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posted by LaminatorX on Sunday December 14 2014, @12:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the do-what-now? dept.

Microsoft has just confirmed that their recent update (KB 3004394) is causing a range of serious problems and recommends removing it.

Users are reporting that USB 3.0 drivers are broken, User Account Control (UAC) prompts are behaving oddly and the Windows Defender anti-malware service has been disabled by the update. Microsoft has acknowledged that it even prevents the installation of future Windows Updates.

Note that the problems with this patch only apply to Windows 7, so if you have been diligent in paying your Microsoft tax, you're safe. If insist on staying with an old OS, and have Windows 7 set to automatically update every Tuesday, you should consider permanently disabling that feature.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2014/12/13/new-windows-7-patch-is-effectively-malware-disables-graphics-driver-updates-and-windows-defender/

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  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:07PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:07PM (#125938)

    Which part of "Microsoft product" did they not understand?

    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:01PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:01PM (#125945)

      Why has some utter bell-end modded this "Insightful"? If we want anyone - including ourselves - to take anything on this site seriously we'd be better avoiding playground shite like this.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:31PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:31PM (#125946)

        If you want to talk about being taken seriously, look at precedent. The first post in the article about the vulnerabilities this patch was supposed to fix slagged Linux and was modded up, despite having no relevance to Microsoft's OS.

        http://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=14/12/11/1817234 [soylentnews.org]

        At least OP above is on-topic, and somewhat justified given how badly this has been done by MS. Why are you trying to frame the conversation to pretend it's juvenile to mock Microsoft?

        Don't you think they've earned a little ridicule by now?

        • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @03:13PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @03:13PM (#125949)

          "Why are you trying to frame the conversation to pretend it's juvenile to mock Microsoft?"

          It's juvenile to be juvenlie. Going onto a security article about Windows and mocking Linux is pathetic. Going onto a security article about Windows and bleating about "Which part of "Microsoft product" did they not understand?" snort arf giggle is also pathetic. Criticising one does not imply supporting the other - and rabid partisanism (over an OS of all bloody things) backed by facile points-scoring just makes the whole site look like a joke.

          Agree with me or not as you choose, but I'm extremely tired of this shit. It's one thing I hoped wouldn't come across to SN from Slashdot but unfortunately it's still here, and just as childish as it was there.

          • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @07:15PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @07:15PM (#125971)

            snort arf giggle

            Well, it is kind of funny. "Microsoft product"! Ha, ha ha! Just like "British Intelligence"! Ha ha ha! Or, how about this, "Italian driving lessons"? Or "American Bill of Rights"!! Ha, ha, ah, ha! It's an oxymoron, see? Nothing particularly juvenile about it.

            • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @11:08PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @11:08PM (#126029)

              Not if you're a juvenile, no.

              The quality of modding on this site now means that my original comment is "Flamebait" (despite being an absolutely valid criticism of posting on this site) while the original comment - both "Flamebait" and "Troll" - is "Funny".

              Given it's as funny as fucking herpes, fuck this site. And fuck every one of you childish pricks sitting around in an increasingly irrelevant circle-jerk, and that goes for the twats trolling Linux articles, and the twats trolling Apple articles, just as much as it does the twats trolling Microsoft articles. Utterly pathetic, overgrown, pustulent children, the fucking lot of you. The internet will be a better place when you've inevitably collapsed.

              • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @01:57AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @01:57AM (#126052)

                The quality of modding on this site now means that my original comment is "Flamebait" (despite being an absolutely valid criticism of posting on this site)

                And "utter bell-end" and "playground shite" contributed positively to the conversation?

                If you want to complain about people ridiculing Microsoft, that's fine, but it's very clear to everyone how you've earned your flamebait mod. This latest tantrum is just adding fuel to the fire.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @02:40AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @02:40AM (#126056)

                Well, at least this has ended well.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:13PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:13PM (#125939)

    From a week to a day, and nothing was prepared for that.

  • (Score: 1) by TheGratefulNet on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:34PM

    by TheGratefulNet (659) on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:34PM (#125940)

    I have been disabling microsoft win7 updates, entirely.

