Windows 10?

[drwho6]

I walked away from my computer for a few minutes, only to come back and find it was trying to download windows 10. Killed that in hurry, then searched and took out kb30355083. OH NO YOU DON'T!

[Rick Danger]

Our friend Susan Bradley posted this excellent article to the Patch Management mailing list. It really speaks to why IT professionals are less than thrilled with Windows 10.

In a nutshell, the servicing branches that Microsoft has devised would force enterprises into a more frequent upgrade cycle than with previous versions of Windows. Again, I stress upgrades versus updates. In a prior article Ms. Bradley stated that IT shops may be facing a major upgrade to Windows 10 every four to eight months unless they qualify for the Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB). Secondly, it is clear that Microsoft is tossing integration testing and quality assurance for Windows over the fence and squarely into the laps of Windows Insiders, consumer and enterprise users. All this spells additional manpower and costs for IT shops to maintain a Windows 10 infrastructure: increased costs for testing, deployment, training, and support.

This scheme may well prove to be Microsoft's ultimate undoing. From a strictly business perspective, PCs and tablets are commodities. I would want to drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) down to rock bottom. Taking on an ongoing deployment cycle not only raises TCO but also exposes the business to additional risk. Many business skipped deployments of Windows Vista, even Windows 7 and 8 because either business conditions were not optimal (e.g., the global Recession) or because the technology "fit" proved to be disruptive.

I will need to see if I can get hold of reporting from Gartner or a similar IT consultancy on where they see Windows 10 TCO.


From the Windows server news newsletter

What the new Windows 10 servicing model means for businesses

Despite all the new bells and whistles, probably the biggest change in Windows 10 as far as IT professionals concerned is no more service packs. With previous versions of Windows, Microsoft would periodically release service packs that included all software updates since the initial release of that Windows version and which occasionally also included new features. Service packs were typically released every year or so. Windows 2000 actually had four service packs released during its product lifetime, while Windows XP Service Pack 2 included some major security improvements to the platform including a much-needed host firewall, a popup blocker and security zones for Internet Explorer, new Automatic Updates settings and mechanisms, and other much-needed features for XP. But on the whole service packs usually only included fixes--new features were delayed until the next major release of the product.

So why were service packs so loved by IT departments? Because they could delay installing a new version of Windows until the first service pack was released for that version. Like any other business these days, Microsoft often pushes its products out the door before they're ready, and rather than be unwitting beta testers, most organizations preferred to sit and wait for early adopters to take the heat. Then when Microsoft had fixed most of the issues with the initial release and had packaged all the fixes together as Service Pack 1, the IT department would download the new Windows image with SP1 baked into it from the Microsoft Volume Licensing website and begin serious piloting of the new Windows version with a view to deploying it.

Well as I'm sure you are aware of by now, service packs are now gone because Windows 10 has a completely different servicing model than that used for previous versions of Windows. Microsoft now offers Windows 10 in four different branches:

Windows Insider Program - Deploying from this branch basically lets you beta test new features before they are considered ready for prime time use.

Current Branch (CB) - This is the flavor of Windows 10 that users of Windows 10 Home Edition users are basically locked into (unless they want to take a chance and participate in the Windows Insider Program). New releases of Windows 10 are expected to be provided two or three times per year for machines on this branch. These releases will include new and updated features and core applications, and Windows 10 Home machines will automatically download and upgrade to each new release as it becomes available.

Current Branch for Business (CBB) - This branch is the default for Windows 10 Professional Education and Enterprise editions and it differs from CB in two main ways. First, each CBB release will appear about four months after the corresponding CB release appears first. This probably means the CBB release will include all the patches that have appeared in the previous four months to address the complaints of Home Edition users who upgraded to the corresponding CB release. And second, administrators can configure Group Policy to defer upgrade of Professional, Education and Enterprise machines for an additional eight months so they can perform testing to ensure the new release won't break existing applications and systems. However, once the eight months are up the machines on the CBB will be automatically upgraded to the new release just like Home edition users on the CB, and there's no way of stopping this from happening with CBB.

Long-Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) - This branch basically follows a servicing model similar to the old service pack approach. The LTSB option is only available for Windows 10 Enterprise Edition, so you'll need a volume licensing agreement with Microsoft if you want to deploy it. And since Enterprise edition can support either the CBB or LTSB branches, there are two separate ISO images on the volume licensing site for you to choose from depending on whether you want to deploy machines from the CBB or LTSB branches. I suspect that new releases (ISOs) for LTSB will appear every couple of years or so, similar to how service packs were delivered except you might need to wipe and reinstall instead of upgrade (it's not clear at this point). One thing to note however is that these LTSB images don't include a number of Windows 10 features such as Cortana, Microsoft Edge, the Windows Store, or the Mail and Calendar apps. The reasoning behind this is probably that these features are constantly being tweaked by Microsoft, so including them would violate the raison d'etre of the LTSB. As a result, Microsoft is positioning LTSB as primarily for special use machines like point-of-sale systems, kiosk computers, and ATM machines, and they're basically pushing organizations to use CBB if they have volume licensing agreements.

