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In Windows 10, Ad-Free Solitaire Will Cost You $10 -- Every Year
Wired UK reports that the pre-installed Solitaire on Windows 10 capitalizes on the long-cultivated addiction that some users have to the game with an interesting bargain: rather than being an ordinary included application like it used to be, what may be the world's most pervasive on-screen office time-sink of a game now comes with ads, unless a user wants to pay (by the month, or by the year) to remove those ads. Notes the linked piece: "To be entirely fair, this is the same as on the Windows 8 version, which wasn't installed by default but could be downloaded from the Windows Store."
At $1.49/month or $10/year, this might be enough to drive some people who otherwise would not to check out some of the free, open-source games out there; PySolitaire is one of many in this incomplete list.
At $1.49/month or $10/year, this might be enough to drive some people who otherwise would not to check out some of the free, open-source games out there; PySolitaire is one of many in this incomplete list.
A year from now you'll have to pay money for this steaming pile...
... and they know that... which means they're inserting ads in shit because "fuck you"... and that's cool. So long as we're on the same page. I'll respond by redirecting the DNS entries of their ad domains to localhost. And then go around systematically replacing, kneecapping, or tweaking all their shit to make it do what I want it to do.
Why?
First law of computer security.
Physical security is the first law. And I have possession of the OS in my hot little hands. Which means it does what I want to do so long as I can figure out what they did and I'm willing to sit there and fix it.
Which so far I've been willing to do.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
1) Use Solitare from e.g. Windows 7 (google for Microsoft Games Patcher).
2) Update your hosts: http://pgl.yoyo.org/ and http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/ .
Sure they're giving you Windows 10 for free, but will they still charge people who actually buy a copy of Windows 10 for an ad-free version of Solitaire? My guess is yes - duh.
After reading various articles about the business model for Windows 10, the actual new Privacy statement, and all the information it will collect and Microsoft will share, it seems clear that we are not Microsoft's customer, we're their product. (My niece's Fisher-Price toy notes that "The sheep says 'baaa'".)
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
And so it begins....
I've had Win 7 for years and never once started up solitaire. I've got Steam yah know. And if you're going to goof off at work we've all got pocket computers as cellphones now :)
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Well, I've always said it was the only decent software Microsoft ever wrote...
Copy Solitaire from Win7 and save the world. (or any of the built in games from Win95 to Win7) Bam done...
Look, everyone knew that something was up with the "free Windows" deal. Com on. MS never gives anything away unless doing so will make them money some other way. Now they are tracking you and your surfing habits even more than Google (because it's the OS doing the tracking) and they are going to shove ads in your face any way they can. I have a feeling that many people are going to wish they got an ad-free OS by paying up front. My concerns about upgrading grow with every dribble of information.
Windows 7; paid for, ad free, and I can control the updates.
A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.
Good thing my Android comes with a free Solitaire game then. I might not have survived if it hadn't ...
Disclaimer: Some sarcasm might be present in the above text.
So Android doesn't track you? The Google apps inside Android don't track you? MS is behind the curve on this one...
The Microsoft Software Collection is full screen with themes, sound and animation. You won't see the adds if you are playing old-school Klondike without the daily challenges, leaderboards, and so on.
SolSuite is the gold standard for Windows solitaire, with about 600 variations, 80 card sets, 300 card backs and 100 backgrounds. Frequently discounted to $10 and bundled with MahJong or Sudoku,
Android itself doesn't track you and you have many options as to which version of Android you want. Gapps isn't a necessity in Android, you only need it if you want to run Google's crap.
My phone runs a custom AOSP based build of Android, without gapps, and it works just great. I use F-Droid and Amazon for my apps.
There exists free (as in DFSG) solitaire for Android.
Yeah, cause there are no other solitaire games for Windows you can play instead that are free. The rules for the game are owned by Microsoft, after all.
Talk about a case of wanting to throw out the baby with the bath water.
I think you missed the point I was making. MS is going to try and use Windows 10 to generate income in ways that don't involve charging for the OS up front. That means ads, tracking etc. I don't use smart phones because I haven't found a use for them that I need yet. But I do use a computer for work every day, and for entertainment. So when they announced Windows 10 was free, I knew that they had something cooking that I would not want to be part of. I expect ads on more things than just Solitaire, and so should you.
