Windows 10 - First Impressions

[JorgeA]

^^ Say what?

 

--JorgeA

[NoelC]

That's a PUP.    And it's obvious why it should be blocked.

 

-Noel

Edited May 15, 2015 by NoelC

[JorgeA]

This Really Takes the Cake Dept.:

 

Personally, have never had a WU cause an issue. Nor any such report or event from clients. I heard of it in Forums. Updates can, still, be removed. There are a number of good reasons for WU being auto and good things about it being that way. As for drivers... basically, if Device Mgr isn't whining, all is good.

 

Never had a problem with a Windows Update -- seriously??

 

--JorgeA

 

EDIT: added missing link

Edited May 15, 2015 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

That's a PUP.    And it's obvious why it should be blocked.

 

-Noel

 

OIC !!

 

 

--JorgeA

[NoelC]

Drew1903 is a real missing link.

 

-Noel

Edited May 16, 2015 by NoelC

[Formfiller]

Wasn't Drew a regular on that Windows 8 technet forum? (NoelC will remember).

 

God, that guy was thick.

 

Oh, yes, he was:

 

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Profile/drew1903

[NoelC]

I think the real issue is that he's related to someone inside Microsoft, and his posts are all biased toward fanboyism.

 

-Noel

[Formfiller]

I think the real issue is that he's related to someone inside Microsoft

 

-Noel

 

If that's the case then his shilling has at least reason.

 

Having a relative at MS beats being a drooling metrotard.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Formfiller

[jaclaz]

To be fair, Candy Crush Saga is an addictive, popular game, the only little drawback is that it only makes sense (because it is designed for that) on a fairly smallish touch enabled screen, you wouldn't go anywhere with a mouse and on (say ) a 27" (vertical) touch screen it would be an excellent way to work out, as your arm will travel kilometers while playing.

 

Maybe we should all get a Microsoft Surface (no, not  a Surface, a Surface ) just to show how the good MS guys lack of fantasy when choosing names, they re-use old ones and rename the old thing, now PixelSense:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee692162(v=surface.10).aspx

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/pixelsense/default.aspx

Not bad info here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/pixelsense/purchaseprocess.aspx

for something that reportedly retired in 2013:

http://ideum.com/2013/12/sur40-no-longer-no-problem/

 

jaclaz

[ralcool]

Okay, So from those links I've learn't that apparently anyone with large drives of movies using WMC are likely pirates and are being forced into obsolescence.

The new paradigm is to again receive media via 'approved sources'  via the internet.

 

Not cable, satellite or other means with freely available hardware. Freedom of choice is why we still try to circumvent imposed limitations. It was so much easier a few years ago.

 

I still use a (well spec'd) HTPC, not for piracy- but for the best 'smart TV' available. Evolving since 1994. Time shifting was the first objective. Internet made it awesome.

 

A couple of times recently we've bought dvd for the kids, included in the box is a download link for 'approved' software to play on alternative hardware (andriod/ipad..I dunno)

So I have to pay for additional downloads as opposed to maybe utilising the fresh dvd/bluray media in my hands and uploading locally to wifi disk or thumb drive.. Grrr.

[Formfiller]

Okay, So from those links I've learn't that apparently anyone with large drives of movies using WMC are likely pirates and are being forced into obsolescence.

The new paradigm is to again receive media via 'approved sources'  via the internet.

 

Not cable, satellite or other means with freely available hardware. Freedom of choice is why we still try to circumvent imposed limitations. It was so much easier a few years ago.

 

I still use a (well spec'd) HTPC, not for piracy- but for the best 'smart TV' available. Evolving since 1994. Time shifting was the first objective. Internet made it awesome.

 

A couple of times recently we've bought dvd for the kids, included in the box is a download link for 'approved' software to play on alternative hardware (andriod/ipad..I dunno)

So I have to pay for additional downloads as opposed to maybe utilising the fresh dvd/bluray media in my hands and uploading locally to wifi disk or thumb drive.. Grrr.

 

 

Well, it's now the time to reap.

 

There was a period when the pendulum swung too far (at least according to the corps) to the side of the customers. The late 90s until the end of the 2000s - the age of P2P, availability of broad band, powerful computers and OSes, easily cirvumventable DRM...

 

That was deemed too dangerous for the bottom line. So the pendulum was swung back.

 

Personally I thought that some of the attitude of the pirates back then was a bit much ("I deserve to download 100 gigs per month!") but the corps have broken their promises in return. They said DRM will be lenient - they lied. They said products will get cheaper - they lied. They said customers will not lose rights - they lied. You cannot own anything now, everything is going to be subscription based. Thus everything will cost much more in the long run (otherwise they wouldn't push it).