You can read more about these different branches on TechNet: http://www.wservernews.com/go/7hyuvj27/

So what does all this mean for businesses who are still running Windows 7 and have been waiting for a new version of Windows they feel comfortable about deploying (or businesses who deployed Windows 8/8.1 and can't wait to get rid of it)? For organizations that deploy anything from a handful of client computers to thousands or ten thousands of them, I think it may mean several things:

Windows deployment will no longer be something you think about every five years or so. Instead, you'll need pilot and test new Windows releases regularly as they appear every few months, because like it or not your systems will end up running them sooner (CB) or later (CBB).

Helpdesk support for Windows 10 may be a nightmare. CBB releases may overlap for some organizations if certain departments finish their testing before others have. And employees who have Windows 10 at home and are on the CB may have apps that function differently than how those same apps function at their workplace.

Training for Windows 10 will obviously be impacted as well. I mean, what's the point of developing courseware or writing a book for a Windows release that will be out of date in 4-6 months? IT departments will like throw up their hands and just say "You'll just have to figure it out on your own" to users who are puzzled by how to accomplish certain tasks on their machines.

Users who are older and are therefore generally more resistant to change are going to be frustrated with using Windows 10 when they discover settings changing and apps moving around every few months when their machines are automatically upgraded to the latest release. Since I use an iPad for entertainment, I'm gradually becoming immune to such things since Apple does this type of thing regularly with their platform, but it annoys me when Windows which I use for business purposes decides to emulate Apple in this regard because I value productivity, and moving apps around or changing settings (or removing them entirely) impacts my productivity.

I'm sure many of you readers can think of some additional likely consequences of the new Windows 10 servicing model. Email me at wsn@mtit.com if you'd like to share your thoughts either positive or negative in this regard.

Of course I get the reasoning Microsoft has for making these changes to the Windows servicing model--it's about maintaining the code base, not about pleasing the customer. The obvious goal Microsoft has here is to gradually remove outdated Windows features and replace them with new features that are more secure and especially are easier for Microsoft to maintain and refine. An example is the Control Panel which has been a key part of Windows since I don't know when and which has gradually become more and more bloated over the years are more and more CPL utilities keep getting added. Awhile back The Windows Club (TWC) posted a scary news item "Control Panel will be phased out in Windows 10" that set the Twittersphere afire:

http://www.wservernews.com/go/9704ewgo/

Numerous twitters complained that the Settings app in Windows 10 was woefully inadequate as a replacement for Control Panel, but Microsoft later clarified that Control Panel will be *eventually* phased out i.e. once the Settings app has full functional equivalency. It's obvious to me that the real reason Microsoft wants to eliminate Control Panel is simply to get rid of all that legacy code involved and replace it with nice shiny new code that is easier for them to maintain. Ultimately that will be a good thing. The problem however is that we'll all be experiencing several years of pain until Microsoft gets there.

[utley]

Do you think that Google and Apple dont track your stats? I bet you didnt know that Google "saves" your bookmarks in their storage banks. Yes, you can delete google chrome bookmarks, but you can never fully delete them. And yes, Google keeps these records to track you. Keep that in mind while you continue bashing Microsoft, will you? I can install google chrome on this computer which has never seen google chrome and still have bookmarks from back in the day when chrome first came out. Once you create a bookmark in Google Chrome, you cant permanently delete it.

Im using WaterFox. I will always use WaterFox. If for any reason other than its a 64 bit browser that isnt google chrome, IE, or safari.

[Rick Danger]

In reaction to Susan Bradley's article concerning support branches for Windows 10, one of the participants in the Patch Management mailing list forum, Eric Henson, responded.

If you assume that the simple solution to the concerns about managing Windows 10 upgrades and updates is for an enterprise to deploy the aforementioned Window 10 Enterprise Long Term Servicing Branch, there's a major hitch in the giddy up.

Basically, Windows 10 LTSB contains no applications, and they CANNOT be added down the line. So if a business needs to add Edge, or the Outlook Mail client, or Cortana, they would need to redeploy Windows 10 under another service branch. And of course the other branches require an ongoing deployment effort.

It looks like LTSB is actually intended for specialty builds, such as ATMs, kiosks, controllers, etc., not as a mainstream desktop.

Will Microsoft fix this limitation? Will business deploy Windows 10 en masse with such uncertainties hovering over their heads?

Also, IT professionals are not happy with Edge since the product still lacks key features such as support for Java and Add-in support. And as Mister A435843 accurately reported so long ago the reason why Internet Explorer was included in Windows 10 is because Edge does not support ActiveX, DirectX filters, VBScript, and VML vector graphics. And given the known security problems with ActiveX controls, it's not likely that Microsoft will retrofit such support into Edge.