I have a feeling that we are going to hear lots more complaints about the "free" version of Windows as people have more experience with it. I also expect that if they get a few million complaints, they might make it so that you can pony up the $130 obligatory dollars per copy to make the "FREE" ad-based Windows into a paid-for, ad free version.
A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.
Personally I think that it is just the beginning. Firstly they deprived us of ways to fighting back (automatic updates) and they are going to start stuffing ads wherever they want using unique advertising ID generated for every user.
Shit! May as well buy a Mac now.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
I hope that what you're missing is the businesses that supply professional laptops will continue to offer them with Windows 7 and no junkware for the foreseeable future. They'll cost more than all the consumer junk that is subsidised by pre-installed promo junk and spyware and so on, but if you want a system that actually works in your interests, someone will probably sell you one at a viable price unless some sort of legal agreement actively prevents it.
I also hope that this is finally the must-get-worse-before-it-gets-better moment for all the nasty recent trends of never-finished software, built-in spyware in everything, and subscription everything. Something as big as Windows screwing as many people as it's presumably going to screw might actually bring enough people to their senses that the industry reconsiders the path it's been following lately.
As I've commented before, I don't see Microsoft themselves changing course again as long as Nadella is at the top. He is exactly the guy the board hires if this is what they want to happen. However, given that Win10 is already looking less appealing than Win8 and people are still only just finding out all the ways it's a mess, the current generation of leadership at Microsoft may be short-lived if they can't turn avert the impending train wreck very quickly.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
What are you talking about. What licenses are you talking about here? You're making it sound like MS can nickel and dime basic features and monetize them separately. They're not going to be able to do that. They try that with the corporate world and the corps will go linux and the instant that happens MS is fucked raw because they're never going to switch back.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
My phone runs a custom AOSP based build of Android, without gapps, and it works just great. I use F-Droid and Amazon for my apps.
Fair enough, and you can do that... but I hope you're aware that you're in the extreme minority and always will be... Your average consumer will never do that...
And have Amazon track my keystrokes instead? No thanks. Run Mint instead.
You are way off base. MS stated that the upgrade is free for life of the PC it was installed on. The catch is that MS will try to capitalize on in-app purchases, where they make 30% and their push to be the one stop shop for even desktop software. If anyone decided to buy $1000 worth of programs from the MS store, MS;s cut is $300, plus any add-on sales attached to the program or app. That's their hope anyway. So, no you will not have to pay for the "steaming pile that is Windows 10". Just be smart and unpiin all their start menu tiles along with the store and treat it like an older version of Windows, after shutting off the couple dozen settings that let MS get your data. Here are the settings that I've posted elsewhere on how to turn off the ridiculous shared Windows Updates to keep MS from using your Internet bandwidth. 1. Open All Settings 2. Click on Update and security 3. In the left column click on Windows Update 4. On the right side click on the text link Advanced Options 5. Around the middle of the window, click on the text link Choose how updates are delivered. 6. Click on PC's on my local network. This disables send updates from your PC to random users on the Internet. 7. Close the Window. Check the setting monthly to make sure an update didn't change it back, until you have confidence that your setting sticks.
There is Cyanogen mod...
Now they are tracking you and your surfing habits even more than Google (because it's the OS doing the tracking) and they are going to shove ads in your face any way they can.
Recently it appears that TiVo, of all companies, has started to aggressively insert advertisements onto the screen when you're watching the TV shows you recorded. Rumor has it that Nest thermostats will soon be displaying advertisements on its display.
.
The computer companies seem to have been taken over by the advertisers. Microsoft is probably just jumping on the bandwagon to get some of the money.
Completely agree. This is the new, wretched business model they are all pursuing. I would mind somewhat less if they offered both options, the ad-filled version for free, and the no-ad version for the regular price. This should be something that most people would probably say is acceptable. Forcing everyone to the ad-filled version, which will happen as they phase out 7 and 8, is not very good for customer relations. Obviously they will make an enterprise version that is ad free, so they should also make a version you can buy, and not have the ads or the subscription price for things like solitaire.
A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.
Windows 7; paid for, ad free, and I can control the updates.
Linux. Just as ad free, just as easy to control the updates and it doesn't cost one, red cent.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
that this kind of bullshit is okay, same with Apple.
Microsoft has always been evil but they're not even trying to hide it any more. I'm a hardcore gamer so for now I'm sticking with Windows 7 Ultimate on my desktop but my next upgrade will probably not be Windows. Not that Valve is spotless but I sure trust them more than the other, worse, options.
