Windows 10 Anniversary Update: the Best New Features (theverge.com)

Why do we continue to get erroneous reporting? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 03:23 · Score: 1

This would be the 2nd Major update since RTM for Windows 10, not the First.
The First was the Fall Update. It changed lots of things and broke powershell which still hasn't been fixed.

Re:Why do we continue to get erroneous reporting? by Provocateur · 2016-07-25 04:16 · Score: 1

Have there been any vast improvements to its telemetry, that China should pay extra attention to the "hidden features" or "update anniversary", and issue another official request to stop with all this nonsense when it should stick to the software business, and leave the spying to the "big boys".

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WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
Re:Why do we continue to get erroneous reporting? by Lanforod · 2016-07-25 04:21 · Score: 1

This would be the 2nd Major update since RTM for Windows 10, not the First. The First was the Fall Update. It changed lots of things and broke powershell which still hasn't been fixed.
Powershell works fine. I think something is broken on your build.
Re:Why do we continue to get erroneous reporting? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 06:45 · Score: 1

Cortana irreparably breaking would be a feature !
Re:Why do we continue to get erroneous reporting? by Jeremiah+Cornelius · 2016-07-25 11:04 · Score: 4, Funny

WINDOWS: 10
Users: ZERO

--
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."

Basically... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 03:25 · Score: 5, Insightful

Basically, there's still nothing in it for us workstation/desktop users, it's all about mobile and apps. I'm definitely staying on Windows 7.

Re: Basically... by BarbaraHudson · 2016-07-25 03:42 · Score: 2, Insightful

Windows Ink big deal. Why do I need that when I can just talk to my phone?
The problem is that Microsoft is trying to Horn in on the market it doesn't have but that's already taken over by the smartphones.

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"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re:Basically... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 05:31 · Score: 1

Same here, we're going to keep rolling out Windows 7 until hardware/driver support from Dell drops off, or applications we need stop supporting it.
When that day does arrive, no big deal since our company is 90% Mac now. We're a software dev, and thats what the software nerds like to use, so that's what we buy them. For which I have no complaint as Macs are much easier to manage.
Re:Basically... by chaosmind · 2016-07-25 07:26 · Score: 3, Insightful

Bash.... my all-time favorite piece of software, is coming to Windows 10 (which I am forced to use at work). This is cause to rejoice!
Re:Basically... by tehlinux · 2016-07-25 09:39 · Score: 1

Now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!

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Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!
Re:Basically... by exomondo · 2016-07-25 11:56 · Score: 2

Basically, there's still nothing in it for us workstation/desktop users, it's all about mobile and apps. I'm definitely staying on Windows 7.
What is it you want? Personally I don't think there's much else I need in the OS for workstation tasks and frankly my day to day experience using Windows 10 is pretty much the same as Windows 7, but then again I'm not an IT guy spending time fixing and configuring the OS. The improvements of interest to me there are the DPI scaling for multiple monitors and Bash in Windows (mainly because I work mostly on Linux and OSX so having a common shell is nice).
Re:Basically... by shutdown+-p+now · 2016-07-25 12:36 · Score: 2

Windows Subsystem for Linux (aka "Bash for Windows", but that's a horrible misnomer IMO) is a big deal for power users.
Re: Basically... by Miamicanes · 2016-07-25 14:38 · Score: 3, Insightful

> What is it you want
1. A Start menu that isn't the nemesis of anyone who has ADHD who gets easily distracted.
2. A start menu that works like Windows 7's. I'm not a Luddite. If Microsoft came up with a genuinely better idea, I'd use it happily. Windows 10's start menu is an unambiguous step downward from Windows 7's. And it's butt-ugly, too.
3. I want Microsoft to quit crippling desktop apps and making them ugly for the benefit of tablets and phones that statistically, nobody even owns or wants anyway. I want Ubuntu to quit doing it, too, btw. At least with Ubuntu, Unity can be ignored and replaced.
4. I want the ability and right to decline future updates. Microsoft wants to make sure we can never again snub a future fuckup like Windows 8 and turn our backs on it. Sure, it's only a matter of time until openwrt adds an option to block windows update... But it's also only a matter of time until Microsoft has Windows deactivate itself if its attempts to download updates get frustrated too many times.
5. I want Aero Glass back, dammit. I paid $400 extra to get a discrete Quadro 3-D graphics card for my laptop just so I could enjoy Aero Glass in all its hardware-accelerated splendor. I really like it. Yes, I know we can (temporarily) re-enable it by copying dll files from Windows 7, but how long until Microsoft takes that away, too (see point 4)
6. I want Windows Media Center with full CableLabs-certified support for DVR'ing cablecard content flagged COPY_ONCE... Just like Windows 7 has.
Did I miss anything?
Re: Basically... by exomondo · 2016-07-25 15:01 · Score: 2

1. A Start menu that isn't the nemesis of anyone who has ADHD who gets easily distracted.
2. A start menu that works like Windows 7's. I'm not a Luddite. If Microsoft came up with a genuinely better idea, I'd use it happily. Windows 10's start menu is an unambiguous step downward from Windows 7's. And it's butt-ugly, too.
If you don't like the built in one then use a custom shell. This is what we have been doing on Linux for as long as we have had desktop linux and even for many years on Windows with custom shells, sadly this concept of customizing the default system is lost on most Windows users.

3. I want Microsoft to quit crippling desktop apps and making them ugly for the benefit of tablets and phones that statistically, nobody even owns or wants anyway.
What desktop apps are you talking about? The key desktop apps I use: Visual Studio, 3ds max & Photoshop look the same on 10 as they did on 7.

At least with Ubuntu, Unity can be ignored and replaced.
You've always been able to replace the shell on Windows too, it's just that for the most part nobody cared enough to do it.

5. I want Aero Glass back, dammit. I paid $400 extra to get a discrete Quadro 3-D graphics card for my laptop just so I could enjoy Aero Glass in all its hardware-accelerated splendor.
Each to their own but I'm glad they finally got rid of that, it was mostly hated when it came out too.

6. I want Windows Media Center with full CableLabs-certified support for DVR'ing cablecard content flagged COPY_ONCE... Just like Windows 7 has.
That's not really an operating system thing and was pretty limited in its audience even in the US so I can see why they dropped it.
Re: Basically... by treczoks · 2016-07-25 18:57 · Score: 1

Yes, there is one (well, at least one).
I installed Win10 on one of our PCs and noticed a big step backward from 8.1. We had the "Family Safety" installed to limit our kids access time. After the installation I was looking for the settings to see whether they have been ported correctly and learned a) There is no local Family Safety feature anymore, b) it is only available if both the parents and the kids have Microsoft accounts, c) even then, features like "give them another 15 minutes to finish that level" are gone (you can give them additional time, but you have to login to Microsoft for that, and if you forget to take this back later, the addition is permanent, because you can only change the daily total time), and d) the kids can easily use the local account instead to simply disable all limitations.
A typical Microsoft fuckup.
Re:Basically... by Billly+Gates · 2016-07-26 01:46 · Score: 1

I disagree. Yes it is popular to hate the OS as satan here on slashdot.
Windows 10 anniversary over 7 has:
1. Much better battery life for laptops and not just portables
2. Native wifi and NFC printing
3. Native USB 3 and USB type C drivers
4. Stable NVMe (7 is backported with 3rd party drivers that are buggy)
5. Hyper-V (A Must for any IT professional!). Yes you can run native Ubuntu and Fedora with a generation 2 VM
6. Better JavaScript performance (in Chrome)
7. Cloud integration with azure with Azure Active Directory. Some businesses prefer this model over having an expensive IT department
8. Ink works well on MS surface and hybrids for OneNote and Sticky Notes. I own a Surface Pro 3 and yes it is a work tool for me that is ultra portable
You could not pay me to go back on Windows 7. The only good thing I have to say about Windows 7 is it is very stable and has a consistent gorgeous UI with aero. But like XP it is showing it's age with 3rd party drivers that do not work well, terrible battery life, and it does not work as well with modern hardware.

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http://saveie6.com/
Re: Basically... by david_thornley · 2016-07-26 06:01 · Score: 1

7. I fired up Minesweeper, and it gave me this full-screen version that said it would disable advertising for a small fee. It's not as important as the privacy settings (which I don't trust anyway), but it annoyed me.

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"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re: Basically... by Miamicanes · 2016-07-26 07:09 · Score: 1

You can coax Windows 10 into letting you install and run Windows Media Center, but everything DRM-related is broken under Windows 10. So no DVR'ed HBO (or other channels, depending on how aggressively the cable company sets COPY_ONCE flags... some, like BrightHouse in Central Florida, flag fucking EVERYTHING, including local channels that are free with an antenna).
The biggest problem with Windows Media Center 7 is the fact that it had few compelling uses until the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime (HDHR3-CC) came out around 2012 and FINALLY made it possible to use WMC as a DVR for cablecard-protected cable content like HBO. By the time many of its current biggest fans and most hardcore users even realized that it EXISTED, it was technically an abandoned legacy product. As a direct result of the HDHR Prime, WMC has the distinction of being literally the ONLY way to own a DVR without monthly guide subscription fees that's compatible with channels like HBO.
Personally, I think SiliconDust was slightly crazy for deciding to try and roll their own Linux-based replacement for WMC, instead of just buying the sourcecode and rights to WMC from Microsoft (kind of like the way Citrix did with Windows NT 3) and taking over its development. It would have been a win-win for both of them... SiliconDust would have had the DRM engine that already works perfectly ready to go, and Microsoft could have sold more xbox 360 and xbox one systems to people buying them almost entirely to use as DRM-compatible Media Center Extenders. At the very least, SiliconDust should have solved the DRM problem (the one problem that I, as a consumer, am utterly powerless to solve on my own) FIRST and gotten it to work as a bunch of scriptable commandline apps without a real UI, and THEN worried about assembling it into a consumer-friendly DVR app, instead of spending 2 years developing a product that's still behind Kodi, and has no hope of supporting DRM'ed cablecard shows anytime soon. Microsoft was able to somewhat bully CableLabs into playing nicely with them. SiliconDust doesn't have that kind of power, and by all appearances it looks like CableLabs is doing its best to wear them down and deflect them as long as possible (because CableLabs is owned by Cable companies, and exists solely to further THEIR agenda... like forcing customers to pay $15+ per month in perpetuity for a DVR, instead of being able to buy one and show the cable company their middle finger).
Re: Basically... by exomondo · 2016-07-26 10:53 · Score: 1

Sure they may 'look' the same, (though flattened UI), but in many apps the manner in which you use the mouse is now adjusted to treat it like your finger.

Certainly nothing I use, can you give examples?

Heck, some desktops you must literally orient your monitor in portrait to accommodate a program's UI.
Really? What are some examples of this?
Re: Basically... by BarbaraHudson · 2016-07-26 12:19 · Score: 1

If you're taking notes during a lecture, you're doing it wrong. You should be paying attention, not pretending to be a stenographer. If you don't completely understand something, don't STFU - ASK FOR CLARIFICATION - because you can be sure everyone else busy taking crappy notes isn't going to understand it either.
You can also do like Adobe does - make a video so you can review whatever you f*cked up on. Just don't waste your time taking notes. At what it costs for an education, both in time and money, you can't afford to be a note-taker.

