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My guess is the Microsoft tax is not in play here. Intel is most likely installing Windows 8.1 with Bing which is free for low end hardware. Unless you consider the need for beefier hardware than Linux part of the tax that is.

Basically, set up two VMs, the first only gets networking through the second, and the second is configured to run everything through TOR and TOR alone.

Now this has been made easy and "done for us" so to speak (but always, ymmv, everything has bugs, security is a mindset, etc etc etc):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

From the whonix homepage: "Whonix is an operating system focused on anonymity, privacy and security. It's based on the Tor anonymity network[1], Debian GNU/Linux[2] and security by isolation. DNS leaks are impossible, and not even malware with root privileges can find out the user's real IP. "
https://www.whonix.org/

For latest developments, here is where it's at:
https://www.whonix.org/blog/ma...
https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Qu...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q...

PS, some current "wisdom" (but check out the cutting edge above, which also more generic solutions):
https://blog.torproject.org/bl...
https://torrentfreak.com/tribl...
http://torguard.net/howtodownl...
http://www.tribler.org/
http://tor.stackexchange.com/q...
https://wiki.vuze.com/w/Tor_Ho...
http://www.howtogeek.com/76801...

Seriously, we live in abundance - enjoy :)

First I'd just get a mac.

I second this. Not only is the native mac command line interface a bona fide variant of Unix, if you really need some specific version of Linux you can always just put it in a VM. If you like, you can even create a small partition on your drive without disturbing the existing OS, then install Linux on that partition using your choice of tools. Here is one of many ways to do that.

Then, if you like, you can either boot straight into the other OS, or into OS X and use VMWare or the like to load that partition as a VM.

I've had my Mac laptop set up before with Windows in boot camp so I could boot into it or use it in VMWare, with Kali Linux and Kubuntu linux also in their own separate VMs.

you do know that it is optional right? I saw it on windows 8 when i first got a copy and went out and found out how to not use it http://www.howtogeek.com/12197...

Problem 1: Multiple instances of the same program.

This was answered in the link that you provided. Right click on the task bar icon and open a new instance of the application (or access the jump list of recently used files). It works for Windows 7 and 8.

Problem 2: The start screen forces me into a mobile interface.

Yeah, I hate the Metro interface too. But this is the high profile change that they made to Windows 10, so it is already a solved problem.

Problem 3: Windows 8 sends to Microsoft everything we locally search.

This is a configurable option in Windows 8.1, so that isn't a problem.

Problem 4: Functionality isn't everything.

It will be interesting how many of Windows 8's less intuitive user interface features will still be around in the final version of Windows 10. My most hated modern user interface idea is the removal of UI hints to simplify the screen. You end up having to try clicking and swiping everything just to see if it does something. Having to move the mouse to particular corners of the screen is a crap idea too

Problem 5: The new paradigm has a negative impact on consumer perceptions.
The absolute best way for Microsoft to introduce the changes we've seen with Windows 8 would have been to make them optional at the moment of installation. We could then have chosen the interface that best suits our device.

Well that is what they have done now. I read a great article once on the though process that went on behind the scenes about the new interface. I wish I could find it again, because it put it all into perspective. I will still always hate the Metro interface and the loss of functionality that it brings, but I have been surprised at the change of heart about it that the staff at my company have had about it. They went from hating it to acceptance (and even one who loves it).

Problem 6: Nothing about the new Windows features is necessary.

That gets said about every version of Windows. XP was just a face-lift on 2000. Vista was just XP run as a limited user. Windows 7 was just Vista, which, for some reason, the people who hated Vista decided that they loved. The changes in each version are more noticeable when moving back to an old version. You suddenly realise how many of the new features you use when they suddenly disappear.

Now I write that though (on my Windows 7 computer), I can't think of any examples of things that I miss from Win8 right now.

Which is another reason to continue to support Mozilla. Their code is open and there are other browsers based on that code tweaked and compiled for different needs. I switched to WaterFox because I wanted a fast 64 bit based version of FireFox and Mozilla hadn't released a 64 bit version at the time. I still use it. There are other versions targeted squarely at the fast/light crowd.

