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Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

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Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#41
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using their products, you can so easily taste how Microsoft is trying to become an "ecosystem", a "lifestyle brand", a "platform", and so on, and to use their OS as the relentless foot in the door for getting there. To me it's another nail in the coffin of general purpose computing. We've accepted that mobile devices/OSs are not for general purpose computing and expect that they come with a "lifestyle" to hawk, now o…

Using their products, you can so easily taste how Microsoft is trying to become an "ecosystem", a "lifestyle brand", a "platform", and so on, and to use their OS as the relentless foot in the door for getting there. I think the irony of that statement is from Windows 3.1 and on Windows (25-ish years) was already THE defacto PC platform. I was a pretty big MS fanboy for a long time (and make my living with .NET and th…

They don't want to be just a PC platform anymore. They're looking at Apple's high-end lifestyle brand and trying to get in on some of that. I wish they'd be happy with the organic brand they're building around XBox and Minecraft and all that, but kids and education just don't have the same money or cachet as the upper middle class and up consumer.

And I'm no fanboy but boy am I a fan of .NET. So far it seems like that part of MS is well defended from this grossness, I only hope that holds up.

Excuse the rant.

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#42

This isn't really an issue that goes beyond your first 1 hour on your new Windows 10 computer. You delete them, and then they are gone forever. They do not re-install themselves, they only come with a new user account. They were annoying to me, only when I had installed the Windows 10 for the very first time, 2 years ago. I had several Windows 10 re-installations since then, and it really isn't worth nagging about th…

Except on two separate machines, a Windows update reinstalled them for me. MS did said it was a bug but it happened a few times after that for me.

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#43

When you choose Windows, the computer uses you. When you choose Linux, you use the computer. Stop complaining and start switching. It should be apparent by now that Microsoft isn't going to stop their bad behavior.

Sorry Sir_Cmpwn, but that's happening with W10. Windows 8.1 with the 'Windows Firewall Control", classicshell, a strong HOSTS file (someonewhocares.org), and a Firefox with NoScript/ublock/adblock+/etc and you got your privacy control in order. I do agree with the Linux argument you are making, but you cannot swerve 50% of the global Windows users into Linux. It still doesn't have the best UI reputation (although it…

As a professional who gets work done with Linux, I disagree. Lots of desktop environments (KDE, XFCE, Cinnamon) offer a UI is just as polished as mac or windows.

Lack of suitable software can be a dealbreaker for some professions. There aren't many professional video editing suites, for example. But in companies I've worked at, most workers only need a browser and an office suite to do their jobs. Linux would work for them.

I think the real obstacle is training. You have a workforce that's already used to the way windows works. It's easier to hire IT people with windows experience than it is with Linux. Users know how to do their tasks in Microsoft office, and even though Libre office is similar, they might have to learn a few new things.

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Linux has more gaming than it did 5-10 years ago, but if someone wants to play a game at top performance on PC, you typically need to choose Windows. You can make an argument about the size of the respective platform's game libraries, but not about their performance. Games on Linux often perform as well as or better than Windows. There's no clear trend that suggests the performance of games on Linux are worse than o…

Many people use monitors with 144hz refresh rates. And increased FPS means you can turn graphics up, or enable more sophisticated anti-aliasing solutions, without impacting absolute performance.

My point is that the difference isn't going to be enough to be meaningful. If your GPU can drive 144 FPS on your Windows install it can probably drive 144 FPS on your Linux install with the same graphics settings.

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#45

Windows 10 is a cancer. M$ removed the control from the user, and placed it to their money-hungry baboons. It was clear since 8 and 8.1 that M$ will go for the "app model", where you are no longer the administrator on your own machine 'for your own protection'. I hope they come around, or they will just lose all their tech-savy customers. I guess it's their turn to rip off their customers private-date/lives, just as…

The thing I hate the most about windows 10 is lots of its default settings out of the box, whenever I have to set up a new PC for a family member. That, and windows 10 likes to automatically update itself whenever it wants.

Whenever I installed a new windows 7 PC, it was just plug and play really. When I have to install a new windows 10 PC, I have a significantly longer list of items that I do to it (delete cortana, enable search to only work locally, local user only (no xbox or microsoft login), remove forced updates, remove task panels, delete all PUPware that comes with it, etc), do a couple of registry edits, etc.

Lastly, privacy. No such thing as privacy in windows 10, the whole OS is basically spyware.

The only thing I like about windows 10 over its previous versions is the system refresh, but thats about it

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#46

It’s hard to believe that the loss of goodwill is worth whatever revenue Microsoft’s gaining from this, so I have to assume this is them dipping their toe into a strategy that attempts to make them more relevant to users. Maybe a reaction to the Windows app store’s lack of success? Thoughts?

I'd say Windows is like 4th or 5th on their list of priorities right now. It's all about Azure, nothing else matters.

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the XBOX and PS and Switch are totally safe, open source products that respect personal information. Linux has more gaming than it did 5-10 years ago, but if someone wants to play a game at top performance on PC, you typically need to choose Windows.

>Linux has more gaming than it did 5-10 years ago, but if someone wants to play a game at top performance on PC, you typically need to choose Windows. You can make an argument about the size of the respective platform's game libraries, but not about their performance. Games on Linux often perform as well as or better than Windows. There's no clear trend that suggests the performance of games on Linux are worse than o…

More and more games are coming to Linux, for sure (I'm a huge fan of games on Linux!), but Linux still is missing the latest-and-greatest AAA titles... think the Call of Duty's, Battlefield's, Skyrim's, Fallout's, Wolfenstein's... and many many more.

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> especially for professional users and gamers. Those whose applications are only available for Windows. I have gotten around this with a virtualized Windows installation for CAD applications. The Windows VM goes online for software activation only. With VFIO, a dedicated graphics card, and an nVME SSD I don't feel any performance degradation. The graphics card and nVME drive are passed directly to the VM. Some simpl…

I'm really surprised it works at all, great job man

VFIO is the real deal - if you can find the right hardware. Unfortunately, there isn't a master list of VFIO compatible hardware (that I know of). You have to scour reddit or the Red Hat VFIO mailing lists hoping someone has posted the motherboard/processor you're interested in.

Once you have hardware, there are lots of resources for pulling it off:

https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/vfio.txt

https://www.redhat.com/archives/vfio-users/

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PCI_passthrough_via_OVM...

https://www.reddit.com/r/VFIO/

Re: Hey Microsoft, Stop Installing Apps on My PC Without Asking

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Linux has more gaming than it did 5-10 years ago, but if someone wants to play a game at top performance on PC, you typically need to choose Windows. You can make an argument about the size of the respective platform's game libraries, but not about their performance. Games on Linux often perform as well as or better than Windows. There's no clear trend that suggests the performance of games on Linux are worse than o…

Many people use monitors with 144hz refresh rates. And increased FPS means you can turn graphics up, or enable more sophisticated anti-aliasing solutions, without impacting absolute performance.

That's true, but also some companies cough Nvidia cough have drivers that aren't up to snuff with an OPEN SOURCE system. It's crazy that the software is FREE to access and really there would be no need to pay any real fees to develop better drivers for systems. AMD is one of the big players that has actually been working with the community to help support their cards.
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