Windows 10?

[sparky10]

Originally Posted by Rick Danger

Despite being now gainfully employed, I have yet to take the plung on a new Windows 10 computer. Bucking current trends, I would be more interested in buying a desktop instead of a laptop or a tablet. I was able to maintain and upgrade my last desktop for nearly ten years, whereas I have had three laptops in the same span of time.

I'm still not sold on the features in Windows 10 or Windows 10 Professional. My wife's job gave her a new Dell laptop with Windows 10 Education Edition. To be blunt, if I could get a licensed copy of the Education Edition I would look upon Windows 10 more favorably.

Having dabbled with Windows 10 once programs are running I have found it similar to Windows 7 to use. If I wanted to continue with it but couldn't get used to the menus I could try alternatives.

However I just don't trust Microsoft and how much they can glean about my usage and data. Even when all the tracking options are turned off I'm still skeptical plus after at least major updates they can get turned on again.

A month or so ago I loaded a spare laptop ( nothing fancy Core2Duo 2GHz / 3GB RAM ) with a few different versions of Linux to try. Currently Mint Cinnamon which is what I'm using right now.

I prefer Firefox to Opera and will not use actual Chrome as I wonder how much tracking Google can do. I'm using the Hoxx VPN add-in for now but really ought to get a proper VPN e.g. Nord.

Day to day so far I'm not missing Windows. A few programs need it e.g. my camcorder editor but I can do that off-line.

Unless you constantly need a Windows based program maybe try Linux - you too might like it .....

[Rick Danger]

I was running a dual boot Vista/Linux laptop until it crashed and burned.

Now that I have "retired" from my IT career, I am less wed to Microsoft than ever before. I have used Open Office and actually prefer it to the current incarnation of Word. Sorry, but when they went to the "ribbon" interface Word became a little too clumsy for me.

Probably the only app that I can't get away from is Adobe Photoshop/Photoshop Elements. I've been active in photography for about 45 years, the last ten in digital media (not exclusively though). I have tried GIMP as a photo editor, but I'm not wild about it.

I have been running VLC Media Player on my Windows and Android devices. I've had more success porting playlists from Windows Media Player to VLC than from WMP to Windows Music/Groove. So stupid of Microsoft to have done this!

Still, if I buy a new desktop I would not rule out a dual boot configuration as I assess both Windows 10 and the current flavors of Linux for myself.

[Ernesto75]

This does not concern Windows 10 a priori but it is sufficiently important to be mentionned.

ARMONK, N.Y. 08 Mar 2017:
IBM today announced it has created the world's smallest magnet using a single atom – and stored one bit of data on it.

Currently, hard disk drives use about 100,000 atoms to store a single bit.

The ability to read and write one bit on one atom creates new possibilities for developing significantly smaller and denser storage devices, that could someday, for example, enable storing the entire iTunes library of 35 million songs on a device the size of a credit card.


A view from IBM Research's Nobel prize-winning microscope of a single atom of Holmium, an element used as a magnet to store one bit of data. Photo credit: IBM Research - Almaden (San Jose, Calif.)

[EsotericKnave]

I haven't posted in this thread in quite a while...
*update*
I've actually dug my old Windows 7 pc out of the closet, took it apart, cleaned it up, and started using it again. Took a long time to apply the years of updates! But it sure showed me what junk 8 is. Still not interested whatsoever in 10!

[EsotericKnave]

Originally Posted by sparky10

However I just don't trust Microsoft and how much they can glean about my usage and data. Even when all the tracking options are turned off I'm still skeptical plus after at least major updates they can get turned on again.....

Let's face it...the spooks are collecting everything about us.
Just try to stay lost in the noise!

[Ernesto75]

Originally Posted by EsotericKnave

Let's face it...the spooks are collecting everything about us.
Just try to stay lost in the noise!

You are quite right.

I recently had to help a friend with his notebook. It was a good HP under Windows 7.
The machine was anomally slow.
I ran a tool I had downloaded from Kasperski and you know what ?
It was running slowly at the beginning and at the end because of junk there was in Internet Explorer which my friend does not use.
At start-up Internet Explorer connected very discreetly with a website to send data, and so wasted time.
It did the same when shutting-up.
I think this is very disloyal from Microsoft.

[sledge]

Originally Posted by Ernesto75

...I recently had to help a friend with his notebook....

Reminds me of this crap:
Lenovo “Superfish” controversy

[Ernesto75]

Originally Posted by EsotericKnave

Let's face it...the spooks are collecting everything about us.

Yes, we can call them spooks (I mean Microsoft's).

It made me furious when I noticed that they collect data under Windows 10, but also with other machines that are not under W10.

The machine I talked about previously is under Windows 7 Pro with SP 2.
I am trying to figure a way to improve speediness on it.
When I start it up lots of data are sent to Microsoft: I saw it on my machine (I have a tool on my machine for analysing data sent or received on the Net).
When I shut it up it is the same.
As a result you must wait numerous seconds.

One solution would be to block data being sent to the particular website but Microsoft certainly took precautions for this.

[anothercustom]

Originally Posted by Ernesto75

I think this is very disloyal from Microsoft.

Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. - they're all as bad as each other when it comes to surreptitiously gathering user data. I'm sure it's always buried deep in the Terms & Conditions in complex terminology, but no one ever reads the T&C's before clicking the "Accept" box when signing up.

[Ernesto75]

Intel Bug Bounty Program

At the CanSecWest Security conference on March 14, 2017,
Intel launched its first Bug Bounty program targeted at
Intel Products.

They want to encourage researchers to identify issues and bring
them to Intel directly so that they can take prompt steps to evaluate
and correct them, and they want to recognize researchers for the
work that they put in when researching a vulnerability.

The harder a vulnerability is to mitigate, the more they pay : from $ 500 to $ 10,000.

I simply wonder what Microsoft will do (they are in the habit of copying).
If they do the same I already have a list of W10's bugs to send them.