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re: Basically... by BarbaraHudson · 2016-07-27 03:19 · Score: 1

I have yet to see any of those avid note-takers actually learning while taking notes. If they were learning the stuff, they wouldn't NEED the notes, duh!

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re: Basically... by Darinbob · 2016-07-27 07:39 · Score: 2

It's been shown that writing something down helps you remember it more. If you just listen then you've probably forgotten most of it by the time the lecture is over.
And that's writing it down, which meant pen and paper most likely, not sure how it compares to typing it in. As for stylus, sheesh, stop being so elite and get a friggin pad of paper. College is expensive enough without getting the latest conspicuous consumption toy.
Re:Basically... by ilsaloving · 2016-07-27 07:56 · Score: 1

Oh god damn it...
And here I was, smugly sitting in my chair thinking that I will never ever have a need for Windows 10, and then they have to go and add a full Ubuntu kernel as a subsystem.
The question is, are the power user features they are throwing in worth the price of admission? (ie: all the privacy invasion and generally taking control of the computer away from me). Right now I'm still having to lean towards "no".
Re: Basically... by BarbaraHudson · 2016-07-27 08:05 · Score: 1

Or maybe you're the one suffering from confirmation bias, because you never tried anything different. I've tried both, and note taking is a poor substitute to active learning.

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"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re:Basically... by shutdown+-p+now · 2016-07-27 08:11 · Score: 1

and then they have to go and add a full Ubuntu kernel as a subsystem.
There's no Ubuntu kernel there. It's the other way around - the kernel is still NT, with a Linux syscall emulation layer. The userland is full Ubuntu sans the kernel.
All in all, very similar to FreeBSD Linux emulation that has been around for a while in principle, if not in low-level architecture.
Re:Basically... by ilsaloving · 2016-07-27 08:35 · Score: 1

Ah, ok. Thank you for the clarification.
Re: Basically... by joemck · 2016-07-27 11:03 · Score: 1

You can get back the Windows 7 games pretty easily. The only thing preventing the same EXEs from working on 10 is an OS version check that was probably originally intended to keep people from running them on Vista or XP. WinAero has made a package of modified EXEs: http://winaero.com/blog/get-wi...
Re: Basically... by exomondo · 2016-07-27 11:04 · Score: 1

note taking is a poor substitute to active learning.
Are you suggesting that is a fact and applies to everybody in all cases?
Re: Basically... by BarbaraHudson · 2016-07-27 14:25 · Score: 1

Fuck, do you have ANY common sense? ANY? Or are you just being obstinate for the sake of being obstinate? There are NO studies showing that note-taking is better than actually doing. Until you can prove otherwise, go be a pedantic troll somewhere else.

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re: Basically... by exomondo · 2016-07-27 18:17 · Score: 1

Yes. Prove otherwise.
Well you're the one making the claim, you prove it.

Do you really want a surgeon working on you who spent their time sitting in class taking notes?
What surgeons are there that didn't take any notes in class?

Or hiring a truck driver who can quote all the rules of the road and safety regs but has never actually driven a truck?
Nobody ever suggested such a scenario. How exactly do you come to the conclusion that just because somebody takes notes they have never done any practical learning? That was not written nor implied anywhere yet that's what you got from it. Perhaps you need to write down your interpretation of what I wrote because clearly you didn't understand it.

Or a short-order cook who learned everything by watching The Chew instead of doing practical chemistry experiments with food in the kitchen?
Again, not a scenario anybody suggested.

If you've learned it, you don't need the notes. If you need the notes, you've learned nothing of use.
It's more the process of writing it down in your own interpretation of what was said, something you would very obviously benefit from.
Re: Basically... by BarbaraHudson · 2016-07-28 03:54 · Score: 1

You can't say it works well unless you compare it to something else. Otherwise, "taking a shit" works well for learning.

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"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re: Basically... by BarbaraHudson · 2016-07-28 03:56 · Score: 1

The original claim was that note-taking works. Prove your original claim.

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"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re: Basically... by exomondo · 2016-07-28 10:59 · Score: 1

The original claim was that note-taking works. Prove your original claim.
Again you fail to read. I didn't make the that claim, in fact I didn't make any claim at all so I'm not sure what you think "my original claim" is or what you are asking me to prove. I only questioned whether you believe the outcome of your experience is applicable to everybody, and if so obviously the follow up question would have been why.
Re:Basically... by Joce640k · 2016-07-29 09:22 · Score: 1

Yep. I was shocked, SHOCKED the first time I made my macbook do some work. The whistling, whooshing noise is unbelievable. Vacuum cleaner doesn't begin to describe it.
Good decision by Apple to not have any holes in the case (that would spoil the design!) and to force all the air through a tiny little hole under the screen. Not.

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No sig today...
Re: Basically... by Wdomburg · 2016-08-02 06:00 · Score: 1

You mean tablet sales which are showing explosive growth, right?
http://www.businessinsider.com...
http://betanews.com/2016/03/08...

Best new feature.... by thundercattt · 2016-07-25 03:26 · Score: 5, Funny

It rolls back to Windows 7. The villagers rejoice

Re:Best new feature.... by kruug · 2016-07-25 04:18 · Score: 1

And tech support weeps.

Slashvertisements by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-25 03:27 · Score: 3, Insightful

"Going by the reviews, it appears Windows 10 Anniversary Update is substantially more stable"

How the hell can you judge an OS's stability before it's even out?

Re:Slashvertisements by b0bby · 2016-07-25 03:37 · Score: 3, Informative

Agreed; and since both Windows 7 and 10 are already pretty darn stable, it's hard to imagine how they could make it substantially more so in a way anyone could notice.
Re:Slashvertisements by cdrudge · 2016-07-25 03:45 · Score: 1

It didn't crash multiple times during the installation like Windows 10 did for my 5 year old Intel mobo PC.
Re:Slashvertisements by AmiMoJo · 2016-07-25 04:02 · Score: 2

Windows 8.1 is my current favourite. 7 is getting a bit long in the tooth now, and 8.1 has some nice security enhancements. Bitlocker with SSD self-encryption is really nice too, no performance loss and pretty good security. 8.1 also handles monitors with different DPIs and apps that don't support DPI settings much better.
With Classic Start Menu installed it's my new default choice.

--
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Re:Slashvertisements by MachineShedFred · 2016-07-25 04:26 · Score: 1

Because clearly Slashdot is a good sample of reality.
No wait, it's the opposite of that.

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Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
Re:Slashvertisements by bluefoxlucid · 2016-07-25 04:40 · Score: 2

A few tens of thousands of users have been using it for a few months now.

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Re:Slashvertisements by nairnr · 2016-07-25 06:56 · Score: 1

There is something called the Windows Insider Preview which gives you access to interim builds that will eventually become the official releases. That is where new features are released and tested before it ever hits the public.
Re:Slashvertisements by epyT-R · 2016-07-25 07:57 · Score: 1

Name a kernel that isn't buggy. ..and yes that is precisely what Bitlocker, dmcrypt, truecrypt were meant to do. They don't protect data while the volume is mounted. They provide access. The real question is whether bitlocker (and possibly the others) is backdoored, perhaps through broken crypto or clandestine duplication of keys.
Re:Slashvertisements by MightyMartian · 2016-07-25 09:10 · Score: 1

There seems at the moment about a 1 in 3 to 1 in 4 chance of Trump actually being elected. While he's showing better performance than expected in some states, it still seems that Hillary has the advantage. But there's a helluva lot of time until November, and who knows, maybe Trump will finally start acting like someone who wants to be President, as opposed to someone who wants to mount the most expensive comedy routine in history.

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The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Re:Slashvertisements by MightyMartian · 2016-07-25 09:11 · Score: 1

If you think the US is a fascist country, then you have no idea what fascism is.

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The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Re:Slashvertisements by espenskaufel · 2016-07-25 09:43 · Score: 1

Unless you are protecting your data from the CIA I bet you are safe. Plenty of people have tried to crack the probably most used disk encryption in the world. And I bet most of them would love to get the fame with being the first to do so.
Re:Slashvertisements by MightyMartian · 2016-07-25 10:17 · Score: 1

Bernie Sanders isn't a Communist, and if you think he is, you have no idea what Communism is.
Here's a hint, actually read the Communist Manifesto.

--
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Re:Slashvertisements by epyT-R · 2016-07-25 10:37 · Score: 1

Nope. They'd rather keep it to themselves and use it.
Re:Slashvertisements by dbIII · 2016-07-25 13:23 · Score: 1

8.1 has some nice security enhancements
It's still incredibly malware prone so IMHO not nice enough to justify and upgrade to an almost unusable UI. I can use the UI but a lot of people come to me who can't without going through a frustratingly annoying learning curve.
Re:Slashvertisements by treczoks · 2016-07-25 19:07 · Score: 1

const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
So? I've got a "#define APU_CONST_ONE (0x01000000)" in my code, and it is perfectly OK (for a fixed point arithmetic number).
Re:Slashvertisements by AmiMoJo · 2016-07-25 20:03 · Score: 1

This. The exact implementation details depend on both Windows and the SSD firmware, but practically no-one has ever publicly defeated either except via the well known cold boot attack. Realstically, unless your enemy is the NSA/GCHQ/MI5 kinda level it's more than good enough.
Since there is no performance penalty, it's at the point where you would be crazy not to enable it, even if you then added software encryption on top.

--
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Re:Slashvertisements by david_thornley · 2016-07-26 06:03 · Score: 1

I figure that, if the NSA really wants my data, they'll get it. They're not among the threats I consider when deciding on security measures.

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"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re:Slashvertisements by toddestan · 2016-07-30 04:27 · Score: 1

Windows 8.1 also seems faster, more responsive, and more stable than Windows 7. I turned down the free Windows 10 upgrade on my main desktop, but kind of wish I had grabbed the Windows 8 upgrade back when it was $10.

"Substantially more stable" is a feature?!?! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 03:30 · Score: 3, Insightful

Public beta testing has never been more blatant.

Re:"Substantially more stable" is a feature?!?! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 03:37 · Score: 1

My 31 year old C64 has never crashed (and still works (and substantially more interesting)).
Re:"Substantially more stable" is a feature?!?! by LesFerg · 2016-07-25 13:25 · Score: 1

Mine often blue screens if I let it go to sleep then expect it to wake up and be usable.
Really should disable the sleep mode I guess, win 10 just doesn't seem to do it right.

--
If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.

Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by ICantFindADecentNick · 2016-07-25 03:32 · Score: 5, Insightful

Automatic timezone, Dark theme. Whoopy do. Sounds like the bottom of the features barrel being scraped to make items for the story. I'm still sticking with Win7. My laptop doesn't need to be confused with a phone - and I don't want all of the telemetry/spyware.

Slashdot Commenter by Merk42 · 2016-07-25 03:37 · Score: 5, Funny

I didn't read the summary, but It's Microsoft, and therefore bad.
Now everyone pat me on the pack because of my wit with +5 Insightful.

But it's still Windows 10 by Thud457 · 2016-07-25 03:37 · Score: 1, Insightful

so it's still a mobile UI forced onto a workstation OS?
No thanks.

