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Underground Piracy Sites Want To Block Windows 10 Users

An anonymous reader writes: Some smaller pirate sites have become concerned about Windows 10 system phoning home too many hints regarding that the users are accessing their site. Therefore, the pirate administrators have started blocking Windows 10 users from accessing the BitTorrent trackers that the sites host. The first ones to hit the alarm button were iTS, which have posted a statement and started redirecting Windows 10 users to a YouTube video called Windows 10 is a Tool to Spy on Everything You Do. Additionally, according to TorrentFreak, two other similar dark web torrent trackers are also considering following suit. "As we all know, Microsoft recently released Windows 10. You as a member should know, that we as a site are thinking about banning the OS from FSC," said one of the FSC staff. Likewise, in a message to their users, a BB admin said something similar: "We have also found [Windows 10] will be gathering information on users' P2P use to be shared with anti piracy group."

181 of 394 comments (clear)

  1. Context by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not in the summary:

    "The anti-piracy group the pirate site admins are referring to is MarkMonitor, a US company that specializes in online corporate identity protection, one that is known to have work with the MPAA in protecting its copyrighted materials, but one that has also worked with Microsoft in the past, to protect Windows users from online identity theft and scam campaigns."

  2. I knew it. by stongef · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When Microsoft offered Windows 10, I first thought it was an interesting move. Then I remembered who we are talking about here. Of course they will have back-door deals with the media industry. And of course once everyone who had a pirated version of the OS upgrades to the legit free version, they'll slowly move to a subscription model. The future of every business venture nowadays is recurring revenues. Water is wet, rocks are hard and Microsoft is Microsoft. The universe balances. And I'm staying with Xubuntu and VMWare ...

    1. Re:I knew it. by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2

      And of course once everyone who had a pirated version of the OS upgrades to the legit free version,

      This is false. A pirated may (not will get upgraded to Win 10, but it will remain pirated. This does not change the legit status. http://www.computerworld.com/a...

    2. Re: I knew it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      When Windows 8 came out, I said to myself: "I'll skip it, Widows 7 is running fine for me".

      When Windows 8.1 came out, I said to myself: "I'm glad I stayed on Windows 7, those MS jackoffs pulled another Windows ME".

      When Wine Windows 10 came out, I said to myself: "I'll skip it, Windows 7 is running fine for me"...

      Windows 7 EOS 2020.

    3. Re: I knew it. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

      When Wine Windows 10 came out

      I've heard of Beer Goggles, but never Wine Windows. I'm willing to learn.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    4. Re: I knew it. by FranTaylor · · Score: 4, Funny

      Wine is not an emulator.

      beer is not a simulation

    5. Re: I knew it. by LiENUS · · Score: 1

      beer eats every reproduction

    6. Re:I knew it. by spiffyspiff · · Score: 2

      "My suggestion to people would be to install a Hypervisor if you haven't already. Have your host OS be something other than Windows".

      this gets my vote.

      I run a Linux host (Mageia) for almost all my day-to-day work, and I use VirtualBox to run a Windows7 guest when I use something that's Windows-specific, namely Adobe InDesign/CS, where I can't find a Linux alternative I feel I can use in a production environment. All my other work is done safely within Linux.

      So, yes, it's a compromise, but running InDesign on a Windows7 guest is a good, safe alternative that works well for me - I'd recommend it.

      And when Windows7 goes EOS in 2020, I suspect I will probably just kill the networking to the Windows7 guest and carry on using it.

       

    7. Re: I knew it. by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Then have a dedicated gaming box and don't use it for anything else. Wait, that's what Xbone is.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    8. Re: I knew it. by nmpg · · Score: 1

      Same here... since windows XP

    9. Re:I knew it. by rcase5 · · Score: 1

      As the old saying goes: "If it's too good to be true, it probably is."

      Microsoft basically giving away Windows 10 upgrades smelled fishy to me, and now I know why. Then again, I think Windows should be given way for free anyway since I think it's worth less than Linux (pick your flavor) and Linux is free for the download, but I digress.

      I run Windows 7 under VMWare, and that's the way it's gonna stay. If nothing else, I want to prove to Microsoft that they can't give that shit away...

    10. Re: I knew it. by raind · · Score: 1

      Or artificial joy.

      --
      Get up!
    11. Re:I knew it. by grantspassalan · · Score: 1

      I installed Windows 10 in a VM on my Mac in order to find out whether the software I need to use will work correctly. Since it is older software, it does not need any network connection of any kind except to activate it. It works just fine so far. I see no advantage of Windows 10 over my day to day use of Windows 7, also on a VM. Other than the original installation, I can and do unplug both versions of Windows from the Internet. It may be that five years or less, it will be impossible to buy any software that will work independently, without an Internet connection.

      --
      A sufficiently advanced simulation is indistinguishable from reality.
    12. Re: I knew it. by a_n_d_e_r_s · · Score: 1

      You can download it here - but it works only on Linux not Windows: https://www.winehq.org/

      --
      Just saying it like it are.
  3. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    > We WILL rise up and make Windows as worthless as fly shit

    And Mom? Bring more Doritos the next time you come down to the basement to get my laundry!

    (nom-nom-nom-nom)

  4. Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Windows 10 is malware in its default seutup. This phone home shit should be blacked so they suffer for being so anti-user.

    1. Re:Good by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      All datamining should happen only with my consent in the first place.

      you give your consent when you send your packets out onto the internet, they cease to be your data and are free for others to accumulate

    2. Re:Good by FranTaylor · · Score: 1, Funny

      stuff that the operating system unknowingly sends behind my back

      you installed the operating system, you take responsibility for what it does.

    3. Re: Good by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      yes, it is your fault if your computer gets compromised

    4. Re:Good by PPH · · Score: 1

      How can you be sure that all those settings do what they say?

      I checked the "I want a pony" option. We'll see.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    5. Re:Good by Khyber · · Score: 1

      All Windows 10 installs except Enterprise are malware in ANY setup configuration. Enterprise is the only one you can do a full disabling of telemetry on.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  5. These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    These companies keep giving us reasons to pirate. Like DRM, embedded spyware, crippled features, forced internet connection to even use it, and so on. And they expect us to pay money for their crap when a free version without these limitations exists? How stupid do they think we are?

    Fuck Microsoft, fuck Windows 10. Pirate it and spread the torrent to all your friends. Let's bring down the evil empire!

    1. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by jonwil · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Even better, dont use Windows 10 at all. Do what I am doing and stick with Windows 7 (which doesn't have all this crap) or if you dont need any windows-only software (e.g. games) switch to an alternative OS.

    2. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by ilsaloving · · Score: 5, Informative

      You may wanna check your list of updates. Microsoft has already added a bunch of telemetry tools in the guise of "important updates".

    3. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by FranTaylor · · Score: 3

      No, you pirate because you want something for nothing. That's the start, and the end of it. If it really were about the DRM you'd buy the software, then pirate a DRM free version. You don't do that, because you're a hypocritical bottom feeder.

      I bought the damned album years ago and now it's scratched. I want a clean copy.

    4. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by amiga3D · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The simplest thing is to use something like a Raspberry Pi for torrents and such. As a bonus you can leave it up 24/7 as it uses only a tiny amount of electricity. For my banking and the like I have a laptop that runs linux from a CD. I'd never use Windows for anything I was worried about being seen as it's designed to be backdoored for ages now. They can watch me play games all that they want.

    5. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Ivoch · · Score: 2

      To be honest, I can also understand the opposing viewpoint - that by buying DRM-ed software (even if you pirate it afterwards to remove the DRM features) you basically tell the publisher that you are fine with their DRM. Eventually pirating your legally bought software might not be a viable option anymore (due to various online-only features, for example), most/all of the software companies will have switched to DRM, since it works - see above, and THEN you'd have no recourse but to use DRM-ed software.

      That being said, once you've decided not to support the publisher because of their DRM, you might say that pirating it doesn't harm them, since you wouldn't have paid for it anyway. Personally, I think it really doesn't harm them and what's more, on average it actually helps them a bit - by using even just a pirated version, you are still helping them expand their user base, which helps them also get more paying customers. As a really simple and probably exaggerated example, let's say Company X sells 10.000 copies of their software, while 100.000 more people just go and pirate it. 10% of all users then go and post on an online forum about that software. That means 100 paying customers and 10.000 pirates. Now Joe Average hears from someone (maybe even a pirate) about the software and goes to Google to see what it's about. He finds a forum with 100 legitimate users and thinks - "meh, nobody ever uses that thing - if I ever need help or suggestions, probably nobody will be around to help me, so I'll buy the software from Company Y instead". If he finds a forum with 10.100 users instead, he might think - "hmm, that seems like a big and active community, looks like that's the right software for me".

