Windows 10 - First Impressions

[NoelC]

Speaking of technology that doesn't quite work...

 

Latest windows update on build 10130 to a version no one else seems to have (10159) got stuck in downloading at 98% for 3 hours (didn't need the VM for anything, so I let it sit there). 

 

 

After a reboot, it restarted at 97%, then finished the download.

 

Who knows what'll happen after the install.  That used to be exciting...  Now it's just dread...

 

 

-Noel

[JorgeA]

Just imagine that sort of thing happening on a billion or so PCs over the next couple of years.

 

I can hardly wait.    

 

And supposedly this forced-updates thing is to cut down on calls to tech support. Hah!

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Fantastic new thread in the Insiders forum. I could not have put it better:

 

I'm baffled. After Windows 8 I thought Microsoft would have learned from their design mistakes, but apparently not. Windows 10 is the ugliest OS I've ever seen in my entire life. The buttons are incredibly basic and the areas have absolutely no depth whatsoever. This MIGHT be passable for mobile users, who have unfortunately become accustomed to unbelievably hideous interfaces, but for desktop use I throw up when I see the smartphone settings toggles and removal of element borders. Considering this is Microsoft's final Windows release (or so they say), I find it egregious and vile that we are being forced to "upgrade" for technologies like DirectX 12. We will have no way to change this (Windows offers absolutely no official support for deep interface customization). What we're witnessing is Microsoft betraying all of their power users and all users who appreciate or acknowledge real design. The return of the Start Menu could have been the beginning of something great, but instead they butchered it with integration with "app" tiles and solid colors. How something like Windows 10 can be packaged and sold to consumers is beyond me. It's a scam and I'll be finding a way to disable my automatic update so I don't get Windows 10 on principle.

 

--JorgeA

 

 

[NoelC]

Another user wakes up and smells what they're shoveling.  He'll probably be banned soon.  You're not allowed to be critical of Windows 10 there.

 

But Microsoft's not worried.  They have no competition.  Yet.

 

Windows as a service most certainly means the system is all theirs and you pay for the privilege of being a part of their world.  Too bad if it's not as good a world as you once experienced.  Those were the good old days.  Time to get over it or be brushed aside.

 

We will complain and complain, and ultimately be assimilated.  Perhaps we can find a away, one more time, to "opt out" of the invasion of privacy, of the forced diet of mush, of the our way or the highway.  Or maybe not.  We still have the older operating systems we can continue to run.  For now.  But we'd better start being wary of Windows Updates on the systems Microsoft most certainly doesn't want us using.

 

It is not a Good Thing when the OS vendor goes in a different direction than you need.

 

I noticed another person in that thread (TheresaNietfeld) also got the phishing survey I got.

 

-Noel

Edited July 1, 2015 by NoelC

[JorgeA]

[...] We still have the older operating systems we can continue to run.  For now.  But we'd better start being wary of Windows Updates on the systems Microsoft most certainly doesn't want us using.

 

It is not a Good Thing when the OS vendor goes in a different direction than you need.

 

I noticed another person in that thread (TheresaNietfeld) also got the phishing survey I got.

 

Yeah, I myself had wondered if Microsoft would go that far with Windows Updates. They've already admitted to linking one Update related to "up"grading to 10, to unspecified improvements in the Windows Update process.

 

He'll probably be banned soon. You're not allowed to be critical of Windows 10 there.

 

Well, acccording to the infamous srfreeman, it's already the case that your agreement to the terms and conditions of the Insiders forum (which includes the acceptance of cookies and tracking) means that you can't go on the Insiders forum to criticize Windows 10 privacy invasions.

 

--JorgeA

Edited July 1, 2015 by JorgeA

[NoelC]

Haven't there already been reports that recent Windows Updates have slowed systems down?

 

Certainly there's this one that recently showed up, and has no use I can discern other than to use a lot of system resources to help Microsoft herd us onto Windows 10.

 

Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3068708

 

It's interesting that the proposal of the above update is to "add benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet upgraded."

 

The decision to hide this update became easier once I realized I had not actually detected any benefits from the latest version for my needs.  There may be some there, but I haven't run across them yet.

 

-Noel

[JorgeA]

Windows 7 share is now above 60%, according to NetMarketShare:

 

 

Windows 8.1 has at long last managed to overtake XP as the second most widely used version of Windows.

 

EDIT: One curious fact: if you compare the June stats to the May stats, you can see that Windows 8 went down ( 0.67%, from 3.57% to 2.9%) by more than Windows 8.1 went up (0.24%, 12.88% to 13.12%). Thus, remarkably, the overall share of Windows 8.x went down.

 

Since XP dropped 2.62% and Vista fell 0.39% (for a total of -3.17%), while Windows 7 gained almost exactly the same amount those two OSes lost (3.22%), it's clear that Windows 7 is the version of choice when switching to a newer OS.

 

And where did that drop in 8.x usage go? Well, Mac OS X rose by close to the same amount (0.34%) as Win8.x fell (0.43%).

 

Of course, users as a whole switch to and from systems and OSes in any and every direction. But the trends are intriguing.

 

--JorgeA

 

Edited July 1, 2015 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Four weeks from RTM...

 

Are you facing issues upgrading to Windows 10 build 10159? You're not alone

...As the dust settles, some Insiders have reported that their systems are not fetching the update at all. Others Insiders are reporting being trapped in an update loop that has their update settings stuck at percentage intervals of either 0%, 23% or 35%.

 

Fortunately, there are a couple of solutions that may help usher the update along. The easiest and least evasive way to push the update forward is to reboot your system. For some, it may take several restarts for the update to start showing progress. Anecdotal accounts have Insiders having to reboot their systems up to five times before the progress bar began to move, so be patient.

