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Windows 10 - Deeper Impressions


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7 things I still hate about Windows 10

 

 

Why? Just... why? Microsoft has tweaked Metro/Modern/Store apps so many times over the years to make them more like regular desktop apps that they may as well be just that. Apart from the fact that they have universally ugly interfaces and embrace blank space like a drug.

 

I'm yet to see a Store app that doesn't look like it was designed both for and by a six year old. There's a place for sparsity, but it has a tendency to stand in the way of productivity. Sure, there's the promise of cross-device compatibility, but who cares about Windows 10 mobile?

 

:thumbup

 

A missed opportunity, though: He passed up a chance to say that "Universal" apps have "universally" ugly interfaces. :D

 

--JorgeA

 

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Well, I agree with Paul Brian's point of view except for one thing - and if I'm wrong please correct me: the screen of a Sinclair Spectrum Z80 computer was white, not black. ;)

Yes and no (mostly yes :yes:, as it was the "default"), but it had of course no "screen", everyone used a (cheap/old) portable TV or some green or amber phosphor display of some kind and every kind of hardware hack.

And on the ZX80 there was the possibility of making a "bridge" and have either Black on white (default) or White on black, you chose which one to use:

https://web.archive.org/web/20080509230050/http://www.howell1964.freeserve.co.uk/ZX81/ZX_Tech.htm

 

IC9 has true and complimentary outputs, so you can set a link to choose white-on-black or black-on-white video.

 

 

Remember that the ZX80 (unlike the later ZX81) was sold (I believe mainly) as "kit to be soldered" (though a pre-assembled version was available):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX80

 

800x442_digital-revolution-2.jpg

And the  £20 pounds difference was some money at the time.

 

jaclaz

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@MagicAndre reported here on MSFN a couple of years ago that networking on Windows 8.x was a nightmare compared to earlier versions of Windows. I guess that they haven't fixed it...

 

Can't say I'm having any problems with Win 8.1 networking.  You just have to know what you're doing and which "new" features to deconfigure (e.g., Homegroup Networking), but not everyone needs or does the same things.

 

-Noel

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http://betanews.com/2015/09/18/windows-10-10547-release/

 

 

You can now use Cortana with local accounts as well as with a Microsoft account.

 

@NoelC, This would make your day wouldn't it :whistle:

 

Sarcasm highly intended.

 

They also claim to have fixed realtek audio... can't be bothered to try it... lack of faith, lack of want...

 

cheers!

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Cort who?

 

When choosing background shuffle, we’ve enabled the ability to shuffle backgrounds randomly instead of the order they appear in the folder.

 

Does this pass for real engineering now?

 

What would make my day would be even ONE THING that makes Windows more powerful or easier to use for an adept user.

 

-Noel

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What would make my day would be even ONE THING that makes Windows more powerful or easier to use for an adept user.

We wanted more DOS, got mildly excited about WMIC so they gave us Powershell! What else could we want besides hologram characters from Halo? :D

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Dedoimedo issues his verdict on Windows 10:

 

Windows 10 upgrade & review: You don't need it
 

His take on forced Windows Updates is so sensible, you gotta wonder what Microsoft was thinking:

 

Overall, this is immensely retarded. Yes, the majority of people are clueless, and you want them to keep using updates so their systems remain safe and healthy and whatnot. But then, the average user will never bother changing the defaults, so you can simply keep them set as automatic, and let the power users make the necessary adjustments.

 

What Microsoft has done this way is cause a big inconvenience and a lot of rage with its advanced users community. Because power users don't want their computers rebooting every few days. They actually do SERIOUS WORK and reboots are an unnecessary hassle. Moreover, automatic updates can be dangerous. True, the chances of an updating borking your system is low, but you don't want to be the first one to receive a bad patch and then go about asking for help.

 

An interesting idea that I don't remember being suggested on MSFN (maybe I missed it or forgot) is to disable the update service:

 

And so, when you combine the lack of ability to protect your system from accidental damage by updates with your work regime, automatic updates translate into a big digital turd. Which is why, if you want to use Windows 10 Home like a sane person, you will probably want to disable the Windows Update service.

 

 

He goes on to claim that you can't turn off Windows Defender. The way he puts it, it sounds to me like he thinks it's impossible to install any other AV (which of course requires turning Defender off), but I doubt that even Microsoft in its infinitesimal wisdom would go that far. :unsure:

 

Anyhow, in Windows 8, you could turn it off, but not the services. Now, you can't even turn the program off and use your own security. This means you will need to purge the program from your system using a bit of rigor and hacking. I've shown you how to take ownership of folders and change permissions in the GWX guide. But if this is not enough, just boot into any one Linux and rename the folders. This kills it for good.

[emphasis added]

 

That can't be right, can it??

 

 

Regarding Win10's performance, Igor says, in his trademark pull-no-punches fashion, that

 

If you're one of those people who says Windows 10 is faster, then you need to reexamine your life choices, as well as your computing habits. Suspend & resume work fine, all the peripherals work fine, and the performance is just like before. Good, but nothing special and no better than Windows 8.1. Or Windows 7. Or XP.

 

Lots of other good stuf in there.

 

--JorgeA

 

 

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Security does not really mean "a third party" antivirus.

Dedoimedo thinks that the first line of defense is not doing anything silly on the PC, and the second should be (still according to him) EMET:

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-8-1-defender.html

Windows Defender is an unnecessary piece of software installed and running by default on recent versions of Windows, 8.1 Beta and production version included, designed to give mediocre people a false sense of security. What most people should be doing is using EMET, another Microsoft security product that is truly stellar. Yup.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-emet-v4.html

 

By now, you know that Microsoft Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit is the best security software for the Windows operating system. The reasons are many. Chiefly, it is simple and transparent to setup, and there are no silly questions. It's free. And it's effective in what it does. Not stopping you from being a fool, but stopping software from misbehaving. And that's what makes it awesome, and this is why it gets so little spotlight in the pay-for-security world out there.

