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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Microsoft claims seven out of ten Windows 10 users are happy with Redmond gulping loads of telemetry from their computers – which isn't that astounding when you realize it's a default option.
In other words, 30 per cent of people have found the switch to turn it off, and the rest haven't, don't realize it's there, or are genuinely OK with the data collection.
Ever since Windows 10 was released, folks have been complaining the operating system is far too grabby and that it allows Redmond to collect huge volumes of intelligence on its users. In April the software giant responded by simplifying the collection.
There's basically two levels in Windows 10 from the Creators Update onwards: basic and full – the full setting includes everything in the basic level plus a load more. Full is the default for Win 10 Home and Pro, otherwise there's basic. Windows 10 Enterprise and Education have full and basic, plus an extra level called security, which transmits a little less about your system than basic.
Essentially, if you're on Home or Pro, you can't tell your OS to not phone home. And, sure, this information – from lists of hardware and apps installed to pen gestures – is useful to Microsoft employees debugging code that's running in the field. But we're all adults here, and some folks would like the option to not have any information leaving their systems.
"... and we welcome your feedback in helping us make [Creators] the best Windows ever," [Marissa] Rogers concluded.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by edIII on Friday August 11 2017, @02:40AM (3 children)
For how long?
I've been unhappy with Microsoft since Vista. Always chained to the fucker because of my development tools, and keeping compatibility with documents.
That's changed quite a bit. I have a new system finally, and it's Ubuntu. Wasn't able to get FreeBSD, TrueOS, OpenBSD, or basically any BSD to run on it. It's brand new so I imagine it will take awhile. Still, there is zero Microsoft, Apple, or Adobe anywhere in it. Even Oracle is kept at bay somewhat. On the server side? BWAHAHAHAHA! Microsoft hasn't been running my servers for quite some time. They've lost the server game on almost every level at this point.
SystemD and it's bullshit is still SO much better than Windows 10, its telemetry, and piss poor security. I can live with Ubuntu for a year or two while learning how to install and run a BSD type operating system instead, or Devuan maybe. To Ubuntu's credit, they do at least work on the newest hardware. I'm sure everyday SystemD gets just *little* bit better. I mean, it's possible.
My development tools are running excellently, and I'm not looking back. Even if Microsoft guaranteed me telemetry free, it still can't fix the complete total fuckup that is the Windows 10 *experience*. I'm still not over how much Windows 8 sucked. More problematic for Microsoft is people like myself making serious headway into getting away from them, while maintaining some compatibility with them. Office 365 helps me get them away from Windows 10 in a huge way, and WINE is performing beyond expectations for me at the moment. The people I used to help are interested in what I'm doing. Once I can demonstrate to them a stable system with a nice interface, and the core applications they need working in WINE or an alternative, they will switch. Especially since I can support them.
Let's see just how long those 3 in 10 stick around. When Microsoft finally says 100% are okay with it, that isn't going to be a guaranteed good thing. For them at least.
This may be the last post I write in Windows 7. I'm busy transferring data and settings right now to my new system :D
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday August 11 2017, @04:06PM (1 child)
Let's see just how long those 3 in 10 stick around.
Don't worry, they'll stick around indefinitely. They'll bitch and complain, but they won't abandon Windows no matter what. This is why MS is right to ignore these whiny malcontents.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Friday August 11 2017, @08:18PM
I concur. It's sad how much crap people take. Price gouging, bad service, bullying, humiliation, and pollution and health messes to clean up. The public could have brought Big Media to heel decades ago, shut down their terrorism against downloading. But they won't even avoid theaters for raising prices and forbidding outside food.
(Score: 2) by julian on Friday August 11 2017, @06:14PM
I wish this were true. In the medical field, MS has a top to bottom lockdown on the entire industry. The backend server that runs your EMR/Practice Management system is Windows Server. All the workstations need Windows (usually Windows 7 today, but Win10 is creeping in) to run proprietary medical software and Office. Even the medical imaging machines from Zeiss, which you think would use an embedded OS, are running a full version of Windows--and need a network connection.
MS owns the medical industry because they can pay the big bucks to have their software certified as being compliant, and they're a giant corporation that can be held accountable if something goes wrong. Red Hat might be the only alternative in the Linux world but they're not very interested in medical, although they do a lot of business with the DoD which offers similar challenges.