 

 

Once Windows 10 rolls out to the masses...

 

...I can see one of those Windows Updates coming through, imploring Win10 users to please be patient and reboot their computers up to five times so that their wonderful new OS can stumble onto the right set of magic words necessary to finally complete the installation process.

 

Progress, indeed.

 

--JorgeA

[NoelC]

I wonder what will be the number of people who will truly be duped by Microsoft into upgrading an otherwise working system.

 

At this point Aero Glass and the theme replacement tools work well enough to make me think those who adopt it will have options when it's released.  But it's possible Microsoft will tear out something necessary right at release.  Let's not forget when they removed Aero Glass entirely from the Win 8 build.

 

Who'd have thought we'd be looking back fondly at all the many new features added in Win 8 (rewritten Task Manager, ability to mount an ISO, er, um, ehhh, surely there were others...) as things you could really sink your teeth into as compared to the new system.

 

Oh, wait, you can start multiple instances of the Calculator App.  And to think I had almost forgotten that watershed event.

 

-Noel

Edited July 2, 2015 by NoelC

[bphlpt]

Oh, wait, you can start multiple instances of the Calculator App.  And to think I had almost forgotten that watershed event.

 

That wasn't new.  I can do that on Windows 7.

 

Cheers and Regards

[jaclaz]

Windows 8.1 has at long last managed to overtake XP as the second most widely used version of Windows.

Now would be about the time to start taking *somehow* into account all the POS and ATM's (which unlikely are "detected" by NetMarketShare).

As a side note, the good Windows 8/8.1 fans may need to think about why exactly the people they trust with their money (banks and electronic payment systems)still largely use XP or 7.

No, errrm, wait, this is not such a good argument those guys are actually promoting Windows 10 AND they are so accurate that they report the year as 2105 , maybe it is not such a good idea to let them manage our money .

https://www.atmia.com/news/atmia-position-paper-recommending-migration-to-windows-10/2607/

 

ATMIA recommends Windows 10 for the next major migration to a Windows ATM operating system

Sioux Falls, SD, USA & London, United Kingdom, June 2105: The ATM Industry Association has today issued a position paper recommending that the next major migration to a Windows ATM operating system should be to Windows 10, skipping Windows 8 and 8.1.

“ATM deployers should start their 2020 migration without delay,” explained CEO Mike Lee, “as ATM hardware purchased now will still be in use when support for Windows 7 OS ends in that year. This means terminals would need to be upgradeable and compatible with the next big operating system. It’s important to know which ATM configurations are going to be Windows 10 compatible.”

The paper is actually available to all, not only to members of ATMIA:

https://www.atmia.com/advocacy/position-papers/

https://www.atmia.com/files/Position%20Papers/Position%20Paper%20Recommending%20a%20Migration%20to%20Windows%2010%20Operating%20System%20-%20PUBLISHED.pdf

 

Reasons for adopting a migration path to Windows 10

The main benefits of migrating from Windows XP, Windows 7 or Windows CE to Windows 10 are as follows:

• Increased security for protection against malware and other forms of cyber attack
• New Microsoft philosophy of one system for all – “a single Windows for everything” Overcoming previous disadvantages of Windows 8
• Windows 10 will have periodic updates, like service packs, giving it a much longer life

Please note how the above pearls of wisdom (which do seem like a transcript from a MS pamphlet) have taken MONTHS of discussing in detail  :

Disclaimer: ATMIA has spent months discussing in detail the comparative

advantages and disadvantages of migrating to a Windows 10 operating system, but

cannot be held responsible for any commercial decisions or agreements undertaken

by any of its members or any other stakeholders in the global ATM industry.

 

 

So, the good guys are recommending an OS that does not (yet) exist as if they had already deeply tested it, with particular regard on security/immunity from cyberattacks and on viability of continuous update, just taking MS word for it.

 

jaclaz

Edited July 2, 2015 by jaclaz

[jaclaz]

And now a new, interesting feature (taken from Windows 8.1 Phone):

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/30/windows_10_wi_fi_sense/

...

"For networks you choose to share access to, the password is sent over an encrypted connection and stored in an encrypted file on a Microsoft server, and then sent over a secure connection to your contacts' phone if they use Wi-Fi Sense and they're in range of the Wi-Fi network you shared," the Wi-Fi Sense FAQ states.

...

The feature has been on Windows Phones since version 8.1. If you type the password into your Lumia, you won’t then need to type it into your laptop, because you are a friend of yourself. Given the meagre installed base of Windows Phones it's not been much of a threat – until now.

With every laptop running Windows 10 in the business radiating access, the security risk is significant. A second issue is that by giving Wi-Fi Sense access to your Facebook contacts, you are giving Microsoft a list of your Facebook friends, as well as your wireless passwords.

In an attempt to address the security hole it has created, Microsoft offers a kludge of a workaround: you must add _optout to the SSID (the name of your network) to prevent it from working with Wi-Fi Sense.

(So if you want to opt out of Google Maps and Wi-Fi Sense at the same time, you must change your SSID of, say, myhouse to myhouse_optout_nomap. Technology is great.)

...

Microsoft enables Windows 10's Wi-Fi Sense by default, and access to password-protected networks are shared with contacts unless the user remembers to uncheck a box when they first connect.

....

 

jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

Four weeks from RTM...

No, Four weeks from GA.

On many other forums I'm on, I'm seeing a lot of optimism over Windows 10.

[NoelC]

Ignorance is bliss.

 

It'd be hilarious if at the end of the month they release a really serious OS, completely different than the one we've been seeing.

 

-Noel

[JorgeA]

 

Those were the times, when men were men and they actually tested helmets ...

 

Not to mention vests    :

 

 

Now, that's really "having confidence in your product"!!

 

--JorgeA