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Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
Windows Update came roaring back today [Mar 7] after more than a month in a semi-comatose state, and the chute filled up quickly this morning. Windows Update seems to be working well -- even more reason to check your Win7 and 8.1 systems and make sure it's turned off
[...] More disconcerting are the re-re-releases of KB 2952664 (Win7) and KB 2976978 (Win8.1). As I explained last month, those two patches have, in the past, triggered a new Windows task called DoScheduledTelemetryRun.
Even proponents of installing all Win7 and 8.1 patches balk at those patches, which were born in the crucible of the Get Windows 10 (GWX) marched upgrade madness. The series was renumbered, with no explanation: KB 2852664 was renumbered from revision 25 on Oct. 4, 2016, to revision 12 today. Microsoft states:
This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. The diagnostics evaluate the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem, and help Microsoft to ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. There is no GWX or upgrade functionality contained in this update.
Yet it appears as if the scheduled task runs whether CEIP is enabled or not. If there's a reason for installing the patches, other than increased telemetry, I haven't heard about it.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Unixnut on Friday March 10 2017, @03:47PM (45 children)
I mean, Microsoft have made it pretty damn clear that the future of windows is locked down spyware. That is what they are going for, their "strategic direction" for the future.
I am impressed at the revolt windows users had shown. MS releases telemetry updates, people skip them from the update list. Microsoft then bundle the telemetry in massive updates with security and other fixes, then people write tools strip them out prior to update. Then MS forces signed updates only, so you can't patch them, and people write tools to remove the telemetry updates after they have been applied. Then MS force spyware services via alternative methods, people write patches to disable it. Microsoft updates windows to override the disabling, people counter with registry tweaks. MS makes the telemetry ignore the registry settings, and so on an so forth.
How long are people going to keep fighting it? Surely at some point it will be easier, cheaper and faster to just leave Windows altogether?
I just look at this, and think how much time, effort and money has been wasted on both sides, Microsoft doesn't seem interested in changing direction, so what are people to do? Play this cat-and-mouse game indefinitely? Constantly have to decide between running an insecure/unpatched windows, or risking an update that may will bring yet another iteration of spyware that has to be stripped out somehow?
Surely the time has come to either accept that the OS is no longer yours, but rather a tool for spying, control and (eventual) subscription/rental/pay-per-use, or start putting some of that effort into leaving that ecosystem? It isn't like there are no alternatives, and the short term pain of porting/migrating may turn out to be cheaper and better in the long run.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Friday March 10 2017, @04:00PM (16 children)
I just look at this, and think how much time, effort and money has been wasted on both sides,
Microsoft isn't wasting money here; they're doing these things because it makes them more money. It's the other side that's wasting their time and money, when, as you astutely point out, they could simply choose an alternative OS. You're exactly right: for all the effort they put into trying to work around MS's shenanigans, they could be investing that on migrating to a better OS that aligns better with their preferences and goals.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Unixnut on Friday March 10 2017, @04:07PM (14 children)
> Microsoft isn't wasting money here; they're doing these things because it makes them more money.
While I agree with your point, I suspect that right now, it isn't making Microsoft money either.
I believe they are doing it in order to make money in future. They are looking forward to a time when they lock it down enough to be able to start "monetizing" the users data. I would not be surprised if they eventually come out with the brainfart to only allow apps from the "Windows App store" to be installed (with commission on every transaction to MS, a-la Apple). However they can't tighten that screw just yet, as too many users are accustomed to "owning" the OS (and by extension doing what they want with it, including running any binary they find anywhere).
This is some twisted concept of "Investment", where they don't mind trimming down the number of users through attrition, as long as the ones left are easy enough to pen in and milk for future income. I am not convinced that they will succeed (hence I see the money "wasted"), but who knows, they have definitely decided to go "all in" on this concept, so we will see if it is a success, of if MS manages to actually kill Windows (as a useful OS) with its incompetence.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by LoRdTAW on Friday March 10 2017, @04:53PM (10 children)
The problem is there is too much legacy software floating around at the moment. MS is working on getting developers to move to "Windows Apps" (formerly Metro) and get them in the store. Once the store reaches critical mass, MS can pull the plug on win32, .net, and non-store applications calling it all unsupported legacy. At that point you either run a VM (if your lord and master allows it) or keep legacy hardware and Windows systems floating around.
