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Useless Windows 10 Features

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Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#271

Post by vetinari »

crispinb wrote: post #181
starsinspace wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Fedora come with support for playing back common media formats these days? Last time I tried, it didn't even play MP3s, just showing some dialog box about how it can't play that due to patents or something. To solve that IIRC it was needed to add some 3rd-party repository (which is always a bit worrying with having to trust them) to install the codec packages. Is that still the case with Fedora?

I don't know at what point Fedora loosened up re the FOSS strictures, but the version I installed (30) did have non-free apps/codecs available by default, including for mp3s.

MP3 patents expired in 2017, so Fedora does include them now. So did AAC and AC3.

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#272

Post by r1ch »

derekbaker783 wrote: post #263
throwaway8941 wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage This is the first thing I run on any Windows box I am forced to interact with. Removes all the junk in the Start menu in one command.

Doesn't that also remove Calculator?

Yeah don't do this - I did this once and I ended up having to reinstall since it broke enough stuff that the control panel wouldn't even work afterwards.

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#273

Post by neuronic »

Completely left Windows 10 (after several parallel years with Linux based systems such as openSuse/Ubuntu) for macOS.

I get a workstation that has sensible defaults and gets out of my way 99.999% of the time. I get why others prefer Linux systems in development but within my ecosystem I am simply happy I don't have to configure my fan speed and install fourth party drivers to get WLAN to connect after the machine sleeps.

The only things that Windows really excels in are gaming and office. Open source office suites are simply many levels below MS Office, and no I won't use LaTex at work although writing my thesis with it was indeed amazing. The macOS office variants (by Microsoft) are also severely lacking in comparison...

But other than that if you're not tinkering with .NET stuff...

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#274

Post by twodave »

JulianMorrison wrote: post #270

This all feels to me like Microsoft is getting desperate - it's the usual experience when the money in a niche is drying up: aggressive upsell and every damn thing trying to squeeze another dime out of you. Have their revenues been tanking?

Nope, they just set an annual record and beat analysts expectations last quarter[1]. Azure is helping them a great deal and just overtook their PC division (which includes everything from Windows to the Surface laptop).

[1]: https://www.geekwire.com/2019/microsoft-trumpets-record-year...

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#275

Post by justinclift »

hnick wrote: post #136
7532yahoogmail wrote: post #21

The dumbest windows feature? When you accidentally touch the top of a window to top of screen, it maximizes. On Mac it's sort of the opposite: you can't relocate a window to another screen if it's maximizes. It "helps" you by force partitioning the screen.

Sticky corners (with 2 monitors) annoy me more. Drag your mouse pointer to the top corner of the screen, trying to take it to the next monitor - nope, it gets stuck. It goes from annoying to very frustrating when I am trying to click at the top left of the window on my 2nd screen, but someone at MS decided the mouse will get stuck on the X and close my current window instead. I have very good mouse accuracy from year…

In Win7 several of the mouse behaviours like this can be disabled in Control Panel -> Ease of Access Center -> Make the mouse easier to use.

(Seems to be targeted for people with disabilities, but heck... if that's what it takes to disable this crap.)

Win 10 will likely have something equivalent.

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#276

Post by brynjolf »

AnonymousPlanet wrote: post #204
brynjolf wrote: post #200

I disabled the allow Microsoft to send application history to their servers. They still do it. They just ignore the fact I have disabled it explicitly. It should be reason for me to be able to sue but I don't know where to start.

Out of interest: How do you know they send the application history? The connections to their servers are encrypted. So the only options you have are the MS information tool for telemetry and low level forensic tools.

You can view the history online on their privacy dashboard at privacy.microsoft.com There I could see all the applications I launched even though I had denied them that permission. You should be able to do the same if you linked your Microsoft account to your Windows installation.

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#277

Post by twodave »

projektfu wrote: post #19

How about all the ways windows goes out of its way to hide the home folder, and then is now generating multiple places it calls “Documents”, “Pictures”, etc so you’re never really sure where anything is?

OSX tends to do this too, but at least you still have a unix terminal and they don't screw with the paths to things...

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#278

Post by yowlingcat »

fortran77 wrote: post #43
zsrxx wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then pirate it. What do you care? This is like pirating a show they refuse to put on Netflix. They don't give you the option to conveniently buy what you want, so pirate it. Instructions on how to activate your installation of LTSC here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19420337

How would you feel if I gave detailed instructions on how to rob _you_?

Is this supposed to sound as nonsensical as those 90s "You wouldn't DOWNLOAD a CAR!" anti-piracy posters, or is this just a pleasant side effect of your poor analogy?

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#279

Post by jplayer01 »

Const-me wrote: post #260
jplayer01 wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I genuinely think Win10 has made huge leaps in many areas compared to Win7. It's just that they make so many bone-headed design decisions across the OS that detract from it. I wish I could recommend Windows 10 wholeheartedly, and generally I do recommend upgrading to it, it's just a ... problematic OS.

Could it be MS deliberately trying to train users to read and understand messages, especially long ones, before clicking "I agree"? I think you can opt out of many problematic features if you pay attention where you click during the OS setup. The licenses are checked online in Win10, so you can download an ISO from Microsoft.com, do clean install, and if you've installed same edition on the same PC it will be activat…

No, I don't see it. I'm utterly annoyed with Windows 10 even after declining any and every ridiculous request from Microsoft. It has nothing to do with 'training users to read' that the start menu is terrible or the new control panel is an abomination. And their asking for permission to track you has nothing to do with want to train users. They just want to track you. And even if you decline everything, there's plenty of telemetry that isn't disabled.

Re: Useless Windows 10 Features

#280

Post by JulianMorrison »

twodave wrote: post #274
JulianMorrison wrote: post #270

This all feels to me like Microsoft is getting desperate - it's the usual experience when the money in a niche is drying up: aggressive upsell and every damn thing trying to squeeze another dime out of you. Have their revenues been tanking?

Nope, they just set an annual record and beat analysts expectations last quarter[1]. Azure is helping them a great deal and just overtook their PC division (which includes everything from Windows to the Surface laptop). [1]: https://www.geekwire.com/2019/microsoft-trumpets-record-year...

Odd, so why the huckster impression?
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