--

the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Re:But it's still Windows 10 by ljw1004 · 2016-07-25 04:43 · Score: 3, Insightful

so it's still a mobile UI forced onto a workstation OS? No thanks.
Yeah, nothing quite says "mobile UI" like a bash command prompt...
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by ihtoit · 2016-07-25 05:17 · Score: 2

So much this. I was a bit pensive with Win7, but seeing the taskbar and quicklaunch integrated made it soooo slick... like what OSX has had since FOREVER... changed the theme to 2K and went full performance rather than choke my laptop up with pretties (I want my databases to respond YESTERDAY). I have a Beryl desktop on a Linux VM which is what I have going when I'm not doing the ironing with the machine. Kicks arse out of Aero.

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Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by iampiti · 2016-07-25 07:47 · Score: 2

Yeah, I'd like that too and I guess technically ir'd be pretty easy but Ms won't do it because they want a single UI for everyone and every device.
It royally annoys me when something is technically possible but is blocked by other reasons.
I don't know how good it's for touch but for mouse and keyboard the new UI is mediocre, it's got too much whitespace. I also hate the new mobile-style default apps
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by epyT-R · 2016-07-25 08:43 · Score: 2

Except that he's actually correct.
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by unixisc · 2016-07-25 11:53 · Score: 1

No, he's not. Windows 10 has a Tablet mode that lets you use it like Windows 8 was originally meant to be used. But if one wants the pullup start menu, one can flip it to desktop mode. Even better - one can download Classic Shell if one doesn't like the too big or too small icons (I don't) and one gets to make it look just like XP/7/Vista or even 8 desktop. What the GP posted was dated info about 8, not 10
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by LesFerg · 2016-07-25 13:45 · Score: 1

so it's still a mobile UI forced onto a workstation OS?
In regular day-to-day use there is not very much different than win 7, altho the file explorer has been improved. I could be a little biased cos mostly I use Chrome and Steam on my desktop, tho I do occasionally use visual studio as well. A bunch of icons on the taskbar give me much the same set of tools which I use at work on win 7, so I don't rely on the win 10 start menu all the much, but it still isn't hugely different than a number of different interfaces I have used on Linux window managers, so didn't make me squeal and hide my head like some around here suggest.

--
If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
Re: But it's still Windows 10 by Miamicanes · 2016-07-25 14:45 · Score: 1

Is Beryl a separate project again, or are you just using a 9 year old distro? I thought Beryl ceased to exist as a separate project after it merged into Compiz sometime around 2007...
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by LightNecromancer · 2016-07-25 22:41 · Score: 1

Sounds like you're in need of a server OS, not a desktop OS...
Re: But it's still Windows 10 by ihtoit · 2016-07-26 08:41 · Score: 1

the second one. I found no need to upgrade as what I have does what I want it to do, and does it well.

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Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by epyT-R · 2016-07-26 12:39 · Score: 1

It is still very valid. They are in the middle of grafting the old interface onto the 'modernUI'. Why they considered the half assed completion of this as 'release ready' is beyond me. The modernUI replacements (start menu, control panels, utilities) are still inferior to the originals. The modernUI doesn't work as well for desktop (eg: start menu, multi-display management, calculator) and takes ridiculous amounts of screen real estate. The changes from xp to vista/7 were bad enough, but this is worse.
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by LesFerg · 2016-07-26 19:24 · Score: 1

Even more ironically, when my wife's tablet got upgraded to windows 10, she needed to switch it to tablet mode because it defaulted to desktop mode.

--
If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
Re:But it's still Windows 10 by Misagon · 2016-07-27 07:42 · Score: 1

Except that it does not work well as a touch-oriented mobile UI either.
The first time you need to do something remotely advanced it launches a dialog designed for mouse and keyboard, where everything is very small and hard to tap.
Let's say that you want to do something as basic as open a file in the touch-oriented Reader app, then you are forced to use the regular mouse-and-keyboard oriented file dialog.
Need to disable background downloading on the very limited hotel Wifi or Wifi from a tethered phone? Then you need to get into the mouse-and-keyboard oriented Control Panel.
Move or copy a file? The regular file manager. Good luck trying to select more than one file at once: there are gestures for it, but the gesture recognition is very finicky.
Try to tap a link in the web browser? No, half the times Edge thinks that you want to highlight a word in the link.
And so on ...
If my tablet did not stylus support, it would have driven me crazy.
And oh yes.. You'd better not have a high-DPI screen because apps to be written for it if the UI is not going to be minuscule.

--
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley

Interesting ... but not things I use much by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 03:37 · Score: 4, Insightful

Going from what's mentioned in the summary...

Ink - no touch screen
Edge - I don't use either it or Chrome
Cortana - I only use it in my Windows Phone which is stuck at 8.1 (and probably better for it); aggressively disabled in the laptop
Dark Theme - why revert to the b/w TV look of my original Radio Shack Model 1?
Auto Time Zone Setting - requires Location Services, which I have disabled for privacy reasons except on the phone
Windows Hello - don't have a fingerprint sensor, and keep the camera off/covered
Xbox - don't have one
BASH - interesting, but if I want Linux I'll get Linux (it's in a VirtualBox for now)
Project to PC - how is this different from Remote Access, which I normally block for privacy/security reasons?
New Skype - I never used the old one, and since it no longer supports any Windows but 10 why bother (phone is 8.1)?
Phone/PC Sync - works fine now using BT or cable; which lily are they gilding?

No mention of whether they've fixed the massive latency issues that forced me to roll back the desktop used for sound editing to Win7.

I'll get it automagically (if it doesn't just crash things) in the laptops, but based on this list it doesn't look like it'll be an improvement, though maybe not any worse. Will probably have to spend a day ferreting out the new and reset privacy settings, though. Meh?

Re:Interesting ... but not things I use much by iampiti · 2016-07-25 07:42 · Score: 2

Dark Theme? How about a Windows 7 theme. That's one that I'd use.
I don't know how integrated with the OS this Bash is but you can already get Bash for Windows from Mingw-w64 and others.
Re:Interesting ... but not things I use much by dargaud · 2016-07-25 08:21 · Score: 2, Interesting
100% behind you. Did they add what I actually need ?
- - readable fonts. The current font aliasing is horrible, horrible, horrible. Yes, they provide ways to tweak it, but it's useless gobshite. Even external tweakers can't seem to make them less fuzzy and more readable.
- - a Win2K theme. WinXP if you want to go extra fancy (not me).
- - a file explorer window without all the extra shit of 'anything goes' as virtual folders. And with proper indentation of trees, not just 2 pixels. And lines.
- - actual buttons where there is something to press. Grey on grey without border doesn't fucking count. I have to click at random on your stupid shit of a user interface to figure out where the buttons are and where the comments are yah fucking cunts.
- - a single button (or a single page) to disable all the spy stuff, instead of having to find 2 page-long list on forums and downloads utility progs to do it for me.
- - give us an option to get rid of all the ribbons and replace them with old-style menus with accelerator keys, it saves a lot of vertical real estate and your icons look like shit. If I wanted to have stupid looking icons everywhere instead of plain text, I'd learn chinese (no offence to the chinese).
Yes, I hate it. All the good stuff has been replaced with wastes of time and ugly shit. If I hate it so much, why do I use it ? It's in a VM under Linux for the 3 windows programs I still need to use.
--
Non-Linux Penguins ?
Re:Interesting ... but not things I use much by espenskaufel · 2016-07-25 09:51 · Score: 1

Mingw-w64 is bash rewritten for windows. The new feature allows Windows 10 to interpret Linux syscalls.
Re:Interesting ... but not things I use much by espenskaufel · 2016-07-25 09:58 · Score: 1

If only the remade windows to sit on top of dos... that would be something wouldn't it? Seriously. a win2k theme? you are joking right? http://www.betaarchive.com/ima...
Re:Interesting ... but not things I use much by treczoks · 2016-07-25 19:14 · Score: 1

actual buttons where there is something to press. Grey on grey without border doesn't fucking count. I have to click at random on your stupid shit of a user interface to figure out where the buttons are and where the comments are yah fucking cunts.
Yep. They totally forgot their own rules here, and the number one rule when it comes to UIs: What does a UI and a joke have in common? - If you have to explain it, it missed the point.
Re:Interesting ... but not things I use much by joemck · 2016-07-27 11:16 · Score: 1

There's a lot to be said about that theme. You can customize freaking everything about it, every color it uses, the width and font of every element. Today you get what, one color choice and maybe an option to change one font. Anything more and you need difficult-to-create themes and hacked theme DLLs.

BASH by Spock151 · 2016-07-25 03:41 · Score: 5, Funny

This is Slashdot.. The best and "only" new feature is BASH.. Who cares about the rest...

Re:BASH by bigdady92 · 2016-07-25 03:52 · Score: 2

Wish I had mod points to give this +5 ALLIGIVEASHITABOUT

--
Wheel of Time: Book by Book and Sumview (summary review) Bigdady92 style: http://bigdady92.blogspot.com/
Re:BASH by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-25 04:07 · Score: 1

This is Slashdot.. The best and "only" new feature is BASH.. Who cares about the rest...
In all seriousness, please tell me what good BASH is if you don't have the rest of the Unix/Linux underpinnings, like OS X/macOS does, to make it all work?
This. The reason they designed PowerShell in the first place is because all of the binary registries and what not in Windows can't be processed through the classic Unix tools. Putting bash directly into the OS doesn't seem to be very useful.
Re:BASH by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 04:10 · Score: 5, Insightful

The description is terrible. It's not bash; it's the ability to execute Linux binaries natively (one of which happens to be bash) as an NT subsystem. So you can run basically any Linux binary and it includes a complete Ubuntu (for whatever reason) userland.
Re:BASH by thegarbz · 2016-07-25 04:27 · Score: 5, Informative

Windows now runs Linux binaries. Just install the damn underpinnings if you want to. Nothing's stopping you. You can run an entire Linux DE now naively under Windows which is effectively the most complicated desktop application your computer's likely to execute.
If you don't understand the significance of this then it's not Microsoft's problem.
Re:BASH by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 04:30 · Score: 1

Perhaps because it's not just bash - it's "Windows Services for Linux" (kinda like reverse wine), and that layer lets you put ubuntu userland on top.
So significantly more than just bash, in fact it is a big chunk of "the rest of the Unix/Linux underpinnings".
Re:BASH by Calydor · 2016-07-25 04:35 · Score: 1

Obviously BASH stands for Big Ass Systemd Host.

--
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
Re:BASH by bluefoxlucid · 2016-07-25 04:48 · Score: 1

I'm waiting either for Microsoft to add cgroups to the Linux subsystem or for Docker to add a call to Windows Container Services and create a Linux Services for Windows installation within that, thus allowing Linux Docker containers in Windows.

