love Windows 10. In fact, I trust it less than I trust any previous iteration of the operating system.
Windows 10 uses unique advertising IDs and far more user tracking than any previous Microsoft operating system. It may not be nearly as compromised as Android, but I don’t use Android for anything I care about. With Windows 10, Microsoft took certain controls and information away from users and it hasn’t given them back in the intervening 12 months. I’ve seen testbeds reboot in the middle of benchmark runs because the OS decided it had to download and install updates RIGHT NOW rather than checking to see if the system was actually idle.
As of this writing, I plan to install Windows 10, update the OS, and then disable Windows Update. I’ll re-enable it periodically to patch things up, then turn it off again. I’m still considering whether or not its worth blocking its telemetry gathering via a hardware firewall configuration, not because I think Microsoft is scanning my hard drive and uploading the contents to the NSA, but because I’m still angry that Redmond decided mandatory access to any information about my system was the price I had to pay to use its software. I’d have paid for the tracking-free version, if they’d bothered to make one that came in a Home or Pro SKU.
Well said.
--JorgeA
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11 hours ago, NoelC said:
Stupid, basic observation, but am I the only one to imagine that if Microsoft had implemented one or two "killer features" in the Win 10 14400 release that it would have gotten a LOT more folks to upgrade than this nagware BS?
Seems to me they would have gotten a lot more upgrades (and a lot less heat) if they had even retained the features they already had in Windows 7 but then added to these the things that are actually new in Windows 10. Sure, add a listing for the Windows Store in the (real) Start Menu. Offer flat, opaque windows as an alternative to Aero Glass, not as the only built-in choice. DirectX 12, go for it -- but why do you need to remove Windows Media Center and dismember Control Panel?
--JorgeA
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9 hours ago, rn10950 said:
I'm pretty sure everyone that's still on Windows 7 or 8.1 is aware of the Windows 10 "upgrade" by this point, they just choose not to install it.
Yeah, at this point the nagware serves purely as a way to increase the cost to the user of staying on an earlier version of Windows. Which may be part of the plan.
--JorgeA
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1 hour ago, ralcool said:
So I have two useless versions of Windows... one can no longer activate, but operates my hardware perfectly. The newest one is still incompatible, and also can't activate.
What a nightmare. Keep us posted.
--JorgeA
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51 minutes ago, NoelC said:
Key wording in the latest communication from Microsoft, being received in eMail by many people:
I haven't received this email (yet). Did they provide a link to the new MSA language, or at least a rundown of what's changed?
If I had paid $$ for a Windows license (assuming that this will be affecting Windows) and then they changed the terms, I would be really p*ssed and demand my money back, as those were not the terms under which I consented to the agreement and chose to give them my money.
--JorgeA
P.S. Nice picture, BTW. Very fitting expression!
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Since the new board software doesn't do embedded quotes,
I have to provide the context leading up to the following.
Regarding that French commission's finding that Microsoft collects excessive amounts of data from Windows 10 users...
On Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 9:13 PM, Techie007 said:Boy, that will sure teach them! Wait. . . you've gotta be kidding me! A mere $165,000? For a giant like Microsoft, that's just a cost of doing business. If forced to, they'll pay, and then it will be back to "business as usual". I'd be more interested to know exactly what the French researchers found being transmitted by Windows 10.
...here are some details:
France’s National Data Protection Commission says Windows 10 collects too much data (Updated)
France: Windows 10 collects 'excessive personal data', issues Microsoft with formal warning
Microsoft responds to allegations that Windows 10 collects 'excessive personal data'
QuoteThe CNIL found that the company was collecting diagnostic and usage data via its telemetry service, which uses such data, among other things, to identify problems and to improve products. To this purpose, Microsoft Corporation processes, for instance, Windows app and Windows Store usage data, providing information, among other things, on all the apps downloaded and installed on the system by a user and the time spent on each one. Therefore, the company is collecting excessive data, as these data are not necessary for the operation of the service.
[emphasis added]
And here's the original statement (in English).
--JorgeA
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Thanks for the thoughts and advice, Noel. Sounds like using that application for the purpose I described might require more time and/or technical expertise than I enjoy at the moment.