    I don't use win7 for anything 'risky' and mostly run firefox with adblockers, etc, if I ever do go online with it.

    since MS allowed ftdi to brick my serial/usb converters (many of them), I no longer trust MS anymore for even simple things like 'non invasive updates'. and yes, I was able to unbrick my ftdi's but I'm just not willing to trust MS or their hardware partners ever again.

    my corp win7 box gets updates and I have no choice, but at home, I do have a choice and I choose to stop this madness.

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by jmorris on Sunday December 14 2014, @06:13PM

      by jmorris (4844) on Sunday December 14 2014, @06:13PM (#125966)

      since MS allowed ftdi to brick my serial/usb converters

      That is unfair. It was reasonable to trust FTDI to update their own drivers because that are the original equipment maker and had never shown any sort of history of trustworthiness. Even if Microsoft had hardware samples on hand they would still have had no obvious means to identify that problem before it went out.

      Slag Microsoft for this defective update, that was entirely on them, but they did do the right thing in the FTDI incident and pull the update as soon as the reports started coming in. When we firmly fix blame where it belongs we gain credibility, when we just mindlessly hate it is reasonable for people to figure that out and ignore us.

      And no, Microsoft didn't do this patch to intentionally hose every Win7 install. Most corporate users pay the Microsoft Tax and can run whichever version they want so Microsoft gets paid either way. They know the corporate installs will get back in line with Win10 same way they skipped the Vista fiasco but quickly adopted 7... except for the XP diehards.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @08:09AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @08:09AM (#126112)

        Even if Microsoft had hardware samples on hand they would still have had no obvious means to identify that problem before it went out.

        Then their update model is fundamentally broken.

        That update had Microsoft's name on it and was issued by Microsoft. People who had automatic updates switched on in their Microsoft OS had no opportunity to evaluate the patch, because Microsoft installed it on their machines - and it bricked them.

        Microsoft is in a privileged position, and has responsibilities commensurate with that. They should KNOW with certainty what they're issuing.

        • (Score: 2) by jmorris on Monday December 15 2014, @07:52PM

          by jmorris (4844) on Monday December 15 2014, @07:52PM (#126274)

          Then their update model is fundamentally broken.

          Reread what I wrote. Where do you think Microsoft would have got their samples? Random eBay vendors or direct from the vendor? It was only the counterfeit chips that were being destroyed and Microsoft truly had no way to know until customers (Microsoft's customers) started complaining, at which point they did the right thing.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @01:56PM (#125943)

    Not accidental malware, as this appears to be.

    Consider a spy for a foreign government, or organized crime, got a job at microsoft, apple, oracle or what have you, then put an exploit into a code checkin, waited for a while after it shipped, then left the company on friendly terms.

    Sure code gets reviewed but I myself have put easter eggs into major products.

    I know all kinds of ways I could put exploits into code that would be very, very hard to detect. One could "innocently" make a "mistake" when handling an edge case, for example.

    • (Score: 2) by mtrycz on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:54PM

      by mtrycz (60) on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:54PM (#125948)

      Consider a spy for a foreign government

      I'm sorry, I'm not following your reasoning.

      (for reference http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/5/5263/1.html) [heise.de]

      --
      In capitalist America, ads view YOU!
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by francois.barbier on Monday December 15 2014, @05:59PM

        by francois.barbier (651) on Monday December 15 2014, @05:59PM (#126235)

        Considering your link is 404, I can't follow yours either :-)

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:14PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:14PM (#126307)

          Try the Backspace key.
          To the GP: Whitespace between a URL and punctuation|diacritical marks is advised.

          -- gewg_

    • (Score: 2) by Wootery on Sunday December 14 2014, @07:16PM

      by Wootery (2341) on Sunday December 14 2014, @07:16PM (#125972)

      ...what?

      I like a Corporation found to be in bed with the NSA story as much as the next Soylentil, but how are you making the leap?

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @05:43AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @05:43AM (#126096)

      "People are aware that Windows has bad security but they are underestimating the problem because they are thinking about third parties. What about security against Microsoft? Every non-free program is a 'just trust me program'. 'Trust me, we're a big corporation. Big corporations would never mistreat anybody, would we?' Of course they would! They do all the time, that's what they are known for. So basically you mustn't trust a non free programme."

      "There are three kinds: those that spy on the user, those that restrict the user, and back doors. Windows has all three. Microsoft can install software changes without asking permission. Flash Player has malicious features, as do most mobile phones."