 

And piracy is a lousy for all this tightening up. Dedicated pirates will always find their sources.

 

No, it's all about controlling and ripping off the ordinary customer. They shall never have the power again they had a decade ago. Ultimately though it's the collective fault of the customers for letting this happen, and even cheering it all on sometimes.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Formfiller

[ralcool]

It makes you angry.

 

Simple stupid things... like HDCP over HDMI

 

To use a popular local satellite PVR via HDMI on the media card (I am being vague to avoid things being fixed) in my HTPC, required a 'modified' version of its software to fake/enable HDCP.

 

But then I also couldn't run Blue-ray software for a time over VGA because of a lack of HDCP handshaking style issue... one had to run anydvdhd just to somehow enable playing of discs I paid for.

 

A dumbass kmart player can play a BD, but not a PC.

 

I don't even need to use the PC to record/timeshift anymore, the sat box is a proper PVR, but its nice to create my own live 'picture in picture' on my desktop, its called Windows... a fine wireless mouse and keyboard on the couch. Perfect.

 

Piracy is a lousy excuse for making it so difficult to be a normal customer.

[Formfiller]

In case you guys haven't noticed it already: Acrobat Reader got metrotarded in the latest version ("DC"). If you want to try it out, watch out: It automatically replaces the previous Adobe Reader.

 

And the users are pissed off once again:

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1812762

[NoelC]

I noticed - after having "upgraded" it.

 

The "non-discoverable" interface did me in for a while when I needed to find out how to rotate pages.  Turns out a bit of text that says "Tools" on the screen over to the right is a "button" from which a menu drops.  The function is nowhere in the standard menus.  And the menu is captive inside the application.

 

This kind of thing has changed computing from doing things intuitively, to having to think about HOW to do things.

 

That may be okay for people who do things that don't stretch their abilities, but for those who derive value from working at or near their mental limits this chaotic user interface, where essentially you have to train for each app using external influences (e.g., a help file in my case), is setting the state of the art back.

 

Try to talk about this with pretty much any younger person and they'll label you a "hater" and "dinosaur".

 

-Noel

Edited May 17, 2015 by NoelC

[JorgeA]

It's official, Windows 10 users are all going to be forced to march in lockstep with Updates:

 

Piecing together the Windows as a Service puzzle for Windows 10

 

Those running Windows 10 Home will have just one choice -- the Current Branch. That means those users will have to take any new features, fixes and security updates that Microsoft pushes to them via Windows Update. (They will be pushed after Windows Insiders and Microsoft itself tests them.) Windows 10 Home users won't have the option of delaying or deferring anything. And for many consumers, that will be OK, if not welcome.

 

Those running Windows 10 Pro are going to have two options: Current Branch or Current Branch for Business. The CB means, as with Home, that users will have to take all feature fixes and security updates as they're made available by Microsoft via Windows Update. But the CBB option will give Pro users more flexibility about when they apply the new features, fixes and security updates from Microsoft.

 

First off, those who have access to the CBB will have a choice of how they get these updates. They'll be able to use Windows Update, Windows Update for Business or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to push these updates to users. Windows Update for Business, as a reminder, is Microsoft's new free servicing plan that allows admins to have more control over how and when they deliver fixes, security updates and new features to their users.

 

I've heard from one of my contacts that Microsoft is planning to allow those with access to the CBB to defer new feature updates for Windows 10 only for a set period of time. But they cannot defer them indefinitely. To guarantee this, Microsoft is likely to allow CBB users to defer only one set of new features before requiring them to update to them in order to continue to get security fixes. In other words, those on the CBB will only get security patches for the current Windows 10 release and the "N-1," or the previous version of Windows 10 minus the latest set of feature updates.

 

The thinking is Microsoft will keep everyone on the CB and CBB more current if they don't allow users to delay updates and fixes for too long.

 

One single kind of customer gets to decline some (not all) of Microsoft's windows goodness:

 

The only group of customers that will have the option to refuse completely new features that Microsoft delivers as part of its Windows 10 as a service strategy are Windows 10 Enterprise users. They are the only ones who have rights to the Long Term Branch. In a strangely ironic way, the customers who pay the most for Windows 10 are the ones who have the option of running the fewest features (though they still will have to take all security updates).

 

So they, too, are still subject to whatever problems these forced updates may bring. Unbelievable.

 

It's been said that one big reason for this new update policy is to save on costs as Microsoft will eventually (when all support ends for Vista/7/8.x) be maintaining only one version of Windows. But if so, then this is a remarkably shortsighted decision. The billions in lost business from alienating hundreds of millions of customers is bound to swamp whatever few millions they might save in programmer salaries.

 

--JorgeA