Windows 10?

[henri33]

the music setup on 10 sucks I would stay on 7 or whatever if your into music

[EsotericKnave]

Originally Posted by pigulici

Another one :"Windows 10 can Disable Pirated Games and Unauthorized Hardware":

http://www.eteknix.com/windows-10-ca...ized-hardware/

Mommy Microsoft...no thanks

[Rick Danger]

This may sound trivial, but my biggest reason for not going forward with Windows 10 had to do with my personal music collection and what tools were available in Windows 10.

Originally Posted by henri33

the music setup on 10 sucks I would stay on 7 or whatever if your into music

Under Windows 8.1 the Music app is actually XBox Music. Under Windows 10, it's called Groove Music. It would not surprise me to find out that the only difference between the two is the music store they connect to.

Bear in mind under the "app store" concept Microsoft no longer supports a single app that can play both music and videos, as they had with Windows Media Player (WMP). I guess this is a "revenue enhancement" as you may soon have to pay for two subscriptions to use the apps or their associated services. Yes, WMP is still available in Windows 10, but clearly Microsoft has sentenced it to "death row" since it has received no updates in years.

I tried to import my music library and playlists from WMP 12 to XBox Music. It took eight hours to complete, and then it only partially imported my library. The playlists appeared to have been imported, but when I clicked on them nothing happened. Apparently the links between the playlists and the music were broken. Pretty amazing since the playlist format used by WMP is a Microsoft proprietary format. I also don't see anything in the Music app supporting tag editing or other useful tools for maintaining my music collection.

I checked the Microsoft Community Support page, and found a rather testy exchange between a user and Microsoft concerning the problem of empty playlists. Ultimately, I don't think the problem was resolved. But it makes for entertaining reading: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...828dc4b?page=1

Additionally, the comments posted to WindowsCentral.com concerning the Groove Music app seem overwhelmingly negative: http://www.windowscentral.com/everyt...app-windows-10

I found this quote from the website Howtogeek.com:

Chances are, if you’re a serious music collector, then Groove isn’t going to cut it. It is pretty limited and doesn’t support alternative music formats such as .flac and .ogg, but for those with simple needs, it’s a serviceable replacement for WMP.

What's amazing (- or annoying) is that Microsoft makes liberal mention of being able to import iTunes playlists in Groove. But importing playlists between a Windows application and a Windows app was beyond the scope of their engineering ?

For me, the Music App, whether it's called Xbox or Groove is bubblegum for kids. My granddaughter probably would like it, but for me it's useless window dressing. Many of the Windows 10 apps have been praised for their appearance and integration but panned for their lack of real-world functionality. They probably saved money by getting school kids in Beijing to write the code.

I can't help but think of the Microsoft clown who wrote that with the release of Groove Music it was time to let go of Windows Media Player. He needs to get out of the house more often.

Realistically, if you are serious about music, videos, or photography I doubt if any "free" app from Microsoft is going to appeal to you. Just like with their attempts at providing security software (MS Security Essentials, Windows Defender) most Microsoft applications lag far behind in terms of performance and functionality. I also note that features in Windows Media Player seem to have been removed over the years.

Concerning the Groove Music service, that is also a "non-starter" for me. Years ago when the cellphone companies started including music streaming in their service plans, I was unimpressed. Why should I pay additional subscription and data charges to listen to music ? The fact that by September 2012 over 350 million iPods had been sold world-wide seems to indicate that a majority of people didn't go for this either. And of course there was the standing joke that when you needed to use your phone to make an important call the battery would likely be dead from having listened to music all day !

Now Apple and Microsoft are playing this same game using different technology. Subscribe to our streaming services, and/or upload your personal music collection to our cloud and pay a subscription fee for that.

Now don't get me wrong. The ability to access my music anywhere in the world regardless of device is appealing. But I can do that with an iPod or other brand of MP3 player and not be subject to fees or the lack of an Internet connection.

I also don't have to worry that "Big Brother" is going to flag my collection for violation of Digital rights management (DRM) guidelines. Face it: once you put files up on OneDrive or iCloud both Microsoft and Apple will likely scan your content for DRM violations. This makes sense in order for Microsoft and Apple to protect themselves from class-action lawsuits from media publishers claiming that their cloud services provide a "safe haven" for copyright infringement. Also, way back in 1999 Microsoft released Windows Media DRM, which included the means by which music subscription services could render downloaded files unplayable after a subscription was canceled.