      "Digital handcuffs are the most common malicious features. They restrict what you can do with the data in your own computer. Apple certainly has the digital handcuffs that are the tightest in history. The i-things, well, people found two spy features and Apple says it removed them and there might be more""

      Richard Stallman: 'Apple has tightest digital handcuffs in history'
      www.newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2012/12/05/richard-stallman-interview/

  • (Score: 2) by cosurgi on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:01PM

    by cosurgi (272) on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:01PM (#125944) Journal

    After I saw these news, I thought that I need to take care of my wife's 'windows 7 pro'. So I checked and I see that KB 3004394 has status from 11th december as "recommended, install failed".

    Well I have no idea why the install failed, but I'm glad. Probably M$ overscrewed itself, by breaking the thing that was supposed to break everything else :)

    --
    #
    #\ @ ? [adom.de] Colonize Mars [kozicki.pl]
    #
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @05:26PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @05:26PM (#125962)

      My history says installed. However, 'wmic qfe list' command does not show it as installed.

      Odd...

    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Monday December 15 2014, @06:16AM

      by anubi (2828) on Monday December 15 2014, @06:16AM (#126102) Journal

      According to PCWorld magazine: [pcworld.com]

      Microsoft has now issued a patch that will remove the faulty update from Windows 7 machines. Users can also remove the update manually by going to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > View Installed Updates, right-clicking on KB3004394 and selecting Uninstall. This will require a restart.

      Personally, I learned my lesson on the FTDI event... I disabled the updates.

      I think it may behoove anyone who must rely on a Microsoft infrastructure to question Microsoft. I was lucky... it was just one development machine that got messed up. What would I have done if I had been someone responsible for several thousand POS machines, with store managers calling me up telling me they can't do any transactions at the registers.

      After seeing the attacks launched to the Las Vegas Sands hotel and SONY, I am quite leery of designing stuff with programmable I/O chips... I always thought those things were produced by a mask and unalterable. Now that the code is out there to demonstrate how to brick interface chips, courtesy of FTDI, I believe it behooves the designer to make sure the chips he uses are robust against deliberate cyberattack by making sure there are no secret handshakes, and if one is considering a considerable design effort, make sure to get that guarantee there are no secret handshakes IN WRITING from the manufacturer. If there is one thing FTDI did for us, it was to remind us just how fragile our infrastructure can be if one gets ahold of the destruct codes. I view this like designing a bridge with a little lever hidden on the side which will collapse the bridge.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
  • (Score: 2) by dlb on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:34PM

    by dlb (4790) on Sunday December 14 2014, @02:34PM (#125947)
    I usually wait a few days, often until Sunday, before updating Windows. By then if anything's causing trouble the news is over the Internet and Microsoft has fixed or disabled the update.

    Unfortunately, Wednesday I decided what the heck and updated anyway. Don't know why because it was not a good idea [soylentnews.org]....
  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @03:34PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @03:34PM (#125953)

    M$ is broken? Bwahahahahahaha. Suckers. Get a real OS. Linux rules.

    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday December 14 2014, @06:19PM

      by Bot (3902) on Sunday December 14 2014, @06:19PM (#125967) Journal

      I dunno. Windows has bugs, Linux has systemd and Android, and OSX has Apple. I sense checkmate approaching.

      --
      Account abandoned.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:19PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:19PM (#126309)

        Windows has bugs

        It's obvious that even their "fixes" do.

        Linux has systemd

        Linux Mint 13 LTS: Long-term support till April 2017; no systemd.
        Linux Mint 17.x: Long-term support till April 2019; no systemd.
        Gentoo, Funtoo, Slackware, CRUX, Alpine, LSD (Less systemd Linux), et al never had systemd and it appears never will.
        ...and there's always Linux From Scratch.
        Blanket statements are easy to make and just as easy to dismiss.

        and Android

        XPrivacy or PDroid.
        They don't ship with Android, but are easily obtained.
        ...or did you have something else in mind?

        I sense checkmate approaching

        You need to get your sensor calibrated.

        -- gewg_

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:07PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:07PM (#125978)

      BSD be STOMPIN on Linsux Yo!

