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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: 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.