Bottom line is, its not if but when MS pulls the plug. That all depends on the various software vendors moving to Windows Apps. And given history, it probably will happen at some point as MS still enjoys a majority share of the desktop so developers will go where the money is.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday March 10 2017, @06:03PM (9 children)
Given how well WINE reportedly works these days, it seems the best course of action for people who actually have the resolve to not just go along with MS's plans is to switch to Linux and try running their legacy software on WINE, and also for software vendors to utilize WINE to ease the transition.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by LoRdTAW on Friday March 10 2017, @07:47PM (8 children)
There are still a few applications I have yet to get working in Wine. Three are industrial laser controller applications that use ethernet or serial communication, and the other is the ERP software which is a total mess but were stuck with it. An industrial motion control system we use is built on Windows and requires special drivers and kernel level stuff that can't be ran on Wine. A lot of Industrial systems run Windows (scary, right?), have windows only HMI's, or have development tools that are Windows only. For me, it's a long road out of Winhell.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Friday March 10 2017, @07:58PM (1 child)
Those kinds of tools cost big money though, right? Big money that could be used to GET it working on Wine rather than purchasing new software perhaps? Or does it even matter -- aren't a lot of those types of systems on some (hopefully) air gapped XP box? Are you really running that kind of stuff on _Windows 10_?
Personally I find the exact opposite anyway though -- I've given up on Windows because the few pieces of Windows software that I *do* still want to run won't run on Windows anymore, but they run just fine under Wine...
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday March 10 2017, @11:11PM
Unfortunatly, it's not my call. For management: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Though, I do use Linux where I can. Some general use shop floor PC's run Mint and I'm contemplating writing a PLC engine that's POSIX compliant and running it on Linux or OpenBSD. I did some experimenting with Opto22's OptoMMP protocol and libmodbus. The HMI would simply be a terminal application written using ncurses or termbox. If the machine goes down, I could SSH into it remotely and run diagnostic tools right from the command line. Though half the time I'm fixing broken stuff.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday March 10 2017, @09:32PM (5 children)
Please tell me you aren't connecting your industrial laser controller to a network.
If your computer isn't on a network, you don't need to worry about OS updates.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday March 10 2017, @11:12PM (4 children)
Isolated network with access to a file server for transferring programs. There is no outgoing or incoming internet connectivity. I fixed that a while back. Before that, everything was on one insecure network. Yikes.
The one thing I do have a gripe with is Trumpf, a laser manufacturer, requires their machine (Trulaser Cell 3000) to be connected to the internet for remote diagnostics but after they commissioned the machine I yanked the Ethernet from the Windowz box in the machine. And yes, the machine runs Windows for the HMI and diagnostics along with an embedded Windows PLC from Beckhoff. If it needs diagnosis, it will be connected only for the duration.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Saturday March 11 2017, @01:09AM (3 children)
Yeah, for stuff like that (specialty machines not connected to the internet), OS really doesn't matter except for the annoyance factor of having to use the Windows UI. Machines like that, to me, don't even count in this whole argument; those kind of machines are frequently running some ancient version of Windows anyway. You don't use them for general-purpose computing.
It's the general purpose office computers, connected to the internet, where people should be working to free themselves of their dependency to MS. And that's why I brought up WINE: it might very well be possible to run all your 3rd-party software on Linux that way. Machine-control stuff won't work because of special device drivers and such, but regular application software is not like this.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:27PM (2 children)
I've built some of those machines with regular Dells or custom built rack mount boxes from newegg. Aerotech is the CNC system we use and even though it's windows based, it's quite flexible and easy to build and configure a motion system. We saved an Aerotech system a customer was going to toss and I re-purposed the CNC system for a job that has made $100k to this day. Took me only a week and that included waiting for parts. Runs off a Dell Dimension 4700 (P4/1GB) with XP Pro. They do have newer software that runs on 7/8/10 but again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. My boss hates spending money on things that work (He's also very penny wise pound foolish). I rebuilt our glove box CNC with new Aerotech on Win 7 and I spent more time with wiring and building a rack mount enclosure for the drives than software installation and configuration. I got my little open source thing going, have a cygwin install on it that handles some CAM post processing, oprogram modification (e.g. automatically adds laser commands), and backup using regular shell scripts and sed/awk/rsync.