      So, if you are 100% sure you won't pay for some software and want to demonstrate to the company that they are wrong, you shouldn't even pirate it, because by doing that you are still helping their bottom line at worst, or aren't making any change at best (because they can't know you've pirated it instead of simply not using it).

    6. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Like it or not, you pretty much have to use some version of windows. Whether it's at work or because of some windows-only software, there's really no way to avoid windows.

      please tell us all what indispensible apps run on windows that have no equivalents on any other operating system

      Management.

    7. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Svchost.exe

    8. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Who is "us"? If "us" is the RIAA, then fuck you too! If "us" are musicians, then I humbly suggest that you do like every other successful musician, and go on tour! And fuck you anyway for your hostile attitude and ignornace!

    9. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by zedaroca · · Score: 1
      "Everything" - the search software. I have too much stuff (160k .mp3 files, 1.4k .mp4, 1.7k .mkv and so on). Navigating folders and finding things is a pain, and I'm mostly organized. This is the most important one, there is no real equivalent on linux. My indexes get huge and slow.
      If you have any suggestions, I would gladly be proven wrong, but poor alternatives are no equivalents. Before giving up I did try several poor alternatives.

      Whether it's at work (...) there's really no way to avoid windows.

      Like the anonymous, I can't choose what my company (the government) use, even though I do complain about public money being spent with windows and about all the problems we get with it.

    10. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by fnj · · Score: 1

      most/all of the software companies will have switched to DRM, since it works

      For some piss-poor definition of "works".

    11. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      There may be some crazy option like washing the CD with a banana peel, then try to rip it with a 4x or 8x CD-ROM drive and a multipass ripping program.

    12. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Nobody forces you to use their software.

      Oh wait, I can't run $program on Linux. Too bad I need it for my job. Well, run it in Win7 you say? Ok. For now. Until the next version rolls around that needs some .net rubbish only available for Win10.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    13. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Pretty much anything custom developed. Plus a ton of security related analysis software that makes little sense to run on Linux when you try to find problems in Windows software.

      Also it's hard to get a hold of really good DTP software. "Oh but there is $x". Yes. There is. And now please pay the month my DTP specialist needs to get used to the completely different way things are done in this software package.

      Same for PCB layouting. Is there even a Linux version of Altium?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    14. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      What about other OSS software? Why is it always only the Linux distris that get the love and we have to get by with GitHub?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    15. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I dunno, downloading it sounds a lot less of a hassle...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    16. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by drkstr1 · · Score: 1

      Adobe Creative Suite. It's pretty much the only reason I have win7 running on KVM.

      --
      Fanboy Status: Apache Flex, C#, Eclipse, KDE, Pirate Party, Ron Paul, Slackware, Windows 7
    17. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by spire3661 · · Score: 1

      Microsoft's conviction as an abusive monopolist says otherwise..... The fact is we are still dealing with Microsoft's malfeasance from the 90s, today. Its not as black and white as you seem to think.

      --
      Good-bye
    18. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by drkstr1 · · Score: 1

      Actually now that I think about it, I prefer to do a lot of SVN stuff in it too, using Tortoise. It's the one thing I really miss in my linux host.

      --
      Fanboy Status: Apache Flex, C#, Eclipse, KDE, Pirate Party, Ron Paul, Slackware, Windows 7
    19. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by spire3661 · · Score: 2

      IF you are going to do that, get a diskless Synology NAS for $99 and put in a disk. It comes with a kickass torrent client that shuts off seeds as soon as the DL finishes. It will only cost a little bit more than getting a pi up and running and is much more suited to the task.

      --
      Good-bye
    20. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by St.Creed · · Score: 1

      Mostly my game collection.

      I coulnd't do without it :P

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    21. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Yeah. Seems like a much better solution. I've tried the Raspberry Pi solution before, and trying to use the SD card (Class 10) to store the torrent caused the raspberry Pi to crash. I tried a USB flash drive, which made the device not crash, but the downloads still couldn't keep up to my internet connection. I'm not sure how well a synology would work, but it can't be worse than an old Raspberry Pi. I just use an old PC with a couple 1 TB disks stuck in it. There's more power friendly stuff if old PCs are too power hungry. An NUC or simlar box is under $200 without storage, and can run whatever server software you want.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    22. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by GrantRobertson · · Score: 1

      OneNote. Without it, I might as well just not have a computer at home.

      Anyone who suggests Evernote has never actually used OneNote. It is the killer app that no one knows about.

    23. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by mark-t · · Score: 2

      please tell us all what indispensible apps run on windows that have no equivalents on any other operating system

      I somehow suspect you asking just so you can be dismissive of responses, but on the off chance you are not, the biggest ones for me are Genetica, Campaign Cartographer, and the Unity 3d editor. (The last one runs on macs, but that's not helpful when other software still requires a Windows PC). To be fair, the first two perform acceptably in VirtualBox on Linux, but Unity 3d will not.

    24. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Wycliffe · · Score: 2

      Now if he were installing Linux and copying Windows binaries onto a system that never had a legitimate Windows license, you may have a point (I would suspect the Windows license is tied to the original hardware).

      I don't believe the older systems were tied to the hardware. It was just a single license for a single machine. There was no problem with deleting it from one system and installing it on a new machine. I have several legal copies of XP and win98se with keys that I keep around. As far as I know, as they are not physically installed anywhere that I still own the license and would be legally allowed to use it in vmware, wine, etc.. as long as I only use the single copy on a single machine.

    25. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Langalf · · Score: 4, Informative

      In certain industries, you use what the vendors are willing to provide, or you don't stay in business. If the vendor only supports Windows, you use Windows. Period.

      As an example, the plant where I work relies heavily on Allen-Bradley Rockwell Software for automation and control. There is no viable alternative on a non-Windows platform, from either a practical or a regulatory perspective. Rockwell Software barely supports 64-bit Windows. They are not likely to make any effort to run on Linux, and sure as heck won't license there software for use under Wine.

    26. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      Like it or not, you pretty much have to use some version of windows. Whether it's at work or because of some windows-only software, there's really no way to avoid windows.

      please tell us all what indispensible apps run on windows that have no equivalents on any other operating system

      Management.

      That's not a software title as far as I'm aware. Give a specific example of software that requires windows. The closest I know of is quickbooks but even that has a mac version so you still have some choice. Anything important or popular or expensive is going to be ported to at least mac. You don't have to run windows. I don't run windows or mac and haven't for over a decade.

      TimeMatters - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    27. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by amiga3D · · Score: 1

      I have heard some people have problems with different flash drives but I don't know what brand they're using. The early models had a lot more compatibility problems. So far I've had no problems with saving to a USB flash drive.

    28. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by cavreader · · Score: 1

      "indispensible apps " How about the millions of custom internal and intranet only business applications used by companies around the world. Companies have invested too much money and time developing these applications to suddenly want to port them over to a different platform. There are also quite a lot of business critical 3rd party software purchased by companies that offer no alternative platform support. Companies also face the exorbitant costs associated with retraining or re-staffing IT departments to handle another platform so why would someone want to go through all the bother just to move off Windows?

    29. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by aliquis · · Score: 1

      You may wanna check your list of updates. Microsoft has already added a bunch of telemetry tools in the guise of "important updates".

      Fuck. Just yesterday I added even all the optional ones again as usual.

      MicrosoftÂs information about the upgrades are always useless. In their tool it just give a generic message and tell you to go check somewhere else. I don't understand why we can't get actual information about what the upgrade is about. Confusing for the idiots which is supposed to be able to handle Windows too?

    30. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by aliquis · · Score: 1

      Oh wait, I can't run $program on Linux. Too bad I need it for my job. Well, run it in Win7 you say? Ok. For now. Until the next version rolls around that needs some .net rubbish only available for Win10.

      Yeah, backward support for software and forward support for the OS / support for old OSes from Microsoft has been soooo bad...
      Not.

      Mean-while in OS X-land the new version of your software may actually not run on the 2 year old OS I guess..