--
Support my political activism on Patreon.
Re:BASH by macs4all · 2016-07-25 05:10 · Score: 1

The description is terrible. It's not bash; it's the ability to execute Linux binaries natively (one of which happens to be bash) as an NT subsystem. So you can run basically any Linux binary and it includes a complete Ubuntu (for whatever reason) userland.
So, they just glued an ENTIRE Linux Distro inside of Windows? Do they "know" about each other? Who uses what FileSystem? Is there a Hypervisor using Hyper-V (f/k/a Virtual PC), or is it just a parallel set of APIs? Who's on top? How are Events and I/O Arbitrated?
Re:BASH by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 05:22 · Score: 1

It's like WINE; they've basically implemented the Linux API on top of the Windows API. They've done this because they don't want all the people deploying Linux apps to the cloud for production to move to use Linux desktops for development.
Re:BASH by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 05:34 · Score: 2, Interesting

Windows now runs Linux binaries.
Wait, so now I can run wine inside windows? That would probably solve most incompatibility problems for windows applications. :-)
Re:BASH by garethjrowlands · 2016-07-25 05:34 · Score: 1

Given that it's kernel-mode support providing (a large subset of) the Linux kernel interface, it's not *entirely* like WINE. You're right that it's for devs though.
Re:BASH by thegarbz · 2016-07-25 06:28 · Score: 2

Don't worry systemd will be ported to Windows soon.
Re:BASH by thegarbz · 2016-07-25 06:28 · Score: 1

It's cross platform execution all the way down.
Re:BASH by nmb3000 · 2016-07-25 06:33 · Score: 1

Windows now runs Linux binaries.
Hopefully it works better than last time.

You can run an entire Linux DE now naively under Windows
Well, according to Wikipedia, the new Windows Subsystem for Linux cannot run graphical applications. I guess you can get around this by running a separate X server for Windows. I used Cygwin's X server years ago with good results but it looks like some people have had trouble getting more complicated applications to work.
On the bright side, maybe this means we can finally install systemd on Windows 10! One can only imagine what their combined powers are capable of.

--
"What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
/)
Re:BASH by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · 2016-07-25 06:44 · Score: 1

For most of the lacking functionality you could probably drop in GNU WIN and be good.

--
Time to offend someone
Re:BASH by thegarbz · 2016-07-25 09:30 · Score: 2

As reliable as wikipedia is there's instructions on how to get Ubuntu's Unity to run full desktop apps under Windows 10 and a working preview was discussed here a few weeks ago.
Re:BASH by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 10:16 · Score: 1

So, they just glued an ENTIRE Linux Distro inside of Windows?
Sort of, yes, although I suspect it's an optional component. However, it's a Linux USERLAND, without the Linux Kernel
Do they "know" about each other?
Yes.
Who uses what FileSystem?
There is only one file system. Usually, NTFS.
Is there a Hypervisor using Hyper-V (f/k/a Virtual PC), or is it just a parallel set of APIs?
Parallel API/ABI (singular.) It's a subsytem that emulates the LInux Kernel ABI (well, SYSCALL ABI call). (So, a linux binary on Windows still needs glibc etc; but glibc instead of glibc calling into a true Linux kernel, it calls into the subsystem that emulates the linux kernel ABI using the NT Kernel API(s). It, however, doesn't know about this and thinks it's just calling into a normal Linux kernel.)
Who's on top?
NT (technically, Win32 is a subsystem that runs 'underneath' the NT kernel. This new subsystem runs alongside Win32).
How are Events and I/O Arbitrated?
NT kernel still manages all this.
Re:BASH by painandgreed · 2016-07-25 11:19 · Score: 1

Don't worry systemd will be ported to Windows soon.
Ported to? Where do you think it was ported from?
Re:BASH by shutdown+-p+now · 2016-07-25 13:04 · Score: 3, Informative

It's effectively a Linux syscall emulation layer + ELF loader, and Ubuntu running on top of that.
So kernelspace is entirely Windows (including drivers, filesystem support etc), but it presents Linux kernel ABI to the userspace. So userspace is just regular Linux. So there's no special "knowledge" between the two parts, aside from the ABI.
Filesystem is effectively shared, with a mapping system in place (Linux "partition" is in reality just an NTFS folder, while Windows drive letters are exposed as mount points in Linux).
Because the implementation sits directly on top of the NT kernel, side-by-side with Win32 (and not on top of it, like Cygwin does), it can efficiently provide proper semantics for things like fork().
Re:BASH by shutdown+-p+now · 2016-07-25 13:05 · Score: 2

You should be able to, yes. Running GUI apps is still a bit of a hassle right now, since the emulation layer doesn't extend to graphics drivers and X. But you can run an X server for Windows (e.g. Xming), and tell your Linux apps to use that.
Re:BASH by shutdown+-p+now · 2016-07-25 13:09 · Score: 1

The problem with SFU was that it implemented some sort of a generic Unix system - it wasn't Linux, or BSD, or anything else specifically, just something POSIX'ish. So it only had source-level compatibility, not binaries - you had to recompile - and then compatibility only extended to those Unix and POSIX APIs that SFU implemented.
SFL, on the other hand, implements Linux kernel ABI (syscalls and device nodes). Which then allows to just put glibc on top of that, and getting full compatibility with userspace Linux APIs for free; your choice of distro (though only Ubuntu is officially supported).
Since it emulates an actual OS, and does so on binary level, this is much, much more useful than SFU ever was.
Re:BASH by macs4all · 2016-07-25 13:30 · Score: 1

It's effectively a Linux syscall emulation layer + ELF loader, and Ubuntu running on top of that.
So kernelspace is entirely Windows (including drivers, filesystem support etc), but it presents Linux kernel ABI to the userspace. So userspace is just regular Linux. So there's no special "knowledge" between the two parts, aside from the ABI.
Filesystem is effectively shared, with a mapping system in place (Linux "partition" is in reality just an NTFS folder, while Windows drive letters are exposed as mount points in Linux).
Because the implementation sits directly on top of the NT kernel, side-by-side with Win32 (and not on top of it, like Cygwin does), it can efficiently provide proper semantics for things like fork().
So all of Windows' issues with questionable benefit to the Linux Dev.

Embrace...
Re:BASH by shutdown+-p+now · 2016-07-25 13:55 · Score: 1

If you're primarily a Linux dev, you're not running Windows anyway, so it doesn't matter to you. Except perhaps in an indirect way, since it expands your potential userbase.
If you're primarily a Windows dev, and want to port your program to Linux, this is immensely useful, especially since VS is also getting some integration with all that stuff (cross-compilation with Clang, and debugging via gdb).
If you're primarily a Windows user, you just get access to some programs that weren't readily available.
Re:BASH by sr180 · 2016-07-25 15:53 · Score: 1

Even better, due to Windows kernel issues, there are a heap of features missing. Such as icmp. So ping wont even work!

--
In Soviet Russia the insensitive clod is YOU!
Re:BASH by macs4all · 2016-07-25 19:21 · Score: 1

If you're primarily a Windows dev, and want to port your program to Linux, this is immensely useful, especially since VS is also getting some integration with all that stuff (cross-compilation with Clang, and debugging via gdb).
Extend...
Re:BASH by shutdown+-p+now · 2016-07-26 04:04 · Score: 1

There's no "extend" here - the Linux that runs on top of WSL does not gain any additional functionality, whereas the whole point of "extend" is to create a more attractive fork.
Re:BASH by TheFakeTimCook · 2016-07-26 06:35 · Score: 1

There's no "extend" here - the Linux that runs on top of WSL does not gain any additional functionality, whereas the whole point of "extend" is to create a more attractive fork.
Give 'em time.

The Microsoft doesn't crawl far from the slime.
Re:BASH by 14erCleaner · 2016-07-26 08:13 · Score: 1

naively under Windows
Freudian slip?

--
Have you read my blog lately?
Re:BASH by thegarbz · 2016-07-26 08:40 · Score: 1

Nope :)
Re:BASH by joemck · 2016-07-27 11:19 · Score: 1

Interesting -- I have some old 32-bit Win95-era games that run with fewer glitches in Wine than in Windows 10. And some 16-bit ones that don't run at all on 64-bit Windows, but work great in Wine on 64-bit Linux.

Not much features when they list non-features by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 03:51 · Score: 2, Insightful

Let's see, four major features

- "You can use your stylus..." uh, my PC doesn't have a stylus or a touchscreen, so this is a non-feature developed just so you can further push your Surface tablets.
- "WE HAVE BROWSER EXTENSIONS TOO!" - it is now an OS feature when you add missing bits to your bundled browser
- "We're improving Cortana" - which nobody uses. Another non-feature. I don't want to talk to my PC because it is stupid and because it means piping everything from my mic to Microsoft servers
- "Dark UI theme" - see, we can do PALETTE SWAPS! Major OS feature right there.

XBox One software - all tied to Windows Store which means all your purchases go byebye the moment Microsoft decides to drop this feature (they very quick to drop everything they do, so no, I'm not going to buy anything that is tied to MS-controlled service that can be killed without warning as soon as MS beancounter or two decides that it is not making enough money this quarter). Yes, Windows is also tied to MS servers these days, but at least with their OS I don't think they're going to scrap it quite so easily. Their store I'm far less sure about (see: Games for Windows live store, for an example)

Re: Not much features when they list non-features by Miamicanes · 2016-07-25 14:56 · Score: 2

And loss of access WILL eventually happen. I made the mistake of buying three WMV-HD discs back around 2006 (when Microsoft was threatening to back a renegade red-laser DVD-ROM based 720p24 competing format unless Blu Ray and HD-DVD made VC9 a mandatory codec). None of them will play as HD .wmv files anymore, because Microsoft took down their fucking DRM keyserver.

Noooooooo by decipher_saint · 2016-07-25 03:51 · Score: 1

This is days before a huge LAN party I'm going to, I finally got everything set up the way I want it in Windows 10

IT BURNS

--
crazy dynamite monkey

Re:Noooooooo by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-25 03:53 · Score: 5, Insightful

This is days before a huge LAN party I'm going to, I finally got everything set up the way I want it in Windows 10
IT BURNS
Isn't life grand, when you rent your computer from Microsoft rather than owning and controlling it?
Re:Noooooooo by Fire_Wraith · 2016-07-25 05:41 · Score: 1

It's not renting since you're not paying for it. If anything, it's more like a really nosy homeowners' association that is constantly up in your business, keeping tabs on who's coming and going from your house, who's sending you mail, what newspapers you get, how often you're mowing the grass, etc, all the while making up arbitrary changes because it would be against the bylaws for you to paint your door eggshell white instead of eggwhite white. Oh, sure, it's YOUR computer, but if you want to use it, you have to do it by their rules...
Re:Noooooooo by GuB-42 · 2016-07-25 05:48 · Score: 1

Is it Assembly?
I remember last year. I've seen several Windows 10 upgrades during the party as it just came out. Not the best idea if you intend to actually play video games or run demos.
Re:Noooooooo by hyades1 · 2016-07-25 05:55 · Score: 1

Now, now...play nicely. Don't go upsetting the sheeple.

--
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Re:Noooooooo by chispito · 2016-07-25 06:21 · Score: 1

Isn't life grand, when you rent your computer from Microsoft rather than owning and controlling it?
Why? Is he leasing a Surface tablet? How did manage this arrangement where Microsoft owns his hardware?

--
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
Re:Noooooooo by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-26 03:32 · Score: 1

Isn't life grand, when you rent your computer from Microsoft rather than owning and controlling it?
Why? Is he leasing a Surface tablet? How did manage this arrangement where Microsoft owns his hardware?
Windows 10 is programmed to essentially take control from the user in whatever way possible, usually through deception (i.e. deleting Chrome and switching Edge to the default browser because of a "detected incompatibility").

You might own the hardware, but Windows 10 does not let you use it like it is yours.

What about usability? by Hasaf · 2016-07-25 03:54 · Score: 1

The interface is still terrible. I know it can be changed; but it isn't easy to use by default.