I have wanted to try out either Machine kit or Linux CNC on Mesa FPGA hardware. Though, the support is a mailing list and it requires a lot more work to build a system. Only downside to opensource when trying to convince management that there is no one to call up and scream at someone for support when shit breaks. My boss turned that suggestion down immediatly. Now he wants to move towards highly integrated high performance stuff like Siemens Sinumeric or possibly Fanuc. Not that Aerotech or even ACS are low performance, quite the opposite. They are more OEM DIY and not turnkey.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Saturday March 11 2017, @11:09PM (1 child)
I have a hobby CNC machine running LinuxCNC; it wasn't hard to get set up, but I did choose a controller that was already supported by it, the Gecko G540. From there it was a couple hours maybe of installing the software and configuring it for that particular machine. I have no idea about this "Mesa FPGA hardware" you mention; I haven't heard of that. I'll have to look it up. LinuxCNC is obviously very DIY-oriented, but it works well IMO; it's been very reliable for me for years now. I've certainly never needed to call anyone up and scream at them. The problem with that idea (which you probably agree with but management does not) is that that support is extremely expensive and not needed if you have competent people on staff who know how the machine works and who even built it (from easily-available components). Anyone reasonably competent with Linux, who can install and tweak the OS (and especially do a little custom scripting) is not going to have a problem. That fancy expensive "support" is if you have morons on staff who just want to press a button and don't know anything about how their machines work, much like the workers at McDonald's who have no idea how their burger-making machines work, they just know enough to follow the pictorial directions printed on the machines.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Sunday March 12 2017, @05:17PM
What kind of machine do you have? The Mesa stuff is really interesting and the cost wont break the bank. http://www.mesanet.com/ [mesanet.com]
I can agree that it is a silly mentality but believe it or not, Aerotech support is free so long as you have a sales order with them. We have built five CNC systems with their hardware and they work very well when properly setup. The yelling part is simply due to what I I'm on vacation or I quit? The boss wanting Siemens or Fanuc is just his crappy childish mentality of seeing some high-end German hardware and thinking it's going to look good to customers and on the website. He is obsessed with aesthetics and outward appearance rather than focusing on internal process' and fine tuning them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10 2017, @05:00PM
You mean like this? http://www.techrepublic.com/article/windows-10-how-to-lock-down-the-os-to-only-install-windows-store-apps/ [techrepublic.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Friday March 10 2017, @05:08PM
> I would not be surprised if they eventually come out with the brainfart to only allow apps from the "Windows App store" to be installed [...]
That was last week's news: "Microsoft Adds Store App-Only Restriction as Option in Windows 10" [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday March 10 2017, @05:12PM
Come one, dear geeks ...
What's the actual percentage of users who go out of their way to disable telemetry? I'm guessing single digits, and not the big ones...
Many people who did it the first time, because we warned them, will miss this one. The remaining few who fight every time (outside of gamers, the highest value ones have move to linux) are not a big loss to the giant database of easily-monetized data.
And this shit has been baked into W10 from the start. If they did the patch thing every month this year, I'm not sure the people leaving would register above the noise.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by requerdanos on Saturday March 11 2017, @01:36AM
Surely at some point it will be easier, cheaper and faster to just leave Windows altogether?
For me, this point came when I was testing the windows 10 preview on a laptop, and it...
1. Demanded that I update by a certain date or it would self-destruct [microsoft.com],
2. Continually failed to update [microsoft.com] every time it tried (whether online, from DVD, or from USB),
3. Sure enough, it self-destructed.
This reinforced to me in a personal way that not only was the software a sypware, malware, bad actor in the theoretical sense, but the practical.
That was the last computer I had with Windows installed. I have seven computers (desktops, laptops, servers) and at this writing all are running Debian [debian.org]. Additionally, all server space/servers that I lease are linux-based.
At my age, I conservatively estimate that approximately half of my life is past. I don't have time for an operating system that is designed to actively fight against me, as is Windows. I suppose other people have to make their own decisions about that, but after decades of having both Linux and Windows around, after that day I have been free-operating-system [distrowatch.com] only. I even joined the FSF [fsf.org] as a monthly associate member.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10 2017, @04:08PM
Don't use IE or EDGE. Sandbox your browser and keep it up to date, and you won't get pwned that easily.
(Score: 3, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Friday March 10 2017, @04:39PM
Surely at some point it will be easier, cheaper and faster to just leave Windows altogether?
You vastly underestimate the cost of political change.
By comparison, writing software patches is free.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Friday March 10 2017, @04:48PM (16 children)
Beyond that, why in the world would anyone trust MS to be in control of ring 0 on their machine given the number of shenanigans they have pulled? If you're actively fighting against their patches, you must not trust them that much, but you're willingly running their code at ring 0?