    31. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Rob+Y. · · Score: 1

      And it's not that they don't want to get those apps off Windows. They do. They want them to be web apps. But that's a total rewrite. The 'brilliant' ex-CEO of a VOIP company that took over at the software shop where I used to work declared that all of our apps would be 'in the cloud' in 2 years. Moron. Now, after spending a small fortune trying to rewrite just one of them, they're on the verge of folding up shop and getting out of software altogether (there's a hardware component of the business that's still 'thriving').

      it's not that Companies won't be running web apps sooner or later - they just won't be the same apps that they're running on Windows today. Windows business-specific apps are legacy - to the point that nobody can support them, much less rewrite them. Okay, well maybe they can support them - if any of the original staff that designed and wrote them hasn't been outsourced to India yet... ;-)

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
    32. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Did I? If I own both, I've not done anything untoward, I might even have "installed" windows on a VM with a direct access file system and merely linked appropriately. Done properly, windows will never even need be run on the current system in question.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    33. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Those are all reasons to switch to something else.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    34. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      To save millions over the next decade?

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    35. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      If you knew what they're installing you would never install any updates.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    36. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      I have managed to rip most CDs after a thorough dawn / towel polishing (data side only) followed by a rinse. There was one case where I needed an optically identical agent to fill a couple of deeper scratches on a used CD I bought, but that was a long time ago and I don't recall the brand I used. Using cdparanoia, it is relatively painless as long as you took even moderate care of your CDs.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    37. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      I don't buy DRM'd software unless it's for work. I also don't run DRM'd software. I don't need to, there's a large enough catalog of non DRM software out there to keep you busy for longer than you probably have. The AAA titles keep being released in a deeper and deeper pool, as older games are staying more than playable for far longer than in the past. That's probably the largest hit to their revenue, not piracy.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    38. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Nyder · · Score: 1

      Like it or not, you pretty much have to use some version of windows. Whether it's at work or because of some windows-only software, there's really no way to avoid windows.

      please tell us all what indispensible apps run on windows that have no equivalents on any other operating system

      Games.

      You might not thing they are indispensable, but they are. I am a PC gamer and enjoy playing computer games. Enjoy playing MMORPG's, enjoy many different games. Has Linux done what it's can for gaming? No. Very slowly recently peeps are trying to do something, but much like most of Linux, you got too many people trying to go different directions, and of course, we have the drivers issue.

      PC Gamers have to use Windows to game. You want Linux to be mainstream? Then not only do you need to make 1 Desktop UI that people like, you also need to make sure people can game on Linux. While there has been some direction in that area, it's a small gesture and not enough to get anyone to switch.

      If Linux wants to be the OS, then it needs to be a better gaming OS then windows. Then you'll find users wanting to switch.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    39. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Nyder · · Score: 1

      No, you pirate because you want something for nothing. That's the start, and the end of it. If it really were about the DRM you'd buy the software, then pirate a DRM free version. You don't do that, because you're a hypocritical bottom feeder.

      You can call me a bottom feeder. I don't mind. I refuse to support the various copyright cartels though. They are a problem and I will not give them money continue. They don't like pirating and I don't like them, so I have no problem pirating their works. Just like they are walking on the public domain, I am walking on them.

      Just because something is against the law, doesn't make the law just or right.

      For example, I live in Washington State. I have been smoking weed most my life, since the 80's. Recently it's become legal. So what does that make me? Scum of the earth because I choose to use an illegal drug for years before it became legal, or was it me ignoring unjust laws because they weren't made to help people, but to put money in the pockets of only a few people?

      No law says companies have to make profit, but the various copyright cartels think they deserve to make profit on everything they make, and if they don't, they blame it on pirating and try to use the laws to make even more money (in damages) on people who might have downloaded the movie for free.

      I will always stand up against unjust laws. It's my duty as an American Citizen. And the copyright laws are unjust, because they unfairly keep money in the hands of the few while forcing more laws on the many to make sure they pay for it.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    40. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      you're both wrong, it's "you're", not your...

    41. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      please tell us all what indispensible apps run on windows that have no equivalents on any other operating system

      Management.

      They only like to think they are indispensable.
      Frankly, only the layer directly above the employees and the layer at the top are really needed.

    42. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      The only modern EDA software packages for Linux are the very basic Kicad and Eagle, neither of which can be remotely compared to the likes of Altium.

      But why go so complicated? Why go so special purpose?

      What's the alternative to Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or the rest of the creative suite applications? Instant loss of all points for anyone who compares GIMP to photoshop as if they are remotely similar. From a creativity point of view Linux colour management is even worse than Windows and that speaks volumes. And lets not even get into the sorry state that is video editing or even playback under Linux. The suggestions for playing Blurays under Linux is to use a VM, buy a bluray player and a TV, or if you're desperate for a Linux based solution join makemkv with some decoding software and live stream it into VLC which is about as user friendly as bathing a psychotic cat.

      This is basic bloody functionality.

    43. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      Audacity is a joke compared to Sonor, I've yet to see anything for video on Linux that compares to Vegas,Gimp is a bad joke compared to Corel much less Photoshop, LO may be fine for basic tasks but once it gets complex LO puts out word salad, thousands of dollars in games don't work, not to mention Linux drivers for graphics are still deep fried shit, hell I could go on all day.

      Linux fans has this kind of OS blindness, its like the FOSS advocate says "I have a browser and LO and Gimp therefor that is all everyone else needs" when in reality there is nothing an average Linux desktop distro does that can't be done on a phone or tablet thus making your OS...really kinda irrelevant which the flatline desktop numbers show. If all you need is a browser, LO, and Gimp? Get a tablet, you are just wasting power on a PC that you frankly do not need, for everybody else? We have thousands invested in software your OS does not run, so it might as well not even exist.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    44. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      Don't worry they'll tell you to "run it in a VM" thus proving its not about providing a functional equivalent but pushing an agenda because if you have to 1.- Buy the OS, 2.- Buy the software, just to 3.- Set up an entire host OS just so you can run the software you need in the first fucking place? Well then UR DOIN IT WRONG as your OS is offering the user absolutely nothing.

      Why the fuck would they deal with all those extra layers of crap just to run the Windows in a VM when they could just skip the VM and run the damned software natively? Linux isn't saving you a cent (in fact unless you pirate you'll spend more as OEM Windows cannot be legally used in a VM, so you'll need full retail) and it certainly isn't saving you time and effort, so WTF is the point of throwing Linux in there? Sadly you talk to them the answer usually ends up "but but...you'll be running Linux!" which just shows they are just wanting to wave their flag and what is best for the user? Really does not matter as long as the answer ends up Linux.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    45. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      How about running Unity 3d on the Mac and the others in VirtualBox on the Mac too? It's not really getting rid of Windows since you are just running it inside an app but if you wanted to move from Windows as your primary OS this might be an option.

    46. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      I have my Synology NAS running the torrent client but also have it set up so it's connected to my VPN. Then I started up the proxy server and have all my browsers connect to the NAS which routes everything through the VPN.

    47. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by beanpoppa · · Score: 1

      I do just this. I would often rip my kids' DVD's and reburn them without the annoying forced previews and anti-piracy nag screens. After a while, I figured out that it was much easier to just download the torrent in about 15 minutes, than it was to go through the hassle of figuring out what ripping software could get around the DRM and copy protection, and ripping it. There are probably a couple of DVD's still in the original shrink-wrap that I haven't actually touched the DVD.

    48. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by cavreader · · Score: 1

      The costs associated with purchasing Windows licenses is cheaper than moving to another platform. You will need to come up with one hell of a sales pitch to get a company to move off a platform they have sunk millions of dollars into for some possible costs savings 10 years into the future. And complaining about the "evils" of MS is really not a persuasive argument.

    49. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by cyberjock1980 · · Score: 2

      Care to elaborate on which ones, a link to this info, etc? I've never heard of this and interested in reading more... yet Google searching is turning up very vague information on this topic...

    50. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by aliquis · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the updater kinda make the claim about itself (by user-interface design) that it will provide information but it's never useful.

      It's just the same block of text over and over again making the same generic claim which tell you ~nothing.

      Could just as well had said "*gem* I want to mess with your copy of Windows, forcing you to reboot - again! [Shit! Fucking do that.] [Fuck! Don't do that shit!]"

    51. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by msoftsucks · · Score: 1

      Anything in healthcare. Many insurance portals for doctors require IE. They will not work with Firefox or Chrome. Also, 99% of all medical instruments, use some version of Windows. In both cases, vendors are EXTREMELY anti Linux.