Re:What about usability? by bluefoxlucid · 2016-07-25 04:44 · Score: 1

It's not as good as Gnome 3, but it's a huge step up from 7 and 8.1. Welcome Microsoft to 2005.

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Re:What about usability? by PRMan · 2016-07-25 06:56 · Score: 1

It's light years better than Windows 8.

--
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...

...without logging in... by bradley13 · 2016-07-25 03:59 · Score: 1

You'll be able to ask it to make a note, play music, set a reminder, and lots more without ever logging in

I do not understand this trend. Under Android, there is also a lot of functionality available without logging in (for example, turning on a hotspot). Worse, there is no way to block access to this functionality.

If I wanted my phone unsecured, I could leave off the passcode. If I have a passcode, it means that I don't want some random dude able to do anything. At the very least, such access should be customizable.

--
Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.

Re:...without logging in... by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-25 04:08 · Score: 1

Since phones are tools that need to be usable during emergencies, it makes sense that you can take photos and what not without unlocking the phone.

I really, really don't see the point in any of this for Windows, even if you have a tablet.
Re:...without logging in... by sr180 · 2016-07-25 15:59 · Score: 1

I love holding the button on peoples iphones and asking Siri to do what I want - bypassing the security.
"Set an alarm for 2am every day"
"Message so and so, thanks for the sex last night!"
"Facetime mum!"
The fun is endless!

--
In Soviet Russia the insensitive clod is YOU!

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Xenolith0 · 2016-07-25 04:00 · Score: 1, Informative

You're probably aware, but others reading your comment may not be. Microsoft back-ported all the fancy Windows 10 spying to Windows 7. To continue using Win7 without the spyware, you'll want to run a tool such as 'Destory Windows Spying' to cleanse the system.

* http://dws.wzor.net/

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 04:01 · Score: 1

This. I want Cortana. What I don't want is Cortana logging everything I do with Microsoft so that I can be sold to advertisers.

Cortana -- forcing it more place you don't want it by swb · 2016-07-25 04:01 · Score: 1

I'm generally happy with Win10 on both my laptops.

But Cortana? Why isn't there an option to disable it completely who don't want it? And why does putting it on the lock screen (hey, if its locked, maybe that's to keep anyone from doing anything, including random voice tasks..) feel like they're just jamming it somewhere *else* it's not wanted because people are ignoring it on the task bar?

I really would like to hear actual meetings where highly paid people at Microsoft think running around like a third-rate Apple knockoff is a good idea.

In addition to seeing some kind of supporting data driving these decisions. Either they'd confirm that research shows shoving Cortana everywhere actually adds to its usage, or they'd confirm there is no data, this is all mental masturbation to further fantasies that badly imitating Apple is actually a strategy.

No, that's not insecure at all... by bobdehnhardt · 2016-07-25 04:02 · Score: 5, Insightful

"You'll be able to ask it to make a note, play music, set a reminder, and lots more without ever logging in. "

All I can think when reading that is "attack vector." No matter how much they claim it's limited, sand-boxed, walled off and segregated from the rest of the system, someone will figure out a way to gain system access through it. Microsoft may as well advertise Windows 10, Now With Built In Password Bypass!

Re:No, that's not insecure at all... by geek · 2016-07-25 04:47 · Score: 1

"You'll be able to ask it to make a note, play music, set a reminder, and lots more without ever logging in. "
All I can think when reading that is "attack vector." No matter how much they claim it's limited, sand-boxed, walled off and segregated from the rest of the system, someone will figure out a way to gain system access through it. Microsoft may as well advertise Windows 10, Now With Built In Password Bypass!
So turn it off?
Re:No, that's not insecure at all... by UnknowingFool · 2016-07-25 05:34 · Score: 2

Can you turn it off is the question? Given the way MS has behaved with the Windows 10 Upgrades, I wouldn't be surprised if the "Off" setting merely was "Hide". The true Off setting might be a Registry key change.

--
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Re:No, that's not insecure at all... by tehlinux · 2016-07-25 10:09 · Score: 1

>Windows 10, Now With Built In Password Bypass!
I thought that was Windows ME

--
Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!

Re:Attention, gay users of slashot, get on reddit by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 04:04 · Score: 1

If someone were to go to Reddit, that's certainly not a worthwhile sub-reddit, and will give a bad impression of the whole site. r/politics is insane enough, but the link you posted is to a subreddit for the worst of the worst right-wing lunatics. People so far gone that they support an openly-fascist candidate.

will it quit bugging me? by gadget+junkie · 2016-07-25 04:10 · Score: 1

I'd very nuch love if Microsoft would quit unhiding the "update to windows 10 update". it's the third time this month.

--
"If a boss demands loyalty, give him integrity. But if he demands integrity, give him loyalty." (John Boyd, 1927-1997)

Re:omg by bev_tech_rob · 2016-07-25 04:16 · Score: 1

Frist!

Nope..

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You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....

The new Bob by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 04:20 · Score: 1

Cortana is the new Bob, but with lipstick and a sexy voice. That makes all the difference in the world.

Re:The new Bob by tehlinux · 2016-07-25 10:01 · Score: 2

Cortana is the new Bonzi Buddy.

--
Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by kruug · 2016-07-25 04:22 · Score: 2

Cortana only logs what is necessary to do her job. Want to be reminded of calendar events? Well, then you'll have to give Cortana access to your calendar. Want to have package tracking automatically from e-mails? Well, then Cortana will need access to your email account. People want features but bitch about the data necessary to drive these features. It's funny how that works.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 04:23 · Score: 4, Insightful

I think that by this point, anyone who is aware of and cares about Win10 spyware has already disabled automatic updates on their Win7 machines, and goes through the list manually every week or two to pick up actually-critical updates.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by thegarbz · 2016-07-25 04:25 · Score: 1, Insightful

I'm still sticking with Win7.

If you couldn't justifying the technical improvements of Windows 10 over Windows 7 what made you think that a small service pack would change that? Also a gentle reminder that your telemetry is back-ported and you're not playing a game of Windows Update roulette using your old system, babying it as you do. What a horrible way to use an OS.

My laptop doesn't need to be confused with a phone

If this is likely to happen to you then you're holding it wrong.

Super Exciting! by idontgno · 2016-07-25 04:28 · Score: 2, Insightful

Let's run through that announced feature list.

Windows Ink: Windows Ink is without a doubt the best part of the Anniversary Update. It's essentially a central location to find built-in or third-party apps that work with your stylus. -- Irrelevant. Don't use a stylus on my Win 10 machine.
Microsoft Edge extensions: If you're a fan of Chrome extensions, then you'll be glad to hear that they're heading to Microsoft's Edge browser. -- Irrelevant. If I were a fan of Chrome extensions, I'd continue using Chrome. I wouldn't use Edge at gunpoint.
Cortana improvements: Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana, debuted on Windows 10 last year, and the software maker is bringing it to the lock screen with the Anniversary Update. -- Irrelevant. I neutralized Cortana as effectively as I could as soon as I could, and the only improvement Win 10 Anniversary could bring would be the ability to completely uninstall it.
Dark theme and UI tweaks: You can switch on what I call even darker mode in settings -- Irrelevant, because I am not a emo self-cutter in black duster and unlaced combat boots. But, uh, yaaay for those guys?

So, a hugely marketed mixed bag of fail and irrelevant. I am soooo glad I upgraded to Win 10 on my guinea pig machine.

--
Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.

Re:Super Exciting! by hyades1 · 2016-07-25 05:38 · Score: 1

Damn...I never seem to have mod points when I really want them.
I can understand why people who know nothing about computers would install 10 and be happy. I have simply never been able to grasp why anybody who has even a little knowledge about what 10 is actually doing, and the implications, would allow it on anything they use for their actual needs.

--
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Re:Super Exciting! by PRMan · 2016-07-25 06:57 · Score: 1

Great and very funny review. Wish I had mod points.

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Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
Re:Super Exciting! by david_thornley · 2016-07-26 06:13 · Score: 1

Windows 10 came with my laptop. I have no confidence that there are good drivers for Windows 7, and I'd have to pay extra for that. I need Windows because this is my gaming machine and Visual Studio and, basically, Windows-compatible machine.
So far, it's making me feel nostalgic for the days when Vista was the worst Microsoft could do.

--
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re:Super Exciting! by david_thornley · 2016-07-27 05:52 · Score: 1

Crap, I got Windows 10 Pro, and completely forgot about upgrade rights to 7 or 8. I'll have to look into that.

--
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes

Only one "feature" I want. by ilsaloving · 2016-07-25 04:38 · Score: 2

I want control of my f__king computer back.

Until Microsoft decides that we have to at least give them permission before they shove their hand up to the elbow into my computers lower colon, I will never use Windows 10.

Re:Only one "feature" I want. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 07:01 · Score: 1

No one forces you to install updates or service packs. You just won't be able to get future updates if you're more than 2 service updates behind.
Clearly you've never actually used Windows 10, because it definitely does force you to update
Re:Only one "feature" I want. by LightNecromancer · 2016-07-25 22:46 · Score: 1

I want control of my f__king computer back.
...I will never use Windows 10.
So you haven't lost control of your computer have you? I don't see why you are complaining then, except because it's cool to bash Microsoft.
Re:Only one "feature" I want. by ilsaloving · 2016-07-26 05:05 · Score: 1

You know, it amazes me how some people will go out of their way to intentionally miss the point.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-25 04:45 · Score: 3, Interesting

Cortana only logs what is necessary to do her job.

You sound pretty confident of that (even though the source is closed so unless you're the one who wrote Cortana you would have no idea). Perhaps then you can explain why opening Notepad will result in Windows 10 contacting 107 different domains, including watson.live.com and m.adnxs.com?

Re:Is Microsoft paying you? by chipschap · 2016-07-25 04:48 · Score: 3, Insightful

The article is some of the most blatant pro-MS advertising I've seen on /. to date. If I want to read MS ads, there are plenty of other sources.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Eponymous+Coward · 2016-07-25 04:51 · Score: 4, Insightful

I'm genuinely curious about this - what exactly is it that you want to do with Cortana? I've been running W10 on my home machine (desktop) since the original release and I've always had it configured to deactivate Cortana as much as possible (it's still always running though). I've never once been tempted to turn it on. Is there some use case that I'm not thinking about?

I understand the use case on mobile, but I don't see the value on a desktop machine.

scvhost.exe full CPU oddity by Tablizer · 2016-07-25 05:00 · Score: 1

My Windows 7 Home-Premium PC had a process called scvhost.exe that was running full core CPU-wise. I eventually found it's related to the Windows Update service, and switched off updates.

Before that I applied all kinds of alleged fixes and patches without success. Some suggested it's related to the "encouraged" Windows 10 upgrading process.

What the h8ll is it doing so long that hogs an entire core? I don't see a lot of disk activity from it. Anybody else encountered this and studied the guts by chance?

--
Table-ized A.I.

Re:scvhost.exe full CPU oddity by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-25 05:15 · Score: 1

svchost is an integral process in Windows NT. Check if it's in C:\Windows\System32. If not, it's malware disguised as svchost.
Re:scvhost.exe full CPU oddity by ShaunC · 2016-07-25 05:25 · Score: 1

See this page and follow the instructions there if you haven't tried them yet. If you have the most recent Windows Update client, which you probably already do, there are a handful of KBs to install manually that will get Windows Update running normally again. Install KB3168965 first, this one alone will do the trick on some machines.

