JorgeA Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 ^ ^ --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Just found this 'interesting' piece of info: Windows 10 to make the Secure Boot alt-OS lock out a reality "... The precise final specs are not available yet, so all this is somewhat subject to change, but right now, Microsoft says that the switch to allow Secure Boot to be turned off is now optional. Hardware can be Designed for Windows 10 and can offer no way to opt out of the Secure Boot lock down ... ... ... This doesn't cut out Linux entirely —there have been some collaborations to provide Linux boot software with the "right" set of signatures, and these should continue to work— but it will make it a lot less easy ..." Opinions are all over the place on this -- about eight hundred comments the last time I looked. Wonder if a "fringe benefit" of the new policy will be to make things harder for privacy OSes such as Tails. As in, some Linux distros will get approved for installation, while "selected" ones won't. Anyway, probably the truest observation down in the comments section is this: I'll bet there's a lot more bad news coming. We still have until summer. --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formfiller Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) W10 on tablet video. Microsoft is giving us an early look today at how Windows 10 will run on tablets, and it's a little surprising. It's essentially the same as the desktop version of Windows 10. While many had hoped the Windows Phone interface would simply scale up, it seems Microsoft is taking the approach of scaling the Windows 10 desktop down to small tablets. There's a taskbar, a desktop mode, and all the regular Windows apps you'd expect to see. While we're only getting a look at small Intel-powered tablets, it's clear the direction here is to make it identical to the desktop version, but optimized for touch. So it not only sucks on the desktop, it also does on the tablet. The joys of a hybrid OS!Why can't they just completely separate tablet and desktop mode? The very first Windows 8 betas did just that if you used that registry switch to disable metro completely. They could still use one OS, and optimize the different modes for the different tasks instead of annoying everyone. But no...They want to be insane on all levels instead. Notice the cramped nature of the start screen menu (split in half between "start menu" on the left, "start screen" on the right).And the fugly search bar at the bottom. The charms bar is gone, even though it was useful on the tablet."Tablet mode" is desktop mode, just with the start menu maximized. It's fugly for everyone. Edited March 25, 2015 by Formfiller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formfiller Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Tested tablet mode myself in a VM (latest W10 version): All tablet mode does is making the start screen fullscreen and launching all programs maximized, all the other desktop stuff stays (including the taskbar etc). There is no charms bar, and the full screen start menu looks pretty bad. It really feels like some shareware add-on. All pictures now in tablet mode: Pretty lukewarm experience, lol. Jack of all trades.. Edited March 25, 2015 by Formfiller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaclaz Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 It really feels like some shareware add-on. I am pretty sure that Tihiy or Bigmuscle will particularly appreciate the comparison to "shareware add-on". jaclaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formfiller Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Too true. Hobbyist Windows enhancements are far above Microsoft's own nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaclaz Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Too true. Hobbyist Windows enhancements are far above Microsoft's own nowadays.Yep , and I am also pretty sure that Tihiy or Bigmuscle will also be very happy to be defined "hobbyists" ...And no , it's too late for you to make a career in diplomacy ... jaclaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Check this out (the full article may be hidden behind a paywall): Skype delivered to Skypeless machines Microsoft is finding new ways to offer software you might not want — specifically, via Windows Update. Silverlight, for example, now shows up regularly as an optional update, even when you don’t have it already installed. Now Microsoft is pushing Skype via Windows Update. This update is a good example of why you should not enable Windows Update’s “Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates” setting. If that option is checked, a potentially unwanted update such as Skype will show up with updates you need to install (under the Important tab, instead of the Optional tab). Note: There are reports that this Skype update might offer to change your browser’s homepage to MSN and reset your default search engine to Bing. Hmm... what's the technical term for software companies that try to change your homepage and reset your search engine, and that push programs you may not desire with the "accept" box already checked? --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelC Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 "Modern", unfortunately. -Noel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripredacus Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I was recently forced into installing Skype so that I could still use my Live account for IMs. I had been using Trillian previously (and still do for AOL) however MS has shut off all the external interfaces into the Live/MSN Messenger network, rending third party or legacy software versions useless for IM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelC Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Make sure to look up how to deconfigure Skype from making your system into a SuperNode. -Noel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Windows 10 won't be the operating system I was hoping forWhen Microsoft announced it would be listening to users and implementing changes based on feedback, I was excited. Sure, a camel is a horse created by a committee, too many cooks spoil the broth and all that, but at least it meant that the sort of blatant usability problems Microsoft managed to somehow miss in Windows 8 wouldn’t occur in Windows 10. However, as time has ticked past I've started to doubt that Microsoft is listening as closely to Windows Insiders as it claims to be. Remember when then-Windows division CFO Tami Reller said of the demand for a Start button, "We've really tried to understand what people are really asking for when they're asking for that", and the end result was the introduction of a Start button in Windows 8.1 that was not -- in the slightest -- like anything anyone had asked for? Windows 10 seems a bit like that. In Build 9841 we actually had a decent Start menu. I liked it. I found it to be the perfect blend of old (Start menu) and new (Start screen). We still have that menu, right? Well yes and no. With the original version, the tiled area on the right expanded or contracted as you added or removed tiles. So if you like apps, it would spread right across the desktop. If you hate tiles, just unpinning them all would give you a standard old school Start menu. Not now. Unpin every app and you end up with a giant blank space on the right. The original Start menu could be resized by clicking and dragging on the top edge. Now you have the choice between large and full screen, and that’s it. I can’t imagine Windows testers shouted for that change. That’s pure Microsoft just not wanting to let go of the Start screen concept. --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 What's a SuperNode? (Forgive my ignorance, I haven't used Skype since it was bought and changed by Microsoft.) --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgeA Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Windows 10: Smooth user experience it ain't It seems that Microsoft is aware that Windows 10 could be something of a disappointment. So keen is the company to get it installed on as many devices as possible, the company recently announced that there will not be obstacles placed in the way of upgrading from pirated copies of Windows 7 and 8. I hadn't thought of this angle, interesting. --JorgeA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinifera Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 dunno if here was mentionedbut they also doing shit to be able be installed on Android devices Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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