    • (Score: 1) by goody on Monday December 15 2014, @03:08AM

      by goody (2135) on Monday December 15 2014, @03:08AM (#126065)

      Please, go back to Slashdot.

  • (Score: 4, Informative) by GungnirSniper on Sunday December 14 2014, @04:10PM

    by GungnirSniper (1671) on Sunday December 14 2014, @04:10PM (#125955) Journal

    Looks like CEO Nadella's desire for Microsoft to be more like a startup and to remove some software testing might be blowing back on them now. From July 17, 2014, Mary Jo Foley's blog All About Microsoft [zdnet.com] says:

    Microsoft's unified Operating System Group, under Executive Vice President Terry Myerson , is one of the units that will be affected immediately and directly, sources say. Myerson's team will begin making some of the organizational moves that other teams at Microsoft already have undertaken.

    Specifically, Myerson's group will be undoing the functional management structure, put in place under CEO Steve Ballmer and former Microsoft Windows chief Steven Sinofsky, I hear. For the past seven-plus years, Windows was structured around a program management/development/software testing structure -- a structure some felt created silos.

    CEO Satya Nadella is making the investment of core engineering tools a top priority as part of his new strategies for the company. That means he is prioritizing non-sexy internal-facing tooling for things like source code control, collaboration management, and code sharing across divisions, I hear from my contacts.

    Under the new structure, a number of Windows engineers, primarily dedicated testers, will no longer be needed. (I don't know exactly how many testers will be laid off, but hearing it could be a "good chunk," from sources close to the company.) Instead, program managers and development engineers will be taking on new responsibilities, such as testing hypotheses. The goal is to make the OS team work more like lean startups than a more regimented and plodding one adhering two- to three-year planning, development, testing cycles.

    What's next to go? Security audits?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:34PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:34PM (#125980)

      I would never have guessed they did testing; when did that begin?

    • (Score: 1) by iamjacksusername on Monday December 15 2014, @06:56PM

      by iamjacksusername (1479) on Monday December 15 2014, @06:56PM (#126255)

      This sounds about right. Traditionally, Microsoft has been slow to patch because their QA is quite extensive. I remember reading an article years ago about how Microsoft considered their QA and Automated Testing Unit tools one of their competitive advantages. This was in reply to a question about whether they would consider releasing some of these tools with their DevStudio products.

      I have personally seen three AU screw-up in the past four months... August updates, October kernel patches and now this. Previously, I was pretty lax about testing updates on workstations... it is the eternal debate about Security vs Stability. Do I want to get the security issues fixed or let issues with known exploits continue to be unpatched while we test? Up until this summer, I would generally patch within a day or so of the updates being released because MS' record on patch stability was quite good. Now, I just enforce a waiting period to see what breaks for everybody else and patch some days or weeks later.

      This is rapid release cycle a new model for them so it will take time for their QA procedures to adapt. Eventually, it will be resolved. Unfortunately, I think they have burnt a lot of goodwill in corporate IT with these screw-ups and we are all going to worse for it.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:40PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:40PM (#126316)

        I think everyone here is aware that I have a low opinion of Redmond.
        Your comment about MSFT is very even-handed and fair-minded (so, of course, by its nature is aberrant to me). ;-)

        The new guy is finally having to deal with significant competition.
        In the process, I expect him to make some mistakes while treading in unknown territory.

        The guy before him was a salesman who didn't really have a grasp of technology.
        The guy before that guy was always self-employed and didn't have any real-world experience of how to do things properly; he was just making it up as he went along.

        Trying new methods when your company has been coasting on inertia for decades is pretty revolutionary for them and is going to be interesting to watch.
        It'll be kinda like a snail sticking out its neck to move forward.

        -- gewg_

  • (Score: 2) by N3Roaster on Sunday December 14 2014, @05:30PM

    by N3Roaster (3860) <roaster@wilsonscoffee.com> on Sunday December 14 2014, @05:30PM (#125963) Homepage Journal

    This update also breaks Virtualbox. Removing the update supposedly fixes it.

  • (Score: 2) by meisterister on Sunday December 14 2014, @05:50PM

    by meisterister (949) on Sunday December 14 2014, @05:50PM (#125964) Journal

    It's fairly well known that a certain phone manufacturer releases OS updates that completely screw over its older products so that people are more likely to buy its newer products (This manufacturer happens to make very shiny things, though it wouldn't surprise me if others followed the same tactics).