Many people had recommended VLC Media Player to me, so I downloaded it. VLC Media Player is a free, ad-free, multi-platform application (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Fedora, Ubuntu, iOS, Solaris, even OS/2). I clicked on one of my playlists from within VLC and it ran without a problem. Pretty impressive, given Microsoft's own app couldn't accomplish this simple feat.

I'll be looking to port my WMP playlists to m3u format, then move them to VLC Media Player. If I decide to move away from Windows at least I'll be able to take my music collection with me.

If I am away from home, my Sandisk Sansa MP3 player or a login to Pandora work just fine for me. When 'Sandy' wiped out power to our home for nearly a week, I used my Sansa and a pair of battery powered speakers to play music. I used a battery powered USB stick to charge the Sansa. I also have battery powered folding traveler's speakers that I bought from the Sharper Image years ago. Less than $100 worth of low-tech gear, but everything worked.

I'm thinking about my Father with his tube fired stereo, a phonograph (turntable), and all his vinyl. Problem with the stereo, he'd replace a tube and he was back in business. Replace the needle or the phonograph cartridge periodically. Sunday nights after dinner he'd sit alone in the blacked out dining room listening to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and so many of the greats of Jazz. This worked for Dad, week-in, week-out, for years.

Now we have all this technology, and the powers-that-be seem hell bent on cocking up even the most simple of life's pleasures..........and charging us for the "privilege"..

[Rick Danger]

This website was cited in a post to the Microsoft Tech Blog responding to a question about how to remove the Groove Music app from Windows 10. I was surprised that Microsoft didn't delete the post:

https://thomas.vanhoutte.be/miniblog...ndows-10-apps/

Two things. First, I'm not sure if this procedure hides the app or actually deletes it. I will take Mr. Vanhoutte at his word. Secondly, I'd be curious if Windows update might reverse this change. A nice question to post to Thomas.

Mr. Vanhoutte is from Belgium. He is currently studying for his Master's in Media Innovation at the NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences. He holds a Bachelor's in Applied Computer Science from the Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel. He seems to be deep into technical support of Apache, Linux, Ubuntu, and Windows.

You can check out his work:

https://thomas.vanhoutte.be/

https://plus.google.com/+ThomasVanhoutte/posts

Remove default Apps from Windows 10
31/07/2015 by Thomas | Tech in PowerShell, Windows, Windows 10 | 75,996 views

Windows 10 comes preloaded with a lot of default apps. Depending on which version you have1, you will see various apps in your start menu that you don’t want. I previously explained how to uninstall OneNote from Windows 10, but you can actually remove any app you want.

The very first thing you should try is simply right-clicking on an app on the start menu and see if there is the uninstall option. If there is no such option, read on.

You will need to find PowerShell. Go to start and type PowerShell. You need administrator rights, so right click on it and choose Run as administrator.



Now, you need to paste the appropriate code for each app you want to remove from Windows 10.

Remove 3D from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *3d* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Camera from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *camera* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Mail and Calendar from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *communi* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Money, Sports, News and Weather from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *bing* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Groove Music and Film & TV from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *zune* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove People from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Phone Companion from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *phone* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Photos from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *photo* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Solitaire Collection from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *solit* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Voice Recorder from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *soundrec* | Remove-AppxPackage

Remove Xbox from Windows 10
Get-AppxPackage *xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage


The following error seems to be incorrect, because the app is actually uninstalled and did not fail:

