Jump to content

Windows 10 - Deeper Impressions


xper

Recommended Posts

I was very surprised to find one with GUI  :}. I am using Fedora and I tried to run the good old yum command via terminal and the command failed pointed me to the new yum extender man file which pointed me to the GUI executable. Like you said JorgeA they could use some more clear documentation and links to the sources.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


An interesting observation from UX design experts:

 

Millennials as Digital Natives: Myths and Realities

 

Many Millennials were in grade school or college when Google first rose to popularity, and it was a critical influence in setting the level of simplicity and directness that Millennials have come to expect from interfaces. They don’t care if (for example) your enterprise application has significantly more complex features to consider. When interfaces fail to live up to those unrealistic standards of simplicity, Millennials rarely blame themselves — unlike older users.

 

As the wag says, "all generalizations are wrong." :)  Nonetheless -- no doubt while there are many exceptions to this statement, there is also truth in it.

 

--JorgeA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So...I'm one of the few lonely souls left who is still running Windows 8, I never upgraded to 8.1 despite the annoying splash screen that appears after powering on every other day, because I *swore* after getting duped into trying 8 to never trust MS again...well I just found out that today "support" for Windows 8 officially ends, and I'm not sure what to do here. Should I just give in, take the upgrade to 8.1 followed by being nagged to death to upgrade to 10, and on and on and on...? Are there any other options?

 

Speaking of 10, I bought a new laptop, and it's sloooooooow as molasses. For the first time in 24 years I am actually not enjoying a new system. Initially whenever I tried to open a folder it took a good ten seconds to open, plus the mouse is seriously sticky. I've tweaked a lot of the settings based on what I could find in other forums (lots of mouse complaints), but it's still not as fast as my old machine. Worst of all, on three separate occasions right in the middle of working on something the screen went blank for no reason (the power was still on, it was just like it had gone into screensaver mode). The first time I had to hold down the power button to restart, the second time I just began smashing the keyboard (yeah, I was mad) and it finally came back to life. The third time, I had just read about Win10 removing programs and I had one of the programs listed (AMD control center), I checked to see if it was still there, which it was but it said it needed an update. I started the install and that's when the screen went dead (again, not completely dead, more like how it looks right when you power on but before the logo appears), did a hard restart and it gave me the scary "recovery page" which had me seriously worried for a few minutes, but after another restart everything loaded okay. Since then, I've stuck to my old laptop because a computer with a screen that randomly "dies" in the middle of your work is just unusable imo...

Edited by sparkles
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So...I'm one of the few lonely souls left who is still running Windows 8, I never upgraded to 8.1 despite the annoying splash screen that appears after powering on every other day, because I *swore* after getting duped into trying 8 to never trust MS again...well I just found out that today "support" for Windows 8 officially ends, and I'm not sure what to do here. Should I just give in, take the upgrade to 8.1 followed by being nagged to death to upgrade to 10, and on and on and on...? Are there any other options?

 

Here's what I would do if faced with the above situation (it's what I plan on doing when support for Vista ends next year):

  • If you're using Windows Defender, replace it with a reputable AV suite (even a free version)
  • Use a resident anti-malware application such as MBAM as a second line of defense
  • Install a third line of defense with resident anti-exploit software such as EMET, MBAE, or HitmanPro.Alert
  • Use Heimdal Pro as a fourth line of defense
  • Check your computer frequently with on-demand AV scanners -- say, either nightly or following a long session of heavy-duty websurfing
  • Occasionally scan the computer with a different AV program running off a live CD
  • Build an extensive Hosts file including entries from multiple sources
  • Keep your major applications patched and updated as much as possible (Heimdal Pro will assist in doing this automatically, among other things it does)
  • Install an ad blocker on your browsers (malvertising is a major source of infection nowadays); if you use Internet Explorer, turn on InPrivate Filtering which will slowly build a list of ad servers to be blocked
  • Use a limited user account rather than an administrator account (it's been reported that upwards of 90 percent of infections that trigger Windows Updates would have been prevented by this measure alone)
  • Perform a bare-metal backup of your whole system at least monthly, preferably weekly, and certainly back up your data on a weekly basis

No doubt there are other security measures you can take, but these are the first to spring to mind.

 

 

Speaking of 10, I bought a new laptop, and it's sloooooooow as molasses. For the first time in 24 years I am actually not enjoying a new system. Initially whenever I tried to open a folder it took a good ten seconds to open, plus the mouse is seriously sticky. I've tweaked a lot of the settings based on what I could find in other forums (lots of mouse complaints), but it's still not as fast as my old machine. Worst of all, on three separate occasions right in the middle of working on something the screen went blank for no reason (the power was still on, it was just like it had gone into screensaver mode). The first time I had to hold down the power button to restart, the second time I just began smashing the keyboard (yeah, I was mad) and it finally came back to life. The third time, I had just read about Win10 removing programs and I had one of the programs listed (AMD control center), I checked to see if it was still there, which it was but it said it needed an update. I started the install and that's when the screen went dead (again, not completely dead, more like how it looks right when you power on but before the logo appears), did a hard restart and it gave me the scary "recovery page" which had me seriously worried for a few minutes, but after another restart everything loaded okay.