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Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
Re:scvhost.exe full CPU oddity by garethjrowlands · 2016-07-25 05:38 · Score: 1

This bug is fixed in an update for 7, though since it's a bug in Windows Update, it's a bit of a pain. Windows 10 never had the bug.
Re:scvhost.exe full CPU oddity by Tablizer · 2016-07-26 14:05 · Score: 1

Thanks for the suggestion. Update KB3168965 wouldn't start without Windows Update on, but with it on, it gets stuck. Something is jamming the pipeline it seems.

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Table-ized A.I.
Re:scvhost.exe full CPU oddity by Tablizer · 2016-07-30 16:22 · Score: 1

KB3172605-x64 finally did the trick, but I had to force-reboot soon after it started processing. I got that trick from somebody else online. Makes no sense, I know, but it's Windows. It's like stalling our car to get the windshield wipers to work.

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Table-ized A.I.

#1 on my wishlist if I used 10 by ihtoit · 2016-07-25 05:07 · Score: 2

...would be "Can we have a one-click solution to REMOVING CORTANA FOR GOOD if we don't actually want it?"

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Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel

All the shit I disabled by ShieldW0lf · 2016-07-25 05:08 · Score: 1

Woot! All the shit I disabled got better!

Yawn.

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-1 Uncomfortable Truth

Re:And no systemd! by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-25 05:13 · Score: 1

Windows: systemd free since the beginning.

But it has Windows SCM, which does generally the same things as systemd does. So why do you bring it up?

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by ihtoit · 2016-07-25 05:19 · Score: 2

much.

http://www.techradar.com/news/...

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Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel

A little at a time, instead of all at once by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 05:19 · Score: 1

Microsoft is meeting it's goals: Testing how many abuses people will accept.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 05:21 · Score: 1

The backported spyware is tied to CEIP. If that is disabled, the spyware shouldn't work. But to be sure you can simply uninstall or not install those updates in the first place.
No need for any 3rd party tools.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 05:28 · Score: 2, Insightful

telemetry is back-ported

The backported telemetry is part of CEIP and you just need to keep that disabled. But to be sure you can simply uninstall or not install those telemetry updates in the first place.

It's really not the same as using Windows 10, at all. Once (if) Windows 10 gets an off switch we can talk.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 05:30 · Score: 1

You are not referring to that soundly debunked FUD piece where the author failed to actually disable Cortana correctly, and also ignored live tiles are you? Because what you just said is bullshit.

Why did they make it so ugly? by Kevin108 · 2016-07-25 05:45 · Score: 1

Windows 8 was worse, but Vista and Windows 7 were beautiful. The Aero themes, the shaded window controls, etc. - Vista and 7 were pleasing to the eye. Windows 8 and 10 look like they were just focused on building an OS and planned to add a visual theme later. Or maybe they just liked Windows 3.x so much, they wanted to go back to a flat-looking theme. Either way, I would avoid Windows 10 just because it's ugly even if the data collection concerns didn't exist.

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It's a perfect time for being wasted.
A perfect time to watch the stars.
- Burden Brothers, "Beautiful Night"

logged-out functionality vector by product_bucket · 2016-07-25 05:47 · Score: 1

You'll be able to ask it to make a note, play music, set a reminder, and lots more without ever logging in.

The point of logging out is to deny functionality of the computer to others. This is going to take the Windows mantra of trusting everyone-bar-the-owner to a whole new level.

And WORST feature ... by UnknownSoldier · 2016-07-25 06:01 · Score: 1

.. it still spies on you.

Destroy Windows 10 Spying

Fuck off M$.

Re:Windows is trapped in an alternate reality by UnknownSoldier · 2016-07-25 06:07 · Score: 1

> I have a list of things I want to see fixed or improved in Windows.

Care to post that list by chance please? TIA.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by hairyfeet · 2016-07-25 06:15 · Score: 1, Flamebait

Uhhhh you DO know there are ways to get updates other than WU, yes? That many of those make it beyond trivial to refuse the spyware updates (and if I'm not mistaken AutoPatcher doesn't include them in the first place) so that we can have Win 7/8/8.1 completely spyware free?

I have dealt with Win 10 on more PCs at the shop than I care to mention and I can say with confidence...Windows 10 is a giant piece of shit. Its buggy as fuck, its updates are more unstable than running a Linux alpha build, hell I had forgotten what BSODs even looked like until Win 10 and its "sad face of suckiness". And the new "features"? Its either designed to give MSFT more datamining or fricking more cellphone style crap. Hey MSFT? If I wanted a cellphone I'd use my smartphone, which just FYI runs Android because unlike your mobile OS it actually has apps..

There is NOTHING about the new OS that makes it worth leaving Win 7/8/8.1, hell even Windows 8 had at least one reason, which was it made a good UI for HTPCs, but 10? It sucks your bandwidth, spies on you, gives you zero control over the OS, and for what? So I can give MSFT more data on me? Fuck you MSFT, you want my data PAY ME, I'm not giving up an OS I paid $110 for so you can make free money shoving ads down my throat using MY bandwidth onto MY desktop and snatching MY data..fuck off.

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ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.

It's Not THAT Bad... by WheezyJoe · 2016-07-25 06:39 · Score: 3, Informative

I took the plunge and upgraded my last and more important PC this weekend, 'cause I don't want to be on the hook to pay $199 for a new Pro license when something forces me off 7.

I swear I'm not a shill; I bitch regularly about Microsoft because my job forces me to bear with it. But I was pleasantly surprised how well the in-place upgrade went. Nothing broke, even my old copy of Office 2003 (from my cold, dead hands...) The only thing the upgrade removed without asking were a couple of 3d-party diagnostic utilities like speccy, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. Even Steam fired back up without a hitch.

Now, about that ugliness. You don't have Aero transparency or rounded edges, but with Classic Shell and WinAero Tweeker, you can do a lot to make 10 more livable. A right-click on the taskbar can make Cortana go away, and ClassicShell separates Windows programs from Metro Apps in separate sub-menus, so you never have to look at them if you don't want to. Also, you do NOT have to use a Microsoft/Outlook cloud account. With this kind of setup, it's pretty much the same Windows as before.

Finally, I haven't tried this yet, but there's Spybot Anti-Beacon to address the "phone-home" issues that might be nagging you.

So, here's an idea to grab Windows 10 while its still free with the least risk. Shop for an SSD upgrade, like a 1TB Samsung Evo because damn it's gotten cheap. Clone your precious Windows 7/8/8.1 drive to the new SSD, remove it, set it aside. Then, perform an in-place upgrade as described here on the clone. Try it out. Something go wrong? Hate it? Swap back your old drive; clone again, do what you like. Your old build is safe and sound.

But here's the thing: according to the article, you have effectively retrieved/reserved your free Windows 10 license to use... whenever. If you want to try again in a few months, you can take a blank SSD and download/build Windows 10 from scratch, Microsoft will recognize your PC signature (assuming you haven't changed you mobo) and license you (just skip the part where it asks for a key). In the mean time, however, your old Windows will still work for as long as you want to keep it.

There. Assuming Microsoft doesn't wimp out and extend the deadline, you've just pocketed a $150-200 license for free to use any time you want.

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Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...

Re:It's Not THAT Bad... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 13:24 · Score: 1

Now, about that ugliness. You don't have Aero transparency or rounded edges, but with Classic Shell and WinAero Tweeker, you can do a lot to make 10 more livable. A right-click on the taskbar can make Cortana go away, and ClassicShell separates Windows programs from Metro Apps in separate sub-menus, so you never have to look at them if you don't want to. Also, you do NOT have to use a Microsoft/Outlook cloud account. With this kind of setup, it's pretty much the same Windows as before.
Pretty much. I use StartIsBack++ but ClassicShell is mostly the same (SIB just feels better, but it's all subjective), along with WinAero Tweaker and OldNewExplorer to basically get back a Windows 7-like environment. People might question why one would go to all the trouble to install all these extra apps to get what Windows 7 does out of the box, for which I provide these reasons:
1. No matter what operating system you use, you'll ALWAYS be installing additional software so it hardly matters if it's a couple more programs than what you're used to. As a side benefit, I don't need to install as many drivers in 10 as I did in 7 so I actually get a net advantage in terms of post-installation steps.
2. Windows 7 support will expire in 2020. Might as well transition while the time is right. Linux still isn't a valid option sorry, and I've done my research so I hope people don't bring out that card (assuming that "research" means that it'll lead to Linux looking more appealing, rather than the opposite).
As for the telemetry issue, I've yet to see anyone prove that it's actually caused issues which have seriously affected someone apart from some wishy-washy feelings about the whole idea. Very few people can seem to objectively look at the issue rather than inject emotion into the debate.
Re:It's Not THAT Bad... by tiggertaebo · 2016-07-26 03:17 · Score: 1

It's not a popular opinion on here (where you can't even mention the M-word in a remotely positive light without someone screaming "shill!!") but I'm in broad agreement with your points. I updated my three eligible machines at home to W10 some time ago. Started at launch with my guinea pig laptop that was running 8.1 and it quickly became apparent that even though there was a distinct whiff of "Beta" about the whole thing it was shitloads better than 8.1, so a few months later I upgraded the other two from Win 7 and to be honest I've not really had any problems. The actual upgrade process was less of a headache than installing El Capitan on the iMac was as well!.
There's still some god-awful franken-OS traits such as the whole settings/control panel divide but for day to day use it just does the job. All three of my machines are on the elderly side with the most powerful being an earth-shatteringly powerful Core 2 Duo (WOOO!) and they all seem just as quick, possibly quicker than they did under 7 so that's a win. The UI changes took some getting used to and it certainly needs work in some areas but it's far better than 8 was and it's similar enough to 7 that swapping between my work machine running 7 and my home machines running 10 doesn't feel massively jarring.
Stability-wise it seems similar if not better than Win7 as well, I might have been extremely lucky but across all three machines I have running W10 I think I've only had things crap out to the point of needing a reboot maybe twice.My iMac has managed similar in the same timeframe to be honest.
I'm aware of all the telemetry stuff that comes along with it but I honestly can't work myself up into a tiz about it. From what I can see unless you've got the telemetry level jacked all the way up to 11 it collects pretty much the square root of fuck all personal data anyway. Sure it might collect more than it says it does but the same could be said for Apple who, by default at least, do very similar data collection in OSX. I'd say there's a pretty simple rule of thumb to these things that if having read the privacy policy you either a) don't like what it says or b) don't trust what it says then don't use it. Most of the big commercial tech outfits these days offer products/services with at least part of the cost of that being data about the users that they hope to monetize in one way or another and like any other price if you don't want to pay it you don't use the service.
I don't know for sure how much detail about what I do on my W10 boxes could be pieced together from the telemetry but to be honest (and it might be an indicator of how boring my life is) even if I assume that it's basically "everything" then I'm still struggling to care. I don't do anything on any of the machines that I'd worry about MS, GCHQ, or even the NSA knowing about. If they really want to trawl through my browsing history to see what car I'm day dreaming about buying next, how many hours I've spent playing MTGO or what dirty takeaways I've ordered this week more power to them. Sure I'll probably get targeted ads paraded in front of me but that's exactly the outcome of me using Amazon or Google anyway, it's nothing new.
Re:It's Not THAT Bad... by WheezyJoe · 2016-07-26 03:23 · Score: 1

my computer is from 2008, there is no point in getting w10 tied to a computer im not going to be using next winter when i get a new one, like literally no point whatsoever
Maybe there is. According to this, if you plan on building your own rig, then you might still consider reserving your Windows 10 license while the getting is still good because you may be able to transfer the license to your new machine by calling Microsoft and telling them you've upgraded your mobo. From a couple of Google searches, it appears that Microsoft tech support is pretty easy about activating licenses if you bother to call them.
On the other hand, if you're going to buy a system retail with Windows pre-installed, then yeah, probably not worth the effort.