      --
      Quit playing Monopoly with Bill.
      Linux - of the people, by the people, and for the people.
    52. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Lets be blunt, even better feed, the fear, uncertainty and doubt, and force change. Why accept M$'s offering and intent to steal copyrighted data from your computer, individuals and business. Your secret recipe, you patented ideas, your copyrighted content, everything they can access before you can publish and claim ownership, too late they already own it, they own everything on your computer created by their software as far as they are concerned. Windows 10 does not belong in any business environment, not on any computer where tenders are produced, where products are designed, where inventions are crafted, anything that in any way shape or form compete with M$. As for Windows 8, the damage done by windows 10 will be felt most acutely on phone sales, people will remember.

      I wonder what the uninstall counts are going like on windows 10, bet that's something M$ will never speak of, hey if it is good for them to do to us, why isn't it good for us to do to them?

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    53. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Office, AD, Group Policy, Exchange, SQL, Server and Desktop integration.
      Sure it is possible that these categories exist on other OSes, but none match the full feature offering you get with the MS suite overall. Most people who use MS don't like it, they use it because they've looked for alternatives and always come up short. Like it or not MS is the best of breed in this particular space.

    54. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      The only reason blurays are difficult to play is DRM...
      Raw video files in the same format are perfectly easy to play on linux, or at least in a country which doesn't have software patents.

      These problems are not technical, and aren't the fault of linux.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    55. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by andymadigan · · Score: 1

      I use my own Mac at work, if I didn't I'd be using a company provided Mac. I use a Windows (8.1 Pro) PC at home, but I'm planning to replace it with an iMac in the next year or two.

      Nobody forces me to use Windows. If you do have to use a Windows machine at work... well, then it should only be the company's data that's getting spied on. If you put your own data on that machine, chances are your company IT department can spy on that already (if they're the kind of company that forces you to use Windows).

      All that said, all of this sounds like an overreaction. I seriously doubt MS is going to send data about files stored on your HD back to its servers. The backlash would be immense.

      --
      The right to protest the State is more sacred than the State.
    56. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      No one cares what the problem is. The only thing they care about is if it's not working.

      Making excuses like the ones you make is the reason Linux has such low acceptance on the desktop. People care about a seamless experience, anything that ruins that experience, regardless of who's at fault is a black mark against the name of the software.

    57. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by SuperDre · · Score: 1

      Just like there are enough applications that only work on linux, or Mac OSX or on Android or on iOS..

    58. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by war4peace · · Score: 1

      Hundreds of games.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    59. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by AC-x · · Score: 1
    60. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Every 3-5 years, you need to upgrade, releases are done such that the window for upgrading is actually smaller, for at least part of the stack you use. So the costs are not only sunk costs, but a continual drain. You also have a continuing and increasing cost for maintaining your systems, especially given the new Win10 push cycles. Lastly, I'm assuming those existing custom applications are going to require significant updates when migrating to the latest windows versions, which will be required across the board in the next 3-4 years. So you can either sink a bunch of money into upgrading those apps, or migrate to something from at least this decade and more friendly to all.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    61. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by pagebt · · Score: 1

      This. Especially for children's titles. I have 2 viewing options available for my kids, Plex and the DVD changer in the minivan. When buying titles, I Torrent for Plex and the un-opened disc goes onto the shelf. If it is a frequent re-watcher, My oldest son burns a DVD for the Van with windows movie maker so that it just plays instead of having to navigate the menus while driving. (who ever thought that would be safe?)

    62. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by ilsaloving · · Score: 1

      I first heard about it here:

      http://www.infoworld.com/artic...

      If you google with keywords like windows 7 and telemetry, you should find everything you need. There is also a list somewhere of all the various microsoft servers you need to block access to from your router. (Windows Firewall ain't good enough cause these tools *bypass* Windows Firewall) I can't remember where I saw that list... only that it was shockingly large.

    63. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Every three years, my company buys a new computer for me. Considering the quality of the machine, the cost of Windows is relatively minor. Considering the cost of keeping me as an employee, it's completely trivial.

      You're speculating on the cost of Windows 10 upgrades over time. Bear in mind that Windows 7 doesn't leave support for another five years, and very likely will get another few like XP did. I'm willing to bet that, over the next five years, Microsoft will figure out how to keep businesses happy. You're also underestimating how dedicated Microsoft is to backward compatibility.

      My company has a large amount of extremely valuable software, both internally and externally developed. Lots of the external stuff comes in Linux-friendly form, but rewriting our software base to run on some version of Linux would be tremendous.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    64. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by h00manist · · Score: 1

      Microsoft depends on piracy. They always favor piracy of Microsoft products, even said so a few times.

      http://slashdot.org/story/07/0...
      "ArsTechnica is running a story regarding comments by Microsoft Business Group President Jeff Raikes, who had a pithy comment on the subject of software piracy. His view is that, should software piracy occur, Microsoft's desire is that the pirated software should be theirs. Potentially, in the future, they could then convert the illegal users from the 'dark side' into legit users who obtain licenses. 'We understand that in the long run the fundamental asset is the installed base of people who are using our products. What you hope to do over time is convert them to licensing the software.' Obviously Microsoft prefers the market to use their software even if it's pirated, rather than the alternative: the use of free software."

      --
      Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
    65. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by cavreader · · Score: 1

      "existing custom applications are going to require significant updates when migrating to the latest windows versions" If it is one thing MS does well it is backwards capability. The vast majority of existing custom applications developed under XP will run under Vista, Win7, Win8, and even Win10. Hell I still have a VB application developed on Win2000 that installs and runs on Win7.

    66. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by __aabppq7737 · · Score: 1

      I don't know if Office 2013 was a software-as-a-service kind of deal, but two years ago it was running just fine on a windows 7 machine of mine.

    67. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      My point isn't to immediately rewrite everything, etc, but to point out that migrating to Win10 with it's most likely highly unstable core by business standards will be the tipping point. You'll have 5 years to migrate, I'd suggest starting to look at that now, or be prepared to run Win7 past EOL, with whatever costs and risks that may entail. Given what's come out about Windows Business Update, and Enterprise updates, I know that I, as a business, would never sign off on allowing that into my shop. A core that I don't control I can't trust, and it's certainly not going into production.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    68. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      If it is one thing MS does well it is backwards capability.

      I pretty much laughed at this. I can tell you that the backwards compatibility statement from MS about 4.5 is patently false. Just try doing an elevation of privileges on an unprivileged process (ie, actually elevate the process above its base privilege). Works on .NET4, not on .NET 4.5, or, more accurately, not on .NET 4.5 on 2008SR2. It might work on .NET 4.5 2008... I didn't check. But, more telling is the last clause, which says well, maybe we aren't backwards compatible, but we allow you to run the previous versions of .NET in those cases, except for .NET4, which we completely nerfed. You also get stories like driver complaints or office issues or even with the new xbox.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    69. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by cavreader · · Score: 1

      Dude I was generalizing over the past 15+ years of MS operating system releases and upgrades. Yes, there were numerous changes in the .NET framework between 4.0 and 4.5 and if you were not smart enough to realize that before updating to 4.5 any problems you encountered in your applications were all on you. And why did you need to upgrade from 4.0 to 4.5 in the first place? Was there some functionality you needed that only 4.5 could provide or did you see a new shiny and just updated .NET? And anecdotal references to driver complaints, office issues, or Xbox are usually from people who say "Look there is a new update I best install it immediately!".

    70. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by mooterSkooter · · Score: 1

      >When is the last time someone you know saved a dying SD card or USB drive without windows trialware?

      You are joking right?

      Last week, my brother presented me with a SATA drive and a USB drive. Both 'broken' under windows. I used testdisk under linux to fix the SATA drive (then copied all over to a brand new drive). The USB drive wasn't fixable but still used testdisk to copy 95% of the files over to another fresh drive. All done easily and simply under linux for free...and my brother was very happy...and he's now learned of the importance of backups.

      Windows can go suck a fuck for all I care...I'm just unhappy that I have to work with it daily.

    71. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      You didn't read the various links. MS has explicitly and purposefully not been backwards compatible in numerous areas over its history. There are more I can name off the top of my head, but I deemed those sufficient to counter your assertion.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    72. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      The core is stable, it's the stuff that runs on the core that's a problem. It isn't going to be that difficult for Microsoft to change it. In any case, Microsoft has plenty of time to come up with business versions that businesses will accept.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    73. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by metrix007 · · Score: 1

      It really isn't a killer app. Some people like it, no one needs it.