    Would it be completely unreasonable to suspect that Microsoft could be trying to nudge people to accept the turd that is Windows 8, or to get them unhappy enough to want to upgrade to Windows 10 when it's released?

    --
    (May or may not have been) Posted from my K6-2, Athlon XP, or Pentium I/II/III.
    • (Score: 1) by Wrong Turn Ahead on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:27PM

      by Wrong Turn Ahead (3650) on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:27PM (#125979)

      That wouldn't be a good way to do it. Microsoft releasing poorly-tested patches just makes them look incompetent. It stands to reason that if they are botching Win7 updates then it's only a matter of time before they botch a Win8 update. What's the motivation to update when it's the manufacturer creating the problem?

    • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday December 15 2014, @05:24PM

      by Freeman (732) on Monday December 15 2014, @05:24PM (#126218) Journal

      That would only make me more likely to accept the headaches of Wine https://www.winehq.org/ [winehq.org] and ditch Windows altogether. Assuming the Steam Machine (Linux) takes off, I may be making the switch anyway.

      --
      Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:49PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @09:49PM (#126319)

        For those apps that aren't yet WINE-compatible, is anyone using (pre-activation) W2k in a VM?
        How about the lightened versions of Redmond's stuff available via torrent (again, in a VM)?
        Have you also tried a recent version of Windoze in a virtual machine.

        Are there compatibility problems in any instances?
        Do the first 2 methods gain you any speed?

        -- gewg_ (who doesn't run M$-compatible binaries these days)

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @07:20PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @07:20PM (#125973)

    I'm a diehard Windows XP user, and I did my absolute best to emulate the exact Windows XP look and feel.

    I gained a few insights....here are the the things I could not solve and wish i could:

      (1) Totally replace the NT6 Explorer with NT5 Explorer (including dialog windows and all other features). I have ran into enough maniac Windows hackers out there to believe it just might be possible.

      (2) Cannot permanently disable Explorer from auto-sorting files and folders when I conduct file operations. If you spend your life in details view and have a need for methodical and precise control of events, this missing feature is a show stopper!

      (3) Cannot permanently disable 'Recent Items Pinned List' at the top of the classic start menu. This is a privacy nightmare! Yes I tried all the registry tricks and went over Group Policy Management Console with a fine tooth comb, but nope Windows will not obey! .....I pondered over this Recent Items logging feature and looked into it further. I WAS SHOCKED!!! The (obscure) places in the filesystem and registry where your activity is being logged and profiled is mind boggling. My Conclusion: THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY YOU CAN RUN A SESSION ON A WINDOWS NT6 OPERATING SYSTEM IN STEALTH MODE LEAVING NO TRACES OF WHAT YOU TOUCHED; I BELIEVE THIS IS A FEATURE PURPOSELY DESIGNED TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES!!!!!

      (4) Cannot strip out the "OMG WOW FUCK YEAH EYE CANDY BABY!" dynamic 3D graphics engine and replace with the low-key static Windows XP GDI 2D graphics engine. This is the style of desktop composting I prefer and since Microsoft has decided to not give me any choice in controlling this, then I stay on Windows XP ....or move to ReactOS one day.

    ---
    Main reason I don't move to Linux is because my favourite software 'foobar2000 audio player' is Windows only, and I am an audiophile, and I do not find the Linux Audio API acceptable....and I am a single user...and I see no need to change something I enjoy using.

    If I had a million dollars to burn, I would donate it the ReactOS project and ask them to totally reverse engineer the Windows Audio API and relevant device drivers to get the Pro Audio community to come on board.

    • (Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:36PM

      by SlimmPickens (1056) on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:36PM (#125981)

      The Linux audio API? Messing up the bits is it?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @09:15PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @09:15PM (#125993)
        • (Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Sunday December 14 2014, @10:15PM

          by SlimmPickens (1056) on Sunday December 14 2014, @10:15PM (#126005)

          Nobody cares about OSS or Miguel de Icaza.

          Sure, the various API's have had their foibles but there's not really an issue these days.