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Get-AppxPackage *xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage
Remove-AppxPackage : Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CFA, Removal failed. Please contact your software vendor.
(Exception from HRESULT: 0x80073CFA)
error 0x80070032: AppX Deployment Remove operation on package
Microsoft.XboxGameCallableUI_1000.10240.16384.0_ne utral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy from:
C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.XboxGameCallableUI _cw5n1h2txyewy failed. This app is part of Windows and cannot be
uninstalled on a per-user basis. An administrator can attempt to remove the app from the computer using Turn Windows
Features on or off. However, it may not be possible to uninstall the app.
NOTE: For additional information, look for [ActivityId] 1d60accb-cb8d-0003-d5b8-601d8dcbd001 in the Event Log or use
the command line Get-AppxLog -ActivityID 1d60accb-cb8d-0003-d5b8-601d8dcbd001
At line:1 char:26
+ Get-AppxPackage *xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : WriteError: (Microsoft.XboxG...l_cw5n1h2txyewy:String) [Remove-AppxPackage], IOException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DeploymentError,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageMana ger.Commands.RemoveAppxPackageCommand

Remove-AppxPackage : Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CFA, Removal failed. Please contact your software vendor.
(Exception from HRESULT: 0x80073CFA)
error 0x80070032: AppX Deployment Remove operation on package
Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider_1000.10240.16384.0_ neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy from:
C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvid er_cw5n1h2txyewy failed. This app is part of Windows and cannot be
uninstalled on a per-user basis. An administrator can attempt to remove the app from the computer using Turn Windows
Features on or off. However, it may not be possible to uninstall the app.
NOTE: For additional information, look for [ActivityId] 1d60accb-cb8d-0001-d9b9-601d8dcbd001 in the Event Log or use
the command line Get-AppxLog -ActivityID 1d60accb-cb8d-0001-d9b9-601d8dcbd001
At line:1 char:26
+ Get-AppxPackage *xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : WriteError: (Microsoft.XboxI...l_cw5n1h2txyewy:String) [Remove-AppxPackage], IOException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DeploymentError,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageMana ger.Commands.RemoveAppxPackageCommand

[Rick Danger]

Also, way back in 1999 Microsoft released Windows Media DRM, which included the means by which music subscription services could render downloaded files unplayable after a subscription was canceled.

The problem with being a subscriber to a "service" versus owning a license is that the service provider can change it's terms of service anytime it damn well pleases. Today how you use the service is OK, tomorrow it may not be.

Witness the following. I ran across this in the PCWorld.com article concerning Microsoft's cancellation of the XBox free music streaming back in October 2014. The free streaming was originally released October 2012:

Microsoft is withdrawing free streaming on Xbox Music from Dec. 1, citing the need to focus on its music purchase and subscription service.

The company is offering a free 30-day trial for users wanting to move to the paid service.

“Effective December 1, 2014, the free Xbox Music streaming feature currently available on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and over the Internet will be discontinued in all countries where it is offered,” Microsoft wrote on a support page.

The move will not affect music purchases on Xbox Music or MP3 files added to Xbox Music collections, according to a Microsoft FAQ. Users can also continue to view playlists or collections set up using the free streaming feature, but they can’t listen to the music in those playlists or collections unless they sign up for the Xbox Music Pass or buy the music.

Duh-uhh, who the hell wants to "view" playlists or collections ?

So one day you're enjoying free music, the next day you're not.

And so on and so on, as Microsoft tries to get it's flow on........

[Rick Danger]

From TechRepublic.com

Lord. The "Windows ecosystem" is turning into a polluted cesspool filled with privacy intrusions, adware, junk apps, and other assorted trash. Now this.

Perhaps you heard that Lenovo was outed earlier this year for installing an adware based certificate ("Superfish") onto it's laptops ? Superfish would then redirect a user's legitimate browser connection to the Bank of America website for the purpose of overlaying advertisements on top of the session.

Now we have a new abuse from Lenovo that is corrupting some Windows 10 installations. Not that Microsoft is totally innocent, since Lenovo is simply making use of BIOS level technology that Microsoft introduced for Windows 8 machines and has been modified in support of Windows 10. And the worst part is since the corruption is installed from the BIOS, there is no practical way for a user to detect or defeat it (short of updating the BIOS firmware).

Windows and UEFI anti-theft mechanism makes systems less secure
Features added in Windows 8 were misused by Lenovo to install unwanted software on top of a clean OS install, introducing a critical vulnerability.

By James Sanders | August 13, 2015, 9:37 AM PST

With the litany of free trial programs, adware, and other unwanted "features" that come with the factory images of Windows computers, it has become standard procedure for many users to wipe the system drive of a new PC and install Windows from the Microsoft-published media. However, these attempts by the user to have a clean installation are turning out to be less secure than they should be.