Bottom line: Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB is apparently NOT a viable solution for enterprises seeking to avoid all of the effort and costs associated with managing a Windows 10 deployment over time.

Originally Posted by a435843

The cost of ownership for Windows 10 will be through the roof for enterprises.....

Dude, can I borrow your crystal ball so I can do my NFL picks this week???


RE: [patchmanagement] What the new Windows 10 servicing model means for businesses
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 4:00 PM

From: "Eric Henson" <ehenson@pfsweb.com>
To: "Patch Management Mailing List" <patchmanagement@listserv.patchmanagement.org>

You missed something. LTSB is a locked down, pseudo-embedded version of Windows 10.

You can't install the features on it that don't come with it, period. You will have to reinstall Windows and choose the CB(B) to get those features.

When you choose LTSB, you are effectively saying, "I don't want, and will never want, Edge, no matter how great it ends up being. I will never use the Windows Store, Camera, Music, as well as new features that Microsoft releases for the other branches."

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/...servicing_only

"Regarding in-box applications, Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB does not include all the universal apps that are included with other Windows 10 editions. This is because the universal apps included with Windows 10 will be continually upgraded by Microsoft, and new releases of in-box universal apps are unlikely to remain compatible with a feature upgrade of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB for the duration of its servicing lifetime. Examples of apps that Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB does not include are Microsoft Edge, Windows Store Client, Cortana (limited search capabilities remain available), Outlook Mail, Outlook Calendar, OneNote, Weather, News, Sports, Money, Photos, Camera, Music, and Clock."

[Ernesto75]

Here is the link to an article by Susan Bradley:

http://windowssecrets.com/windows-10...make-a-choice/

[utley]

Originally Posted by a435843

Uh, thanks(?) for reading my whole post...I said that MS, Google, and Apple were equally intrusive, but again "thanks", I guess.

No I didnt, but then again I dont exactly see you complaining about the other groups either.

Here's a question you should ask yourself and research a little more in depth. The DMV (or wherever you get your drivers license taken) can sell your information to advertisers. Even if you dont have facebook or a picture of yourself on the internet, they can use your drivers license to physically ID you to present ads to you at the gas station. Its being used currently in some European countries at the moment, soon to come to the US. You shouldnt exactly be complaining about Microsoft when it comes to privacy.

[Rick Danger]

Originally Posted by Utley

No I didnt, but then again I dont exactly see you complaining about the other groups either.

Maybe because this thread is about WINDOWS 10?

Very early on in this thread there were lots of heated discussions about perceived privacy intrusions and Windows 10. While I am not the moderator here, I felt that all the privacy discussions were taking this thread out of context. Hence I created the "Technology versus Privacy" thread:

Lately I've been contributing to Mr. BinLadenSucks "Windows 10?" thread (http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/t29...indows-10.html). A number of posts to that thread have brought light on the increased collection of system telemetry and user experience data by Microsoft, which have raised privacy concerns. Compared to some of the known and potential privacy abuses in the technology marketplace, the ones in Windows 10 to me are trivial and actually easy to defeat.

Rather than take the "Windows 10?" thread too far off topic, I decided to open this thread. Lord knows I am NOT a security expert. I guess that's the point of this thread: to investigate and report on security topics in general that apply to a growing cross-section of people around the world.

I maintain now as I did then that I don't really worry about Microsoft's snooping. I use a pseudonym for my Microsoft account, use add-in software to suppress cookies and scripts in my browsers, block hosts and processes associated with data collection, and otherwise make myself a difficult person to track. My biggest complaint with Microsoft and Windows 10 are the forced updates, the application set, and the inclusion of advertisements in their "free" apps.

Your point is well taken. Google maintains the world's biggest tracking database. The NSA is probably green with envy. Or how about smartphones? Everyday we carry on our persons a device that not only tracks our online habits but can physically track us as well. But how many of us are actually aware what our service or app providers are actually doing with the data they collect on us?

Funny, but if a government agency did this much spying on ordinary citizens, we'd all be up in arms. But when technology providers get caught doing it, I wonder if we actually care enough?

If you wish, please visit the "Technology versus Privacy" thread at http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...hlight=Privacy

If you do or you don't, it's up to you. But I'll be watching..............(LOL)

[rlg118]

If, in 1975, you had told someone, "Forty years from now, you will carry with you at all times an electronic device which can track your every move, and furthermore, you will do so willingly" you'd have thought they were a candidate for the loony bin.

As they say in the Marine Corps, "Don't complain - you volunteered for this shit!"

[Ernesto75]

Susan Bradley's petition to Microsoft's CEO has just reached 5 819 signatures.
The number of signatures is still growing.

[Rick Danger]

"New Ransomware threat, free vaccine"
http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...4&postcount=52

"Preinstalled vulnernabilities found on Dell, Toshiba, and Lenovo products"
http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...7&postcount=53

"Dorkbot botnet defeated"
http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...0&postcount=54