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Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

neil.computer

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Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#71

Post by Nextgrid »

pcr910303 wrote: post #32

A little bit irrelevant to the article: Unpopular opinion but, is opt-outtable telemetry that bad? Of course using tracked behaviors for add targeting is bad (which is why my opinion is irrelevant to the article) but using telemetry to do AB-tests, UX-tests, finding bugs, etc... what’s really bad about it? Every comment about telemetry in HN reads something like ‘Telemetry with opt-out is bad, so GitLab is bad, VSCod…

Yes it is bad. Most of it relies on tools provided by advertising & stalking companies like Google Analytics, so they have an incentive to also use the data for themselves, and correlate it with other data they collect about you when you use their services directly. This also means these companies (even if not involved in advertising directly) have an insane potential in tracking users across all apps that happen to use their services, making them a very juicy target, including for state actors.

> AB-tests, UX-tests

I don't want to be a lab rat. If you are testing things then please make it clear and let me see both options and I will happily give feedback.

> finding bugs

What if the software crashes while processing confidential data and part of that data is contained in the core dump that you just sent off because you don't respect your users enough to ask them?

Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#72

Post by blub »

nroets wrote: post #4

Microsoft had the dominant consumer operating system since the 1980s. Using that advantage (and not innovation and quality !) they were able to grab substantial chunks of other markets: Word processing, commercial compilers, cloud computing etc. Next up is digital assistants and advertising. What is the alternative for average consumers ? Chrome books ?

For average people with money - macOS. If they don't have money they need to become better than average with computers and learn Linux, or they will be preyed upon like cattle because of the lax US customer protections.

Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#73

Post by Nextgrid »

sm4rk0 wrote: post #21

Advertisement is not a cause of the problem. It's just an effect of a deeper one. The cause and effect chain goes like this: money-based world -> profit-oriented economy -> advertising.

There are ways of making money ethically, and failing that, legislation is there to keep things in check. This is why (in most of the developed world, at least) you don't see people in the street fighting & robbing each other all the time.

Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#75

Post by bsaul »

neilpanchal wrote: post #66
ekianjo wrote: post #37

> And, Apple has lit this torch. Too bad this ends on this line. So you recommend trusting another corporation over Microsoft to be virtuous over the long term? The only OS you can truly control is well known, and it's Linux.

“Apple has lit the torch”, I mean that Apple is leading the way forward for privacy centric products and services. Whether one chooses to trust Apple and buy their products, that’s debatable. But, it is evident, and clear that Apple’s press, their marketing, keynotes, technology and their products in last 3 years have a central theme - Privacy.

I completely agree. The best reason i think to trust apple is because of their revenue model which almost entirely come from selling hardware. Now with their recent increase in revenue from services, i’m a bit worried that it could change in the future.

Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#76

Post by ksangeelee »

zercurity wrote: post #7

We've been using this tool to strip out unwanted Microsoft 'features' such as Cortana. Its a powershell script you simply give it your Windows ISO and it lets you remove applications and services you don't wanted installed. It creates a really awesome Windows OS. I highly recommend it. https://github.com/DrEmpiricism/Optimize-Offline

While I'm glad these efforts exist, it's wrong to have to fight my operating system in this way. In my experience, it's a losing battle. Microsoft seem intent on having full control of your system, and they are in a position to take that control as and when they like.

The occasional nods towards the technical crowd, for example WSL & VSCode are distracting us from the very large elephant in the room.

Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#77

Post by minusf »

pcr910303 wrote: post #32

A little bit irrelevant to the article: Unpopular opinion but, is opt-outtable telemetry that bad? Of course using tracked behaviors for add targeting is bad (which is why my opinion is irrelevant to the article) but using telemetry to do AB-tests, UX-tests, finding bugs, etc... what’s really bad about it? Every comment about telemetry in HN reads something like ‘Telemetry with opt-out is bad, so GitLab is bad, VSCod…

on windows home it's not possible to opt out of telemetry. only to send less.

Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#78

Post by minusf »

sm4rk0 wrote: post #21

Advertisement is not a cause of the problem. It's just an effect of a deeper one. The cause and effect chain goes like this: money-based world -> profit-oriented economy -> advertising.

Windows is a sold product with no free tier. isn't that the profit? it was part of the price I paid for the notebook. and they still make me see ads? that's a business model publishing would die for.

Re: Microsoft Advertisement Inc.

#79

Post by mcny »

TomMarius wrote: post #70
apk-d wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Awesome! Any idea how well it deals with system updates? Last time I used a script to remove some of the crapware (OneDrive, games, office installers, etc) it all came back after a larger feature update.

These are basically OS reinstalls, there is a script capable of doing the same in live system

Yes. I ran the removes all appx script that a kind soul shared here with a bunch of warnings and disclaimers and I love it.
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