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
    74. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by metrix007 · · Score: 1

      You don't need a special license to run software under Wine.

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
    75. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      A core that is changeable by an outside entity at that entity's will is not what I'd call stable and certainly not one I control. Currently, that's exactly what all flavors of Win10 have in common. I can't think of a single thing I'd use it for, much like I have no use for XBox games because I don't own an xbox, I'll have no use for Windows software as I won't own a windows box. Being personally MS free for the last 5 years has left me with no desire to dive back into that mess for any reason. Linux, OSX and BSD have served any need I have. Corporations aren't as tied to MS as they may think they are, if they'd just stop to think about it for a few minutes. IBM appears to be wholesale dumping MS. I wonder if it's a coincidence that the announcement came right before the revelations of Win10s forced update mechanism. There's also the Lenovo stupid pet tricks with BIOS etc.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    76. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Baki · · Score: 1

      No, I pirate because of:
      - convencience
      - I refuse to give one cent to companies that use my money to bribe politicians into unreasonable laws.

  6. Firewalls? by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I predict a strong market for a nice little generic Microsoft-filtering hardware firewall devices. Maybe even an intelligent one that will allow incoming updates and scrub or anonymize outgoing requests.

    Kickstarter, anyone?

    --
    -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    1. Re:Firewalls? by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

      You could do a kickstarter or just start preparing an open firewall rules list, that could be used by one of the open source routers or possibly by Windows itself?

      We could ask Microsoft to be transparent about what the OS phones home for and what else is shared beyond the network.

      --
      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    2. Re:Firewalls? by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      You could do a kickstarter or just start preparing an open firewall rules list, that could be used by one of the open source routers or possibly by Windows itself?

      We could ask Microsoft to be transparent about what the OS phones home for and what else is shared beyond the network.

      you can ask

      microsoft will say no and laugh

    3. Re:Firewalls? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      The telemetry in Windows 10 bypasses the hosts file. You'd need an external firewall. The problem with that is that Windows (reportedly) throws a fit and stops working if you block off certain addresses.

    4. Re:Firewalls? by houghi · · Score: 1

      I wanted to start a project, but the domain linux.org was already taken.

      Also I predict that the majority of people will not give a shit and as long as they make money, it dosn't matter who says no.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    5. Re:Firewalls? by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      pfSense or OpenWRT + OpenVPN. You can set them up to route all of your traffic automatically.

    6. Re:Firewalls? by currently_awake · · Score: 1

      Interesting idea. And you could add an inline crypto system that automatically encrypts everything when you send packets to someone else who has one (including servers). Of course you'd need to bring one with you when you travel, to stay safe when using public wifi.

    7. Re:Firewalls? by pslytely+psycho · · Score: 1

      "The telemetry in Windows 10 bypasses the hosts file."

      APK is gonna have an aneurysm!

      --
      Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
    8. Re:Firewalls? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      So at least SOMETHING good will come out of Win10?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    9. Re:Firewalls? by St.Creed · · Score: 1

      Is it possible to get an Arduino or Raspberry Pi that just acts as a nice little firewall, and that I can modify with pre-set profiles?

      Would it be powerful enough?

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    10. Re:Firewalls? by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

      Just curious how you setup your home network to protect yourself

        I am wondering whether a combination of http proxy & firewall rules is the way to go, and then tally the logs for suspicious activity?

      --
      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    11. Re:Firewalls? by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      That will take care of you at home but it won't help you when you take your laptop to work or the coffee shop. Or it won't stop you phone or tablet from sending info when your away from home either. I'm assuming that they are sending information back too since it's all one OS now.

    12. Re:Firewalls? by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Is it possible to get an Arduino or Raspberry Pi that just acts as a nice little firewall, and that I can modify with pre-set profiles?

      Would it be powerful enough?

      Sure, the firewall part has been done using a Raspberry Pi. Because of the limitations of using one or more additional USB to ethernet converters, the speed and perhaps reliability is not anything to write home about but it is fast enough for most US internet connections.

      Better I think would be to use embedded x86 hardware like from Netgate to run pfsense. Maybe a pfsense plug-in will be produced to handle the Microsoft security violations.

  7. Re:Nothing is free by martin-boundary · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Uhm, no. Plenty of things in life are free. The reason MS is being despicable here is that they are choosing to offer free windows in exchange for installing spyware. It was wrong when people bundled spyware with freeware software installers, and it is wrong when people bundle spyware with an OS.

    Just switch to Debian or another Free OS that doesn't spy on you. It may be a little less convenient, but the inconvenience pays off in a bit more safety the next time you download something.

  8. What a brilliant way..... by Drakonblayde · · Score: 3, Interesting

    .... to get people to stop pirating Windows. Make it spy on the pirates!

    1. Re:What a brilliant way..... by GuB-42 · · Score: 1

      They don't really want to make people stop pirating Windows. Especially now that there are free, non-geek alternatives like ChromeOS.
      They are, however interested it tracking pirates. Many pirates are simply people unsatisfied with the legal offering and potential customers.

  9. Just do it by Guy+From+V · · Score: 1

    It took me a few years and getting over being annoyed by people who say what I'm about to say all the time, but fuck it...just switch to Linux...Mint or something. I like Xfce. That is all.

    1. Re:Just do it by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      BSD runs everything linux does, and then some. You have a choice of GUI. You can use X windows or the Mac OS GUI.

    2. Re:Just do it by Anonanonaon · · Score: 2

      Sorry to burst your bubble, but...

      Linux can't control https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik... or https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...

      Intel has been setting aside secondary CPU power for invisible applications since forever. Linux ain't keeping your stuff safe except from the lowest level of Big Brother types; the Small-to-Medium Brothers, I suppose.

      Intel also does fabrication in Israel. That's where the Mossad live.

      How tough is it to capture your keyboard strokes through System Management hardware? Not at all. -You gotta type in that encryption key at some point along the chain.

    3. Re:Just do it by Air-conditioned+cowh · · Score: 1

      Or at the very least run Linux in a VM and encrypt everything that goes in or out of the VM by using a good proxy service. Probably QEMU is the safest type of VM, followed by the Open Source version of Virtual Box (without the closed-source extensions). Anything closed source such as VMWare may have it's own spy payload for all we know.

      Personally I use Linux anyway but I can't imagine using Linux in a VM to be any more complicated than the confusing Torrent sites with their phoney links that drive users to useless spam pages. The real link being the smallest and least noticeable link on the page.

    4. Re:Just do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I thought the Linux BIOS did that.

  10. Microsoft will be stopped by aaaaaaargh! · · Score: 4, Interesting

    At least in the EU I see no long future for Windows 10's illegal built-in surveillance tools. The EULA violates local laws in many EU countries and probably also EU law, and it is only a matter of time until some EU commission will put an end to it.

    Or, at least I hope so, because at one point or another I'll be forced to upgrade to this pile of shit. :/

    1. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by lesincompetent · · Score: 1

      And then came the TTIP!

    2. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Well, in my EU local, the integrated web search and Cortana are not supported. M$ apparently already knows which functionality causes problems. There are numerous settings which I did disable to minimize the network noise, though.
          EULAs can't subvert the local law, which is part of the reason why they are so complicated and large, "most parts don't apply to you" style of documents. Wait, was there a section concerting a human centipede? I have to check again!

    3. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      That's a good point. If there's one thing I take very seriously it's privacy, so I won't be upgrading to windows 10. I'm not paranoid or whatever but I'm really starting to feel very uncomfortable with mass corporate data-harvesting, which becomes mass government data harvesting very easily. I guess I'll have to run programs without an adequate open source alternative such as photoshop in an emulator or something. However in the unlikely event that the EU raps their knuckles I might consider hanging in there a bit longer, purely for the sake of convenience.

    4. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The EULA violates local laws in many EU countries and probably also EU law, and it is only a matter of time until some EU commission will put an end to it.

      The situation is much more dramatic than that.

      There is no feasible way that a Windows 10 system can be used on a machine that collects or processes credit-card data (think: PCI DSS security standards), stores medical data (think: HIPAA security requirements), holds confidential legal documents (think: any lawyer's office anywhere), contains NDA-protected or trade-secret documents, or holds documents that contain "insider information" as defined by the SEC.