 

Thanks for the report. It jibes with a lot of what I've been reading about Windows 10. It's especially telling that this is happening to you on a new laptop, which is free of all the crud that builds up over time to slow down a computer and cause other problems.

 

Of course, here and there you will inevitably run into the Win10 fanboi who will declare that My System Runs Just Fine, so What's the Problem??? Ignore him -- it's a bit like a soldier who makes it through a minefield unscathed and scoffs at those who got blown up.

 

 

 

Since then, I've stuck to my old laptop because a computer with a screen that randomly "dies" in the middle of your work is just unusable imo...

 

Said fanbois may also retort that considering a randomly dying computer to be unusable is indeed just your opinion.

 

--JorgeA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the pointers, I use AVG and I backup religiously so got those checked off, will look into all the others stuff mentioned.

 

Re: fanbois, that's why I didn't bother posting this anywhere else, because the typical answer everywhere to every issue has been "that's not win10's fault, that's [insert every computer manufacturer's name here]'s fault." The mouse issue really bugs me, because I'm doing stuff in photoshop I need it to work perfectly for clicking on the exact pixel I need, others might not even notice the slight lag/stickiness, no doubt any "helpful response" I'd get on those forums would be "that's not win10's fault, it's Logitech's" or "why on earth are you using a mouse???" Debated buying a new mouse but then said why the heck should I blow more money when I know there's nothing "wrong" with my current mouse...oh well, file it all under planned obsolescence, companies gotta make money somehow I guess...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By the way, as an alternate suggestion for increasing computer security, I did a writeup here:

 

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/173660-anti-malware-suggestions/

 

It's quite feasible to run infection-free with minimal antivirus software if you change your philosophy from the typical "invite malware into your computer then try to block it from doing its damage" to "stay away from malware in the first place".  As a bonus, you don't see ads.

 

I noticed two days ago that one of the sources from which I get managed blacklists has greatly increased their blacklist size.  I love being able to leverage others' good work!  My hosts file is now even larger.  That's a whole bunch of different web servers that would try to deliver malware just not being contacted!

 

http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/ForumPosts/hosts

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, anything and everything except Windows 10 is keeping PC buyers away in droves. :rolleyes:

 

Allow me to disagree, it would be very unfair to put the blame on Windows 10 (though it certainly represents a - IMNSHO small -  part of the issue), in a world recession period and with all offices/business and almost any household having already all the PC's they can actually use, the market has become (as it is normal) stale.

 

Noone (at least in the Western Countries) *needs* yet another PC/device as everyone already has at least one (often more).

You change it only if the old one breaks or if *someone* convinces you that what you are using is obsolete, otherwise everyone would have better use for that (usually hard earned) kind of money.

 

The "new technology fans" and the "geeks" usually don't make large numbers, independently from how good (or how bad) is the "new thing".

 

jaclaz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Microsoft expands Get Windows 10 program to domains, publishes opt-out instructions

 

As before, PCs running Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, and any embedded version of those operating systems aren't eligible for the free upgrade and thus will continue to be immune from the GWX update.

 

But domain-joined PCs running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 8.1 Pro that are configured to receive updates directly from Windows Update will begin seeing the GWX taskbar icon shortly. Domain-joined PCs that get updates through another mechanism, such as Windows Server Update Services or System Center Configuration Manager, will continue to be off-limits.

 

This is really crossing the line, now businesses are subjected to this nonsense? I can only imagine how smoothly that will go.

 

(at least WSUS is safe... for now)

Edited by rn10950
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one (at least in the Western Countries) *needs* yet another PC/device as everyone already has at least one (often more).

 

I needed one last year.  I had a circa 2005 workstation that was operating as a server give up the ghost and needed a new server to replace it.  So for that purpose the demand is what, one per decade?

 

As it turns out, it uses about 150 watts less power just sitting there, so running 24/7 it will pay for itself in electric cost savings (and don't forget the cost in air conditioning to cool the room) fairly quickly.  Plus it's WAY faster to serve files and (because it runs from SSDs) is utterly silent (the other one's fans made a little sound constantly, and sped up when under load).

 

I should have replaced it years ago.  But it was working then, and I had better uses for the money...

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Returned from Italy Nov 2015.

 

Stayed in 4 or 5 different Hotels. 

 

Discovered all of them are running xp for guests use

in their lobby's. 

 

Noticed that tv selections are somewhat limited when compared to

America.