--
Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by citylivin · 2016-07-25 06:52 · Score: 4, Insightful

"If you couldn't justifying the technical improvements of Windows 10 over Windows 7 what made you think that a small service pack would change that?"

People are still hoping that there will be one killer feature that will make it worthwhile to "upgrade". At work i have a surface so i have to use win10.
Windows 10 features that I like are 1) better multi monitor support 2) better direct access VPN client 3) wireless display sharing is cool

Other than that, I really don't see a need for anyone to upgrade. You have a boatload of crap to deal with over 7 and yes as time goes on, the problems with windows 10 keep adding up. As others have mentioned, windows 10 machines frequently get into a state where you have to blow away a user completely to fix it. Sometimes even the whole machine. Something gets corrupted in the microsoft store, and even if you don't use it, it can create negative effects everywhere.

Patching in the corporate environment is a nightmare now, as each "patch" is actually a brand new operating system. I still haven't got things to go smooth between versions yet and expect another week of fighting before this new edition will image to workstations properly.

i dont care so much about telemetry. The main problems I have are this rapid feature release cycle ( 2 major updates a year is far too fast), and its various ways that it screws up and requires time to be rebuilt. Another huge annoyance is that they got rid of the file settings and transfer wizard, which has been a godsend since XP in terms of giving people the exact same environment that they started out with before i came in and switched the computer, or the hdd or whatever. Now I have to say "unfortunately we cant copy your profile cleanly anymore, so you have to start fresh", then i have to hand copy bookmarks back in chrome, desktop items, etc. Real annoying and like everythign else bad about windows 10, i blame the new features for causing these sorts of problems: the store and cortana. They couldn't get file and transfer settings wizard working reliably with these new features, so they dropped it as opposed to fixing it.

Oh and the number one reason i will never go to windows 10 on my home PC is the way in which it was pushed out. I lost all resepect for microsoft when they used windows update to deliver and trick people into installing windows 10. So I am morally opposed to installing it now because of the abuse of a great patch system that was windows update. Now it can no longer be trusted, and that is the real long term damage that they have done to their reputation. Abuse of their position.

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As a potential lottery winner, I totally support tax cuts for the wealthy

so in summary... by JustNiz · 2016-07-25 06:56 · Score: 2

...just more lame shit copied from other OS's, but without exception all with a twist designed to further lock you into their ecosystem.
I bet the Microsoft koolaid-drinkers will love it and think its crazy innovative though.

A new theme, hooray! by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-07-25 07:26 · Score: 1

"Dark theme and UI tweaks: You can switch on what I call even darker mode in settings, and it will switch built-in apps that typically use a white background over to black."

Wow, the innovation at Microsoft is OFF THE SCALE!!! A new theme, OMG, let us all bow our heads in thanks for this exciting new feature!

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Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...

Re:A new theme, hooray! by LightNecromancer · 2016-07-25 22:50 · Score: 1

OMG, a customer complaining that a free upgrade isn't innovative enough...
Re:A new theme, hooray! by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-07-26 03:38 · Score: 1

OMG, a customer complaining that a free upgrade isn't innovative enough...
1) I'm not a customer.
2) Calling it an 'upgrade' is akin to vacuuming your carpet to get the junkies used needles out of it, and then bragging about how awesome your new carpet is.

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Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Re:A new theme, hooray! by ilsaloving · 2016-07-27 08:30 · Score: 1

Would you mind video recording your face while watching an Apple unveiling? If you think this is bad, I would love to see your reaction to an iOS keynote. Hell, people have written entire articles just talking about a *font change*.
Re:A new theme, hooray! by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-07-27 11:19 · Score: 1

Would you mind video recording your face while watching an Apple unveiling?

I'd never stoop so low as to watch an unveiling, by Apple or by any other company.
-

If you think this is bad, I would love to see your reaction to an iOS keynote. Hell, people have written entire articles just talking about a *font change*.
Oh I know, the commentary went on for days; some of it seemed to be fairly reasonable in terms of the readability of the font in certain situations. And then I fell asleep.

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Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...

Windows 10 Hatcheting Sequence by DoraLives · 2016-07-25 07:26 · Score: 1

Below, the contents of my own personal procedure manual for dealing with a new Win10 machine, with a very strong emphasis on disrupting/removing the spying apparatus. A lot of stuff gets removed. This has been done on numerous machines and so far no failures, no lockups, no blue screens. Some machines are slightly different, some will not have every listed item, some may have a few "extras." The machines seem to run noticeably faster following the hatchetings, and all of them, to date, remain tack sharp, rock solid, and quite nimble. No warranty is provided, express or implied.

Stardock Start10

Revo existing AV program

Reset folder view options including "date created"

Install Unlocker & TakeOwnership

Taskbar properties

Classic Personalize

Screensaver & power settings

Defender to do not send

Desktop icons include & view small icons

Computer, properties, advanced settings, best performance (Leave drop shadows, smooth screen fonts, view thumbnails)

systeminfo verify 10586 or higher.

Windows Update, if not.

ToggleTweaker.bat 12 to kill Cortana (says it kills Edge [ver3.3], but it does not).

IF CORTANA NOT DEAD C:\Windows\SystemApps\Cortana\SearchUI.exe kill with TakeOwnership and/or Unlocker (assume both, or as-required, if only one or none mentioned from here on)

Manual Directory Pass Destroy C:\Windows\SystemApps\ TakeOwnership\Unlocker killkillkill one at a time, starting with Cortana, which takes the longest LEAVE SHELLEXPERIENCEHOST INTACT

Manual Directory Pass Destroy C:\Users\MainUser\AppData\Local\MicrosoftEdge; C:\Users\MainUser\AppData\Local\Packages\ for special destructive attention to apps BUT LEAVE WINDOWS.IMMERSIVECONTROLPANEL & SHELLEXPERIENCEHOST ALONE! or Windows Update might not work; C:\Users\MainUser\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PRICache

Manual Directory Pass Destroy Unlocker C:\Users\All Users\Package Cache; C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft OneDrive

Manual Directory Pass Destroy TakeOwnership C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\ (LEAVE IMMERSIVECONTROLPANEL, SHELLEXPERIENCEHOST, RUNTIMES, STATEREPOSITORY ALONE!)

Manual Directory Pass Destroy TakeOwnership C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\PACKAGES be careful, watch out, dead "Settings" & "Notifications" (LEAVE IMMERSIVECONTROLPANEL & SHELLEXPERIENCEHOST ALONE!)

Manual Directory Pass Destroy C:\Program Files(x86)\Windows Mail

Manual Directory Pass Destroy C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\GROOVEEX.DLL; OCHelper.dll; ONBttnIE.dll; ONBttnIELinkedNotes.dll

Manual Directory Pass Destroy C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\GROOVEEX.DLL; OCHelper.dll; ONBttnIE.dll; ONBttnIELinkedNotes.dll

Manual Directory Pass Destroy C:\Program Files\Windows Mail; C:\Program Files\WindowsApps (leave VC & .Net runtimes, there IS NO IMMERSIVECONTROLPANEL OR SHELLEXPERIENCEHOST)

Manual Directory Pass Destroy C:\Windows\MiracastView\

DWS_Lite as administrator, enable professional mode - delete one drive - delete all metro apps - smash everything except defender (mind the checkbox)

Reboot

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy (via cmd as administrator)

w10privacy.exe (via cmd as administrator)(be patient, it'll come)

Reboot

OOShutUpWindows10 as administrator

Verify Defender still alive, if not:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender - DWORD (32bit) DisableAntiSpyware needs to be set with a Value of 0 - DWORD (32bit) DisableAntiVirus needs to be set with a Value of 0 -

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
DWORD (32bit) DisableAntiSpyware needs to be set with a Value of 0

Reboot

win10-unfuck-master data-harvesting-services-removal.bat - gpedit.msc-screenshots (NOTE

--
Is it fascism yet?

Re:Windows 10 Hatcheting Sequence by iampiti · 2016-07-25 07:57 · Score: 1

I'm curious, did you use to make this many changes to previous versions of Windows or it's the first time you've had to make many changes to get a system like you like it?
Re:Windows 10 Hatcheting Sequence by DoraLives · 2016-07-25 08:16 · Score: 1

I'm curious, did you use to make this many changes to previous versions of Windows or it's the first time you've had to make many changes to get a system like you like it?
I've always had multiple test boxes laying around, with multiple hard drives to swap back and forth, and tearing Windows up, just to see what would happen, has always been kind of fun.

That said, it's the goddamned telemetry and all the rest of it that really got me going, and just as soon as I installed my first copy of 10 a year ago, I was very interested in first discovering, and then attacking, and then checking to see if the patient was still breathing or not.

The miscellaneous stuff like the Taskbar, and Desktop Icons, and all of that end of it is stuff I've been doing for a long time, attempting to trim away the bullshit and get the machine more responsive. Windows 8 was my first foray into nuking tiles and forcing a "normal" look to things, but 10 is a whole different level of crap to deal with.

So part of the answer is yes, and part of the answer is no.

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Is it fascism yet?
Re:Windows 10 Hatcheting Sequence by DoraLives · 2016-07-25 08:21 · Score: 1

awesome.
incredible you figured out all that.
too bad it's not scriptable.
good job. thanks.
The scripting part is interesting in a curious way. To the extent that I must "barehand" everything, that is the extent to which I am forced to actually look at what's been done, what's been left, what's been destroyed, and as time goes on, I discover that this stuff changes in ways both obvious and subtle. So I guess it's like exercise. Who the fuck likes doing pushups? Nobody. But they're good for you, and if you want to stay healthy into your elder years, you'll do what's good for you.

So I hatchet away, and every single time it's a weency bit different, and I stay in shape that way.

I certainly do not recommend that as a method for everybody, or even anybody, but for me, yeah, it works out pretty good in the end.

--
Is it fascism yet?

Re:Cortana -- forcing it more place you don't want by iampiti · 2016-07-25 07:52 · Score: 1

They actually want to be Google. They've modified Windows to gather a lot of user data and to push many of their services (OneDrive, Cortana, Windows Store...) just like Android does. They of course also plan to do a lot of money out of it all, again just like Google.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by DoofusOfDeath · 2016-07-25 08:04 · Score: 1

Once (if) Windows 10 gets an off switch we can talk.

Microsoft is doing their best to listen to your opinion.

Re:Is Microsoft paying you? by epyT-R · 2016-07-25 08:16 · Score: 1

A new operating system release or major update is 'news for nerds' even if it's for one they loath. Microsoft topics have been staples of slashdot since the 90s.