      Remember that it's Microsoft itself that gets to decide what user information it collects from your Win10 PC, and, most crucially: Microsoft can force a silent system update that changes what user information is collected. This puts business users who run Win10 at significant legal risk, given that they knew (or should have known) that every Win10 machine contains a general-purpose mechanism pre-installed that allows a third-party attacker (Microsoft) to silently collect any information at will.

      Also remember that Microsoft is competing against Google, and one of Google's huge advantages is that it actually stores the documents, which gives Google the opportunity to scan those documents looking for consumer behavior and identity. In Microsoft's zeal to compete, it's easy to imagine them scanning all your documents in order to "improve the user's experience and offer more relevant services".

      This is a massive security hole embedded, by design, within the OS itself. Using a third-party app to close that security hole would not likely be an acceptable solution, because, again, Microsoft controls the OS, can silently update it on the fly, and thus can attack or circumvent any third-party security app of their choosing -- or else -- Microsoft may attack the effectiveness of any third-party security app by secretly funding the makers of that app, or by purchasing it outright.

      It looks like Microsoft is betting so much on the value of collecting user data for marketing purposes, that they're willing to lose a significant chunk of their business users who can't legally risk being the target of all that data mining.

    5. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The EULA doesn't violate the law, it's just invalid as contract law doesn't allow EU citizens to agree to some of the terms even if they click "I accept".

      It will only be illegal if Microsoft decides to actually abuse this stuff. The clause about checking for pirated games is most likely referring to just stuff from the Windows Store, and they might be able to get away with checking for known cracked exe signatures and deleting them as "malware", but any actual spying will fall foul of data protection laws.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by bmo · · Score: 1

      "and they might be able to get away with checking for known cracked exe signatures and deleting them as "malware", but any actual spying will fall foul of data protection laws."

      This actually happens if you have Windows Defender set to delete malware automagically. I'm not sure if it's set that way by default in 10, but I've seen at least one person lose hard-to-find 10 year old cracks that Defender labeled as "malware" after an install of 10.

      The more I look at this stuff from the relative safety of the Linux universe, the more I want to stay the fuck away.

      --
      BMO

    7. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by Agripa · · Score: 1

      This puts business users who run Win10 at significant legal risk, given that they knew (or should have known) that every Win10 machine contains a general-purpose mechanism pre-installed that allows a third-party attacker (Microsoft) to silently collect any information at will.

      I have to assume third-party attackers here include Microsoft at the behest of the NSA and FBI which are at best one court order away.

  11. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Not too much. Their biggest big data $thing requiring their infrastructure is Siri which isn't -truly- on OS X. (There's iCloud, but that isn't as based and they don't sell the data inside it.) The newest version of OS X has some web integration in the Safari omnibox and in Spotlight. But the first few times you use either it gives you a disclaimer you can't miss that tells you what's happening and how to turn it off.

    Apple provided data mining can be turned off in iOS Settings or OS X System Preferences and it's easy to find.

  12. Re:Nothing is free by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    Nothing is free,

    existing is free, which is the opposite of nothing, so you could not be more wrong

  13. And? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    So run a Linux VM on your win10 PC. Log the vm in to vpn, do all torrenting from there.

    1. Re:And? by snadrus · · Score: 1

      It's no different. They're aware of the traffic, the ports, & the TCP connections just as before & you're still identified with it.
      However, Linux as the foundation layer and Windows in a VM would accomplish what you're looking for.

      --
      Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
  14. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    burn to DVD

    What's a DVD? Is that one of those ancient 20th century artifacts?

  15. Old 'news' by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    Markmonitor complaints date from over 10 years.

    'News' would have been to show us a method on how to block them or prevent Windows 10 do do so.

  16. Re:Nothing is free by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    The best things in life are free.

    But when they aren't, there's always Ashley Madison

  17. Not just Windows 10 by ilsaloving · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://arstechnica.com/informa...

    The thing is, it's not just Windows 10. If you regularly update your machines, Microsoft has already added additional telemetry tools to Windows 7 and 8.

    http://www.infoworld.com/artic...

    What really sucks for me is that I *like* Windows 10. I run it in a VM on my Mac, and I've noticed an immediate performance improvement, especially with boot ups.

    But from all the media reports, it looks like Windows 10 is turning into a conspiracy theorists bukake dream. And unless there is very little backlash to this, I can see Microsoft easily porting the rest of their privacy invading tools to their previous OSes.

    1. Re:Not just Windows 10 by FranTaylor · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I've noticed an immediate performance improvement, especially with boot ups.

      This is great, I have to boot up my laptop about once a month, what an awesome time saver.

    2. Re:Not just Windows 10 by aNonnyMouseCowered · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "But from all the media reports, it looks like Windows 10 is turning into a conspiracy theorists bukake dream."

      Damn it. Now I had to look up the word in Wiki: "The word bukkake is often used in Japanese to describe pouring out water with sufficient momentum to cause splashing or spilling. Indeed, bukkake is used in Japan to describe a type of dish where hot broth is poured over noodles, as in bukkake udon and bukkake soba."

    3. Re:Not just Windows 10 by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      my Windows 10 laptop reboots at least once a day, I'd swear.

      Then there's this neat thing where under Windows 10 plugging my Razer wireless mouse into the charger requires a reboot, but I'm pretty sure that's another driver bug and not Microsoft's fault. At least, I sure hope so. (Unplugging it to return to wireless operation ALSO requires a reboot. The mouse just stops working until Windows 10 has rebooted. I'm not joking!)

      at one point they called computers "labor saving devices" but I think it was just a cruel joke

    4. Re:Not just Windows 10 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "But from all the media reports, it looks like Windows 10 is turning into a conspiracy theorists bukake dream."

      Damn it. Now I had to look up the word in Wiki: "The word bukkake is often used in Japanese to describe pouring out water with sufficient momentum to cause splashing or spilling. Indeed, bukkake is used in Japan to describe a type of dish where hot broth is poured over noodles, as in bukkake udon and bukkake soba."

      It's also slang for group sex in which multiple men ejaculate all over a single person, typically a woman but not always. I'm talking, drenched and soaked with it.

    5. Re:Not just Windows 10 by CmdrTamale · · Score: 1

      Let me guess - second Tuesday?
      --
      I used to be a kid before I failed the age requirement

    6. Re:Not just Windows 10 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm forced to use Windows 10 at my company. But it is far from a performance improvement. In fact the first 25 minutes after logging in the system is unusable. I tend to just click on the icons that I need to have opened and go to my 'boss' who has ordered us to use Windows 10, to say that I'm going to do the dishes and clean the coffee machine (a clean coffee machine makes better coffee!) because it is better to do some household work than it is to stare at a non responding Windows. He grumbles a bit and keeps staring at his unusable Windows after which he follows me to get a fresh (clean!) coffee.

      When the system and programs have finally started it takes another 30-60 minutes of high disk operations from some obscure MS processes before my laptop stops acting slow. I don't know what this Windows 10 is doing, but I don't like it. I've found some clues on the Internet why I could be so slow (some services installed with Visual Studio or an incompatibility issue with a source control service), but I refuse to fix Microsoft's and my marketing run company problems. It is never a good idea to run any new Microsoft operating system and I'm still mad with the fact that I had to downgrade my Ubuntu desktop to Windows 8.1 earlier this year... Hopefully my next job interview will release me from this Microsoft kool aid drinking marketing team, but the economy in my region is still not on rails and I still should be careful to not lose my job. Microsoft has way too much power, including power over what companies should run on their computers (no Ubuntu for example).

  18. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    this is great, how does my wife get all of her garage band files to play on linux?

  19. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    computers are a means and not an end.

    Very true. However, I want my computer to work for MY means, not some company's.

    Besides, all this spying can have consequences far into the future. Brendan Eich was fired for making a donation to a voting campaign that won; in other words, he lost his job for being in the majority at the time. He was fired six years after making the donation. Paula Deen lost millions because she said a bad word about someone who had held a gun to her head, twenty years after it happened.

    What are you doing right now, that is perfectly legal and socially acceptable... that a few years down the road will have become regarded as the depths of human depravity? What will it cost you when it comes out -- and it can come out, because you're letting them record you doing it.

  20. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    They will play just fine

    what linux application loads garage band files?

  21. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    Paula Deen lost millions because she said a bad word about someone who had held a gun to her head, twenty years after it happened.

    It was more than one bad word, and HOW THE FUCK do you "lose" money that you never actually had in the first place?

