The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware • Hacker News Board

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#71

Post by red-iron-pine » Mon, Mar 25, 2024, 8:17 PM UTC

the_snooze wrote: post #31

kotaKat wrote: post #2

I wish Microsoft (and others) would understand that "no" means "no", not "keep assaulting me with the same question later under different pretexts".

Tech companies sure love to run the domestic abuser's playbook: * I want to know everything about you and who you talk to (privacy violations) * I can change deals unilaterally and do whatever I want without your say-so (disrespecting user agency) * You can't leave me (vendor lock-in)

don't forget the occasional charm offensive, esp. after they overstep, and short-lived honeymoon phase before they do it again

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#72

Post by red-iron-pine » Mon, Mar 25, 2024, 8:18 PM UTC

vmladenov wrote: post #64

advael wrote: post #52

There is some deep cognitive dissonance going on with windows users in the last 5 years especially I've noticed. Nearly every new thing that happens has the people I know who are on it complaining loudly, desperately trying to hold on to old versions, creating all sorts of workarounds to fight against the operating system But the same people will still take every opportunity to make the same tired jokes about how I m…

There's no real alternative for many things people care about. Windows 11 can still run Windows 98 software with minimal headache. Maybe Valve with Proton will get there someday. If it's not your daily driver e.g. using a MacBook for day-to-day, it's tolerable albeit annoying. Just go make a coffee while boot hangs on the "preparing windows updates" screen for 5 minutes.

Valve and Proton is pretty dang good, tbh.

No issues, even with AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077. Anti-cheat is a thing they're working on too, but ultimately it'll require kernel modules and I'm not cool with that, but more in the "not gonna play those games" sense.

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#73

Post by nonrandomstring » Mon, Mar 25, 2024, 9:42 PM UTC

red-iron-pine wrote: post #70

nonrandomstring wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because people feel so angry with malware authors and scammers it's hard to accept that those people may themselves be under duress. In some places kids get invited to a "dream tech job" interview only to find the door locked behind them and a list of 100 computers to infect each day if they want food. Not saying M$ do that, but given their ethics track record and the harm their substandard cruft wreaks, I'd only be…

are you telling me that Microsoft would kidnap kids to code MS Windows, their core offering , and then threaten them if they don't deliver? or any of their other, billion-dollar-tier revenue generating offerings, like Azure, or Active Directory, or MSSQL, or Xbox, etc.? do you have any idea how the FAANGM (MANGA?) world works?

I am sorry for confusing you with humour.

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#74

Post by geor9e » Mon, Mar 25, 2024, 11:08 PM UTC

jmrm wrote: post #27

geor9e wrote: post #13

Mac updates made me think I had malware too. It randomly pops up a box that says System Update needs your administrator password. Completely unprompted, zero context. Sketchy as hell looking. Happens every time MacOS downloads an automatic update.

Does it say what program need administrador privileges? IIRC Linux are doing this since around 20 years ago

Here's a pic of the popup https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254241562?sortBy=best . To me, it sounds trivial to name your malware app "System Update", and that's probably the best thing to name it. So you can't know who or what is requesting full root access, completely out of the blue, unless maybe it says somewhere deep in Activity Monitor. My habit is to always close it, and if I want to update, go to System Update myself. Then at least I know I probably triggered the popup.

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#75

Post by vmladenov » Wed, Mar 27, 2024, 6:24 PM UTC

red-iron-pine wrote: post #72

vmladenov wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no real alternative for many things people care about. Windows 11 can still run Windows 98 software with minimal headache. Maybe Valve with Proton will get there someday. If it's not your daily driver e.g. using a MacBook for day-to-day, it's tolerable albeit annoying. Just go make a coffee while boot hangs on the "preparing windows updates" screen for 5 minutes.

Valve and Proton is pretty dang good, tbh. No issues, even with AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077. Anti-cheat is a thing they're working on too, but ultimately it'll require kernel modules and I'm not cool with that, but more in the "not gonna play those games" sense.

But I wasn’t talking about video games; I have a Steam Deck and I like it. I have lots of old / unmaintained Windows software for various gadgets that doesn’t have alternatives and has major blocking issues in Wine-like environments, up to and including failing to launch. For those, a Windows VM or a dedicated Windows system is much less of a headache.