GRAB AN ARMBAND, AND JOIN THE CELEBRATION! by Jeremiah+Cornelius · 2016-07-25 11:03 · Score: 1

Hooray! ARBEIT macht FREI, Windows Ten!

--
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."

Does Cygwin run on Win 10? by knorthern+knight · 2016-07-25 11:24 · Score: 3, Informative

https://www.cygwin.com/

> What is it?
>
> Cygwin is:
>
> a large collection of GNU and Open Source tools which provide functionality similar to a Linux distribution on Windows.
>
> a DLL (cygwin1.dll) which provides substantial POSIX API functionality.

No need to accept Microsoft's half-assed implementation. With Cygwin, you get the whole kit+kaboodle. bash and various other shells. X Window client and server, Firefox, mutt, sendmail, whatever. Even gcc, so you can build from source. And it's free. If the PHBs at work insist, you can buy support from Redhat, who publishes it.

--

I'm not repeating myself
I'm an X window user; I'm an ex-Windows user

Re:Does Cygwin run on Win 10? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 14:00 · Score: 1

No need to accept Microsoft's half-assed implementation.
How is it "half-assed"? It actually is much more tightly integrated and seamless to the point that you can just run ELF binaries on Windows, you cannot do that with Cygwin so you can build and debug the exact same binaries that you run on both platforms.
The implementation is also a proper subsystem, unlike Cygwin which sits on top of the Win32 subsystem. For example look at fork() in cygwin that has to use Win32's CreateProcess because Win32 doesn't have the concept of fork. This makes it prone to various failures because it's a pretty nasty hack to make it work, since Subsystem for Linux is a proper subsystem it isn't burdened by incompatibilities in the design of Win32 and POSIX APIs or having to be a kludge to make Win32 kind of work like POSIX.
Re:Does Cygwin run on Win 10? by ilsaloving · 2016-07-27 07:45 · Score: 1

How is it "half-assed"? It actually is much more tightly integrated and seamless to the point that you can just run ELF binaries on Windows, you cannot do that with Cygwin so you can build and debug the exact same binaries that you run on both platforms.
The implementation is also a proper subsystem, unlike Cygwin which sits on top of the Win32 subsystem. For example look at fork() in cygwin that has to use Win32's CreateProcess because Win32 doesn't have the concept of fork. This makes it prone to various failures because it's a pretty nasty hack to make it work, since Subsystem for Linux is a proper subsystem it isn't burdened by incompatibilities in the design of Win32 and POSIX APIs or having to be a kludge to make Win32 kind of work like POSIX.
Do you have any links to this effect? I had heard that they would be adding bash, and thought that was kinda cool but whatev. But if they're adding an entire linux subsystem, then that's something else entirely.
I found this after a cursory google search, but better links are welcome:
http://www.infoworld.com/artic...
Re:Does Cygwin run on Win 10? by Wdomburg · 2016-08-02 05:50 · Score: 1

It's essentially a full Ubuntu userspace. Phoronix did some benchmarking and found it's actually quite performant for CPU bound tasks.
ahref=http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=windows-10-lxcorerel=url2html-14012http://www.phoronix.com/scan.p...>

Does it fix the really broken things though? by Rainwulf · 2016-07-25 11:51 · Score: 1

Like the guest account?
The inconsistent UI?
The terribly broken wifi?

No, lets put some more polish on this fucking turd.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 13:10 · Score: 1

where the author failed to actually disable Cortana correctly, and also ignored live tiles are you?

Windows... the only operating system where, if I "fail to correctly disable Cortana" (because Microsoft has clearly made *that* part easy) and/or to "correctly disable live tiles", opening notepad.exe contacts hundreds of domains.

Paraphrasing Apple fanbois everywhere: "Microsoft isn't really spying on you; you're just holding it wrong."

Correction by dbIII · 2016-07-25 13:18 · Score: 1

The First was the Fall Update

The First was the FAIL Update.
I've had to mess about with a few MS Win10 machines of relatives due to the update fucking up network, audio and even search being unavailable.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by crunchygranola · 2016-07-25 13:23 · Score: 1

Windows 10 doesn't spy on you.

Prove it.

--
Second class citizen of the New Gilded Age

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by LesFerg · 2016-07-25 13:38 · Score: 1

Oh and the number one reason i will never go to windows 10 on my home PC is the way in which it was pushed out. I lost all resepect for microsoft when they used windows update to deliver and trick people into installing windows 10.

Actually there were quite a lot of people who know exactly what they are doing with their home PC, and know which version of OS they want to run, and were not tricked at all. Do you class yourself among those who are so computer-illiterate and unaware that they cannot read the most basic information and instructions about their equipment? Maybe you are right in not trying to keep up with technology.

--
If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.

Butt Hurt Much? by westlake · 2016-07-25 15:19 · Score: 1

That's like the third story about Microsoft today. How much are you getting to promote this piece of crap?

Microsoft is a global giant in software and services. Which means that a "news for nerds" tech site like Slashdot won't be taken seriously if it doesn't provide in-depth coverage --- which Ars Technica (among others) does quite well without drawing protests like yours.

Worth doing a "reservation" install/activation by Fencepost · 2016-07-25 16:02 · Score: 1

I'm still using Windows 7 on my daily driver, but when I had a handy spare SSD to install in another system, I first yanked my current drive, installed Windows 10 on that SSD, activated it, then put my original drive back. That should "reserve" my activation for a future upgrade if I so desire, while leaving my current setup completely untouched.

This is also something you can do if you haven't upgraded to an SSD yet - get one ASAP, pull your drive out, install Windows 10 using a USB flash drive created with the Media Creation Tool, activate it with your current product key. THEN you image your current hard drive across to the new SSD, stomping the Windows 10 install.

--
fencepost
just a little off

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Bite+The+Pillow · 2016-07-25 16:23 · Score: 1

Office 2013 is keyboard antagonistic, and server 2012 as well. I can argue about telemetry and other shit all day, but when it takes me longer to accomplish things, that's a deal breaker.

Grab the mouse, focus on a box, continue? Or learn the number if times to hit tab? Win 7 added a ridiculous number of tab stops just in explorer, and I still don't forgive that. The keyboard jockey days are numbered. I can't get behind that.

There is literally a negative total of "what's in it for refuseniks", purely on UI alone.

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-25 17:03 · Score: 1

Spying implies doing so without your knowledge, as well as nefarious purposes. Microsoft is open with what they're doing

Then why won't they let users see exactly what data is being harvested and exactly where it's being sent? Shady behavior like that isn't conducive to being open and transparent.

and the data collecting it does do is to improve the services that they provide

HAHAHAHAHAH! You fucking moron.

Killer feature Windows 10 / Surface Pro 4 by easyTree · 2016-07-25 20:12 · Score: 1

The ability to use an external monitor and not have HUGE UI elements (so large that one must lean backwards to see them) surrounding miniscule text (so small that one must lean-in to one inch from the screen to see them.)

That would be an awesome feature after only a year's additional development effort - considering the apparent difficulty of the task.

--
Requiem for the American Dream

All the touted.... by MercTech · 2016-07-26 06:04 · Score: 1

Hmmm, all the touted improvements are for things I turned off immediately after downloading the Windows 10 fix for Windows 8 malware. The whole of Win8 acted like malware.

--
NRRPT/RCT

WMC by DarthVain · 2016-07-26 07:45 · Score: 1

That would be probably the biggest improvement. However I will go one better. Since moving from 7 to 10, I *HAD* to find a WMC replacement. I found Plex.

MS should just take some of the money they have sitting in the bank, go out and buy Plex the company, re-brand it as MS, release the Pro version and mobile apps for free to everyone with Windows 10. Done. Many happy people.

Plex is way better than WMC ever was.

Of course that is assuming that MS doesn't immediately wreak Plex. On second though forget I said anything...

Re:Windows is trapped in an alternate reality by WaffleMonster · 2016-07-26 10:08 · Score: 1

I have a list of things I want to see fixed or improved in Windows.
Care to post that list by chance please? TIA.

Software FT volumes should not concurrently regenerate multiple FT volumes across same set of physical disks.

Reads from redundant volumes should be striped when useful.

Regeneration should be rate limited and resumable.

DDE disaster needs to be addressed the delays and wonky behavior is a huge waste of time.

Microsoft background processes need to be tamed and be made more interrupt driven and intelligent. There is no reason for constant resource consumption when nothing is changing.

Windows needs tc and iptables like filtering and application level rate limiting.

Windows firewall should have options to prevent applications from screwing with firewall settings.

RDP and windows should support zero knowledge based authentication + encryption and allow all current insecure NTLM*/Kerberos failures exposing everyone's credentials to offline attack to be completely disabled.

Site to site VPNs must support all available VPN protocols

Hibernate option to include rather than discard cached data

Per application credential storage and isolation

Protected versioned filesystem with log backup

Keyboard shortcuts for application launching and foreground promotion must work constantly across all applications. If an app is already running it should always be promoted to foreground not invoked a second time.

There should be a means to quickly manage processes isolated from whatever is going haywire on the desktop when invoking secure attention.

Lift local and global GDI handle limits and associated annoying UI artifacts

One W10 feature... by dddux · 2016-07-26 13:28 · Score: 1

One W10 feature that I'd really like to see is it becoming magically W7. All problems solved.

--
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Re:Unusually +ve but what's in it for refusniks? by keith_nt4 · 2016-07-27 10:00 · Score: 1

I have it turned off as well. So far as I know if nothing else it can be used to transcribe your words in a voice-to-text sort of way. We here on slashdot may be good touch typists, but some people can't and/or won't commit to typing. So being able to talk into the machine is helpful.

And I guess MS's assumption is some contingent of users have been only using iphone for however long that group may be accustomed to only using voice-to-text. If that were the case said people may find trying to use an icky QWERTY keyboard alienating. I imagine if I were say...14 years old and had used very little iOS 99% of time my whole life being forced to switch to typing on a windows computer could be quite alienating. Like something out of era of bell bottoms (thinking like this imaginary 14 year old for a moment, I lack imagination).

Of course, I can think of other reasons. China and india are big markets for instance and most of those populations have only known the phone as their sole computing device. A voice interface of some type might make this transition much easier.

Lets face it: the markets of "the west" are second fiddle now-days. It's more about accommodating the up-and-coming potential markets. If that were the rational I don't fault MS at all for it. I mean 90%+ market share in the western hemisphere there's not much place else to go but China/India that's like 2+ billion people. Choice of who to cater to seems obvious.

Obviously I'm just speculating here. And I hope I had answer to your question somewhere in there....

--
"UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie

Docker feature as well by keith_nt4 · 2016-07-27 10:17 · Score: 1

It wasn't in the summary for some reason and maybe one cares but actually Windows 10 [pro] has native hyper-v. And with the anniversary update docker containers will be added. Maybe nobody cares. But I think this is kind of significant:

Introducing Hyper-V Container: You can now use Docker natively on Windows 10 with Hyper-V Containers, to build, ship and run containers utilizing the Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 Nano Server container OS image. A new version of the Docker engine for Windows has also been made available that extends the support of containers while also improving the DockerFile syntax and getting started experience for users. For more details on how to get started with this check out the Windows container documentation or the Windows 10 Getting Started Guide.

source: https://blogs.windows.com/wind...

--
"UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie

Slashdot Mirror

Windows 10 Anniversary Update: the Best New Features (theverge.com)

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