Incidentally, and speaking about time, that Dennis Nelson (if there is such a person) must have virtually nothing to do other than review software. He gives fairly detailed assessments of SharewareOnSale products almost every day.
--JorgeA
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I wonder if something like this could be used from, say, a Windows 7 system to prevent a Windows 10 machine on the same network from phoning home. Check out this part of the product review:
QuoteEasy Website Blocking
When blocking websites, you do not have to type the complete URL; the main name in the domain is enough. I found it interesting that I could not access blocked websites even through a VPN. While blocking sites, you can select which computers you want to restrict their access and whitelist others. You can also customize the message you want to be displayed when a user visits a blocked websites, then set a redirect URL, or choose the Close browser option.
--JorgeA
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1 hour ago, BudwS said:
At least OS X users won't blink an eye. Facetime just works across the Apple spectrum. Oh, and where are those MS Cloud servers located? And the servers are protected by MS security? With all those billions that are rolling in, they can afford great security. More greatness?
Yes, and now that Skype conversations will be going through MSFT servers instead of peer-to-peer direct, the Microsoft Services Agreement provision where they give themselves permission to access everything you put on their servers becomes all the more significant. They've already deleted people's OneDrive (SkyDrive) files that they didn't approve of; now you'll have to watch what you say, too.
--JorgeA
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1 hour ago, Formfiller said:
So I’ve made an ISO, re-installed Windows 10 “clean” (whatever that means given this OS) and removed some of Windows 10’s own crapware (Get Office, Skype Video, some other built-in apps). Then I ran Windows Update.
After Windows Update ran, those things which I have de-installed before (right-click on tile, de-install option) reappeared again!
WHAT A CRAPWARE POS! I am really angry. Realplayer had more respect for the users than this. Now it seems some crapware icons are stuck as well somehow, because the entry for “Skype Video” won’t go away, despite de-installing it again.
If it weren't real life, I'd say that it sounds like the plot to a horror film.
--JorgeA
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About MakuluLinux,
1 hour ago, ptd163 said:It's nice a distro, that's for sure, but according to distrowatch.com it doesn't support x86_64. Doesn't that seem like an issue?
I took a screenshot tonight:
From a live DVD session on my (Vista) laptop. Hopefully this will help. Let me know if I should provide more info.
--JorgeA
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Guys, I advise against getting political. Not only is it OT, but it's the surest way to get this nice long thread to come to a screeching halt, either from "above" or from "below" -- or both.
I know that here in the U.S. we're suffering through an unusually heated election cycle
, but on MSFN that topic belongs (if anywhere) in the general subforum.
Pleasepleaseplease, let's keep the thread on Microsoft and related tech issues!
--JorgeA
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Confirmed: Only Microsoft Edge will play Netflix content at 1080p on your PC
Reports down in the comments section:QuoteArticle should be updated to reflect the fact that this is only in Windows 10.
After reading I tested Chrome and Firefox in both Windows 10 and 7. In 7 both can play 1080p fine but in 10 both are locked at 720p.
Microsoft paying someone off to try and force its products/its Windows 10 store? No way!
QuoteI'm sure all browsers are technically capable of 1080p streaming. This appears as if Microsoft paid Netflix to have it disabled on all other browsers just to make Edge look better. A marketing ploy; not a technical limitation. Nope, still not switching to Edge.
--JorgeA
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On Friday, July 15, 2016 at 4:04 PM, TELVM said:
Who'd have thought?:
Microsoft: Windows 10 won't hit 1 billion devices by mid-2018
The quote from the MSFT spokescritter needed a little editing:
Quote"Windows 10 is off to the hottest start in history with over 350m monthly active devices, with record customer satisfaction and engagement. We're pleased with our progress to date, but due to the
focusingfailure of our phone hardware business, it will take longer than FY18 for us to reach our goal of 1 billion monthly active devices. In the year ahead, we are excited about usage growth coming from commercial deployments and new devices -- and increasing customer delight with Windows."[one word struck out, new word added in its place with emphasis]
WTF does "the focusing of our phone hardware business" mean?? There are a few nouns that fit better in that sentence; I gave one of them above. Others include "disaster," "debacle," "fiasco."