I was opposed to recovery partitions when MS first started using them. But with Win 8 I think they've added enough options that the pros outweigh the cons. It took me a while to find all this info (or rather, learn that MS had even made this possible), so here it is as a PSA:

All Windows 8/8.1 computers come with a restore partition. I highly recommend you buy a 16GB or 32GB USB flash drive and convert that restore partition into a reinstall flash drive.

If you don't like the default recovery partition state (maybe too much crapware installed), you can create a custom recovery partition after you've uninstalled the crapware and installed your programs.

Finally, if you totally screw up, you can still create a Windows 8/8.1 recovery flash drive by using your Windows key and downloading a clean 8-16 GB recovery image from Microsoft.

Microsoft site for creating recovery image.

Instructions for finding your key

That's why you can't stop using google, or have any other choices, or even change the search engine simply by yourself.

I'm pretty sure that yandex knows how to do all this, so claiming it's "difficult to install" must mean "difficult to compete".

E

I am fortunate to be in Canada, where I can use optionally use the yandex search engine. It is as extensive or better than google. Please don't believe that google has exclusivity on intelligence and capabilities.

Right now, because my keyboard has Canada French layout, Google has decided I want their searches in French. I never selected that language, though the keyboard I use is standard for Quebec.

Google, stop being stupid.

That's why you can't stop using google, or have any other choices, or even change the search engine simply by yourself.

I'm pretty sure that yandex knows how to do all this, so claiming it's "difficult to install" must mean "difficult to compete".

E

You do know that you are echoing Microsoft's exact argument in the EU antitrust case against IE bundling?

That's why you can't stop using google, or have any other choices, or even change the search engine simply by yourself.

I'm pretty sure that yandex knows how to do all this, so claiming it's "difficult to install" must mean "difficult to compete".

E

Note that due to patent royalties, Microsoft already makes $5-$15 from every Android device. That adds up to more than they make from Windows Phone.

See now this is why Google is so successful.

I agree.

Google has had no problem in the past with people rooting (jail breaking) their product, once sending dev developers a soon to be released Android phone so they could have a head start.

It's a good bet to say if you own an Android tablet/cell phone and enter "about device" clicking 7 times on say the "Kernel Number" listing or one of the info blocks you will enter Developer mode, for the Samsung S5 it's the “build number” info block.

Once your in dev mode you can run ADB:
"ADB, Android Debug Bridge, is a command-line utility included with Google’s Android SDK. ADB can control your device over USB from a computer, copy files back and forth, install and uninstall apps, run shell commands, and more."
http://www.howtogeek.com/12576...

A requirement and first step to rooting (jail breaking (owning)) a device.

Motorola said it wasn't possible for the Google Xoom tablet to use KitKat 4.4.2, a developer showed it was http://www.ubergizmo.com/2014/... making the old new again.

Except this functionality hasn't been lost http://www.howtogeek.com/20371...
You can do exactly as you want. Allowing calls (or a subset of callers ) whilst stopping other notifications.
Works well enough on my custom rom (5.0.2)

There is also a registry setting you can make which means the option in the start menu is set at whatever it was last time. Thus, if it was "shutdown" last time, it will be "shutdown" this time, even if there are updates pending.

Can't find that one but there are other options too. Here's one:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto...

Not necessarily. There are multiple other syncing software packages that you can use instead of iTunes to put and maintain the music on your iPod.

Two examples found immediately with a quick google search:

How to Put Music on Your iPhone Without Using iTunes

Hereâ(TM)s Five Alternatives to iTunes 10 for Easily Managing Your iPod

How-To Geek reported on this first:

http://www.howtogeek.com/20033...

From the ET article: "OneGet was originally rolled out as part of the Windows Management Framework 5.0 preview for Windows 8.1, and it’s being actively worked on to try and ship it as a standard tool in Windows 10. As far as we’re aware, it will only be available through PowerShell — a command-line utility that’s mostly used by power users and IT admins. If you don’t know your way around PowerShell (and indeed, it’s a much more complex beast than cmd or most Linux shells), you can still theoretically use OneGet through the standard cmd command line with @PowerShell. HowToGeek has some more details on OneGet and its implementation in Windows 10, if you’re interested." (emphasis mine)

Let's analyze these "reasons" ...

