Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads • Hacker News Board

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#11

Post by gargravarr » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:07 PM UTC

djsumdog wrote: post #5

I really don't like this direction that MS is heading. I'd rather they charger for Windows 10 and newer and not start bundling software and pushing ads by default. Also, fuck buying games off the Windows store, Steam and any other service that locks you into DRM. My steam client in Linux is hopelessly broken due to updates. Some of my games will still play, but most require the stupid Steam DRM layer. I should have b…

Steam is the best of a bad bunch really - it's not perfect, but it's much fairer than other platforms. There's another article on HTG (linked from this one) that outlines the differences between Steam and Windows Store, and Steam scores quite highly. I was very surprised when some of my older games suddenly popped up as being available on Linux for no extra cost. When the Steam DRM works properly, it's pretty non-invasive.

Can't deny Humble have it right though. This war over DRM was fought with music and non-DRM has mostly won. Maybe something similar will happen with games.

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#12

Post by s_kilk » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:07 PM UTC

Not surprised. Some of us have been predicting this for years, but we tended to get shouted down for committing the Slippery Slope fallacy.

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#13

Post by Zikes » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:07 PM UTC

gravypod wrote: post #8

"When the item is free, you are the product" is the lesson of this past decade. I am at least repeatedly learning this over and over again.

That doesn't necessarily hold true for FOSS, though.

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#14

Post by gargravarr » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:08 PM UTC

cm2187 wrote: post #9

gargravarr wrote: post #6

Seems like the only way people want to make money these days is through invasive advertising without the end-user's explicit consent. Granted the expectation of free software is driving most of this, but it starts a vicious cycle because those who get annoyed with them develop countermeasures, which the creator responds to with more aggressive ads, ad infinitum. It does start explaining some of the highly controversi…

Except windows isn't free. Even users who upgraded for free initially paid for a windows license (at least outside of China).

Paying for the privilege of seeing adverts. So fundamentally MS.

I'm so glad Win7 will be supported until 2020.

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#15

Post by gargravarr » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:08 PM UTC

s_kilk wrote: post #12

Not surprised. Some of us have been predicting this for years, but we tended to get shouted down for committing the Slippery Slope fallacy.

Least we get to point and say 'told you so', right? :)

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#16

Post by joshmanders » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:09 PM UTC

gravypod wrote: post #8

"When the item is free, you are the product" is the lesson of this past decade. I am at least repeatedly learning this over and over again.

According to this page[0] the item is $119. That's not free.

[0]: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Windows-...

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#17

Post by ccvannorman » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:09 PM UTC

I still remember the last time I used Windows (outside of a VM for testing.) I had been given a Surface to develop on for my video game. At one point, it started playing an advertisement as a part of the operating experience. My reaction:

1. What is happening?

2. Why is this happening?

3. How do I shut this off?

4. Who the hell decided this was a good idea?

5. Where's the nearest trash bin?

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#18

Post by gravypod » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:10 PM UTC

Zikes wrote: post #13

gravypod wrote: post #8

"When the item is free, you are the product" is the lesson of this past decade. I am at least repeatedly learning this over and over again.

That doesn't necessarily hold true for FOSS, though.

FOSS isn't free. You are being "paid for" by other people donating their time to make many, many people happy.

That's at least my way of looking at it.

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#19

Post by compactmani » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:10 PM UTC

gargravarr wrote: post #6

Seems like the only way people want to make money these days is through invasive advertising without the end-user's explicit consent. Granted the expectation of free software is driving most of this, but it starts a vicious cycle because those who get annoyed with them develop countermeasures, which the creator responds to with more aggressive ads, ad infinitum. It does start explaining some of the highly controversi…

If only there really was universal expectation of free software. Then we'd really be getting somewhere.

Re: Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads

#20

Post by gravypod » Wed, Feb 24, 2016, 5:10 PM UTC

joshmanders wrote: post #16

gravypod wrote: post #8

"When the item is free, you are the product" is the lesson of this past decade. I am at least repeatedly learning this over and over again.

According to this page[0] the item is $119. That's not free. [0]: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Windows-...

It was sold to the public as a "free" upgrade.

"Free" in that context is what I am referring to.