          Jack is the ducks nuts and Brutefir is just about the best convolution software in existence.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @11:37PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @11:37PM (#126035)

            From 2 months ago:  What is the one thing you wish Linux had natively? [reddit.com]
            Do a CTRL+F and type 'audio'.

            Reading the two links at the parent post explains it all better. The whole thing boils down to one essential truth: The upper echelons of the Linux development community are not strongly enamoured by the worlds of Audiophiles and Professional Sound Engineering. They are too busy working on advanced computing projects for RedHat or some allied industrial megacorp, while tapping their feet to a bunch of MP3s as background music from their phone through a pair of Bose computer speakers.

                >> Nobody cares about OSS or Miguel de Icaza
            Why doesn't anybody care about OSS or Miguel de Icaza? Is this a technical reason or personal?

               >> Sure, the various API's have had their foibles but there's not really an issue these days.
            It looks like there IS an issue, otherwise comments like these would not be happening these days.

                >> Jack is the ducks nuts and Brutefir is just about the best convolution software in existence.
            Well that's it then, I'm sold, where's the cash register?

      • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Sunday December 14 2014, @10:19PM

        by isostatic (365) on Sunday December 14 2014, @10:19PM (#126006) Journal

        1s are too sharp, 0s are too round

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:41PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:41PM (#125984)

      Main reason I don't move to Linux is because my favourite software 'foobar2000 audio player' is Windows only,

      Step away from the computer son! You can watch the Blinkenlights from the safe distance of 10 meters...

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Wrong Turn Ahead on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:50PM

      by Wrong Turn Ahead (3650) on Sunday December 14 2014, @08:50PM (#125985)

      Run WinXP in a VM on top of Linux and only use it for playing music. Use the host OS for everything else. There will probably be things you can't fully customize the way you like but you should be able to get close enough. At the minimum, you'll be running a more up-to-date OS without losing the ability to enjoy your favorite audio player on WinXP.

      On a side note, I share some of your pain over on the Linux side. All the modern desktops are disappointing so I stayed on a crusty old Debian/Gnome2 install. My vision has deteriorated some and I really need the ability to invert the colors of many windows (especially in low light). Super easy back in 2010 with Compiz (super+n) but nearly impossible today. It's almost 2015 and KDE can give me wobbly windows and snowflakes (which I don't care about) but their color invert plugin won't work without OpenGL 2+ and closed drivers?! (it's not the hardware, Compiz handles it just fine with all the FX enabled)

      Sometimes I wonder how much better Linux would be if people would just stop reinventing shit. All that time wasted fighting/forking over Gnome 3, KDE 4, systemd, etc... The Linux community trips over its' own feet way too often...

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @12:41AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @12:41AM (#126042)

        All that time wasted fighting/forking over Gnome 3, KDE 4, systemd, etc...

        But ideological purity!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @10:34PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @10:34PM (#126330)

        All the modern desktops are disappointing so I stayed on a crusty old Debian/Gnome2 install

        MATE is a fork of GNOME2.
        There are several distros that have it their repos or even offer a spin by default (Mint).
        Tried MATE? No go?

        Trinity is a fork of KDE3.
        There are a couple of distros that offer that.
        http://distrowatch.com/search.php?desktop=Trinity&status=Active [distrowatch.com]

        -- gewg_

    • (Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Sunday December 14 2014, @10:39PM

      by GungnirSniper (1671) on Sunday December 14 2014, @10:39PM (#126011) Journal

      I'm not sure if you're trolling or not.

      (1) Totally replace the NT6 Explorer with NT5 Explorer (including dialog windows and all other features). I have ran into enough maniac Windows hackers out there to believe it just might be possible.

      NT6 Explorer has vastly better file copy/move/replace handling, and Classic Shell [classicshell.net] adds back helpful things like the Up folder icon.

      (2) Cannot permanently disable Explorer from auto-sorting files and folders when I conduct file operations. If you spend your life in details view and have a need for methodical and precise control of events, this missing feature is a show stopper!

      Not sure if Classic Shell does this, but I can't quite imagine the specifics of your need for it. If you need that sort of precise control, use a script?