 

Getting over 200 tv selections, compared to about 15 in Italy.

 

Still use win 7 Ultimate for some software, checks.

 

Main cpu  win 8.1 Enterprise.

 

3 other boxes, including wife's, running win 10.

 

 

Seems win 10 is okay, but not for business use.

 

my 2 cents

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Microsoft expands Get Windows 10 program to domains, publishes opt-out instructions

 

As before, PCs running Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, and any embedded version of those operating systems aren't eligible for the free upgrade and thus will continue to be immune from the GWX update.

 

But domain-joined PCs running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 8.1 Pro that are configured to receive updates directly from Windows Update will begin seeing the GWX taskbar icon shortly. Domain-joined PCs that get updates through another mechanism, such as Windows Server Update Services or System Center Configuration Manager, will continue to be off-limits.

 

This is really crossing the line, now businesses are subjected to this nonsense? I can only imagine how smoothly that will go.

 

(at least WSUS is safe... for now)

 

 

I foresee *massive* court actions.

 

nitroshift

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PC market sees biggest-ever drop in shipments, but don't blame Windows 10

 

No, anything and everything except Windows 10 is keeping PC buyers away in droves. :rolleyes:

 

--JorgeA

 

    My personal take is this: While the market was disappointed by Windows 8, many were holding out to see what the next major release would bring.  Many cited the "every other version" rule (selective as it was: ME, XP, Vista, 7, 8x, win!) and waited for Windows 9 with eager anticipation.  Now that Windows 10 has been released and it shows little improvement while being even worse in many ways, I expect to see an unprecedented stagnation of the PC market with a smaller boost for alternatives, just like we saw happen suddenly in the months surrounding the release of Windows 8:

W10deeper_0115_Windows8-killedPCmarket.p

Figure 1: "The velocity of computer sales" as visualized by the rapid takeover of Windows 7,

replaced by the suddenly much slower rate of adoption of Windows 8.

 

 

    So, considering that Windows 10 was in the position to "undo the wrongs of Windows 8" and reassure the market of Microsoft's viability, but epic failed to do so, I do place much of the blame now on Windows 10.  There were many of us that went into 2014 with the faith that Microsoft could "get it right this time" only to discover otherwise when the time came.

Edited by Techie007
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice chart, Techie007.

 

I was looking at the gs.statcounter.com readout...

 

Bumps in their daily OS market share graph leveled visually, the Windows 10 adoption rate appears to have settled into a more or less linear line at something like 0.05% per day increase, or 1% additional market share every 20 days.

 

Depending on what part of the graph you look at (peaks on weekends, valleys on weekdays), Win 10 is at about 12% to 13% right now.  Of course, this is a listing based on people browsing the Internet.  I'd wager a helluva lot of work computers don't browse the net, so these figures are probably inflated a bit.  XP and Win 7 dip on the weekends, while Win 10 peaks.  To me that seems to describe a fundamental difference in usage even amongst computers that DO browse the net.

 

Assuming Microsoft continues or increases its aggressiveness, this implies Win 10 will have about half of Windows 7's market share in mid-2016, when the "free upgrade" offer expires, at about 20% to 22%.  What portion of a billion devices this will be I cannot say.  Probably no one can, which means Microsoft will ultimately publish that they have reached their goal, since in modern times companies think Marketing can say whatever they want.

 

Will business / enterprise users be adopting Win 10 in a big way at that time, in order to continue the upward adoption rate? 

 

Or will Win 10 flatline after Microsoft starts charging money for an OS that STILL likely does no more than what Windows 7 or 8 already did?

 

I think I already sense the peaks and valleys growing slightly larger as time passes.  Also note that Win 7's usage rate recovered a good bit after the holidays.   And XP is just holding flat for months now.  This says business still thinks it needs Windows 7 or even XP.

 

Therefore, I don't think the adoption rate will continue after the "free upgrade" incentive evaporates.  We may not see Win 10 overtaking the market share of Win 7 by early to mid 2017 as linear projections would suggest.

 

EVEN IF Microsoft were to opt to continue to offer the "free upgrade", I think the public will be jaded by mid-2016.  Remember, these are folks who will not have upgraded in the first year.  They're savvy (to have been able to avoid GWX) and they expect more from their OS than Win 10 is delivering.

 

The ONLY THING I see that Microsoft could do - even though their Marketing and aggressive foot-in-the-door tactics have helped the initial adoption rate - would be to somehow hit a home run and put something into Windows 10 that would be "must have" new tech.  Yet we see them putting essentially nothing into it now.  That's a big gap between what should be and what is.  And I don't foresee some amazing new gaming tech saving their assets.

 

Seems to me all the BS Microsoft has pulled in the past few years is going to ultimately come to a head about mid-2016, and they'll either be FORCED to innovate or lose the OS business entirely.

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...