* virtual desktops -- Virtual Desktops are hidden in Win7 ... gee, let's copy OSX which has had it for *years*
* a rumored tabs in explorer -- xplorer2 has supported this for years
* kernel level sandboxing that all browsers can use -- Sandboxie does it for ALL applications
* much improved power consumption -- we are talking pennies a month on a desktop .. big whoop
* directx 12 with low cpu overhead -- not a fan of forced obsolescence. Games _still_ support DX9 for crying out loud. We already went through this shit with Vista and DirectX 11.
* USB 3 support -- with what devices??

So basically $100 for features that MS should of done **years** ago that I can get elsewhere. *Yawn*.

Then again, winsxs is only one of several directories that often have people asking, "can I delete this?" See also C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution, System Restore, and Windows.old, and c:\windows\installer. They are a mix of necessary and junk. From end to end, Windows is designed to keep everything, forever, just in case, instead of keeping track of things properly in the first place.

Safari wrapper. http://www.howtogeek.com/184283/why-third-party-browsers-will-always-be-inferior-to-safari-on-iphone-and-ipad/ has you covered...

The only trouble I had was with Debian Sid, because of the rolling-release updates. The updates were broken some of the time. But the system was still running fine, it just meant that I had to wait a few weeks so that the updates were fixed.
Compare that with Windows updates, and the news that update X broke the system.

http://www.howtogeek.com/17962...
http://threatpost.com/microsof...
http://www.sevenforums.com/win...

You should be able to disable Aero Peek, or you can use a fantastic third party tool to customize how the taskbar behaves.

Here's some more interesting and informative articles, even:
https://blog.malwarebytes.org/...

http://arstechnica.com/tech-po...

http://www.howtogeek.com/18051...

The rest of us could pull open the customization menu and remove the icons we didn't need (or simply those we didn't understand what they did, I suppose) and add in just the ones we wanted. With 'The Ribbon' we're forced to do whatever we're steered into doing by a broken design forced on us by 'Experts' who know better than us how we should be using the software.

The Ribbon can also be fully customized.

BTW- as far as I am aware, no distro includes or supports Chrome, anyway... only Chromium (which is open source).

What do you mean by support?

On my linux box, I have both Chromium and Chrome installed. Chrome makes it easier to switch google apps profiles than Chromium.

You could paste the youtube url into vlc which omits the ads:
http://www.howtogeek.com/tips/...
You can do it either the way described there, or just by activation of the vlc window and then the usual ctrl + v.

You shouldn't pause too long, as the you might need to re-start the video, but otherwise it works quite well. Downloads also possible.

I have no flash, and use firefox (no dash yet, I think firefox 31 fixes this), so almost all youtube videos don't work for me. And when one does not, I play it in vlc.

As an Android user (and I dislike Apple for various reasons that have been covered to death here) I must give Apple credit here - they do seem to have done it correctly from the start.

It does seem Android included encryption in 2.3.4 but I was unaware of this: http://www.howtogeek.com/14195...

It seems android does have full device encryption (not enabled by default). It also has an option 'Clear storage' which "Clears credential storage of all contents resets its password"

I'm glad that Android is no longer lacking here.

The computing student should learn to use hidden partitions:
  http://www.howtogeek.com/10921...

After that, he can just fill the normal encrypted partition with porn, give the police password for that and just tell them he was embarassed to download so many xxx films.

alternate browser: chrome and opera are available for iPhone, and probably ffx too ( i never checked). you can put the browser on your dock and take the safari browser off your dock. the only limitation is you can't change the default browser for which program is used when opening links in an email, etc. but otherwise do what you want.

Nope. All third-party browsers in iOS must use the iOS webkit framework. So yes, you can get "chrome" for iOS, but really it's just a Safari skin. Case in point, you can't use chrome extensions on it.

1) I'm not sure if this is the original source of this or not, but I started making an effort to move around more after seeing Sitting Is Killing You. I just wish it were available in a more compact form than the giant infographic. (Update: seems to be from Medical Billing & Coding, but their copy is gone. Also, the copy at lifehack org/articles/lifestyle/why-sitting-is-killing-you.html has a higher google rank but those assholes cut off the last slide with the credits and references.)

