Tripredacus Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 One thing to consider about newer computers (I blame the OSes) is that they are not very accomodating to older people. I have been trying to find a replacement computer for and elderly friend of mine and have come up short. It basically comes down to he just can't read on the screen. Tablets and Smartphones are out because you can't change font size. So I figured we'll take a look at some Windows 8.1 notebooks at a retail store. Still can't read that either. No way to make the fonts bigger and Magnifier is clunky and confusing. You can't really change the video resolution to something smaller either. It seems there are no products available for the aging population who have degraded vision, who have relied for years on using Windows XP @ 800x600 with a 19" or greater display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 About three years ago, I helped an elderly relative to buy her first computer. She was much happier with it when I showed her how to increase the size of text on the screen (different from the Magnifier). --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 More info trickling out on Windows 9: Windows as a service: What's Threshold got to do with it? Mary Jo knocks down (again) the idea that Windows itself will become a paid subscription service; however -- That said, maybe Microsoft officials will decide at some point to turn Windows updates and patches into a paid service, but so far, that decision hasn't been made, I continue to hear from my contacts. Another tidbit: I'd originally heard from my sources that the coming Threshold tech preview would require users to opt into all monthly updates to Threshold. But now I am hearing the monthly updates will be optional. Those who do opt in will get updates, as well as builds with features that work differently depending on the user. Some subsets of users might get a new feature; others may not. Microsoft will be gathering this "flighting" data to compare differently configured versions of the OS on different devices. Ultimately, the idea is the best configuration will win. Maybe the folks at Microsoft have learned from their Win8 disaster? --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelC Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I would wait until halfway through the life of Windows 10 to buy Windows 9 if Microsoft starts making me pay for them to fix their bugs. As it is now I wait until "service pack 1" before adopting a system. I never did adopt WIndows 8, and only ran it on test VMs. -Noel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelC Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I have been trying to find a replacement computer for and elderly friend of mine and have come up short. Hate to say it, but a 30 inch monitor, while expensive, would get the job done. IE at, say, 250% zoom is reasonably readable. So I guess you could say it's relatively hard to find a computer for a cheap elderly person. But I'm half joking. I agree, everything is optimized nowadays for people who can see things down to the microscopic level. -Noel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaclaz Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I would wait until halfway through the life of Windows 10 to buy Windows 9 if Microsoft starts making me pay for them to fix their bugs. As it is now I wait until "service pack 1" before adopting a system. I never did adopt WIndows 8, and only ran it on test VMs. -NoelNow, now, you haven't been doing your homework on Microsoft Lingo. The term "to fix a bug" is deprecated and replaced by either "to update obsolete [*] feature" or "to better user experience" or "further increase the rock solid stability of the OS". jaclaz [*] obsolete may mean "one month old" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Microsoft's Windows 9: Much ado about little, given cloud shift Microsoft will reportedly launch Windows 9 on September 30 and could ultimately be known as the last of the software giant's big bang operating system releases. [...] While the Windows 9 christening will kick off a march to a general public roll out in spring of 2015, it's worth outlining why the operating system is strategic today, but a mere transition product if you zoom out beyond two years. [...] In other words, Windows 9's codename Threshold is on target. Windows 9 is the bridge between Microsoft's past of big bang releases and a licensing model to one focused on the cloud, innovation that's easier to consume, and services. Should CEO Satya Nadella's master plan work out, a Windows 10 launch should be a quiet one. Why? We'll all simply pay Microsoft a $20-a-year subscription for updates, new features, and perhaps some online storage. Microsoft's Windows future could resemble a SaaS model with twice-a-year feature releases that serve as an onramp to other services. The guy gets a thorough thrashing in the comments section for wishing to become a Windows tenant. Top of the list: Seriously? The whole point of the cloud was to facilitate sharing. It sure wasn't to get shafted when it comes to basic functionality. Why do I need to subscribe to an OS to make my PC work to play my MP4 file? It's ironic that Linux might just end up as the last sane operating system - not because it's more user friendly, but because its competitors have self-destructed.There will always be two kinds of people: whose who lease or finance a car, and those who save up and pay cash, even if for a used one. And let me assure you, the freedom of knowing you don't have a monthly payment is beyond liberating. --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 That's just about the whole story. It's like going on a road trip and suddenly realizing that you took a wrong turn somewhere and have spent the last two hours driving in the wrong direction, and then having to turn around and make it up. Not really-really, but almost. It's like going on a road trip and suddenly realizing that you took a wrong turn somewhere and have spent the last two hours driving in the wrong direction, and then having to turn around and make it up, after your wife that is sitting besides you and the kids that are in the backseats have been telling you that over and over since exactly two hours. To the shame of having chosen the wrong turn you have to add to it the awareness that, besides having done something stupid, you are also dangerously stubborn, and you have NO excuses as you were actually told you were going in the wrong direction. jaclaz I like this extension of the analogy! --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 (edited) That's just about the whole story. It's like going on a road trip and suddenly realizing that you took a wrong turn somewhere and have spent the last two hours driving in the