Windows Binary Platform Table

Windows 8 introduced a feature called Windows Binary Platform Table (WBPT), which allows OEMs to insert small executables into the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI); these executables are copied into the filesystem and executed by Windows. There is no way to prevent this behavior in Windows using the Group Policy Editor or other obvious system management tools.

According to Microsoft's documentation for WBPT (DOCX file):

"The primary purpose of WPBT is to allow critical software to persist even when the operating system has changed or been reinstalled in a "clean" configuration. One use case for WPBT is to enable anti-theft software which is required to persist in case a device has been stolen, formatted, and reinstalled. In this scenario WPBT functionality provides the capability for the anti-theft software to reinstall itself into the operating system and continue to work as intended."

In this intended use, this type of behavior is beneficial — an anti-theft system is vital to organizations that deal with sensitive data, and to end users concerned with personal property protection. An anti-theft system that can be overridden by a disk format and Windows reinstallation would not be useful. However, if an OEM were to use it for the installation of a system management utility that the user would ostensibly be trying to avoid by wiping the factory OS image, this would be a substantial problem for the user.

Lenovo is using this to install a system management utility

As if the public fallout from the Superfish debacle wasn't enough of an issue, the only OEM known to be using WBPT improperly (so far, and I'm not optimistic) is Lenovo. Certain consumer-grade desktops and laptops have a WBPT entry that copies a small dropper executable to the filesystem called the Lenovo Service Engine; the executable replaces autochk.exe, which writes two additional files to the filesystem, which in turn creates a service that downloads the Lenovo OneKey Optimizer (PDF) through an unencrypted HTTP connection.

Lenovo Service Engine sends system data (machine type and model, system UUID, region and date), though Lenovo claims that personally identifiable information is not collected. The OneKey Optimizer doesn't appear to be anything of value — it can update drivers, though having two competing systems modify system drivers has already caused problems for Windows 10 rollouts. It can clean "junk," though this type of task is likely best left to utilities such as CCleaner.

Considering the method by which this is installed, and the difficulty with which it can be removed, Lenovo has instructions for disabling the WBPT entry in desktops and removes it entirely using a firmware update for laptops, this behavior is tantamount to installing a rootkit. The desktop version doesn't install OneKey, though it does transmit information to Lenovo.

This is Microsoft's fault too

This is actually what "working as designed" looks like — Microsoft provided a means in WBPT for OEMs to force the execution of a program in Windows without user consent. Concerns about Windows 10's overreach on privacy settings have been high since it was released.

The move to UEFI was already controversial, as it was seen as a way to prevent the user from installing alternatives to Windows, such as Linux distributions. Having the option to disable UEFI Secure Boot was a requirement for OEMs with Windows 8, though Microsoft is allowing OEMs to enforce Secure Boot for Windows 10. There are plans to sign Linux in a way to be compatible with UEFI Secure Boot, but the search continues for a solution that is intelligent enough such that Linus Torvalds won't go on a tirade.

When asked about Lenovo's implementation of WPBT, a Microsoft representative provided a rather boilerplate statement: "The Windows Platform Binary Table (WPBT) was introduced in 2011 to support anti-theft software installed on the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), which is required to persist in case a device has been stolen, formatted, and reinstalled. WPBT also provides the capability for independent software vendors (ISVs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to include their solutions."

What's your view?

Although this was not present on Lenovo's professional Think-branded systems and Lenovo stopped including Lenovo Service Engine in Home systems after June 2015, does this incident make you less likely to buy a Lenovo system? Are you more likely to not use Windows because of WBPT? Share your thoughts.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/...tag=TREa988f1c

[Rick Danger]

I'll say it again: Why does Microsoft insist on imbedding a fundamentally insecure application like Internet Explorer into an operating system ? Why choose to include it in Windows 10, thereby making your latest candidate for the status of "The Best Windows Ever" less secure ?

It was suggested that IE was included in Windows 10 for the sake of compatibility with legacy corporate intranet webpages. Overlooking the question why this would be relevant to Windows 10 Home users, it still begs the question that Microsoft could have included IE as an optional download for Windows 10 for anyone who wanted or needed it.

