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Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

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Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Linux isn't entirely immune to this. Ubuntu had Amazon search integration https://www.howtogeek.com/188589/5-things-you-need-to-know-a... . A while back. Not sure where that stands today. This is the most relevant of your 3 examples and Canonical got heavily criticised for it. They ended up reversing their decision. Which makes it all the more important that people take this example not as " It's ok for Microsoft t…

Re: Ubuntu's decision to reverse ad integration, perhaps there's hope that with enough criticism Microsoft may re-evaluate integrating ads into explorer?

Hopefully. But I wish people wouldn't keep bringing up the Ubuntu example as if to say people are hypocrites for moaning about Microsoft. Most people weren't happy with Canonical either.

Hopefully most people wont use the "well it happened in Ubuntu too" excuse and instead think more along the lines of "people were mad then and it changed things so lets get mad again".

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Linux isn't entirely immune to this. Ubuntu had Amazon search integration https://www.howtogeek.com/188589/5-things-you-need-to-know-a... . A while back. Not sure where that stands today. This is the most relevant of your 3 examples and Canonical got heavily criticised for it. They ended up reversing their decision. Which makes it all the more important that people take this example not as " It's ok for Microsoft t…

Re: Ubuntu's decision to reverse ad integration, perhaps there's hope that with enough criticism Microsoft may re-evaluate integrating ads into explorer?

[deleted]

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#233
post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but a few examples of common things that I can do with a UI with windows but had to edit text files and figure out the syntax in linux: - Setting up a scheduled job - Manipulate the firewall (I don't include third party packages as "UI") - Configuring a website - Changing permissions on a .py file to execute it I also had huge problems a few years ago when the only Linux servers I could rent from OVH had no UI,…

> Setting up a scheduled job http://corntab.com https://github.com/alseambusher/crontab-ui > Manipulate the firewall http://gufw.org > Configuring a website http://apachegui.net (How can you do it in gui on windows?) > Changing permissions on a .py file to execute it Any normal file manager, i.e. thunar. > I don't include third party packages as "UI" Why? They're not hard to install if you need it.

> How can you do it in gui on windows?

IIS has a UI for pretty much everything

> Why? They're not hard to install if you need it.

Yes but 1. pretty much everyone uses txt commands so configuring these things with a UI would typically not appear in search results when looking for how to do something 2. having a UI is about making the OS self discoverable and intuitive. If it takes to be aware of and install some third party packages then the UI failed its objective.

Another thing that often tripped me in linux is the variety of distributions and tools to do the same thing. I can understand why advanced users appreciate having the choice, but from a beginner point of view, it makes it quite hard as the syntax that will work on one distribution of linux or with one tool will break another.

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#234
post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but a few examples of common things that I can do with a UI with windows but had to edit text files and figure out the syntax in linux: - Setting up a scheduled job - Manipulate the firewall (I don't include third party packages as "UI") - Configuring a website - Changing permissions on a .py file to execute it I also had huge problems a few years ago when the only Linux servers I could rent from OVH had no UI,…

On servers, an UI is just a waste of resources, and doesn't allow you to configure the server automatically (with tools such as ansible).

I can understand why they do it. But my point is about how hard it is to transition from Windows to Linux.

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#235
post #212
post #174

We're doing some qualification of Windows Server 2016, which we use to run some business logic [insert history here]. Imagine my surprise when I found some Cortana-related processes running on one of the test boxes. Cortana. On an OS that's supposed to be a server . I can tell that I'm going to have a ton of fun locking this stupid thing down. Also, seeing a process named "NetworkSpy" got fun, fast; whoever named tha…

The forced restarts on a server are funny too. As is the feedback information to Microsoft (which iirc can not be turned off completely, only to basic, maybe there is a registry/gpo hack but i havent played with this yet). Can't set the "active hours" to more than 12 hours to prevent restarting when it dictates, so end up disabling the update service entirely which is a complete anti-pattern to what they were trying…

> The forced restarts on a server are funny too.

