JorgeA

The security application Heimdal Pro is still blocking the Aero Glass website. I've contacted Heimdal about this but there has been no answer. Perhaps @bigmuscle would like to get in touch with them? --JorgeA

I'm not commenting on the above -- I just have to say, I love your signature! --JorgeA

Check this out: Windows 10 runs again — but for how long? WTF does my laptop have to do with Xbox??? Wasn't one of the virtues of Windows 10 supposed to be that it could tell what kind of machine you're running, and act accordingly? And, almost as disturbing -- --JorgeA

Thanks greenhillmaniac and JodyT. I guess time will tell for sure if we Vista users will keep enjoying that freedom, or if there will even be a way to install new patches after April. --JorgeA

For how long will Server 2008 keep getting updates? Until those stop coming out, it looks like Vista will be the only Microsoft OS whose users continue to enjoy maximum freedom! --JorgeA

A question for those who might be in a position to know... Does this look like it might help to tamp down the telemetry connectivity that Microsoft has built into Windows 10? Note that the description states specifically that it is not a firewall. Impressions? Reactions? --JorgeA

Found another formerly useful piece of software whose developers have wrecked their UI: https://www.dropboxforum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/202157005/comments/207826506 And note the obligatory official apologist making claims that we're all too familiar with from the Win10 debate. I landed on that forum while trying to find as explanation as to why I can no longer simply download a file that someone wants to send me. (Too large for an e-mail attachment.) --JorgeA

Yeah, this whole Active Hours thing is ridiculous. I've posted a couple of times about it on the Insiders Feedback app. What capability, exactly, does it provide that the user didn't enjoy before? The only thing it accomplishes is to force you to plan out when you will reboot as otherwise Windows will do it for you. How about I make my own decision in my own good time??? My PCs have been known to wait for weeks with the Windows Update reboot reminder quietly sitting in a corner until I finish clearing my numerous open windows and am good and ready to reboot. At my convenience. --JorgeA

Microsoft Clarifies How It Will Update Edge With The Windows Store Two things: The stated rationale, that delivering Edge updates through the store makes it possible to deliver features faster, doesn't hold water. Don't know about Chrome, but Firefox releases a new version every six weeks. Microsoft could continue delivering Edge improvements on Patch Tuesday as they have been, and that's a faster monthly cycle than FF's 6-week cycle. Therefore, this new policy comes off as a further attempt to draw people into the Windows Store. There's no particular reason to deliver Edge updates via the store. --JorgeA

^^ Yeah, it is puzzling. Could it be that instead of pushing people to install Windows 10, the new strategy is to graft Win10 telemetry onto 7 and 8? That way they could get the user data without making the user go through the pain of switching their OS? One could make the argument that it's the data they want for advertising purposes, not so much which OS they get it from. --JorgeA

The security software Heimdal is blocking the Aero Glass website: I wrote to them at the specified e-mail address but they have NOT gotten back to me. @bigmuscle, I suggest you contact them. --JorgeA

More about Windows 10 stats: Windows 10 usage plateaus while Windows 7 holds its own Why another link to another article about the ups and downs of Win7 and 10? Well, the piece is just full of quotable lines. Just one taste -- You will have to read the rest for yourself. Well worth the couple of minutes IMO. --JorgeA

I think Woody has hit the nail on the head with his theory about the Windows Insiders program: 6 things wrong with the Windows Insider program [emphasis added] --JorgeA

I spent some time checking out TrueOS. It's intriguing. I like the "rolling release" model as it doesn't involve nuking your installation every few months. Their Start Menu comes closer to the Windows variety than any Linux I've seen. --JorgeA

Thanks for the warning, jaclaz. In my (limited) experience running Linux on laptops, I haven't encountered hardware driver issues, but it's good to know that this could happen. --JorgeA

More questions about the value of the Windows Insiders program, this time from Paul's new blogging partner, Brad Sams: Microsoft Delivers Yet Another Broken Windows 10 Update A lot of cogent and incisive observations down in the comments section, too. --JorgeA

And where exactly would I be wrong, jaclaz? --JorgeA

If I were in the market for a new laptop, I'd look for a seller who offered machines with no OS installed on them, and then put some flavor of Linux on it. If I couldn't find a reputable vendor that sold non-OS laptops, I would think about wiping the HDD and putting Linux on it. Or changing out the pre-installed Windows HDD for a blank one. A similar approach to yours, only with some different details. The idea is that Win10 is simply not an acceptable choice as things stand. --JorgeA

If the stats indicate that Win10 is dropping, but the reason is that smart people are blocking browser tracking -- thus masking the apparent level of Win10 usage -- then does it mean that Win10 accepters are, as a group, smarter than Win10 refusers? --JorgeA

Maybe people are starting to wise up: WTF? Windows 10 now actually losing market share --JorgeA

When talking about Windows 10, you get a lot of chances to use it! --JorgeA

I totally agree of course, and here's something that Paul Thurrott said on that very subject recently (starts at 46:55): In typical fashion, he then immediately goes on to undermine what he just said: Paul, the fact that these things are coming out despite having millions of "insider" guinea pigs suggests that they do not know what they're doing. The only way to save the theory that they do know what they're doing, is to take up the alternative hypothesis for the AU fiasco: that they don't care enough to test the product adequately before releasing it. --JorgeA

Zombie advertising in Win10: PSA: Windows 10's Anniversary Update reactivates ads you've already disabled Brad Chacos goes on to conclude: These repeated disclaimers that Win10 is "the best Windows ever" except for all its numerous annoyances and outrages is wearing thin. It's high time to flip the thinking, and start saying that Windows 10 is "the worst Windows ever despite a smattering of isolated improvements here and there." --JorgeA

Yup, there is no purpose to metrocrap OS. Nope, you're not missing anything. --JorgeA

All right, this finally tips the scales. I'm going to switch all my PCs to Windows 10 because... Candy Crush Saga now has 2000 levels on Windows 10 and Windows Phone The value proposition is now simply irresistible! OMG, how inane can it get?! --JorgeA