And I just love the Microsoft spokesman who suggests the solution to IE being insecure is that you should be using Windows 10 and the Edge browser. Is that meant as a joke ??? And the statement that Microsoft has "...a customer commitment to investigate reported security issues" to me is utter bullshit (or bollocks, whatever you prefer) since it was a Google security researcher who identified this latest fault.

Microsoft issues emergency patch for all versions of Windows
This is the second "critical" out-of-band patch issued in as many months.

By Zack Whittaker for Zero Day | August 18, 2015 -- 21:24 GMT (14:24 PDT) | Topic: Security

It's all Internet Explorer's fault -- again.

Microsoft has released an emergency out-of-band patch for a"critical"-rated security vulnerability, affecting all supported versions of Windows.

The software giant said in an advisory Tuesday that users visiting a specially-crafted website can lead to remote code execution on an affected machine.

The zero-day flaw (classified as CVE-2015-2502) works by exploiting a flaw in how Internet Explorer handles objects in memory. If successfully exploited, an attacker could "gain the same user rights as the current user," the advisory said. Those running administrator accounts are particularly at risk, it said.

Simply put: this flaw could allow an affected Windows machine to be taken over by an attacker.

It does not appear that the vulnerability is currently being exploited by hackers.

Microsoft's new Edge browser, which lands in Windows 10, is not affected by the vulnerability. The patch is available over Windows Update or through Microsoft's website.

Google security researcher Clement Lecigne was credited with finding the flaw.

This latest critical patch comes a week after the company's scheduled monthly roundup of security fixes were released to customers.

Whether or not, however, this sets a trend for Microsoft remains to be seen. This is the second month in a row the company has issued an out-of-band update.

Last month, just days after its usual monthly round of security updates, the software giant released an out-of-band patch for a critical flaw that, if exploited, could allow a hacker to effectively take over an affected machine.

A Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement: "Windows is the only platform with a customer commitment to investigate reported security issues, and proactively update impacted devices as soon as possible."

"We recommend customers use Windows 10 and the Microsoft Edge browser for the best protection. Today, Microsoft released Security Bulletin MS15-093 to further protect customer devices from security vulnerabilities affecting Internet Explorer. Microsoft Edge was not affected. Customers who have Windows Update enabled and applied the August Security Updates, are protected automatically," the spokesperson added.

[Rick Danger]

Apparently the rocket scientists at Microsoft and all the "millions" of testers didn't take into account people who DON'T have access to high speed Internet services.

My wife and I live in Pennsylvania. Fortunately she listened to me when I told her the choice of TV provider today is less important than the choice of Internet service. Especially since alot of sports and entertainment content is moving to streaming services.

Drive around town and I see alot of our neighbors with satellite based TV services (DirecTV or Dish Network). Verizon does not offer FIOS TV or Internet in our city. You can get Verizon DSL, but only if you live near enough to a Verizon central office (CO). And Verizon will no longer sell you a DSL only service (so called "dry loop" DSL): you have to order phone service along with DSL. This of course raises the cost. Satellite based Internet services are costly. We waited on Comcast to offer us a TV/Internet bundle for under $100, and that's what we finally got. The service is faster than what I had at our previous address in New Jersey. I am able to stream HD content with little trouble.

But if you drive out of town into farm country you know that Internet access is a BIG issue for folks living out there. Which makes this latest article from TechRepublic.com even more disturbing.

Windows 10 updates potentially costing users on data-capped internet plans
Some Windows 10 users who connect to the internet on slow, data-capped plans may incur costs as a result of downloading system updates.

By James Sanders | August 20, 2015, 12:15 PM PST



Microsoft's free upgrade to Windows 10 for users of Windows 7 and Windows 8 has not been without complications; some users are getting stuck in a reboot, or are unable to access the Windows store or app updates, among other issues. Additionally, changes in the default behavior in Windows 10 and new requirements for sharing telemetry and analytics data with Microsoft have made Windows 10 a controversial update.

New concerns with the way that Windows 10 enforces automatic download and installation of updates for non-Enterprise SKUs is turning a free update into a costly endeavor for some users.