2) A blog I read linked to this blog post just yesterday:

My journey to standing all day looked like this:

Day One: stood for two hours, and didn't get much work done. Finally sat down and just wanted to cry.
Day Two: basically the same thing as day one for the next week.
Week Two: Things were better.
Month Two: I can now stand for about 6 hours a day, but more importantly I have finally broken the urge to sit down when I need to concentrate on something.
Month Four: I stand all day, and can work effectively now while I stand. I still go home with sore feet and legs.
Month Eight: The soreness is mostly gone and I can stand fine.
Year Two: I can't focus as well when I sit, and my legs/feet rarely feel sore. I've also ditched the anti-fatigue matt.
Year Three: It feels weird, and too loungey, to sit and work.

The Linux desktop environment holy wars are almost as bad as the operating system holy wars. Linux Users Have a Choice: 8 Linux Desktop Environments A lot of companies have adopted Linux in the data center but don't use Linux on the desktop. I suspect that the uncertainty around the future of any given Linux desktop environment is a good reason for companies to stick to Mac OS or Windows.

http://www.howtogeek.com/18415...

Followup, in case you dont know how to do that:
http://www.howtogeek.com/14195...
Its been available for quite some time IIRC.

This story made me look up how to change pinned icons in the task bar.
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto...

I never knew it simply was a directory with shortcuts in it :-) : %appdata%/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Quick Launch/User Pinned/Taskbar

As for Cleartype they would have to update their font rendering code so it can be switched off/on extremely quickly. Or you can choose to leave it permanently off - I would like to experiment with sub-pixel rendering on/off to get for myself an idea of how it looks like at high PPI.

http://www.howtogeek.com/tag/w...

The article talks about the "start button" making a comeback, but it obviously did in 8.1 already. Are they actually talking about Start Menu?

There's always a workaround...

http://www.howtogeek.com/12769...

http://www.howtogeek.com/10771...

The article talks about the "start button" making a comeback, but it obviously did in 8.1 already. Are they actually talking about Start Menu?

There's always a workaround...

http://www.howtogeek.com/12769...

http://www.howtogeek.com/10771...

Despite Google yanking App Ops out of Kit Kat in the latest update, you can still put it back in.

No need for Angry Birds to have access to your information. Simply limit what it can access and forget it.

I'm realize you were trying to be funny (not that you were) but just for the record: my computer boots into Windows 8 to the desktop in 8 seconds - including the time to log in. It takes longer to boot into Linux last I tried.

Windows 8 speeds up boot time by using Hybrid boot / Fast Boot. Basically when you go to shutdown, the computer will reboot, then basically at the login prompt hibrenate to disk. So 8 seconds probably isn't the time for a true cold start.

http://www.howtogeek.com/12902...

http://www.eightforums.com/tut...

Because I use legacy boot menu on my Windows 8 machine, it does not use hybrid boot. The boot time for Win8 is about the same as Win7 was, which is about what WinXP was, about 30 seconds. The problems that extend boot times isn't Microsoft, but third party vendors that insist everything must be running all the time, and not even small background daemons. Workplace IT departments seem particularly skilled at loading down the PCs with so much shit that a well specced Core i5 can take 5 minutes to become usable. The other users that suffer from this is home users that don't know how to use a computer and load as much shit as the popups on the internet tell them to.

Messing with keyboard layouts is not something to be taken lightly. Just like you wouldn't reverse the break and gas pedals on a car, moving keys around on the keyboard should not be done trivially. That said, the caps lock key is in one of the most easily accessible locations on the keyboard, and its one of the keys we use the least. It should be moved, and replaced with one we use more often. Personally, I'd like to see a new modifier key here. One thing I have done in the past, is to re-map my caps lock key to alt, which can be done with a Windows registry setting. This makes using key combinations much easier, which is nice when you're playing WoW and need as many keyboard shortcuts as you can get.

