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Microsoft To Disable Policies In Windows 10 Pro With Anniversary Update (ghacks.net)
Reader BobSwi writes: More changes in the Windows Anniversary update, due August 2nd, are being discovered. After yesterday's news about Cortana not able to be turned off in the Windows Anniversary update, certain registry entries and group policies have been found to be updated with a note stating that they only apply to Enterprise and Education editions. Win 10 Pro users will no longer be able to turn off policies such as the Microsoft Consumer Experience, Show Windows Tips, Do not display the lock screen, and Disable all apps from the Windows Store.
You see my face? I'm shocked. Really, I am.
Having no windows makes this story as relevant for me as the UAE story today. Interesting to know that the freedoms I enjoy are not something everybody enjoys, but nothing really relevant for my everyday life.
To all windows users: you are always welcome here in the linux world. There is a place free for you!
Windows is going to have so many strings attached, it'll look like a marionette.
Clippy is back, can't be turned off, and likes watching you shower. Welcome to the future of computing.
Guys, tomorrow is the last day for your free Windows 10 update. It's really important that you know that.
The consumer desktop is Microsoft's huge success story. Why degrade that experience? There are already goddamned ads in the user's start menus, plus remnants of the hated Windows 8.1 interface, plus massive privacy issues, plus strong-armed updates being forced down people's throats... I mean, what is this? It's like they're taking their productive, flagship product and doing everything they can to turn it into an annoying toy.
What did that really mean? I for one, never fully understood where they were going with that idea.
Was it to become more Google-ish, always in "Beta", slowing adding changes ever so subtlety?
Perhaps, but I think now we are getting the clearer picture. Now that Windows is a service that you "subscribe to" the users not shelling out the big bucks (i.e. corporate site licencees and Software Assurance customers) are seeing control of their computers slowly removed.
Microsoft now seems to feel that if you do not own a "licence", you use OUR service "OUR WAY", end of story. Over. Out.
Not sure I like this.
Linux share of the desktop/laptop market has doubled in the last eight years to over 2% today. That's not too shabby. I really like Mint 18 Cinnamon. It actually does everything for me that Windows does. This is the first distro that I've tested over the last 20 years that met my goal of a distro installing everything, including drivers for my network printer, quickly, easily and the first time. LibreOffice 5.1 even opens my Excel templates the same as Excel does, and prints correctly. I set the default LibreOffice file formats as .docx and .xlsx, for compatibility. It also opens Publisher files. What's not to like?
Microsoft continues to amaze and excel as they go to new lengths to make the Windows experience even more excruciatingly intolerable to any user that has the slightest clue what they're doing with a computer.
I have been trying to figure out what the HELL they are thinking.
99.99% of Windows 10 Pro users were NEVER going to mess with group policy editor to tweak those settings anyway. So ~why~ go to the trouble of disabling them.
And as for the one in a thousand that is going to go into group policy and change this stuff... why spend resources getting in his way... there's no money in that. And its just going to piss them off, and they WILL find another way.
So... no I don't think this really has anything to do with preventing consumers from doing what they want.
I think this has everything to with ensuring enterprises have to use the enterprise version, and pay the VLA subscription prices etc. That's where the money is, and that's where it might actually be worth it for microsoft.
i think us power users are just being caught in the cross fire.
The interesting question for me, unless I wish to abandon windows entirely* is how painful moving to the enterprise version would be. I've always paid extra for windows pro, because i wanted to run IIS, and RDP, and not be stuck with the idiot permissions model, etc. So I've long since accepted paying a bit extra to get what I want from windows.
Now, maybe instead of pro, I just want the enterprise version. So what will that cost... because it seems it does everything I want. It lets me turn off telemetry, it lets me turn off cortana, etc, etc. If I had the enterprise version, I wouldn't be stuck fighting with windows, it would just work for me.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/m...
So Microsoft... $84/user (so i can have enterprise on all my computers and laptops, and always up to date?) And I don't have to put up with any of your consumer-freemium-telemetry-cortana-shit? I'm potentially ok making that deal.
* re abandoning windows option; I work with windows so I need it. I own a macbook pro as my primary laptop; and I have linux running in my office as well... so I'm fairly well positioned to leave windows if I really wanted to. But I don't really want to... I use it for games, and I use Windows for work (visual studio and other proprietary stuff), and for accounting, etc, etc.
I like linux, and love it as a server, but find it needs too much tinkering for a gaming PC or HTPC. And OSX ... i like my laptop, but I'm not going to shoehorn myself into apple's extremely limited lineup of overpriced desktop options.
Many large companies are using the Pro license, because they don't want to be on the hook for annual enterprise licensing payments. I know of at least two Fortune 500 companies that are using Pro licenses for their desktops and laptops, and I imagine there are many more.
This is Microsoft applying a group policy crowbar to get them onto "Software Assurance."
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
You must watch a 30 second ad before logging into your computer
Unless purchasing enterprise edition you will not be able to run more than 4 programs at a time.
For your safety all software not signed and approved by Microsoft will no longer execute.
For your safety UWP sideloading is no longer offered. You agree all side loaded software and associated data will be automatically deleted.
To help improve customer experience your screen and key presses will be mirrored to Microsoft.