Spending time trying to clean the shit they rubbed in your face out of your eyes doesn't help anyone else. How about just don't let them rub shit in your face?
This is the same Solitaire Collection app that was released with the Windows Store in Windows 8.
Dual-boot? That is so 90's.
Just setup a VM (Virtual Machine) -- VMWare or even VirtualBox. You can even decide which Host OS you want:
* Host on Windows and Linux in a VM or
* Host on Linux and run Windows in a VM (which probably isn't a bad idea since you can track / block networking(
There is a really really obvious reason Microsoft gave away Windows 10 for free. They take 30% of all apps sales.
Give me a break. Solitaire is still free and *ad-free*. That's right I said Ad-Free, because it is if anyone actually bothered to open Solitaire on Windows 8 or Windows 10. If you want to play Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 7 solitaire aka Klondike solitaire it's still free and it's still completley ad free.
They also added, in spite of everybody here being entitled little brats, 5 other versions of solitaire like Spider solitaire and freecell. If however you want to try out one of the "Daily Challenges" you may use the curated, daily content for the outrageous price of watching an ad.
God, Slashdot has really hit a new low. God forbid an app, that can be uninstalled is included with a free OS that gives you 5 games for free but offers one tiny bit of premium content in exchange for an ad.
If your tin foil hat paranoid brain can avoid clicking on the daily-challenge button you get multiple high quality card game apps for nothing. Or you can right click on the app in your app list (because it's not even pinned to your start menu by default) and click "Uninstall". Lord have mercy! The pain and trouble! Oh my!
They aren't tracking your surfing habits more than google. They're tracking them exactly the same. The OS isn't scanning the contents of your files and applications and uploading them. Put simply this is some of the most rediculous FUD I've seen in nearly all of Slashdot's anti-Microsoft FUD. Which is saying a lot.
For fuck's sake, Solitaire is not part of some master scheme to spy on you. In fact of all of the large tech companies Microsoft is the one most actively avoiding ads to pay for their products and instead choosing for subscriptions.
No one said solitaire was going to spy on you. I started this conversation because I don't like the move to an ad-based, MS-store-based business model. I would rather just buy Windows and have it be a solid, reasonably useful operating system. I mentioned the spying as an aside, which by the way, is really irritating nonetheless.
Are you defending the new MS business model? I personally don't like thinking about getting nickel and dimed all the time when I use something. I'd rather pay up front and not have to think about how much this costs or that costs as I use the OS.
A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.
e I don't like the move to an ad-based, MS-store-based business model.
If your biggest complaint is that there are ads in some areas of the solitaire suite then just spend the $1 per month for the next 10 years and you'll be back to where you were paying for windows before. You can even write it off if you're a business as an expense instead of a purchase.
Better, take the $170 for Windows xp/7/8 pro and invest it. Every month you should make about $1.70 in returns. Take that $1.70 and get solitaire every month for life. Take the other $0.70 and every other month buy yourself a nice ad free version of the apps you want for $1.50 like MetroTube. Most ad supported apps in the store also have an ad free version you can buy outright.
Meanwhile the Microsoft Store Based business model works great. All of your purchases are instant. No more filling out a shady as hell paypal form and waiting for a cd key to arrive. No more trying to find virus free freeware on Downloads.com which then ends up installing a firefox extension to spy on you. No more installing tiny applications which may or may not solve the problem you have and may or may not add a rootkit to your system. The Store is safe, it's well sandboxed by the WinRT APIs. It's cheap, since most apps are more like $1.50 instead of $9.99. It's convenient, you just search and all of the apps are in one place, you don't google and hunt through their poorly designed 1980s BBS inspired website. All of the libraries and packages are included no hunting for dependencies. And yes there are some ad supported apps, but I'm fine with that because I believe in developers being able to make a livelihood but sometimes I'm not willing to actually buy an app outright. I'm more than happy to look at a reasonable amount of ads in an app if I don't feel like spending the $0.99 for it. And when I do feel like spending a couple dollars to support an app it's bought outright 99% of the time and I can install it easily on all of my computers without registration or DRM or any bullshit.
I don't use any software that I haven't reviewed the source code line by line. I've almost made it through Lynx but until then I'm simply using wget and reading the HTML as bare text.
You can't spell "oneiromancy" without "roman".
Because it's got what plants crave.
