Is this Windows 10 situation true?

[Alan Rutherford]

....Linux. ....

Agreed. It's no harder to get into Linux than into a new version of Windows although it helps if you have some help sifting through the many choices. I've been using Linux for years but I still get the "I'm from Microsoft" calls. I once had a great conversation with one of those guys in German - a language neither one of us speaks.

Whether it's about my computer, my credit card or anything else, I trust almost no one who calls to tell me about a problem I didn't know I had.

[paul cottingham]

From whose point of view? They can monitor every keystroke I make in Windows. They won't learn much.

To me, that isn't the point. The point lies in the invasion of privacy inherent in that. Just like most people "have nothing to hide" but still have curtains on their windows, and frosted glass on their bathroom windows, I think people have an inherent "right" to privacy, and more to the point, an inherent need for it.

[paul cottingham]

Agreed. It's no harder to get into Linux than into a new version of Windows although it helps if you have some help sifting through the many choices. I've been using Linux for years but I still get the "I'm from Microsoft" calls. I once had a great conversation with one of those guys in German - a language neither one of us speaks.

Whether it's about my computer, my credit card or anything else, I trust almost no one who calls to tell me about a problem I didn't know I had.

i get them too. All we run here is Mac (FreeBSD) and Linux (everything else) and I still get those calls, and they insist that our *nix computers are infested too.

[lee cox]

I had Windows 7 on my laptop and I ran well. Then some where a long the line rogue software was installed on my laptop to issue coupons out into the internet. My laptop started running hot with the CPU running about 100% all the time. The other thing was my upload speed was always maxed out on my internet connection. I tried a lot of different software removable virus and malware programs to fix this with no luck. I guess running this software was not totally illegal.

I decided it was time to upgrade my laptop since my other one was old any way. I bought the laptop upgraded the wireless chip with the latest Intel wireless chip so I could run 5GHz since I switched my house network to only 5GHz wireless. I also installed Windows 10 on the new laptop. With Windows 10 I have not had any bad problems. I am glade Microsoft is watching over their OS trying to keep it safe. Who can better keep it safe than the people who write the code.

[Brian Henderson]

Who can better keep it safe than the people who write the code.

Depends on who you want to keep it safe from.

[paul cottingham]

I had Windows 7 on my laptop and I ran well. Then some where a long the line rogue software was installed on my laptop to issue coupons out into the internet. My laptop started running hot with the CPU running about 100% all the time. The other thing was my upload speed was always maxed out on my internet connection. I tried a lot of different software removable virus and malware programs to fix this with no luck. I guess running this software was not totally illegal.

I decided it was time to upgrade my laptop since my other one was old any way. I bought the laptop upgraded the wireless chip with the latest Intel wireless chip so I could run 5GHz since I switched my house network to only 5GHz wireless. I also installed Windows 10 on the new laptop. With Windows 10 I have not had any bad problems. I am glade Microsoft is watching over their OS trying to keep it safe. Who can better keep it safe than the people who write the code.

I must disagree. Open source is inherently safer than closed source, many extra eyes on source code keeps it more honest, and exposes vulnerabilities much faster. Patches appear more quickly as well.

people may argue that open source is more vulnerable as the bad guys can find the holes as well.this may be true, but it is also true that it is much easier to fix and spot those holes for reasons I outlined above.

ms has a history of sitting on vulnerabilities for a long time without acting; (Apple does as well, at least with the closed off GUI part of OSX) this is not anywhere near as common in open source communities. There is often "friendly" competition that keeps code clean.

of course, this doesn't adress the inherent weaknesses in the windows security model, which is a massive mess. Running almost everything as a super priveleged user as Windows does is just begging for all the problems windows has with security.

[Curt Harms]

ms has a history of sitting on vulnerabilities for a long time without acting

<Tinfoil hat on>
I've wondered if that was an secret part of their settlement with the DOJ re the Monopoly trial in the '90s. Let U.S. intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies know about exploits and don't patch them until others find and publicize them. In return Microsoft's punishment after being found guilty would be a relative slap on the wrist.
<Tinfoil hat off>

[paul cottingham]

<Tinfoil hat on>
I've wondered if that was an secret part of their settlement with the DOJ re the Monopoly trial in the '90s. Let U.S. intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies know about exploits and don't patch them until others find and publicize them. In return Microsoft's punishment after being found guilty would be a relative slap on the wrist.
<Tinfoil hat off>

<sotto voce> "intriguing" </sotto voce> :-)

[Dick Latshaw]

<Tinfoil hat on>
I've wondered if that was an secret part of their settlement with the DOJ re the Monopoly trial in the '90s. Let U.S. intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies know about exploits and don't patch them until others find and publicize them. In return Microsoft's punishment after being found guilty would be a relative slap on the wrist.
<Tinfoil hat off>

Sir, that black helicopter that you ordered, will arrive shortly.

[paul cottingham]

Sir, that black helicopter that you ordered, will arrive shortly.

Sweet candy, baby.

[Pat Barry]

Drink the Win 10 kool-aid. It actually tastes pretty good. I for one have had 0 issues on it, first with an upgrade to an older laptop from Win 8 which we all agree was terrible, then on a new laptop with Win 10 from the factory. I wouldn't want to go back to good ol Win 7 - I'm not sure it was all that good anyway. I won't be going to Linux - that's the devil I don't know - rather stick with the devil I do know.

[Curt Harms]

Drink the Win 10 kool-aid. It actually tastes pretty good. I for one have had 0 issues on it, first with an upgrade to an older laptop from Win 8 which we all agree was terrible, then on a new laptop with Win 10 from the factory. I wouldn't want to go back to good ol Win 7 - I'm not sure it was all that good anyway. I won't be going to Linux - that's the devil I don't know - rather stick with the devil I do know.

The useful thing about live DVD/USB is that you're not doing anything to your existing machine. Create a live USB, use the 'boot from a different device' key (F12 seems popular though it varies by manufacturer) and tinker if you're so inclined. Shut down, remove the DVD/USB drive, reboot and everything is exactly as it was. You might find that what you thought was the devil is more like Boo Radley from "To kill a Mockingbird".

[tom coleman]

I had the same problem last week only it was windows 7.........i thought i was being contacted by microsoft and gave technician access to my computer......lots of flashing lights and scrolling gibberish..........then the punchline........you have a corrupted network which we can fix for $250.........called my son a computer scientist.........he said scam.......anti virius sw costs less than $50..........i upgraded to windows 10....so far no problem

[Chuck Wintle]

If even half of the FOD about Windows 10 and its invasiveness is true, I would never install it. I was horrified to hear that 7 installs most of the invasive stuff as part of some of the security updates. Very bad stuff.

MS is desperate to get users to move to windows 10 because when I hide the updates associated with Windows 10 they just come back in the next round of updates. I switched it to "never check for updates" so I have more control. Some one sais that MS is not evil....yet but they want more and more control of your computer it seems.

[Al Launier]

Can one get the W10 upgrade on a CD rather than download it?