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With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

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Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#161

Post by jessaustin »

tobias3 wrote: post #71
jessaustin wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I support some computers that auto-updated to 10, and everyone with access to them swears they never hit "OK" in the week leading up to that auto-update. Did the EULA just flash up on the screen at 2 AM?

I guess it reboots to Windows 10, but keeps the old installation in "C:\Windows.old". If you then do not agree to the EULA in the Windows 10 setup wizard it rolls back to your old Windows installation. Definitely a dark pattern, because most users may feel that going back is not possible.

It took me a little while to identify which shared folders were necessary for various programs used by this business. Having figured out how to re-share those folders and confirmed that everything else was still working, however, there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to roll the dice on a "restore" operation. They had work to do that day.

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#162

Post by scholia »

jalami wrote: post #73
sotojuan wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So all the talk about the "new" Microsoft has been for nothing.

The "new" Microsoft was a change in business model, not a sudden thawing of the heart. Windows used to be the product, now Windows users are. This is similar to Google and Facebook's offerings. Very few companies still strictly sell software anymore. The open sourcing of tools is marketing and a consequence of prioritizing adoption over exclusivity. Like Android, Windows isn't going to be the bare foundation you buil…

The business model hasn't changed. Windows is an always has been a paid product (with some minor variations) and Microsoft is not a significant player in the advertising business. (AOL does sell Bing ads, I think.)

Of course, if you have any factual evidence that Windows users are a product, then I'd be interested to hear it.

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#163

Post by EasyTiger_ »

graycat wrote: post #90

Gb abbreviates gigabit or gigabyte? What does GB abbreviate? ===================== In update: PLEASE stop down voting me for my simple, nice, courteous reminder to the person who wrote the post I replied to. I was NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT ignorant of the meanings of Gb versus GB and was NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT asking for a tutorial on the difference. I am not an ignorant newby on HN knowing too little to be posting here. Just w…

Nice meltdown

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#164

Post by Aldo_MX »

I had to install Windows 8.1 from scratch recently, for the first time in my life I had to review update-per-update what the f%$k did they do, it is depressing that too many updates had something to do with Windows 10 or an increase in telemetry...

  - KB2976978
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Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#165

Post by SixSigma »

graycat wrote: post #90

Gb abbreviates gigabit or gigabyte? What does GB abbreviate? ===================== In update: PLEASE stop down voting me for my simple, nice, courteous reminder to the person who wrote the post I replied to. I was NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT ignorant of the meanings of Gb versus GB and was NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT asking for a tutorial on the difference. I am not an ignorant newby on HN knowing too little to be posting here. Just w…

I don't think for one minute that you confused space consumption with rate.

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#166

Post by fdgdasfadsf »

tracker1 wrote: post #129
wangchow wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over the past year I've noticed a lot of things mysteriously getting installed, things moving around, etc. I don't mind automatic updates so long as there's a separation from the new features and bug fixes. There should be a base core of apps that are necessary and a set of opt-in add-on features. It's time to move to Linux on laptop/desktop/tablet I think. While I love my surface pro 3 and the Windows 10 experience…

On the flip side, I run Ubuntu on my htpc, and have for several years now... there have been a couple times where the updates broke audio, and the fix took on average 2 days, though I can imagine some people having worse experiences... Getting an MCE remote (arguably the most common PC remote type) working with Kodi (formerly xbmc and very popular full screen media player) took some cumbersome steps. On average one a…

Both are subpar (and osx or whatever Apple call their offering is no better).

I've been stuck in an update hell with windows where security updates simply would not install the only solution I could find was a full re-install. I've been in a similar situation with Ubuntu and was able to fix it - but only because I understood it - otherwise I would have had to do a re-install.

The key with Ubuntu updates is to stick to LTS versions and to do a clean re-install (keeping /home as a separate partition makes this painless).

Both have rubbish audio systems. Windows breaks on my laptop every few suspend resumes (fixed by restart). Ubuntu every few months (fixed by restart).

At this point I'm disappointed by every system I use.

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#167

Post by nowbacktowork »

Retric wrote: post #138
graycat wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> G stands for giga, exactly 1000 units. Actually that is the meaning of K, as in Kb or KB. Giga is not for "1000 units" but for 1 bilion "units" or, for the power of 2 approximation 2^30 = 1,073,741,824. I was just trying to be nice to the person who wrote the post I responded to. It seemed to me that their post needed to distinguish between Gb, gigabit, and GB, gigabyte. Not strictly, of course, because in principl…

> Yes, a byte is 8 bits Unless it's 7 bits aka ASCII 0 - 127. Some systems even used 6 bits and where case insensitive.

ascii is a representation of bits in the range you specified.

It doesn't change the unit of measure byte and its value when converting to the bit unit of measure.

Extended ascii uses the full 8 bits (unsigned) to value of 255 and values 0 through 31 are reserved for control codes.

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#168

Post by scholia »

kyberias wrote: post #139
sunnyps wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They changed this behavior after huge public outcry. It used to install the update too. Microsoft was even ordered to pay $10k in a civil suit[1] because of this. [1] http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/27/12046738/microsoft-pays-10...

I don't believe this. That article nor the article it links did not state that Windows forced the install at any point. Rather the Washington Times article states that: "The company denies wrongdoing, and a spokeswoman said Microsoft halted its appeal to avoid the expense of further litigation." And: "Microsoft says it offers users a choice to update, not a requirement. People have to acknowledge a dialogue box befor…

I had the same experience -- I have numerous PCs and no evidence of any attempt at a forced installation. Not even on my wife's PC, and she's as non-technical as people get.

I've generally assumed that people either don't actually read what's in front of their faces (probably pretty common among the non-computerate), or don't understand what they read (ditto), or they panic and do something stupid. Of course, I have no evidence for any of these assumptions in Windows 10's case, but I've seen them in other situations.

I know people who apparently can't tell the difference between an operating system, a web browser and an email service -- or else they just don't have the vocabulary to express such distinctions. It takes some time to find out what they've actually done, and why. The idea that they know which party is at fault is generally not one that fits reality.

Note: this is not a defense of "dark patterns" or whatever. I'd assume Microsoft has a good idea of the technical level of much of its audience, and that it should therefore have been extra extra careful to communicate the Windows 10 upgrade in a far clearer manner than it did.

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#169

Post by mitm2mitm »

M4v3R wrote: post #137
mitm2mitm wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't mind paying twice the price of Windows 10 Pro if I could select what I want installed and the OS respected that. No telemetry, no Cortana, no Windows Stores apps if I need to have a MS account. No missclick-based features (you click yes and suddenly your local account is now an online account). Since I'm stuck with this crap forever (Adobe, Office, games, etc) at least let me pay you not spy on me and inst…

You do know that both Adobe apps and Office apps are natively available for Mac? Games are still a problem though, but you can dual-boot just for games.

Personally, I can't stand OSX.

Since running things on Wine or VM end it up being too much of a hassle, Windows is my only option. I did that for a couple of years though.

Re: With Windows 10, Microsoft Disregards User Choice and Privacy

#170

Post by jakebasile »

ProAm wrote: post #154
wvenable wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can't remove worthless apps like Microsoft Groove and OneDrive integration. You can, it's just not super-easy. I've done both. Groove was pretty easy but OneDrive took a few steps. I almost have file explorer configured in a good way for me -- it actually seems much more flexible than previous versions even if half that flexibility is only available in regedit.

Can you disable Cortana? Last I heard you can't

You can't as of the Anniversary update [1]. You can kind of hide it though.

[1]: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/cortana-is-mandatory-in-the-windo...

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