I have a feeling that we are going to hear lots more complaints about the "free" version of Windows as people have more experience with it. I also expect that if they get a few million complaints, they might make it so that you can pony up the $130 obligatory dollars per copy to make the "FREE" ad-based Windows into a paid-for, ad free version.
Yes, and then just like the cable companies, the ads will also sneak into the $130 fully paid version.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
Rumor has it that Nest thermostats will soon be displaying advertisements on its display.
Wait, a thermostat that you paid 10 times as much for as a regular thermostat is also going to display ads at you?
Lucky for us nobody spends more than 2 seconds a day looking at their thermostat. I suspect their ad revenue will be on the order of dozens of dollars a year.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
I love how they use your bandwidth to send Windows Updates to others unless you know where to opt out, I'm sure there are gonna be a LOT of users on metered connections gonna be having a heart attack next month when they get their bill!
I'm advising my customers to avoid Win 10 for now, look I REALLY wanted to like Win 10, I really did, but it seems to be more of the ham fisted stupid shit we've been getting since Win 8 instead of a return to Win 7 greatness. the settings/control panel frankenstein clusterfuck, the datamining that makes Google look like they are privacy focused, I just haven't seen a thing that can't be had better by simply slapping Win 7 on an SSD. Even their "whiz bang" features like Cortana are slow, have a bad learning curve, and demand you give away pretty much any privacy to use the thing.
Sorry MSFT but at this point I'm even advising my Windows 8 customers to stay away, in fact Windows 8 plus Classic Shell is frankly better, with all the speed ups without the datamining and nickel and diming and you can grab Win 8 for $65 on Amazon, if you need a Windows OS and don't have the excellent Win 7 that is what I'd point customers to, Win 10 is just not worth what you give up.
BTW anybody else notice the insane astroturfing going on by MSFT trying to keep 10 from becoming another 8? Even sites like El Reg is seeing accounts that were dormant since the Win 8 release suddenly shooting down any complaints and singing the praises of Win 10 in market speak. Normally I condemn any talk of shills and astroturfing because...well I had customers that liked Windows ME, and there is everything from AMC Matador to Zune fanclubs because there will always be somebody who likes it no matter what it is, but just like previous ads by MSFT its just so.....well hamfisted and obvious, you can almost see the PHB standing behind the typist telling them to stay "on message" while going down a print out of a PPT with buzz words like "social integration" and "unified user experience". C'mon MSFT, if you are gonna turf at least do it well, half assed turfing is just lame.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Unless MS can mine data from the Steam client they'll get nothing from me. My Windows box is a headless Steam server I use to stream windows only games to my Linux desktop and laptop. The only thing installed on it is Firefox and Steam (and the games, of course). I've been using the MS Insider preview with Steam for a couple of months now, and it's been working great.
I've got to hand it to MS on the distribution/upgrade of Windows 10. I fully patched my Win7 Pro, reserved my upgrade and removed the Windows 7 disk from the computer. I installed the preview edition , installed Steam and transferred my games and data over, and kept it up to date patching or reinstalling as needed the whole time. Low and behold, without me having to reinstall the Win 7 drive and upgrading, MS went ahead and upgraded the Win 10 drive for me. Rather surprisingly smooth, it was.
--- Keep the choice with the user..
Strangely enough, this is time for the hosts file.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
@im_thatoneguy We are happy that you are content to be the revenue generating property of Microsoft.
Just understand that your long rationalization of how convenient and awesome your computer lifestyle is overlooks the blazing moral issues the rest of us are displeased with. What you really are endorsing is a future where the single corporate gatekeeper model is perpetuated with said gatekeepers in a position of power which has never been so concentrated in the history of the world.
All of the large OS and Web Service corporations are gunning for this role: to be positioned such that they will
1. Extract profit on all human purchasing activity
2. Control what you are allowed to see via advertising, search and censorship bubbles
3. Complete awareness of who you are and what your personal motivations are so as to maximize the above while providing value to the nation states in which they must operate who would gladly be given access to the above data treasure.
This is all being sold to you in the name of your benefit and convenience. And you bought it.
This I'm sure will sound alarmist to you, but we see the end game, you don't. Enjoy it while you can.
That assumes you didn't buy the full all inclusive package... which... is what you do.
have you seen what a corp pays for an oracle licenses? The MS licenses are chump change.
Companies generally laugh at software license fees... they pay more on pretty much anything else.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.