    "On June 21, 2013, due to a controversy regarding Deen's admission, during a deposition for a lawsuit, that she had used racial slurs, The Food Network announced they will not renew her contract."

    Oh and how SAD IT ALL IS:

    "It was announced that on September 24, 2014 Paula will unveil her very own network. "

    GOSH it's SO SAD that she ONLY has enough money to start ONE network.

  22. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    I guess she will have to be fine with the creepy guy from Microsoft following her around when she does her shopping then. That you're fine with it is already apparent.

    what microsoft guy? garage band runs on BSD, the OSX flavor.

  23. Indispensable app on Windows? by FlaSheridn · · Score: 1

    Real Quicken.

  24. Re:Nothing is free by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

    The Universe is a non-profit organization.

    The second law of thermodynamics:

    1) You have to play the game.
    2) You can't win.
    3) You can't even break even

    Hell, somebody is getting ahead here, it sure ain't me.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  25. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by chipschap · · Score: 1

    >For sure, if you are dead-set on using proprietary software that is not available on Linux (or at least on Windows), then you may be blocked. However, if there is a port of the application to at least Windows, you can run that application on Linux using PlayOnLinux/WINE.

    Full disclosure: I am a Linux bigot. As to the first statement, yes, I do have to say, sometimes someone is genuinely 'blocked' as you put it --- stuck with Windows for some essential proprietary application. This is however, in my observation at least, much less often than people think, the primary driver being as someone mentioned in a post above, a management mandate to use Windows where you work. Other than that, the cases seem to be very specific and limited--- a hospital's MRI software or something like that.

    As to the second statement, Wine/PlayOnLinux is viable for some things, but very definitely not all. Even a VM is not a solution for every application or game, so I don't go too far down that road when I recommend Linux. The real answer is finding Linux applications that do what you need to do, and I've been able to do that almost all the time.

    Heck, my wife runs Linux and doesn't even know it, nor does she care. She does everything she needs and wants to do and I don't have to worry quite so much about malware.

  26. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by LVSlushdat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have a sneaking hunch that my small business I have upgrading systems still running XP, mostly older retired folks (like me) to Linux may get a BIG shot in the arm soon, once joe-six-pack finds out just how pervasive the spying is on Microsoft's new OS.. Expert opinion is that not only keylogging, but streaming both any microphone or webcam data goes out to Microsoft servers.. I guess they figure its all good because they couch it in oh-so-mealy terms in their massive EULA, but once Joe-six-pack catches on and has this blatant spying thrown in his face, I predict you're gonna see a MASSIVE increase in Linux's adoption rate... Just sayin..

    --
    THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
  27. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry, no. If FB et al proved one thing, then that people don't give half a shit about their privacy as long as you give them the noose for their neck for free.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  28. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    HOW THE FUCK do you "lose" money that you never actually had in the first place?

    Based on an estimate of how much money you expect you could/would have earned otherwise.

    The pharmaceutical industry does this when determining how much to charge for a drug. It's not actually (or solely) based on actual development costs, but also - and mainly (from the articles I've read) - based on how much the company would have earned by simply investing that money instead doing development. For example, from: The Make-Believe Billion

    The statistic Big Pharma typically cites ... is that the cost of bringing a new drug to market is about $1 billion. Now a new study indicates the cost is more like, um, $55 million.

    I'm not saying this is morally/ethically right, just answering your question.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  29. Re:Piracy is for suckers by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Yeah, this certainly is the problem here. Screw these people and their privacy, there's profit on the line!

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  30. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by spire3661 · · Score: 1

    One MINOR caveat. Optical discs are generally READ ONLY, this is an important attribute that gets lost in the discussion about USB flash drives. Optical OS install still has its place, if for no other reason than you know you are installing an untainted copy. I really hate optical drives, but they are still necessary.

    --
    Good-bye
  31. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by jazzis · · Score: 1

    rhythmbox with "bad" (codec) gstreamer plugins http://crunchbang.org/forums/v...

  32. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by Insanity+Defense · · Score: 1

    Paula Deen lost millions because she said a bad word about someone who had held a gun to her head, twenty years after it happened.

    You know I'd never heard of this woman so I looked it up. You are in fact totally wrong.

    She in fact did not have her show renewed when a court case was started against her, her brother and her company alleging "several instances of sexual and racial workplace discrimination." The gun incident was one she admitted (during the case as testimony) to using the word Nigger about and the show was already canceled by then, it didn't cause the cancellation.

  33. Anyone know what to block? by Bomarc · · Score: 1

    Has anyone looked into blocking unwanted communication with mother Microsoft? Using host file, or other techniques (example: router) to keep the system from communicating with servers...

    1. Re:Anyone know what to block? by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

      some commenters believe Obama is an alien, the moon landings were faked and that the government is personally out to get them. seriously thousands of organisations run the OS where the desktop can't even access the internet at all, they work fine, including the ones where I work. conspiracy theorists are amazing in the shit they will make up, isn't there already enough REAL issues where we don't have to make up shit like that and look like tinfoil hat wearers.

  34. Gotta love the FUD. by mindmaster064 · · Score: 1

    Yes, and the same people freaking out about the data Microsoft collects are the same ones using Google Chrome which reports even more useful information than anything Microsoft collects. So much FUD here. Anyway, running Tails through a VM + VPN is probably enough.

    1. Re:Gotta love the FUD. by ilsaloving · · Score: 1

      Your example is a bad one for one very important reason: Google Chrome doesn't have a monopoly. Microsoft does. You *have* to play Microsoft's game because computers around the world rely on their stuff.

      There may be the few outliers that manage to be able to use Linux or Apple for the majority of their work, but the fact remains that ~80% of the world uses Windows, and the Windows tail wags the dog. Need to buy a new machine? Well, you get Windows 10 now.

      Now maybe people will start to understand why monopolies are dangerous things. I'm sure Richard Stallman is having a grand old case of the I-told-you-so's right now.

  35. So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I don't want Microsoft spying on my shit, but everything I do still goes through my ISP -- so it's pretty irrelevant unless you think you can magically trust - say - Comcast as much or more than you can trust Microsoft... which you can't.

  36. Re:Nothing good's ever come out of you by Khyber · · Score: 1

    "was a FINALIST 2 yrs. in a ROW @ MS Tech-Ed 2000-2002 in its HARDEST CATEGORY: SQLServer Performance Enhancement"

    That isn't saying much considering how much of a POS SQLServer happens to be.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  37. VMs? by FrozenGeek · · Score: 2

    Question: Does Windows 10 spy on what you do using a VM? If not, run your preferred *NIX variant in a VM under Windows 10 and do whatever you like.

    If it does spy on your activities within a VM, consider flipping things around: *NIX running a VM that contains Windows 10.

    I do understand that there is value to MS in sending data home and, yes, there is some value to us in having data sent home to MS. That said, if it is out of my control, the cost is far greater than any value I receive, so it ain't gonna happen. I was intending to upgrade one of my computers to Windows 10 Enterprise, but until I can confirm that no data get phoned home outside my control, not a chance. And in case Satya is listening, yes, I've managed to discourage my employer from upgrading to Windows 10 (given that security is a major consideration for us, data being phoned home outside of our control is a non-starter).

    --
    linquendum tondere
    1. Re:VMs? by yuhong · · Score: 3, Informative

      Win10 enterprise has the no telemetry option for a reason.

  38. Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by emil · · Score: 5, Informative

    It appears these updates are usage trackers:

    KB 2952664
    KB 3022345

    This is the core Windows 10 update nagware:

    KB 3035583

    These updates should be permanently removed and ignored on well-run systems.

    What other updates should be removed and banned from Windows 7/8 in the interest of privacy?

    1. Re:Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by Jiro · · Score: 5, Informative

      3021917 (update for Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program
      3068708 (update for CEIP and telemetry)
      3080149 (update for CEIP and telemetry)
      3075249 (telemetry)
      2990214 (Windows 10 upgrade) (I suppose this isn't technically privacy. And Microsoft claims you actually need it; your choice whether to believe them. Also, 3044374 for Windows 8.1.

    2. Re:Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by emil · · Score: 2
      Where should we put this?

      What would happen if we put this on the main wiki for Windows 7?