wrong direction, and then having to turn around and make it up. --JorgeA Good analogy. It fits nicely with something I'm fond of saying: that Microsoft needs to "get back on the straight and narrow". I imagined Microsoft leadership driving down, say, Route 66 in the southwest US, then suddenly, without good reason, just turning off the road and driving straight into the desert, claiming they were "reimagining" where the road goes. -Noel Apropos of that (and maybe aptly), remember the Developer Preview login screen? (source) You could say that they drove off into the mountains, mesmerized by visions of where they were heading with Win8. Took a couple of years to find their way back. --JorgeA Edited September 9, 2014 by JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelC Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Yes, getting lost isn't something easily remedied. Of course, you're assuming they'll be able to execute a return to the straight and narrow. I'll believe it when I see it. I'm just imagining the culture changes that must have occurred in a company that's been so long driven toward the mountains when that doesn't make sense. What kinds of employees left in disgust and who stuck around? The ONLY thing I see that may save their butts overall is that it's not been as easy to find alternative jobs in high tech as it once was. Some of the smart geeks may still be there simply because they couldn't find other, better work in the interim. -- And now it's off to install the big list of September Windows Updates, some of which I see are labeled as August updates, and which list many, many fixes to problems I didn't know I had - then try to discover if there's a non-zero "newly broken" to "newly fixed" ratio... -Noel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monroe Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 (edited) Just a heads up if you use Gmail ... I hadn't heard of this till now. *** Add ... I just now saw that xper mentioned this yesterday in Technology News. I missed that ... I only added it here since "security" is discussed every now and then. Millions of Gmail accounts hacked, was yours one of them?by Fidel Martinez @ThisIsFusion http://fusion.net/modern_life/story/millions-gmail-accounts-hacked-1036842 09/10/2014 A database containing close to 5 million gmail user names and passwords has been leaked on a Russian bitcoin forum, a popular Russian website devoted to the cryptocurrency. The text file was published on Tuesday night by user tvskit, according to CNews, the Russian news outlet that first broke the story. The leaker claimed that the majority of the accounts belong to users who speak English, Russian, or Spanish, and that approximately 60 percent are active. The passwords not only give access to Gmail, but a slew of other Google services such as Drive and the mobile payment system Google Wallet. Svetlana Anurova, a Google representative, told CNews that the tech giant is aware of the breach and encouraged users to select a stronger password and enable two-step verification, a security measure where users are required to provide a passcode sent to their mobile devices before any changes can be made to their account. The Gmail leak comes on the heels of two other major security breaches leaked on the same Bitcoin forum, which targeted Russian email service prodiver Mail.ru and search engine Yandex. Those two breaches affected nearly 6 million Internet users. Find out if your account was compromised You can verify whether your account was affected by clicking here and entering your gmail address. It's that simple. You can also enable Google's 2-step verification by following the company's easy steps. UPDATE 3:01 PM Google issued the following statement to Fusion: "The security of our users' information is a top priority for us. We have no evidence that our systems have been compromised, but whenever we become aware that accounts may have been, we take steps to help those users secure their accounts."... Edited September 11, 2014 by monroe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripredacus Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 Just a heads up if you use Gmail ... I hadn't heard of this till now. Xper posted about it yesterday. http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/172670-5-million-gmail-passwords-leaked-to-russian-bitcoin-forum/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formfiller Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 New ugly Windows 9 screenies: http://www.techbroil.com/2014/09/destiny-vs-yard-work.html?showComment=1410522196150#c3792145317375972527 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aero7x64 Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 (edited) These screenshots are just ugly indeed. Also according leaked video start menu appears to be half start menu, unless under customize right column (locations) can be used instead of ugly titles. Also flat ugly style appears to still be there, actually file explorer icon has been changed to fit that style. According all leaked information so far: Windows 9 is actually Windows 8.2 rebranded. If there isn't possibility to use full Windows Aero under themes in control panel and option to use right column then I won't bother to upgrade. I will of course try this in virtual machine as soon as iso will leak, so I can confirm what exactly can be customized. In the best case only defaults will be bad. Edited September 12, 2014 by Aero7x64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaclaz Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 (edited) New ugly Windows 9 screenies: http://www.techbroil.com/2014/09/destiny-vs-yard-work.html?showComment=1410522196150#c3792145317375972527I wish I could say "it could have been worse", but I would be telling a lie. More images on the (german) source:http://www.computerbase.de/2014-09/windows-9-technical-preview-bilder-testversion/http://winfuture.de/news,83577.html IF the background image (that looks a lot like one of those prank images to simulate a broken LCD screen) is going to be the default one and an example of the "new design" I confirm how humanity is doomed. The "Microsoft Confidential" notice:Unauthorized use or disclosure in any manner may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment (in the case of employees), termination of assignment or contract (in the case of contingent staff), and potential civil or criminal liability. must have been put on it by the lawyers fearing being sued as an innocent kid may remain shocked by viewing it and it would not be uncommon that elderly people with a previous heart condition would get a final stroke when seeing it. jaclaz Edited September 12, 2014 by jaclaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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