If you're already using Windows Server, have it serviced by someone trained in it, and you won't see forced restarts. If i can have 100% control of it on my pro system with only out-of-the-box tools, including selection of which updates i want to install and which not, then so can you on the server version.

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#236
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Linux is a world full of obscure acronyms and undiscoverable CLI commands. RTFM or nothing. I would like to switch to Linux (particularly when I read these things) but I just don't have the time to learn all the basic things the hard way and deal with all the compatibility issues.

At this point all the available desktop OS choices suck. They suck in different ways for different reasons, and they suck by different amounts. But they do - all - suck. It's truly tragic. As a species, we're hoping to build a self-enhancing mega-AI, but we can't even keep relatively basic OS technology stable without breaking it. I absolutely understand that some of the reasons for breakage are economic and politica…

At this point all the available desktop OS choices suck. They suck in different ways for different reasons, and they suck by different amounts. But they do - all - suck.

Thank you.

As someone who uses all common OSes on a regular basis I am always surprised, almost intrigued, when seeing the huge confirmation bias causing some users who mainly use 1 OS to bash on the others with reasons which usually come down to 'I actually don't know how to use your OS but once I did and it sucked so yeah my OS is definitely better than yours'.

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#237

> how to turn them off Switch to Linux. Windows 10 Home is now $119 and tracks you. Microsoft is trying to sell you a product and monetize your behavior. They are pursuing a way to maintain their cash cow and have an avenue to push Google out.

Related: just yesterday I saw a system pop-up on my only windows 10 box (connected to my TV) suggesting to switch from Chrome to Edge which would be faster... pretty anticompetitive behavior IMHO.

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looks like there are a couple of minor issues that can be resolved with a trivial amount of research: http://www.linlap.com/lenovo_thinkpad_w530 If you hit other problems, did you do any research? Did you ask for support anywhere?

Every minute I spend "resolving minor issues" is a minute I have to repeat if I ever reinstall, a minute where I could be getting work done but am instead dinking with the tools rather than using them, a minute where I am not using my computer for the thing I want to be using my computer for. Manual screwing around in .conf files, having to care about what GPU is in use and fussing around with configurators before us…

I completely agree. I stopped using Linux on my desktop a few years back (coincidentally, when Windows 7 came out).

On the other hand - I would rather fiddle with Linux drivers than fiddle with Windows ad/telemetry settings. So I suspect I'll be switching back once Microsofts decides to force me off of Win7.

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#239
post #194

When will Microsoft stop with this shit, and do a 180 degree U-turn? What does it need? It's unbelievable how MSFT turned Windows from the great Win7 to the worst spyware operating system in human history aka Win10 in just 5 years. Is it just greed? Is it that they failed with Mobile (WinPhone is dead and has 0.1% world wide market share) and Android amd iOS have a bigger market share than Windows 7? (Win10 has way s…

Well, I think we should calm down from the paranoia a little bit. Nobody has ever proven any actual spying on windows 10 (it's actually a very secure system) What everybody's talking about are metrics. Anonymous usage metrics. And trust me, as a user and programmer I know of no company that doesn't collect metrics like that. It's totally common. Between, as far as I know, from the next update "creators" (this or next…

The burden of proof is up to Microsoft in this since they don't disclose the source or the communication protocols in full. There is information being sent we cannot decode right now. We can't even begin to investigate properly with the information we have.

Furthermore, even if the current system is OK, this might change at any time without prior notice due to a pushed update.

Finally, others doing it, too, doesn't make it any less wrong.

Re: Windows 10 is bringing ads to File Explorer – how to turn them off

#240
post #174

We're doing some qualification of Windows Server 2016, which we use to run some business logic [insert history here]. Imagine my surprise when I found some Cortana-related processes running on one of the test boxes. Cortana. On an OS that's supposed to be a server . I can tell that I'm going to have a ton of fun locking this stupid thing down. Also, seeing a process named "NetworkSpy" got fun, fast; whoever named tha…

one of the reasons they renamed "Microsoft SpyNet" into MAPS
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