Did you authorize a Windows 10 upgrade

[Tom Stenzel]

Many moons ago the wife and I bought a new Compaq computer with WinXP from Best Buy. One of the things I wanted to do with it was to copy my record collection and burn them into CDs. In those pre Internet days I bought a copy of MusicMatch Deluxe to do that.

One day I went to use it and found it didn't work anymore. Found out that Yahoo had bought the company. The result was an 'UPDATE' that crippled the software- because of "a changing business model".

I'm still livid over that. The company took software that I had BOUGHT in a box at Best Buy and sabotaged it. I deleted the software, reinstalled it from the CD, then found and broke the updater. Later I switched to Audacity, a much better solution.

That's what drove me to open source software. I'm not at the mercy of someone's business model. And with the inability to turn off Win 10 updates, even ones that destroy the usability of YOUR computer and hold YOUR information hostage, there's no way I could ever allow such malware on any computer I have.

Imagine buying a car that can do 0-60 in 5 seconds. One day getting on the freeway it takes 10 seconds. When you take it in a complain, the service writer says, "We changed our business model. If you want your car to accelerate faster, you will have to upgrade with the purchase the Sport package. Only $9.99 a month, it's really a good deal. Just put your charge card in this here slot". I'm sure everyone would be fine with that.

At work we ran MSOS 4.3 on a CDC 1700 from 1978 until 2004. Our microVAX II ran the same version of VAX-VMS from 1988 until it was decommisioned 15 years later. At home I ran CP/M 2.2 until the hardware gave up the ghost. It's replacement ran DR-DOS 6.0 from the mid ninties until 2010. And yeah, I still miss WordStar. On the computers I've seen the owners run the OS that it came with until the horse up and dies. Or they get a whole new computer. Change an operating system every two years? Other than a masochist who would do that?

-Tom

[Brian Elfert]

At work we ran MSOS 4.3 on a CDC 1700 from 1978 until 2004. Our microVAX II ran the same version of VAX-VMS from 1988 until it was decommisioned 15 years later. At home I ran CP/M 2.2 until the hardware gave up the ghost. It's replacement ran DR-DOS 6.0 from the mid ninties until 2010. And yeah, I still miss WordStar. On the computers I've seen the owners run the OS that it came with until the horse up and dies. Or they get a whole new computer. Change an operating system every two years? Other than a masochist who would do that?

Those old operating systems probably didn't connect to the Internet where there are hackers trying to get into computers continually. It is a constant struggle to keep things patched ahead of hackers.

There is no need to constantly upgrade operating systems to get patches. Windows 7 was released in 2009. The final security patches will be released in October 2020. That is more than 11 years of patch support. Windows Server 2003 came out in April 2003. It was supported by patches until July 2015 for 12 years of patches.

[Curt Harms]

No big conspiracy here. Windows was the only major OS that still charged it current users a fee to upgrade to the next version. MS is just getting in line with the rest of the world.

The tricky part for Microsoft is that Apple makes the majority of its income from hardware. Microsoft has a ways to go there so I guess they're counting on 'rentals' from Office365 and Azure. User data sales ala Google?

[Kev Williams]

BECAUSE Microsoft can and does take control of your computer any time they want and for whatever purpose suits them,
6 of my 8 computers are XP (one is 98, one is 8.1 and it's going away soon), and yes they're all connected to the internet...
I'd rather have hackers screw with my computer than Microsoft. (and why would they, hacking an XP is like playing Pong).

[Larry Browning]

BECAUSE Microsoft can and does take control of your computer any time they want and for whatever purpose suits them

I have yet to come up with any kind of a reason that would make MS WANT to take control of my computer. How would they benefit? And how would it hurt me? What are they gonna do? Steal my credit card info and sell it?
Just because they can does not mean they will.

[Kev Williams]

By installing 10 without your permission, how is that NOT taking control of your computer? And from what I hear, that's just the tip of a very cold iceberg..

Sorry, but I'm not giving Bill the keys to MY house!

(maybe if he'd build a computer I can actually use...)

[Larry Browning]

Whatever floats your boat.

[Chuck Wintle]

By installing 10 without your permission, how is that NOT taking control of your computer? And from what I hear, that's just the tip of a very cold iceberg..

Sorry, but I'm not giving Bill the keys to MY house!

(maybe if he'd build a computer I can actually use...)

This! when I decide to upgrade it will be my decision and not that of the marketers at MS who want more money. Also, and this may seem petty, why would they want the user to pay for Solitaire?? It has been free since MS-DOS!