Sure, the actual physical layout shouldn't change since it forces us to retrain our muscle memory at great expense, but now that displays are cheap we could easily have a small display across each key allowing for instant change of key mappings. There are even products like that available (the execution and marketing of those products leaves a lot to be desired) and it would probably be possible to refine that idea into designs that work beautifully, but the laptop manufacturers are (I assume) waiting for Apple to do it so that customers will demand it.

Messing with keyboard layouts is not something to be taken lightly. Just like you wouldn't reverse the break and gas pedals on a car, moving keys around on the keyboard should not be done trivially. That said, the caps lock key is in one of the most easily accessible locations on the keyboard, and its one of the keys we use the least. It should be moved, and replaced with one we use more often. Personally, I'd like to see a new modifier key here. One thing I have done in the past, is to re-map my caps lock key to alt, which can be done with a Windows registry setting. This makes using key combinations much easier, which is nice when you're playing WoW and need as many keyboard shortcuts as you can get.

EncFS or BoxCryptor are your friend.

One problem with supporting XP, is the old 32 bit thing. Some of the security features available on 64 bit systems just don't work so well on 32 bit processors, or with 32 bit operating systems. http://www.howtogeek.com/165535/why-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-is-more-secure/

So how does that explain Microsoft ending support for XP x64 at the same time as for the 32-bit version?

One of the reasons I haven't upgraded to Windows 7 on my primary desktop is because I run XP x64, so one of the features of WIndows 7 that has really caught on with the masses isn't really a big deal for me.

One problem with supporting XP, is the old 32 bit thing. Some of the security features available on 64 bit systems just don't work so well on 32 bit processors, or with 32 bit operating systems. http://www.howtogeek.com/165535/why-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-is-more-secure/ Feel free to Google for more information along those lines - there is plenty.

Worse, XP supports legacy 16 and 8 bit stuff, which is far more insecure than a rational 32 bit system.

Microsoft does indeed push the upgrade cycle for their own selfish reasons, no one can deny that. But, really and truly, XP is so obsolete that no sensible people are going to waste time trying to support it.

As soon as I could afford to purchase a 64 bit Opteron, I made the switch to 64 bit computing. The fact that 64 bit Windows XP couldn't support all of my hardware prompted me to make the switch to Linux. At that point in time, Suse Linux had the edge on AMD 64 bit computing, and everything just worked out of the box.

Ok, I'm going to try to try to actually answer OPs question. On Windows 7/Vista, a set-it-and-forget-it configuration that is secure. (I'm not going to give an alternate OS or a setup that will confuse grandma)

Use Chrome Browser. It has its own built-in sandboxing and is generally less prone to viruses than all other browsers. Configure plugins as click-to-play (chrome://chrome/settings/content). Disable all plugins except "Adobe Flash Player", "Chrome PDF Player", and "Google Update" (at chrome://plugins/). Disable Internet Explorer to prevent her from going back to her old ways. Set Chrome as your default PDF viewer.

Install an Anti-virus suite. No, not MSSE. You need more than just anti-virus. She needs a suite like Avast, AVG, or ESET. You need something that scans web sites, scans email, checks if software is up-to-date, and sandboxes scary downloads. Personally, I like Avast. If you use Avast, configure all the non-critical popups to only last 1 second, and turn off all non-critical sounds. It's free, but the Pro version is slightly better.

Set windows to "Always notify" on system changes. Viruses have gotten around Windows security to install into the system.

Set up a Standard User for her, rather than the default Administrative User that Windows defaults to. This will prevent viruses from installing into the system. It will also prevent her from installing system applications. She'll still be able to install some user-level applications, however.

Install Dropbox and tell her to always save her documents in the Dropbox folder. So, if the worst happens, she won't lose her work files. Dropbox also has a versioning feature, so she can recover old copies of files (in case of something like CryptoLocker).

Install BufferZone Pro. This will automatically sandbox Internet applications, like Outlook, Skype, etc. I like to exclude CHROME.EXE as Chrome has it's own sandbox.

Ok, I'm going to try to try to actually answer OPs question. On Windows 7/Vista, a set-it-and-forget-it configuration that is secure. (I'm not going to give an alternate OS or a setup that will confuse grandma)

Use Chrome Browser. It has its own built-in sandboxing and is generally less prone to viruses than all other browsers. Configure plugins as click-to-play (chrome://chrome/settings/content). Disable all plugins except "Adobe Flash Player", "Chrome PDF Player", and "Google Update" (at chrome://plugins/). Disable Internet Explorer to prevent her from going back to her old ways. Set Chrome as your default PDF viewer.

