Windows 10 free: Why is Microsoft giving away its new operating system?

[Qqmike]

SteveRiley: I've been reading a handful of articles today about the various privacy invading mechanisms in Windows 10. What a shameful attitude the company has taken with respect to its customers.

It is easy to turn off privacy settings you don't want, which is something I mentioned above in another post. But what I'd be interested in is a professional privacy/security assessment about this thing w/Win 10. It seems it is intrusive (to what extent? ), and it seems MS should be more transparent about it: how many users will notice the settings? how many will know how to turn them off? Do you know this guy:
https://www.petri.com/windows-10-pri...eption-matters

More:
http://www.howtogeek.com/224616/30-w...Speed=noscript

Microsoft charges $15 to watch DVDs on new operating system

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...-10442460.html

[TWPonKubuntu]

More news on Windows 10
...
So my question is "How many of you will be returning to Windows when 10 is released?"

Momma didn't raise a fool, I did not just fall of the turnip truck and no I will not be going back to Windoze...

[ronw]

I've canceled my Win10 upgrade "reservation", killed the installed-without-any-notice GMX executable process that puts the upgrade flag in the systray, uninstalled the obscure "Important" Windows update that installs GMX, and manually hid said update after it came back on reboot. I fully expect it to somehow return and I will need to do the registry hack to turn it off (we'll see how long that lasts).

An informal poll of our clients indicates I won't need Win10 for product support for a long time, if ever.

[life0riley]

Excellent topic! My wife is finally convinced we will be Windows free by the time Windows 7 support ends. There won't be Windows PC left in the house. I look forward to the release of Kubuntu 16.04!

[mparillo]

I've been reading a handful of articles today about the various privacy invading mechanisms in Windows 10. What a shameful attitude the company has taken with respect to its customers.

As the Apple fans would say, Win10 is gratis. Therefore you are not the customer, you are the product.
In the Open Source world, our contributions are our currency.

[Qqmike]

Gosh, not difficult to stumble upon issues to look at:

https://www.rt.com/usa/311304-new-wi...rivacy-issues/

http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2015/07/29/wind-nos/

http://bgr.com/2015/07/31/windows-10...ow-to-opt-out/

First, you’ll want to open Settings and click on Privacy. There, you’ll find 13 different screens — yes, 13 — to go through, and you’ll want to disable anything that seems worrying.

Haven't studied this, just noting it as something to study after reading, being informed.

[Qqmike]

SteveRiley: I've been reading a handful of articles today about the various privacy invading mechanisms in Windows 10. What a shameful attitude the company has taken with respect to its customers.

If you reach a point where you write up some summary highlights of the issues, I'd be interesting in reading such. Or, any specific recommendations on what 10 users might do to turn off (or on, as the case may be) some of the settings in Privacy/Settings/Control Panel.

A-V protection: Seems clear from most reviews that Defender is not enough. Safe browsing is important. Along with MalwareBytes, BUT it looks like the not-free $ Premium version is necessary as the free $ Home version scans but does not do real-time monitoring of potential attacks.

[SteveRiley]

It's been this way since Windows 8. The Solitaire game you're familiar with made its last appearance in Windows 7. In Windows 8, it was replaced by the "freemium" Microsoft Solitaire Collection.

http://m.windowscentral.com/heres-wh...ree-play-model

I've been reading a handful of articles today about the various privacy invading mechanisms in Windows 10. What a shameful attitude the company has taken with respect to its customers.

[GreyGeek]

I hear that solitaire now has ads that you can pay a monthly fee to dissable

IF that's true it is obscene. MS being paid to serve those ads on one end of the pipe and being paid on the client side to disable them. It's their desktop/OS not yours. The EULA says so. You've always been a renter.

[jpenguin]

I hear that solitaire now has ads that you can pay a monthly fee to dissable

[Qqmike]

re A-V security, Defender, and issues ... Looking at this from Ms's POV: Surely they would not want everyone's 10 system smashed by virus activity. Right? I mean, that would affect MS's "plan" (I think) to universalize [the world of Home Sapiens] w/Windows 10. Thus, a rational person would conclude that MS corp. will do a good job on built-in A-V protection/Defender.

[Qqmike]

re A-V security, Defender, etc.: Thanks GreyGeek and SteveRiley for your responses. Will look into the Panda 2015 and MalwareBytes. I must say, we never had a problem running 8.1 using only Defender for 2 years ...

[SteveRiley]

But, Ballmer is not part of MS and maybe his absence has given opportunity for reforme in their culture.

Possibly. I've seen great reform in, for example, Azure and .NET -- full on embrace of open source.

In Windows? I dunno. The people running the show now came from Windows Phone. Someone on another list said (about Wi-Fi Sense):

Surprised no one saw this coming. It was added into Windows Phone some time ago. Since the kids from Phone took over the OS team under Terry Myerson and designed Windows 10 from their deep, disruptive knowledge of the phone industry (/jk), it was natural for this to make the crossover.

Phone-ish software running on the desktop disturbs me.

[GreyGeek]

Not so bad as that, Jerry. See my earlier reply.

I read it. Given Microsoft's seedy past behavior I have only their word that it was disabled or removed. If only disabled it would take only an "update" to turn it back on. A keyboard logger is the perfect spy tool and one that is too temping. IF I remember correctly MS was the first software house to cave in to NSA's demands. But, Ballmer is not part of MS and maybe his absence has given opportunity for reforme in their culture.