      (3) Cannot permanently disable 'Recent Items Pinned List' at the top of the classic start menu. This is a privacy nightmare! Yes I tried all the registry tricks and went over Group Policy Management Console with a fine tooth comb, but nope Windows will not obey! .....I pondered over this Recent Items logging feature and looked into it further. I WAS SHOCKED!!! The (obscure) places in the filesystem and registry where your activity is being logged and profiled is mind boggling. My Conclusion: THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY YOU CAN RUN A SESSION ON A WINDOWS NT6 OPERATING SYSTEM IN STEALTH MODE LEAVING NO TRACES OF WHAT YOU TOUCHED; I BELIEVE THIS IS A FEATURE PURPOSELY DESIGNED TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES!!!!!

      Looks like Classic Shell also has this option outwardly, though Microsoft will probably still track it. If Microsoft really wanted to help Law Enforcement, they'd have lists of started apps elsewhere than an obvious place where right-clicking -> remove from this list is possible. Anyone who uses fewer than a handful of apps on a regular basis likely finds this feature useful. Believe it or not, Microsoft does have usability people.

      I believe Windows has kept icon locations in the Registry since Win95 at least, so it's not like this is a Windows 7 feature.

      (4) Cannot strip out the "OMG WOW FUCK YEAH EYE CANDY BABY!" dynamic 3D graphics engine and replace with the low-key static Windows XP GDI 2D graphics engine. This is the style of desktop composting I prefer and since Microsoft has decided to not give me any choice in controlling this, then I stay on Windows XP ....or move to ReactOS one day.

      There's a vast difference between the underlying engine and the skin on top. If you really need an older-style theme, something like Window Blinds [stardock.com] is what you need.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @12:44AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @12:44AM (#126043)

        I am not trolling, how about you...are you a Microsoft shill?

        Re your point (1): Does nothing to help my question. I didn't ask for an opinion on Windows latest copy functionality, which is still bullshit in my eyes. I use third-party 'Fast Copy' from the Context Menu for massive copies, moves and controlled overwrites. Do you know any Windows hackers trying to do this? No? Then I shall continue my search.

        Re your point (2): THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM TO ME and is exactly as I described. Classic Shell cannot help to bring this functionality back. From the Classic Shell FAQ: "The Explorer in Windows 7 uses a new undocumented control "DirectUIHWND" instead of the documented "SysListView32" control like all the versions before it. The DirectUIHWND control has no public interface and nothing can be done to customize it..." Note, they are talking about auto-arrange and I am talking about auto-sort which is totally void of any documented configuration!

        Re your point (3): You don't convince me about anything, everything you say is obvious. Do you know any Windows hackers trying hack out or reverse engineer this feature set? No? Then I shall continue my search.

        Re your point (4): NO MAN ........ I'll say it again: I want to have a pure 2D acceleration model without taking a performance hit for choosing this! As it stands now, you can't disable 3D rendering of desktop (composition) which is mostly known as Aero without a huge loss in performance (opposite of XP, where you could disable fancy themes for resources/speed). Due to this, it will actually eat CPU like crazy emulating painting/resizing/moving instead of using 2D acceleration, so it eats HUGE amounts of CPU.

        --
        BONUS READING:

        Run 2D Graphics on NT6 using NT5 drivers--Faster Win7 32bit/64bit With Legacy Video/GDI acceleration (Forum Post) [hardforum.com]

        PowerCalc (Windows XP Powertoy) hacked to run on NT6 - Step-By-Step Tutorial and Binary Download (Blog Post) [red-stars.net]

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @02:59AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @02:59AM (#126060)

          You'll be first in line to get a BlackBerry Classic since your Bold is wearing out. And then you'll bitch that you want to run the old BB6 on the new Classic.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @03:46AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @03:46AM (#126073)

            Thanks for the brilliant tips bro or should I call you cunt, which do you prefer CUNT?

        • (Score: 2) by Open4D on Monday December 15 2014, @05:31PM

          by Open4D (371) on Monday December 15 2014, @05:31PM (#126222) Journal

          Re your point (4): NO MAN ........ I'll say it again: I want to have a pure 2D acceleration model without taking a performance hit for choosing this! As it stands now, you can't disable 3D rendering of desktop (composition) which is mostly known as Aero without a huge loss in performance

          To me that sounds like what I read here http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/off-topic/computers-science-technology/hardware-software-support/499290-win7-basic-theme-for-better-performance-or-not [minecraftforum.net] and what Marand mentions below.