Where Windows 10 weighs in
The Windows 10 ISO direct from Microsoft is 3.8 GB for the 64-bit version, with the in-place free upgrade package roughly somewhere near that figure — keep in mind the upgrade to Windows 10 also necessitates the download of separate driver packages for an updated driver. These packages can vary widely, though the upper end would generally be high-performance graphics cards — a random sample from NVIDIA provides a file just over 270 MB.

Also new in Windows 10 is that updates are cumulative. Microsoft says only the changed files will be downloaded, though for reference, the first cumulative update was 325 MB for the 64-bit edition. With the subsequent cumulative updates and emergency security patches, it is reasonable to assume that a Windows 10 installation with driver downloads would use about 5 GB of bandwidth for a typical 64-bit installation.

Why this is causing pain for users
Budgeting for a data cap is not a significant point of concern for an average programmer —access to adequate internet connectivity is a requirement for any software company. However, the average end user does not have access to such infrastructure.

For users in the US, a report in April 2015 by the Pew Research Center indicates that 15% of US consumers have limited options of internet access other than a cell phone, and 10% have no broadband service at home other than a smartphone data plan. Reliance on smartphone tethering or LTE-connected mobile hotspots typically come at a substantial cost — Verizon's new price structure is $90 for a 12 GB per month plan.

People in rural areas are unable to effectively use cloud services due to the lack of proper wireline internet infrastructure in those regions of the country, with services like HughesNet offering satellite-based internet packages at $60 for a 20 GB per month plan. Even in urban settings such as Atlanta, GA, Comcast enforces a 300 GB per month data cap as a business decision, not out of any technical requirement. The company charges a $10 per 50 GB overage fee.

In Canada, the subject of data caps has come under a great deal of scrutiny following a proposal by Eastlink to limit customers in Nova Scotia to 15 GB per month on the terrestrial radio network system originally built in 2006.

Reports from Australia and New Zealand have noted concerns with the upgrade to Windows 10, as a user in the Cook Islands is reporting a bill for "as much as $NZ600" ($394 USD) as a result of the auto updates. Users in urban areas of Australia are at a lesser risk of issues with data caps, as Telstra recently raised the limits on residential data caps in response to the popularity of streaming media.

Using your home internet connection to share updates
For users on metered connections, such a wireless mobile hotspot or a terrestrial radio system, it's important to indicate this in Windows settings, as Windows 10 by default is configured to use Windows Update Delivery Optimization, which can transmit update data to any other computer on the internet. (For Enterprise and Education SKUs, this is limited to only PCs on the local LAN.)

Final thoughts
This isn't the most fair of comparisons, though the new package manager in Fedora 22 (dnf) uses Delta RPMs by default for updates, greatly decreasing the download size in exchange for requiring more processor time to apply updates — a trivial task on most newer processors.

[Rick Danger]

In prior entries to this thread the topic of alternatives to Windows has been liberally discussed. Of course any discussion of an alternative operating platform to Windows must focus on the availability of applications running in that alternative environment. Clearly open source versions of Microsoft Office are key to that discussion.

One objection to "open" Office software is they often are not compatible enough with native Office documents to be useful, especially in professional environments. The news of the latest release of LibreOffice (5.0) shows that this gap is narrowing, clearly strengthening LibreOffice as a viable alternative to Microsoft Office.

LibreOffice 5.0: The strongest release to date
Jack Wallen believes the latest release from LibreOffice might be the best yet... even with an aging UI. Do you think this flagship office suite is ready for the masses?

By Jack Wallen | August 20, 2015, 8:09 AM PST


I've been a long-time user of the flagship open-source office suite... using it way back during its previous incarnation called Star Office. I've watched the software evolve, fall apart, fork, and finally come into its own. Recently, the fifth release of LibreOffice was made available to the public. I immediately downloaded and installed the release on my Linux distribution du jour, Elementary OS.

I've read other reviews, ones that called the interface "clunky" with "confusing menu options" and even cut points for not having a mobile platform. In other words, those reviews disliked LibreOffice because it wasn't Microsoft Office. I get that. Honestly, I do. And I'm not here to shoot down those reviews. Why? Because for communities and developers to ignore the things reviewers are collectively saying is what has doomed so many projects. Even so, there was a core of truth to some of their criticisms (more on that later).