That's like inviting a burglar to live with you and searching their room every night looking for packed bags with your stuff in them, but for some reason you don't kick them out after the 6th time you find the good silver in their suitcase.
(Score: 5, Funny) by vux984 on Friday March 10 2017, @05:01PM (15 children)
I think the analogy works. But the reason you don't kick them out, is that they pay the rent, and finding a new room-mate is impossible because that pretty gal Linux and her friends BSD and MacOS would all move in tomorrow... but they won't pay your rent. Sure, Linux might pay your rent if you keep enough WINE in her, but you really can't rely on that working out. So you put up with the burglar Windows and you just keep really close watch on your silverware. Maybe one day, you wont need to live with that asshat, but right now its essential to you not living on the street. Plus he's far and away the best gaming buddy on weekends, and can help you with your accounting and taxes.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10 2017, @05:30PM
One of the best things I've read on this site. Well done.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Friday March 10 2017, @06:06PM (10 children)
and can help you with your accounting and taxes.
Who still uses installed software to do taxes? All that stuff has moved to web apps now.
And why would I want to put up with a roommate that decorates my whole home in garish colors and ugly patterns, steals my stuff constantly, kicks my cat, and is constantly locking random doors so I can't even move around the house normally? Just because he plays games on the weekend (which I can do just fine with other roommates too, though maybe with a more limited selection of games, but that suits me fine because I really don't care about playing the newest games)? You have some strange priorities.
(Score: 2) by vux984 on Friday March 10 2017, @07:16PM (5 children)
Who still uses installed software to do taxes? All that stuff has moved to web apps now.
Corporate taxes; payroll taxes; etc
You have some strange priorities.
Pays the rent and puts the food on the table. That was the big one.
maybe with a more limited selection of games,
"Maybe"?? Don't kid yourself. It's not maybe. Linux game selection is like Netflix movie selection. There's lots there... but don't pretend you aren't missing out.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday March 10 2017, @09:33PM (4 children)
There's lots there... but don't pretend you aren't missing out.
Yeah, I'm missing out the same way I'm missing out on country music and baseball: it's out there, but I simply don't care.
(Score: 2) by art guerrilla on Saturday March 11 2017, @12:28PM (3 children)
c'mon, that is rank sophistry, and you know better...
YOUR pwecious this or that which is NOT sequestered from your attention via some nefarious kapitalist pig scheme is not someone else's this or that...
conversely, were it to be your ox being gored, i imagine you would be squealing...
on this particular issue in general, i would love to abandon windoze for all kinds of reasons, yet i am dependent -both at home/work- on mainstream programs which either do not have THE EXACT SAME (FORGET about 'file compatibility', etc; it MUST be the EXACT SAME program, not an 'equivalent') programs with the same capabilities as it has under windoze... i can NOT afford to spend meta-nerd time figuring a TON of shit out JUST TO GET TO the point i can actually get the software to do the work which is the WHOLE POINT of my employment...
i am paid to produce those virtual widgets; i am NOT paid a cent to avoid micro$oft...
if i can't run AutoCad, Adobe CS, Corel Draw (i know), SketchUp, Outlook, Excel, etc, etc, etc, OUT OF THE CHUTE without dicking around 'tweaking' shit for weeks on end, then i simply can't afford to use that setup...
end of insurrection...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Saturday March 11 2017, @04:02PM (2 children)
That's fine: you've tied your economic future to Microsoft. That's a choice that YOU made; it was not forced on you. Now you have to suffer with the consequences of your decision.
Furthermore, there's a difference between what you do with a computer that isn't yours, and isn't really controlled by you, and one that is your property (i.e., work vs. home). I use Windows at work for reading email and such; I don't like it it at all, but I don't like meetings and other work stuff much either. However, to me, it's not really my problem. I can change jobs at any time if I get fed up enough, and if Windows takes a shit and doesn't work for me, it's really not my problem: I just call the IT department and let them solve it. If that impacts my work performance, so be it: I'll duly note it and pass the blame to IT and Windows. The company made their choice, and they get to suffer the consequences for it. (Also worth noting is that big-company Windows systems don't have many of these problems; they don't run the home version.) But for my own personal systems at home, I don't have to put up with that shit since I can do whatever I want there.
No, you're not "dependent" on MS at home; you just choose to make yourself so. Unless you run your own business out of your home, what you do at home has no bearing on what you do at work.