      KB 2952664 (telemetry)
      KB 2990114 (telemetry)
      KB 3021917 (Customer Experience Improvement Program)
      KB 3022345 (telemetry)
      KB 3035583 (nagware for Windows 10)
      KB 3068708 (telemetry)
      KB 3075249 (telemetry)
      KB 3080149 (CEIP and telemetry)

    3. Re: Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by Fish+(David+Trout) · · Score: 1

      It appears these updates are usage trackers:

      KB 2952664
      KB 3022345

      No. KB 2952664 is a Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7. It has nothing to do with telemetry.

      And KB 3022345 -- which does have to do with telemetry -- has been superseded by KB 3068708.

      Other telemetry updates are:

      • KB 3075249 "Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7"
      • KB 3080149 "Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry"

      .
      Then there is KB 3021917 ("Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements") which is sort of a telemetry update insomuch as it does indeed send back telemetry data to Microsoft, but supposedly only data related to performance issues and not actual usage.

      That's all I know about.

      --
      "Fish" (David B. Trout)
    4. Re:Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      What would happen if we put this on the main wiki for Windows 7?

      I don't know, but I know what happens when I share your comment to G+. Even Slashdot haters reshare it, and use it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  39. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by CODiNE · · Score: 1

    Yeah, just like that massive reaction to NSA spying that rocked the nation. Oh wait.... Nobody cares.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
  40. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    but once Joe-six-pack catches on and has this blatant spying thrown in his face, I predict you're gonna see a MASSIVE increase in Linux's adoption rate... Just sayin..

    What world do you live in where Joe-six-pack cares about his privacy?
    People can't even give up Facebook let alone something far more subtle and discrete like the Windows 10 fiasco.

    Yes, Joe Sixpack will install Linux, ... and then reinstall Windows when he realises that he can't run MS Office, or Photoshop Elements under Linux.

  41. Simple fix by p51d007 · · Score: 1

    Run a VM, and install and older OS...

  42. Re:You've written a better database engine? by Khyber · · Score: 1

    You have yet to prove SQLServer isn't shit.

    So, no, you fail.

    Try again when you've got a 30kB database that can parse billions of rows a second and a website that can render those results in microseconds (and show you all the associated porn with it, too!)

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  43. Re:You've written a better database engine? by Khyber · · Score: 1

    Oh, and so you know - said database is part of my GAME.

    A literal 2D Second Life where you can do ANYTHING.

    Try again when you understand that SQL Server is shit and better databases have existed well before SQLS ever did.

    SQL Server does not support MINUS, nor INTERSECT - what a shitty database.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  44. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by psyclone · · Score: 1

    If the .band files are audio-only, such as .aiff, then Audacity can play them. If they have MIDI files, you'll need to first export to wav/mp3/aiff/m4a/etc, then play them on anything.

    Here is a list of alternatives for composing on Linux.

  45. I have bad news for you by goombah99 · · Score: 1

    Long time windows hater here , use Macs and Linux, but I accidentally ended up with a windows PC a month ago. My first impression of it, with windows 8 installed, was oh my god, I heard that windows 8 was ten steps back, but I had no idea everyone was right. It was far less intuitive and usable than XP for example. But I decided to upgrade to windows 10 because I had read some good reviews but diehard mac users. From an out of the box factory recovery of windows 8 to an installed windows 10 was an 8 hour ordeal with a few cryptic steps one had to google along the way. It's truly mind boggling that that Microsoft can't figure out how it install a new OS in less than 8 hours. I was going as fast as one could go, the problem was not the dowload speed, that was instant comparitaively on my fast connection. It was that it had to do about 250 incremental and 2 major system updates before it would let you even request windows 10.

    Anyhow once I got windows 10 installed. I was expecting to hate it. I'm sort of upset that it's so good. It basically is very close to a well configured linux mint in look and feel. The start menus is back and those crazy pants tiles with tonnes of crap you never asked for are wrangled into a small corner of the start menu and trimmed down to just the things you use a lot. The best description of the OS is that it no longer gets in your way so it's more like every other OS now.

    It's still baffling in the directory layout and the mysteries of the registry. And since I have no idea how to use power shell I feel completely helpless; unistalls are inscrutable. And there's still the problem of crapware that burdens this. After you install Norton Utilities tries to trick you into installing it before revealing that it is payware. Within 2 weeks I got the entrire system trojaned with mal ware. I wasn't trying to do anything bad at all. I was trying to install an editor for minecraft mods and it came wrapped in something called openDownloader which just hosed my system. I told the windows 10 to revert it self, so I lost all my installs but at least got my computer back from the grave. What's meaningful about that ordeal is that it was the first time in my entire life that I got hit with malware. Iv'e certainly managed to download accidental malware on linux and mac, but it's always been possible for me to either inspect it enough to figure it out beofre the install or to install it under conditions (like not root or with a sandbox) that it was neutered or at the very least find every file that got touched. So malware has never been a problem for me before ever before I used a modern windows machine.

    So between the 8 hour ordrdeal and the instant rooting I'm not a fan on Microsoft design. But if you are a savy windows user, have an already updated computer (not a factor reinstall) then installation will be a snap, and you will love this operating system. It's so mac and linux mint like.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  46. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    I think Facebook and Windows 10 are different things here.

    I know what information I put on Facebook, so combine that with what people can get from my web searches and such and I can have some idea what privacy I'm getting up. Also, I get benefits from using Facebook, so it's a matter of balancing what level of privacy I want against how much I want to stay connected to certain friends and family. (For simplicity's sake, I assume that Facebook has no privacy settings, so anything I put on Facebook can be seen by anybody. I know it's not quite true, but it's close enough.)

    W10, as far as I know, has a EULA that says Microsoft can snoop on everything I do, and there's no reason to do that. Windows 7 does pretty much what I want in a Microsoft operating system, and doesn't do that snooping.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  47. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On User by lott11 · · Score: 1

    There is no since in bothering with most of the people, they are locked in there ways. It is senseless and futile trying to making then change, they will defend to the bitter end there point of view. Most of us that have seen the light will never make then change there ways, so do not bother. But for those that are tire of loosing there rights of freedom, I will give you some tools for audio & video production. This are few simple distributions that will cover audio and video production and all frequently needed software. My kids are studying audio&video production and graphics design. They use MS & OSX at the university, but they use live sticks when they are not at home. And I tell then the same thing, use Musix, KXStudio, AVLinux, this have all the tools that you are most likely to use & need. From editing audio tracks to music production and music scores, and as to VST plugins you can get everything that you would ever need. And as far of it being out dated software Ardour will keep update in audio plugins for a modest fee. And when I say modest fee I do not mean $200 it $5.00 a month, but it best explain other read some forums you will see. https://community.ardour.org/n... Granted Linux is not all in one fix for all that is wrong in this world, but one step at a time we will get there. And as for the privacy with MS & OSX that will never simply go a way, they will be forced to comply with big brother more and more. So it is you choice. All that most of us are saying is that you are making choices that will make a difference in the future. If you give all your rights now, you will not have any in the future. You will be the same slave that so call are fighting for in other countries. Freedom is a very lucid and limited thing, and I called a thing because it is almost none existent today. Every day you have given your right under the pretext of security. Well security was defined in the middle ages. I will protect you, so I will own you. So how well did that turn out, is that what you want for your future.

  48. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Three things:

    1) To my original point most people don't give a crap what they put on Facebook. Controlling the flow of information is something the general public do quite poorly. You may control it, but then you are also advocating not using Windows 10. This is quite a different mindset from the common person.

    2) The snooping in Windows 10 are sold as perceived features with perceived real benefits. e.g. sending your contact list to aid in voice recognition is something that people with smartphones have shown to be quite happy with, likewise sharing their location with a company so that search results include the location in the search context is also widely practiced. Reading through the setup on Windows 10 MS have justified every bit of data they collect in terms of features and customer experience.

    3) I hope you have been manually screening each and every update in Windows 7 otherwise you're no better off then firing up Windows 10 with every privacy invading feature enabled. Do a quick search and you'll find MS have rolled out about 10 updates to Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and even Server 2008 R2 and Server 2012.

  49. Undetectable by using steganography by Baki · · Score: 1

    They don't need to send that many data to identify you. It will be easy to pack with steganography into harmless looking logs etc.
    Even by variations in the contained timestamps they could encode information.

    If you don't have the source code, you'll never ever be able to detect this.

  50. Re:I proved YOU're shit... apk by Khyber · · Score: 1

    https://www.google.com/search?...

    Son you can't even keep track of what's happening NOW. Take your Windows 98 technology and go the fuck home.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.