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Microsoft breaches the Dutch data protection law by processing personal data of people that use the Windows 10 operating system on their computers. This is the conclusion of the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) after its investigation of Windows 10 Home and Pro. Microsoft does not clearly inform users about the type of data it uses, and for which purpose. Also, people cannot provide valid consent for the processing of their personal data, because of the approach used by Microsoft. The company does not clearly inform users that it continuously collects personal data about the usage of apps and web surfing behaviour through its web browser Edge, when the default settings are used. Microsoft has indicated that it wants to end all violations. If this is not the case, the Dutch DPA can decide to impose a sanction on Microsoft.
[...] Due to Microsoft's approach users lack control of their data. They are not informed which data are being used for what purpose, neither that based on these data, personalised advertisements and recommendations can be presented, if those users have not opted out from these default settings on installation or afterwards.
[...] Microsoft can use the collected data for the various purposes, described in a very general way. Through this combination of purposes and the lack of transparency Microsoft cannot obtain a legal ground, such as consent, for the processing of data.
also at RT
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday October 15 2017, @10:54PM (15 children)
Was finally forced to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 at Boston Dynamics so I could develop for the Kinect V2 without having to waste days fiddling with bullshit and trying to cobble together unofficial drivers. