Windows 10 - Deeper Impressions

[jaclaz]

...meanwhile on other matters ...

http://venturebeat.com/2016/05/18/stick-a-fork-in-em-windows-phones-are-done/

jaclaz
 

[JorgeA]

1 hour ago, jaclaz said:

...meanwhile on other matters ...

http://venturebeat.com/2016/05/18/stick-a-fork-in-em-windows-phones-are-done/

jaclaz
 

Sounds to me like there's (somewhat) less than meets the eye, as Microsoft is only selling off its "feature phone" business and says it will continue to make the Lumia line. Still, the future of  Windows Mobile looks grim, as the sales figures and market share collapse indicate.

But speaking of "Windows" phones, check this out...

--JorgeA

[alacran]

Quote

REDMOND, Wash., May 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday announced it reached an agreement to sell the company's entry-level feature phone assets to FIH Mobile Ltd., a subsidiary of Hon Hai/Foxconn Technology Group, and HMD Global, Oy for $350 million. As part of the deal, FIH Mobile Ltd. will also acquire Microsoft Mobile Vietnam — the company's Hanoi, Vietnam, manufacturing facility. Upon close of this deal, approximately 4,500 employees will transfer to, or have the opportunity to join, FIH Mobile Ltd. or HMD Global, Oy, subject to compliance with local law.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microsoft-selling-feature-phone-business-to-fih-mobile-ltd-and-hmd-global-oy-300270253.html

They are selling only the cheap line, but keeping the Lunia line (we will see for how long). Why do they do not understand: They are not going to take a big piece of the cake?.

If for once they understand this, we could expect a more serious an professional Windows free of (Cr)apps.

alacran

Edited May 19, 2016 by alacran

[JorgeA]

On Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 3:08 PM, alacran said:

Why do they do not understand: They are not going to take a big piece of the cake?.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

I don't get the impression that the powers-that-be at Microsoft are particularly thoughtful or introspective. Smart no doubt, but definitely unwise.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

This is the best comment in the Win10 Insiders Feedback app that I've seen in a long time:

And check out the little notice at the bottom about using this feedback to improve our experience. Yeah, right.

--JorgeA

[greenhillmaniac]

20 hours ago, JorgeA said:

And check out the little notice at the bottom about using this feedback to improve our experience. Yeah, right.

I think that's the default message they give to all feedback posted, but I get where you're going.

I wish M$ stuck with the Aero theme from Windows 8 CP. It was like Windows 7, but less flashy, more sober. I liked it.

If they improved the Windows 7 start menu and bundled all of Windows 8's improvements without the Metro crap (like the improved task manager, the ability to mount ISOs, the reworked Explorer, the new windows coloring that adjusted itself depending on the background, better DWM performance...) people would call Windows 8 a worthy successor to the almighty Windows 7.

[JorgeA]

Yeah, that's much better than what they ended up with on the final Win8 release.

I still have all the preview versions on one machine, and by booting to each one in turn you can trace the degeneration development of the flat, opaque theme. I just can't imagine the testers of these previews clamoring with Microsoft to remove the 3D and the translucency, so in a sense the value of THAT beta-testing program (in addition to the current one) also comes into question.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Microsoft's campaign to move everybody to Windows 10 is not exactly a forced march. It's more like a "Pied Piper" march, where tons of people are lured or tricked into going along. Check out this anecdote:

It may not be new, but Microsoft scheduling unwanted Windows 10 upgrades is still scummy behavior

Quote

I’ve been suffering with a shoulder impingement for a while, and seeing an osteopath to try and fix the problem. After today’s session, the osteopath tried to book me in for a new appointment, but the on-screen calendar was obscured by another appointment that had popped up -- this one for a Windows 10 upgrade. An upgrade that -- surprise, surprise -- the osteopath had neither asked for, nor wanted.

This is how it ended:
 

Quote

"Will you be upgrading to Windows 10?" I asked my osteopath. "Not bloody likely," she said, clicking the Close button before I could stop her.

Uh-oh...

As the blogger says,

Quote

It’s truly scummy behavior that you’d expect from purveyors of crapware, not one of the world’s largest software makers.

--JorgeA

[jaclaz]

And now for the usual OFF TOPIC  ...

... meanwhile in Maine ...

http://www.macrumors.com/2016/05/23/apple-replace-ipads-macbooks-classrooms/

Quote

...

iPads were perceived to have poor educational value in the classroom and were often used to play games in class, while laptops allowed students better opportunities for school work. The preference gap widened even more when it came to older students, who saw laptops as better devices for coding and programming tasks. 

"The results are pretty darn clear," said Auburn School Department Technology Director Peter Robinson, who conducted the survey. "The findings made the decision for us." Robinson said that three years ago, after seeing success with iPads in primary grades, he thought iPads were absolutely the right choice, but now he realized iPads have shortcomings for older students. 

One teacher wrote in the survey that iPads "provide no educational function in the classroom. Students use them as toys. Word processing is near to impossible. I applaud this change." 

"The iPads are largely students' gaming devices," another teacher wrote, while one called their introduction into the classroom "a disaster".

...

I personally read in the above "tablets" (in the meaning of underpowered touch enabled devices) instead of iPads, of course.

jaclaz

 

Edited May 23, 2016 by jaclaz

[JorgeA]

21 hours ago, jaclaz said:

And now for the usual OFF TOPIC  ...

... meanwhile in Maine ...

http://www.macrumors.com/2016/05/23/apple-replace-ipads-macbooks-classrooms/

I personally read in the above "tablets" (in the meaning of underpowered touch enabled devices) instead of iPads, of course.

jaclaz

 

I read it the same way -- the idea applies to all tablets and not just iPads.

Glad to see that people are discovering, from experience, how useless these touch devices are when you're trying to do serious work.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

The Windows blogosphere, including some pretty big names, is up in arms over Microsoft's devious tactics to push Win10:

Upgradegate: Microsoft’s Upgrade Deceptions Are Undermining Windows 10
 

Quote

The violation of trust here is almost indescribable. It’s bad enough that Microsoft has been training Windows 7 and 8.1 users—i.e. most Windows users—to not trust Windows 10 because of this horrible, unstoppable advertisement. But now they will not trust their own sanity because all they’ll remember is that they dismissed the advertisement by clicking the Close windows box. Why on earth did Windows 10 just install on my PC?!?

Why on earth, indeed. Coupled with the growth of clean personal computing platforms like Chromebooks and Macs, and the fact that Microsoft can’t convince its own PC maker partners to not ruin the Windows experience with crapware, one has to wonder: Is this all part of some plan to destroy Windows from within? I mean, seriously. You couldn’t write a dumber story about how to ruin something that is otherwise as wonderful as Windows 10.

My God, Microsoft. Just stop.

How Microsoft's tricky new Windows 10 pop-up deceives you into upgrading
 

Quote

This morning, the unthinkable happened: My wife, an avowed PC user who long ago swore to never touch an Apple device, started shopping around for a Mac Mini. And it’s all thanks to Windows 10. Or rather, the nasty new way that Microsoft’s tricking Windows 7 and 8 users into automatically updating to Windows 10.

[...]

So after more than half a year of teaching people that the only way to say “no thanks” to Windows 10 is to exit the GWX application—and refusing to allow users to disable the pop-up in any obvious manner, so they had to press that X over and over again during those six months to the point that most people probably just click it without reading now—Microsoft just made it so that very behavior accepts the Windows 10 upgrade instead, rather than canceling it.

That’s gross.

WINDOWS 10 AND THE FORCED RELEASE

Quote

First and foremost I think Microsoft is being a bully on the Internet. A big bully. The manner in which Windows 10 has been pushed out the patching channel has me seriously questioning if I want to be associated with this Company going forward...

[...]

How about you go about the old fashioned way of doing things that apparently isn’t good enough anymore: That of building a better mousetrap as the old saying goes. Building something so cool, so wow, so fantastic, so solid that we will madly volunteer to get the Windows 10 install on every single last Windows 7 and 8.1 out here.

So Microsoft? How about you go back and review your latest policy and really ask yourself if you really delivered on what customers were asking you to do? I’ll bet you’ll find that no one really asked you to schedule a Windows 10 install for them. What they really wanted you to do was to be a bit more polite and give a clearer “No, thank you, I have a justifiable reason to stay on this platform” option.

Edited May 24, 2016 by JorgeA
additional article

[jaclaz]

... and on the BBC too:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36367221

Quote

Microsoft accused of Windows 10 upgrade 'nasty trick'

 jaclaz

 

 

[NoelC]

Somehow a growing number of people are feeling Scrmicrosofted.

-Noel

[JorgeA]

3 hours ago, NoelC said:

Somehow a growing number of people are feeling Scrmicrosofted.

Nice graphic, now fully applicable to MSFT.

@jaclaz : you know it's big news when it makes the BBC!

Here's another prominent tech voice speaking up against Microsoft's sleazy campaign, with a number of interesting details:

Microsoft has been conning Windows users for two months

Quote

An oft-revised support document that Computerworld cited in a May 16 story about Microsoft's aggressive upgrade practices spelled out the workings of a pop-up notification that Windows 7 and 8.1 users had been seeing. The notification told those customers -- primarily consumers, but also many small-to-mid-sized businesses -- that the free Windows 10 upgrade had been pre-scheduled by Microsoft.

The same document also acknowledged that those who clicked the red "X" in the upper-right corner of the pop-up were approving the scheduled upgrade.

How many Windows 7/8.1 users could possibly have been aware of the existence of this document??

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

We did say last year that the 3x-a-year release schedule was too onerous:

Microsoft dials back Windows 10 upgrades to 2X a year

Now the company pledges to keep to a release schedule no more obnoxious than that of Linux.

--JorgeA