(Score: 2) by art guerrilla on Saturday March 11 2017, @04:39PM (1 child)
why, yes, i *do*, in fact, work from home and have to use the EXACT same s/w, etc...
i have *at least* tried to stay at win7 sp2 for the last couple laptops/desktops i have gotten; but microborg is starting to make it all but impossible to avoid the hive mind...
if -as your implied worst-case scenario- microborg gains consciousness and promptly commits suicide, then all the industries i work with will change to appropriate equivalents... until that ocean level rises to their nostrils, though, they will not budge...
got a manager who insists we 'need' corel draw for a specific task which historically has been done a lot with corel draw; but he doesn't get that illustrator, or any of a dozen mainstream progs can do the same thing... he is fixated on it has to be 'corel draw', because that is how it was done... no special corel draw features involved, just simple vectors any basic vector-based prog can do...
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Saturday March 11 2017, @06:12PM
if -as your implied worst-case scenario- microborg gains consciousness and promptly commits suicide, then all the industries i work with will change to appropriate equivalents
If, by "commits suicide", you mean that MS goes completely over-the-top with their policies (spyware, Windows Store-only software, etc.), then I think this is non-sequitur. Why would these industries change, if the software they've made themselves dependent on all only work on Windows? I don't think they're that far-sighted. Just look at your manager who insists on Corel Draw for example. If CD only works on Windows 10 (2019 Super Spyware edition that requires a phone-home connection even for businesses so all your confidential business data can be sent to MS), then of course he's going to just go with that.
I can only hope that a bunch of big companies get their data stolen and sent to China and are then put out of business as a result. It'll serve them right.
(Score: 2) by KilroySmith on Friday March 10 2017, @08:24PM (3 children)
>>>Who still uses installed software to do taxes? All that stuff has moved to web apps now.
In a story about spyware in Windows, you're suggesting doing your taxes online?
I install tax software, update it, then disconnect while I fill in the details and print out my forms to mail in. I paid for the software, why do they believe they have the right to all my personal financial information also?
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday March 10 2017, @09:30PM (2 children)
If you're worried about a 3rd party seeing your tax forms, then you can always just do them by hand. Those automatic tax form programs are known to make mistakes.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday March 11 2017, @07:02AM (1 child)
I always try to do mine by hand, too. But then mine are simple. Old retired guy. Not much income.
And I try my damndest not to rock the boat by messing with buying and selling stocks, real estate, or other reportable economic activities.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Saturday March 11 2017, @04:06PM
You can still do all that stuff by hand; I used to, years ago. The IRS has long provided fillable PDF forms that make it pretty easy to make nice-looking forms, and it isn't all that complicated really once you learn it. It's obviously not quite as convenient as software, but it is doable.
But if you're retired with low income, it's super-easy. All you really need to do is the standard 1040 (or maybe even 1040EZ), unless I'm missing something. Taxes only get hard when you have a more complicated situation like running a business or doing real estate.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday March 10 2017, @08:29PM (2 children)
A surprisingly large number of people just use the web, do some email, light word processing, and perhaps some games. Taxes are done on the web now. Many internal business apps are either web based or can be accomplished in LibreOffice. It turns out that MS guy will still pay the rent if you put bars on his bedroom door. That Linux girl may not be able to pay full rent, but she doesn't mind doing the cooking and cleaning and she won't complain about your odd taste in artwork.
(Score: 2) by vux984 on Friday March 10 2017, @08:41PM (1 child)
A surprisingly large number of people just use the web, do some email, light word processing, and perhaps some games.
True but those people are migrating to ipads not to linux.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday March 10 2017, @09:11PM
That may open it's own can of worms for them, but at least it's not staying in an abusive relationship with MS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10 2017, @04:57PM (2 children)
Unlearning long established workflows (which any migration to a different system involves), is just as time consuming if not more.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @03:42AM
Well, in the long run, you might save money because you won't be completely dependent upon your proprietary overlords.
And it's not just about cost; freedom is the largest reason to switch.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:57PM
Hyperbole.
I used DOS, then Windoze, and now Linux.
Each time, I've learned new stuff.
No sweat. In fact, things tend to improve each time.
Your hand waving is excessive.
...and if you just can't adapt to a FOSS-only paradigm [google.com] and you absolutely can't break away from old apps, there are ways to accommodate that (compatibility layers, VMs)--while improving system hardening against badware by ditching The Malware Magnet(tm) as your outer-facing wall.
