Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Samsung disabling Windows Update?

bsodanalysis.blogspot.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 149 posts

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#111

Post by mariusmg »

na85 wrote: post #107
UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #3

If this is true (and frankly I know for a fact it is, as I just downloaded the linked file containing Disable_Windowsupdate.exe, which is signed by Samsung Electronics CO and downloaded from Samsung's own servers) then Microsoft should pick up the phone and threaten the heck out of Samsung, Microsoft while somewhat neutered by anti-trust still has a great deal of power over OEMs and stuff like this is a perfect time…

Ultimately it's just another item on the long long list of why anyone should not buy Microsoft and Samsung products. Samsung's terrible engineers coupled with a proprietary OS means users lose.

Yes, it's clearly Microsoft's fault here. Geez.....

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#112

Post by pjc50 »

cnvogel wrote: post #75
ninkendo wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Would you prefer if Windows worked like iOS where there are serious limitations on what apps can do in the background and where every application has to go through a central authority for vetting? I've thought about this for a while, and honestly, for desktops/notebooks/tablets? Yes. Maybe not just one App Store like iOS, but at least sandbox all possible non-os code similarly to ChromeOS, in a way that's on by def…

> he had so much spyware on his computer that it was easier > to just buy a new one than going through the hassle of > cleaning up his old one... I don't understand. Why not just reinstall the operating system from blank media? If you get a new machine, you'll have to reinstall your user-applications and data anyway?

It's not something most people know how to do, and you have to pay for a blank media set. There is usually a "recovery partition" instead, but how well do those work?

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#113

Post by batou »

embik wrote: post #63
electic wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let the past be the past. The new MS is making some good moves. However, this is not MS's fault. When you operate in an OEM type environment, you will run into situations like this. For example, if OSX was an OEM offering, companies would disable services and make unsavory modifications. The reality, is like Lenovo, we have a bad vendor here and probably think twice before buying PCs from Samsung.

Honestly, it's hard to embrace the "new MS" when there are things like this still happening: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/22/microsoft-... I'm aware that Microsoft is a giant corporation and there are many different people employed. The amount of people who support Open Source most likely increased in the last years. But as long as they're doing the public "we love Linux and Open Source" and try to…

What a bunch of total fucking assholes. That's not lobbying, that's blackmail.

No joke but this sort of stuff makes a mockery of the positive things they have done recently. Ao much positive spin hiding the same asshattery.

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#114

Post by throwaway2048 »

reacweb wrote: post #83
daemin wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, you can do this on Windows too, but the problem is this update disabler executable was signed, so it would have run anyway.

There are two problems: how on earth samsung may have the idea to produce this kind of software and who is signing software without giving a look at what he is signing. A problem of software development mentality (on windows) and a problem of responsability.

when you are asking for companies to verify all the software that is signed by their certs, im quite certain you are not at all considering the consequences.

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#115

Post by Malstrond »

Aloha wrote: post #69
crdoconnor wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their new PR line is they've changed and they are sorry, but they have certainly NOT changed and they are NOT sorry: http://techrights.org/2015/05/29/microsoft-vs-india/ Their recent "good moves" (open sourcing .NET, etc.) are simply an attempt to maintain relevance in the face of declining market share. If it results in regained market-share, they will likely bait and switch, and of course, they might as well get so…

First, why would you expect Microsoft to not lobby against laws that prevent it from effectively competing? Second, Why is Microsoft lobbying for non-restrictive purchasing standards bad? It's very clear to me that this has little to do with weather the competition is FOSS - and more to do if the competition can only be indian made software. Buy $country First laws have long been recognized as anti-competitive, prote…

>FOSS of more often then not superior on its merits alone, why does it need a protectionist anti-competitive law to help it compete?

If proprietary software is more often then not superior on its merits alone, why does it need a protectionist anti-competitive law (Intellectual property, reverse engineering forbidden by EULAs) to help it compete?

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#116

Post by peteri »

crdoconnor wrote: post #58
bentcorner wrote: post #4

Isn't there a method by which Samsung can deliver to Microsoft the set of drivers required for their hardware, to solve this exact problem? Is this a matter of Samsung not wanting to go through the WHQL process?

It's possible that Microsoft have been covertly throttling the WHQL process to punish Samsung somehow. They are competing head on with Microsoft in a number of other markets (tablets, etc.), and WHQL is not really subject to much, if any, legal scrutiny.

As far as I know WHQL is automated so it's unlikely. i.e. you test it rather than MS and submit the results to them.

MS then sign the driver package and pass it back.

Don't think there are any humans involved.

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#117

Post by cnvogel »

pjc50 wrote: post #112
cnvogel wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he had so much spyware on his computer that it was easier > to just buy a new one than going through the hassle of > cleaning up his old one... I don't understand. Why not just reinstall the operating system from blank media? If you get a new machine, you'll have to reinstall your user-applications and data anyway?

It's not something most people know how to do, and you have to pay for a blank media set. There is usually a "recovery partition" instead, but how well do those work?

You can download windows install files from Microsoft nowadays. There's a downloader that also includes functionality to burn a DVD image or create a bootable USB stick.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-re...

As for the "it's not something most people know how to do": Buying a new computer also requires you to transfer files from the old to the new computer. And requires you to install your software. I'd say that both tasks aren't significantly harder to perform than clicking "next" on the Windows install dvd.

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#118

Post by lmm »

nivla wrote: post #13

I don't understand, why is Samsung pulling stunts like this all the time? It would make sense if they were trying to get up the ladder but they are already there, they hold an unquestionably large market share of Android. Things like these won't do any good in the long run but only prompt consumers to actively avoid the brand. Some of the things that really surprises me: [1] http://gizmodo.com/samsung-rigged-the-s4-t…

They're a hardware company that aren't very good at software. It sounds like they found out that USB3.0 stopped working on some of their test machines, did the simplest 5-minute fix and called it good.

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#119

Post by geon »

fr0styMatt2 wrote: post #72
geon wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The gamepad is a complete non-issue. It is as similar to the xbox controller as the xbox controller is to the dreamcast controller, which in turn is similar to... It is the rounded rectangle all over again.

I agree with this. I can't fathom how the controller looks similar, except that the buttons are the same colour, or close. The shape is totally different. I don't get it.

The layout of the sticks and main buttons are the same.

Re: Samsung disabling Windows Update?

#120

Post by pjmlp »

pjc50 wrote: post #103
pilif wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's really hard to find the correct middle-ground. Would you prefer if Windows worked like iOS where there are serious limitations on what apps can do in the background and where every application has to go through a central authority for vetting? Or do you propose a solution that gives both freedom to the user while also not allowing something like this to happen? Yes, there are whitelisting solutions (built into t…

In the early days of multi-user OS security, applications were trusted because they were installed by the admin and users were untrusted. Today, we have systems which are mostly single-user, but where the applications are incredibly untrustworthy. Hence the popularity of jails and app-store systems. You can't easily retrofit this on Windows because there is very little security between windows running on the same des…

This is the direction with app containers in WinRT model.
Post reply on HN