--JorgeA
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On Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 11:35 AM, helpdesk98 said:
I wounder if there counting all the reinstalls. I have reinstalled dozens of times in VMs just messing around and only had them online once before there destruction lol.
You can be sure of that. Anything to puff up the numbers.
--JorgeA
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On Friday, July 15, 2016 at 1:50 PM, xpclient said:
To be honest, I am worried that once all the stupid people "arrived" and took over the industry via Facebook,
, the tech industry has fallen into a trap of mindless conformity where the most popular technology wins regardless of whether or not it is actually better. New and different equals cool and hip. Fashion and social media play a big role in what is successful. This trend is so dangerously worrying and enough to drive a sane clever engineer to insanity.
The "upgrade" was supposed to do wonders for your productivity, your workflow & bring new capabilities without wasting your time and past investments and the steady evolution and progress which happened in the past. That is why those top engineers were so highly paid. But that's not what's happening today. It's extremely disturbing. Big companies do changes and manipulate people so easily. Fanboys can't set their emotions aside and realize that the ultimate goal of exploitative companies is now only to profit even if it screws all your past investment, time and effort, and takes the product in the opposite direction.
IMHO another factor in this, is kids at their first job at Google/Apple/Microsoft who can't resist the temptation to mess with millions of people's lives. Here we have arrogant twits who think they're smarter than everyone else, trying to shape our (onscreen) environment. The temptation is hard to resist if you have the knowledge to do it, but neither the wisdom nor the experience to steer you away from it.
It's also the sense of power. If it were simply a matter of money and profit, it seems to me that, in the wide-open Internet market, sooner or later someone would come along offering stable products that don't change the location of the buttons or the color scheme just for the h3!! of it; while customers who'd rather focus on getting actual work done than on learning the Cool New Features that arrive every other month would flock to such vendors.
But then, most vendors seem to be infested with arrogant twit developers who enjoy scr*wing with users' workflow... Because They Can.
--JorgeA
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55 minutes ago, TELVM said:
The news is spreading:
Microsoft confirms Windows 10 and Surface subscriptions are on their way
Microsoft prices Windows 10 Enterprise subscription at $84 per user per year
One question about this: Will this $84 per year be instead of or in addition to the astronomical fees that companies pay for Enterprise licenses? If it's "instead of," then it puts Windows Enterprise within reach of individuals and small businesses, posing an interesting follow-up question: Would you be willing to pay the yearly Enterprise subscription in order to enter the Long Term Service Branch and enjoy more granular control over both telemetry and the Windows Updates that get installed on your PC?
On another point, check out this comment about MSFT apologists under the first link above:
QuoteRarely have I seen fanboys rise to such stellar levels of denial, self-delusion and plain old lying to themselves in order to maintain their religion. These people seriously need professional help. Subscriptions have been coming for a long time. We know this because Microsoft told us that was their endgame. I honestly pity these damaged individuals..of all the things you could worship and evangelize a consumer technology company is about the sorriest thing I can imagine.
If we quoted that on the Windows Insiders forum, I wonder how quickly it would get taken down.
--JorgeA
P.S. Reading further into the PC World piece:
QuoteAccording to a Microsoft spokeswoman, the subscription deal is not in any way related to Microsoft's consumer offering. It's worth highlighting, though, that a business of one employee can take advantage of it, however.
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I have to provide the context leading up to the following.
, but on MSFN that topic belongs (if anywhere) in the general subforum.
, the tech industry has fallen into a trap of mindless conformity where the most popular technology wins regardless of whether or not it is actually better. New and different equals cool and hip. Fashion and social media play a big role in what is successful. This trend is so dangerously worrying and enough to drive a sane clever engineer to insanity.
Windows 10 - Deeper Impressions
in Windows 10
Posted
It's not the same idea, but one of my favorite movies is a fairly obscure one titled Interstate 60. One of the parts of this quirky film takes place in a town where lawyering has taken over completely and everyone is suing, or threatening to sue, everyone else. Illustrates the consequences of having too much of a good (?!) thing.
--JorgeA