          But Microsoft makes no mention of the phenomenon [microsoft.com] and my own experience (I have to put up with a Windows 7 laptop for work) is that disabling Aero seems to have made things faster. (Not fast, not remotely fast, just faster.)

    • (Score: 2) by Marand on Monday December 15 2014, @12:38AM

      by Marand (1081) on Monday December 15 2014, @12:38AM (#126041) Journal

      (4) Cannot strip out the "OMG WOW FUCK YEAH EYE CANDY BABY!" dynamic 3D graphics engine and replace with the low-key static Windows XP GDI 2D graphics engine. This is the style of desktop composting I prefer and since Microsoft has decided to not give me any choice in controlling this, then I stay on Windows XP ....or move to ReactOS one day.

      You can't get the flat grey style back without third-party software, but you can disable the compositing, which kills the eye candy stuff and gives you the same sort of experience. Looks horrible but definitely possible. I did it in my (rarely booted) win7 install because I only load it to play games. You can either do it permanently or only when certain apps run, just search for something like "windows 7 disable compositing" and you'll find ways to do both.

      Unless your GPU is complete crap, though, you're probably better off leaving the compositing turned on except when games are running. It takes some work off the CPU, and the GPU is probably under-utilised outside of gaming.

      Main reason I don't move to Linux is because my favourite software 'foobar2000 audio player' is Windows only, and I am an audiophile, and I do not find the Linux Audio API acceptable....and I am a single user...and I see no need to change something I enjoy using.

      Try DeaDBeeF [sourceforge.net] as a replacement for foobar. Foobar2000 used to be my player of choice back when I still used Windows, so if I weren't happy with amarok and mpd already I'd be using it. It's simple and flexible, with a UI you can completely tweak to your tastes by enabling "Design Mode" in the view menu.

      Also, assuming you're using a decent dedicated sound card (as a self-proclaimed audiophile, I'd hope you aren't using on-board audio...) you'd probably have a better sound experience in Linux by uninstalling pulseaudio and letting software access ALSA directly. Lower latency, lower CPU use, and better access to hardware controls that pulseaudio has an infuriating tendency to abstract away from your access.

      For the more advanced features, you can use JACK [wikipedia.org] on top of ALSA. Still low-latency, adds things like patching audio, real-time rewind, saving snippets of audio, etc. It's aimed at professional use and supported by various audio software (plus some odd things like wine, and KDE's audio stack, so you can redirect any KDE or windows app to JACK).

      JACK is what pulseaudio should have been, which is funny because JACK predates pulseaudio by several years. It just didn't have Lennart Poettering's backing ("not invented here") so it got largely ignored outside of pro audio use.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 16 2014, @11:39PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 16 2014, @11:39PM (#126670)

      I got this registry tweak from a friend, so not sure how well it works but you can try and see:

      Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
       
      ;----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      ; Remove 'Recent Items' from Start Menu
      ;----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       
      [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RecentDocs]
       
      [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
      "Start_ShowRecentDocs"=dword:00000000
      "Start_TrackDocs"=dword:00000000
       
      [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\RecentDocs]
       
      [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Modules\GlobalSettings\Sizer]
      "PageSpaceControlSizer"=hex:d0,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

      To remove all the filesystem droppings, you would need to run an always-on background service which instantly and recursively deletes files created at specified locations aka 'special folders'.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @03:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @03:33PM (#126168)

    So we have a windows update that ruins the ability to do further updates unless manually removed. Since most people don't know how to manually do this this is what's going to happen.

    Hackers are going to find vulnerabilities in the operating system. Those vulnerabilities won't get patched by the majority of people who don't know how to manually fix the problem. Everyone is going to get malware on their computers. The market for people who need their computer fixed is going to boom.

    This is the perfect business opportunity for everyone here at Soylentnews. Soon your skills at removing malware and removing this horrid patch can be used to capitalize on people who don't know how to fix their own computers.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @05:58PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 15 2014, @05:58PM (#126233)

      (same commenter)

      My Windows 7 machine just did another automatic update that fixes the bugs with the initial update (I read on another site that Microsoft pushed through a new patch to patch the old patch). So, given that, apparently this isn't an issue where an update prevents future updates and so my above prediction doesn't apply.