 

And, should any casual reader doubt it, remember how Dedoimedo is always right, by definition:

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-8-1-beta.html

 

Windows 8.1 review - Still stupendously stupid

Updated: July 4, 2013

Several days ago, Microsoft released a public beta of their upcoming Windows 8.1 release, which has previously been known and called Windows Blue. This was a great opportunity for me to test the alleged rumors of a desktop renaissance coming back to Windows, given the obvious failure of the Windows 8 operating system in the market.

Anyhow, unlike all so many corporate lickers out there, who gave you a bland, emotionless outlook of the new Windows, without trying to be controversial so they do not hurt their sponsorships and such, I will give you an honest, brutal and totally accurate review of the new thingie. And as you know, I am always right about everything.

 

jaclaz

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Dedoimedo thinks that the first line of defense is not doing anything silly on the PC, and the second should be (still according to him) EMET

 

That first part makes sense at least, though listing an antivirus package second implies only a little sense.

 

A managed black list is a much more important second line of defense, assuming the user is doing any web browsing.

 

If...

 

resized_jesus-says-meme-generator-you-re

 

...the antivirus package will not be exercised at all.  It's just a safety net.

 

-Noel

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Windows: it's always the next version

 

As somebody who uses Windows every day, and who upgraded to Windows 10 a few weeks before it was released, let me make a statement about all the positive Windows 10 reviews that not everyone is going to like. There are only two reasons Windows 10 is getting positive reviews. First, because it's free. This one's a given. Second, and more importantly: Windows 10 is getting positive reviews because none of the reviewers have forced themselves to use nothing but Metro applications.

 

The whole piece is chock-full of quotable observations giving the gory details of the Windows 10 concept. A devastating critique. Here's an example:

 

Since Mail is just an application designed for Windows Phone but scaled up, it doesn't support multiple windows. What does this mean? Well, the reading pane is also the new mail pane; so if you reply or want to create a new email, the editor will take the place of the reading pane. Typing up an email but need to check something in an email you received? Tough luck, you'll have to close your draft, browse to the email in question, find the draft you just closed, and open it again. It's a terrible workflow, forced upon desktop users because of limitations on smartphones.

 

As for the refrain that Windows 10 is but a work in progress:

 

Many people will argue these are just bugs, tiny problems that will go away over time. Windows 10 is new! It will work itself out!

 

And here's whet I get agitated, because that's utter hogwash. This is the perpetual Windows Phone hypecycle all over again - it's always one more version, it's always the next release that will fix everything, it's always next month's set of updates that finally make Metro not suck. Windows' Metro has been in our hands for three years now, and Microsoft has been working on it for far longer than that. Why are we giving them a free pass every time they repackage this crap?

 

--JorgeA

 

 

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Fed-up sysadmins beg Microsoft to improve p*sspoor Windows 10 update notes

 

Microsoft has been criticised for dumbing down the information on updates to Windows 10 it provides to IT pros.

 

Thousands of corporate tech admins have vented their frustration at a lack of communication from Redmond on Windows 10 updates in an online peition.

 

Responding to Microsoft, Bradley said:

 

The Knowledge Base articles that document the contents of the cumulative Windows 10 updates are not complete enough and we cannot determine if a released update has fixed a bug that we noted. Instead, we have to rely on the community word of mouth. "Gee, did that fix that issue for you?" Which is not a good way to handle communication or patch management.

 

--JorgeA

 

 

 

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Vinifera, they test Windows 10 and they plan because like it or not Windows 10 IS what Microsoft HAS released, and the world MUST deal with it.  Smart IT folks already know it inside and out.

 

Unlike individuals who just don't plan for the future, or at best see what Windows 10 is and choose to just wait, businesses cannot wait for others to figure things out for them.  If there is the possibility that Windows 10 can provide additional value to their business that they are not getting with whatever IT solutions they have in place now, then they need to know it, and they need to be able to choose intelligently what strategy to take ASAP.

 

Regarding choice of anti-malware solution, if you have a good practical security strategy in place - and trust me when I say few folks really know what that means, including so-called experts - the factors that are important are:

 

1.  Low resource impact.  The anti-malware solution must not use up too much CPU time and must not significantly interfere with disk operations.  Many (most?) AV solutions fail at this nowadays.  It's not about running the AV software.  It's about getting useful things done with the computer.  You should NOT even know your AV software is there.

 

2.  NO false positives.  The anti-malware solution MUST not detect the legitimate things you run as malware.  If it does, and makes them inaccessible to you this can be incredibly disruptive.  What do you do if suddenly you can't use the tool you need?  Some AV software doesn't even provide a means for users to ignore specific programs detected as FPs.  That's just wrong.

 

3.  Detection of obvious malware.  It's all a game of statistics, and NO AV solution is perfect - much as they'd like you to think they are.  The anti-malware software should simply serve as another layer - a safety net against the most likely malware you'll encounter so that if you DO accidentally do something stupid and expose yourself to malware it will help keep you safe.

 

Windows Defender actually serves in this role just fine

 

While a lot of this is about feel-good factors, if you believe you need a more aggressive anti-malware solution, then you're doing something wrong.

 

-Noel

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^^ Everything up there sounds eminently reasonable to me, except maybe for one thing:

 

Windows Defender actually serves in this role just fine

 

That one surprised me. According to AV testing services, the great majority of security applications offer better protection than does Windows Defender.

 

There's no question that no AV solution is perfect, but based on tests from various labs, could we say that Defender is rather "less perfect" :) than most others?

 

--JorgeA

 

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