Install an Anti-virus suite. No, not MSSE. You need more than just anti-virus. She needs a suite like Avast, AVG, or ESET. You need something that scans web sites, scans email, checks if software is up-to-date, and sandboxes scary downloads. Personally, I like Avast. If you use Avast, configure all the non-critical popups to only last 1 second, and turn off all non-critical sounds. It's free, but the Pro version is slightly better.

Set windows to "Always notify" on system changes. Viruses have gotten around Windows security to install into the system.

Set up a Standard User for her, rather than the default Administrative User that Windows defaults to. This will prevent viruses from installing into the system. It will also prevent her from installing system applications. She'll still be able to install some user-level applications, however.

Install Dropbox and tell her to always save her documents in the Dropbox folder. So, if the worst happens, she won't lose her work files. Dropbox also has a versioning feature, so she can recover old copies of files (in case of something like CryptoLocker).

Install BufferZone Pro. This will automatically sandbox Internet applications, like Outlook, Skype, etc. I like to exclude CHROME.EXE as Chrome has it's own sandbox.

Ok, I'm going to try to try to actually answer OPs question. On Windows 7/Vista, a set-it-and-forget-it configuration that is secure. (I'm not going to give an alternate OS or a setup that will confuse grandma)

Use Chrome Browser. It has its own built-in sandboxing and is generally less prone to viruses than all other browsers. Configure plugins as click-to-play (chrome://chrome/settings/content). Disable all plugins except "Adobe Flash Player", "Chrome PDF Player", and "Google Update" (at chrome://plugins/). Disable Internet Explorer to prevent her from going back to her old ways. Set Chrome as your default PDF viewer.

Install an Anti-virus suite. No, not MSSE. You need more than just anti-virus. She needs a suite like Avast, AVG, or ESET. You need something that scans web sites, scans email, checks if software is up-to-date, and sandboxes scary downloads. Personally, I like Avast. If you use Avast, configure all the non-critical popups to only last 1 second, and turn off all non-critical sounds. It's free, but the Pro version is slightly better.

Set windows to "Always notify" on system changes. Viruses have gotten around Windows security to install into the system.

Set up a Standard User for her, rather than the default Administrative User that Windows defaults to. This will prevent viruses from installing into the system. It will also prevent her from installing system applications. She'll still be able to install some user-level applications, however.

Install Dropbox and tell her to always save her documents in the Dropbox folder. So, if the worst happens, she won't lose her work files. Dropbox also has a versioning feature, so she can recover old copies of files (in case of something like CryptoLocker).

Install BufferZone Pro. This will automatically sandbox Internet applications, like Outlook, Skype, etc. I like to exclude CHROME.EXE as Chrome has it's own sandbox.

The first result from Google windows 8 hosts file explains that Windows Defender in Windows 8 reverts certain additions to the hosts file to fight phishing malware that hijacks well-known web sites. But if you know what you're doing, you can exclude C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts from Windows Defender. Another, possibly more flexible way is to run a DNS proxy on localhost that interprets a separate hosts file.

http://www.howtogeek.com/176392/smart-tvs-are-stupid-why-you-dont-really-want-a-smart-tv/

Not for Windows 8.1, if you own Windows 8. It is a free upgrade. Microsoft has apparently learned a lesson from Apple.

Windows 8.1 is just an update. The upgrade would be from Windows 7 to Windows 8, and for that you have to pay. Given their different business models - Apple has a comfortable margin on their hardware allowing this pricing model, while Microsoft lives from software sales - that's understandable. But the cost of this should be taken into consideration, just as virus scanners - Microsoft recommends not using the free security essentials. This decreases the cost difference over the life of a system.

I found this link ( http://theoatmeal.com/comics/printers ) from the comments section of this ( http://www.howtogeek.com/174232/htg-explains-why-is-printer-ink-so-expensive/ ) article. Hope it helps.