Before I continue on, let me say this: I use LibreOffice. Let me rephrase that. I depend upon LibreOffice. I'm a writer. Although I write all of my first drafts in Google Docs, once that first draft is complete, I have to download the file, open it in LibreOffice, format it, and send it to my editor. It is then that LibreOffice becomes my go-to tool and Google Docs is left behind.

To that end, I've found LibreOffice to be a very adept tool. In fact, LibreOffice Writer is vastly superior to Microsoft Word for what I need. Not only does it hold true to file format standards, but it doesn't add extraneous hidden data to trip up the tool I use to convert files into .mobi or .epub. LibreOffice creates cleaner files... period.

But what about the 5.0 release? What does it offer that previous releases didn't have? Is it worth upgrading? The list of improvements from 4.x to 5 is fairly impressive. You can check out this Wiki page for the full list of improvements: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/5.0

I'm not going to walk through all the changes, simply because you really need to give the complete list a look over to see if 5.0 has improvements that meet your individual needs. That being said, one of the biggest steps forward 5.0 takes is the much-improved Microsoft import and export filters. This might be the first release where Word and Excel documents import flawlessly. You'll be hard-pressed now to find variances in how Word/Excel displays a document compared to Writer/Calc.

Another important improvement (at least for writers like myself) is the improved Character Highlighting. This is very important when you have Microsoft Office users who tend to either highlight or shade sections of text for notes or edits. Previously, the shading could cause serious problems with LibreOffice (in the form of not being able to remove said shading). You can now set the Character Highlighting as either Highlighting or Shading (Figure A).

Figure A


Setting the Character Highlighting in LibreOffice 5.0

It's now possible to crop images, within a document, using your mouse. This means you can better fit an image into a document, and this will save you from having to re-open an image in the likes of Gimp to crop.

Calc also received a number of much-needed improvements. Conditional formatting, XSLX support, scientific and number formatting, plus table structure all received a lot of work, as well as the addition of a number of new spreadsheet functions.
The good with the bad

Now, I want to address something LibreOffice is going to need to seriously consider for future releases. The UI. I understand the average Linux user is not the average Windows user, so the old-school menus and icons are not a stumbling block. However, the developers and designers need to understand something. The average office suite user now expects a healthy mixture of modern design and ease of use. When Microsoft released the ribbon UI, no one liked it. I hated it and thought it was a massive step backwards in usability. The Linux community hated it. But because Microsoft designed something so many users hated, the designers of LibreOffice shouldn't presume the best reaction to that design is to stick with the same hold-over metaphor from the days of Star Office.

It's time for LibreOffice to come up with something new and improved. One look at the default toolbars, and most new users would turn away in fear (Figure B).

Figure B

The default LibreOffice toolbar is a bit much

I'm certainly not saying the LibreOffice designers need to go the way of the ribbon, but there has to be something they can do to modernize the UI for this powerhouse office suite. Yes, I get that many say "Don't fix it if it's not broken." And I wouldn't necessarily say the UI is broken—it's just old, tired, and a bit crowded. The last thing LibreOffice needs is to have users install this latest, greatest iteration of the software, only to feel like they're working with something from the early 2000s.

That would truly be a shame, because LibreOffice 5.0 is amazing. It takes the evolution made to 4.x and improves on it. It's faster, more compatible and reliable, cleaner, lighter... and very much ready to serve as the only office suite you need.

Don't let the UI stop you from downloading and installing the latest from LibreOffice. This is, by far, the best release the open-source office suite has ever had. Period. And, outside of the UI, I can safely say (without hesitation or doubt) that LibreOffice is ready to shine in both business and personal usage.

Have you installed LibreOffice 5.0? If so, what are your thoughts? Let us know in the discussion thread below.

About Jack Wallen

Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic and Linux.com. He’s an avid promoter of open source and the voice of The Android Expert. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website getjackd.net.

[Rick Danger]

It was high time for me to get a grip on what the enterprise view of Windows 10 is. For that I turn to my old friends at the industry trade publication Information Week.