The really smart producers of apps, who want to become the industry standard, make it easy--and have done so for over a decade. [google.com]
...and how does it affect your workflow when MICROS~1 decides to grab away control of "your" system for a significant portion of an hour in order to do a "critical" "update", which then requires a reboot?
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Lagg on Friday March 10 2017, @05:48PM (2 children)
I would never dream of using anything but linux for writing code, testing and building. Or otherwise using anything but linux for production and infrastructure. But it still sucks at everything else. Windows is just plain easier for me for some things I use for work and I can also reliably play video games on it. People seem to mistakenly think that the year of the linux desktop arrived at some point already. Don't think so. At the moment it makes my life less hellish to simply use 10 and putty into what i need to. I don't like it or think it's optimal. But it's not really possible to migrate for a lot of people. I'm well aware Microsoft is a whore for any number of surveillance interesting entities though. Which is why I used this [github.com] to alleviate some concerns.
http://lagg.me [lagg.me] 🗿
(Score: 4, Insightful) by melikamp on Friday March 10 2017, @06:46PM (1 child)
We all know the Window$ games market is larger and more varied than the GNU/Linux one, but I would disagree with a statement that Window$ is better for reliably playing video games, or that GNU/Linux somehow sucks at it. Of course, if you happen to be addicted to a particular Window$ title or brand, then what you are saying makes sense for you personally, but it can hardly be shaped into an objective evaluation. With respect to games and entertainment in general, what you are saying is similar to a junky saying: the legal drug market sucks compared to the black market, because the former lacks all the best and sexiest titles, like heroin and crack.
Since I personally only use free software, all the games I play work amazingly well in GNU/Linux, especially with respect to reliability.
I am not even saying anything about their value in terms of drawing new talent into the game design and development (which is through the roof), I am just going over the things which makes GNU/Linux a more reliable gaming platform from the point of view of a pure gamer, who is willing to suspend his bias towards titles, brands, and artistic styles.
Let's go back to your assertion that "I would never dream of using anything but linux for writing code, testing and building." Why exactly? What if literally everyone around you, including your employer, was using a Window$-only programming language, IDE, and the whole development stack, and no one needed any GNU/Linux support? We all know here GNU/Linux blows Window$ out of the water for development (or any kind of serious work, really), but if you take your gaming attitude with you, wouldn't you have to defend Window$ here too? It would just be so much easier to simply buckle and install "10", or else your code would be useless to people you have to live and work with.
Being a hacker, I hope you you understand very well that GNU/Linux is better for development on technical, political, social, and ethical grounds, but its superiority can only be made apparent within a rich free software ecosystem. And despite of decades of low-hitting and outright illegal moves by M$ and Apple and their friends, we have such a development ecosystem today, and I can assure you, we will beat them at games too, and we won't have to wait long now.
So that's the distinction I would like to draw: contrary to the popular belief, GNU/Linux is fully caught up with proprietary OSes in terms of gaming prowess. The market is not, but that is mostly due to the conscious effort on the part of the gaming industry to abuse the gamers, who are often completely clueless about the hot water they are getting themselves into when they put an XXXBox into their living room.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10 2017, @09:59PM
I'm assuming Star Citizen is still planning on releasing a Linux build at some point. That will probably be the first time I'll be able to play something under Linux that's popular that other people who aren't dorks play. I will rejoice.
Well, Star Citizen's fans might be just somewhat skewed towards the Dork Side. But that's fine.
If it helps, a friend released a small-time game on Steam, and we did make sure to release a Linux build.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Gaaark on Friday March 10 2017, @06:25PM
I was using a windows laptop the other day, while farming with my John Deere tractor:
things started to go all "Twister" on me when they tried out-licence each other for ownership of the space/time i was occupying. It was getting all weird and scarey and then out of the blue:
"Penguin!"
"Another penguin!"
"No, i think that was the same penguin."
And the penguin was singing "Oooooooooooooklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain"
And then Helen Hunt climbed into bed beside me and that's when i realized IT WAS ALL JUST A FECKING DREAM!
I love my wife, but....
No, "She did not marry me for my penis. Ok, she didn't ONLY marry my penis."
Aaaaand, done. Everybody underground now!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @02:37AM
SystemD
(Score: 2) by Geezer on Saturday March 11 2017, @11:12AM
1. Install necessary security/performance patches like on any OS.
2. Run a quick and dirty cmd script from Git Hub to uninstall sneaky telemetry bs if necessary.
3. ???
4. Profit!