Windows requires Internet access for real-time exfiltration of telemetry to Microsoft and any government or intelligence agency willing to pay. Windows will no longer function without Internet access. If Internet access is interrupted windows will be suspended until access is restored.
Unless you have purchased Enterprise edition all Network data transfers are limited to the lower of 10mbit/s or 5 concurrent TCP session.
Unless you purchase Enterprise edition desktop resolution is reduced by 1/3rd. Full screen applications no longer function. The non desktop area is used to display personalized ads 24x7 based on analysis of screen mirroring to Microsoft.
Windows calculator now displays 5 second ads after every addition or subtraction operation, 10 second ads after multiplication or division and 15 second ads when any trigonometric or exponential function is used.
Registry editor, disk manager, device manager, group policy, firewall and certificate manager are no longer available for use.
It is no longer possible to login with a local user account. All accounts must be created and managed from Microsoft service.
All local storage will now be automatically wiped, all your data and software uploaded to Microsoft and drives repurposes as encrypted data caches which you will not have access to. You agree all your data is now owned by Microsoft and you grant an irrevocable license to monetize it however they want. If you don't agree you will no longer be able to login to your computer or access your data.
To login to Windows for your safety and security your web cam and microphone must be enabled and pointed at you at all times when using computer. If web cam is switched off or blocked your computer will no longer function for your safety.
All network communications even local communications with other computers on your network will now be routed thru Microsoft servers and analyzed for targeted advertising. Copies will auctioned off to anyone willing to pay for it. If you do not agree to these terms networking will be disabled. When networking is disabled windows will no longer have Internet connection and therefore it too will be disabled. All local disk storage is encrypted with a key you don't have and therefore you will permanently lose all access to everything until such time as you agree to our new terms.
Windows now requires monthly payments to use Microsoft services. If you do not agree to pay monthly fee you will not be able to access Microsoft services. This means you won't be able to login to your computer and access any of your data until such time as you agree to pay.
Reality check:
TL;DR: Older geek, former windows guy struggling to GAF. Moved on.
I'm on a plane, using a Chromebook to browse the web and post here, because chromebooks get free GoGo service on a dozen flights a year. Gotta pay $15 to use Windows. If I flip the keyboard back, people mistake it for an iPad, kinda sexy looking, fun to use, not Windows. I get 14hrs per charge from a device that literally cost less than a Windows license by itself. Win10 provides an ok switchable touch-or-type experience, but it's not as mature. (The distinctive principles behind recent MS Office UI seem to be "waste space on your small screen" and "guess if this is clickable". Jerks.)
In another couple tabs, I have my work's Office365 open -- outlook, calendar, a word doc, and I can see edits in onenote as one of my guys updates it a continent away. It's clunky compared to Google Apps at my last company, but it totally eliminates any compatibility issues re MSOffice files. Work just gave me a mac, and to be honest its just a different way to launch a browser, so I left it home as well. (Hmm. Onenote is nicer than Keep, but it's basically a direct copy of Lotus Organizer... 20 years ago...20!!. Funny. ) I kinda miss Visio.
In my bag is a nice ultrabook running Mint 18, which is super stable and runs shockingly faster than Win10 on the same system.This weekend's project is scanning a couple thousand pages of family documents, and I can't bring a Windows laptop with me because the windows software for the hi-end scanner is an unstable clusterf*ck on WIn7/8 and Win10 simply doesn't recognize the device at all. Tried diff hw; it's the OS. I don't have hours to waste making this crap work on WIndows when it just works on Linux (Simplescan and XSane both worked perfectly with no jiggery-pokery at all). Same for numerous storage, wireless, input, a/v and other devices; I end up trying to fix Windows Update's wrong or borked drivers, when stuff just works on Linux. I find the reversal over the past decade pretty funny-not-funny.
I have backups at home on external systems, some with NTFS and some with EXT4. The kids asked me to buy a consumer media server a while back, and then we pulled the drives when the p/s died. Surprise, surprise, EXT3. Why would I screw around with Windows when it can't read half of my media drives and most of the IOT devices out there?
Bing? Oh please, I worked in Redmond for years, and tried hard to like them, but Microsoft simply can't get its collective shit together regarding search quality. Duckduckgo gives better results without the stalking behavior and implied-consent analysis. Win10 sending filesystem hashes back to the mothership without consent (or an ability to turn it off now) is creepy and rude. Even my kids were creeped out by the Xbox1 camera kerfuffle, and said they would rather have steam accounts and a badass theater projector+sound setup. So the old Xbox360 went to Goodwill. Want a cheap xbox and kinect?-- head over to the thrift store.
Cortana? Not as good as Android voice search. Doesn't work on my phone. Doesn't work on my recent stupid-toy-smartwatch. Doesn't remotely replace a voicerec program like Dragon, which I still used occasionally until recently. But then the goog rolled out voicerec on Chrome, which gives me an excellent voice input into Docs and decent nav experience on this here Chromebook. Super convenient, just works.
I'm struggling to find any reason why I care about Windows at all. Except I kinda miss Visio. And now they want to prevent me from turning off the WIndows App Store and the "Consumer Experience" that sends oodles of inappropriate data back to them? I just don't care anymore, but they're like the loudest guy at a party -- just waiting for him to leave.
I think not...(*poof*)