Clearly part of Microsoft's promise for Windows 10 at the enterprise level revolves around the release of Windows Server 2016. If Redmond bungles this release, large volume Windows users will certainly not move to upgrade to Windows 10.

If you go back to Post #152 I quoted Mary Jo Foley of ZDnet.com concerning a major update to Windows 10:

By Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft July 24, 2015 -- 15:51 GMT (08:51 PDT)

Just a reminder: I've heard previously from sources that Microsoft is going to deliver a larger Windows 10 update with a number of new features this Fall, most likely October. The codename for that update is Threshold 2. And after Threshold 2, we'll see next year's ongoing feature and security update parade, as well as two larger groups of new features for Windows 10. Those groups of updates are codenamed Redstone (probably 1 and 2) and most likely coming in Spring/Fall 2016.

This new article confirms that a new Windows 10 build is already in the pipeline. Wow. They haven't bedded down the initial release, and now a new build will be crammed down user's throats. Remember: you cannot opt out of Windows 10 updates. Hopefully people will have time to pay the overcharges for their internet service plans before this comes down !

Windows Server 2016 Preview, Surface Pro 4 Rumors: Microsoft Roundup
Microsoft delivers preview builds for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 as the rumor mill leaks news of a massive October hardware launch.

Kelly Sheridan, InformationWeek.com 8/22/2015 10:05 AM

It was a relatively quiet week in Redmond, but we still got our share of Microsoft news. Windows Server 2016 is one preview build closer to launch, and Windows Insiders have a new Windows 10 build to test.

Microsoft is continuing its Insider program as part of its Windows-as-a-Service strategy. The program attracted more than five million testers over the course of Windows 10 development and will allow users to test new features before their public rollout.

The latest build of Windows 10 updates arrived for Insiders Aug. 18. Build 10525 is the first Insider Preview update to be released since the OS launched on July 29. Insiders can explore updates and give feedback through the Windows Feedback app.

In this build, Insiders will find an early preview for a feature that will eventually enable users to change the color and transparency of the Start menu, Taskbar, Action Center and Title Bars. An improved Memory Manager is designed for more efficient page storage.

On the update front, Microsoft has confirmed it will only provide explanation for what it considers significant cumulative updates for Windows 10. This comes shortly after Microsoft released update batch KB3081424 and was decidedly vague about the fixes it contained.

In a statement to The Register, a Microsoft spokesperson explained: "As we have done in the past, we post KB articles relevant to most updates which we'll deliver with Windows as a service. Depending on the significance of the update and if it is bringing new functionality to Windows customers, we may choose to do additional promotion of new features as we deploy them."

This is a tricky move for the tech giant, as customers want to know what they're downloading when they get a new OS update -- however small the upgrade may be.

On the topic of updates, Microsoft was forced to deliver an emergency out-of-band patch for a critical security flaw putting all supported versions of Windows at risk.

The vulnerability could enable remote code execution if a user accessed a specially crafted webpage using Internet explorer. If successfully exploited, the flaw could give a hacker the same user rights as the device owner.

Another Microsoft product to get a preview update this week was Windows Server 2016.

Microsoft has released its third technical preview, which delivers the first look at the Windows Server Containers that will enable a faster DevOps process for building and deploying modern apps.

We took a deeper look at Windows Server 2016, specifically on the collaboration between Microsoft and Docker. A Windows version of Docker Engine, which is used to build and establish runtime for a Docker container, runs on the newest preview build of Windows Server 2016.

Office 365 stole some spotlight this week as the most downloaded business app, according to a study conducted by mobile management company Okta. Since researchers began tracking app usage, Salesforce remained on top until Office 365 dethroned it in January 2015.

Google Apps has fallen to Office 365 in almost every app category, including email apps. The Businesses @ Work study is another indicator of how Office 365 is driving businesses to the cloud and proof of success in Microsoft's "mobile first, cloud first" strategy.

Finally, Microsoft sources have confirmed plans to hold a major hardware launch in October 2015. The event will likely set the stage for the Surface Pro 4, Lumia 950 and 950 XL, a new Microsoft Band, and a few other hardware surprises.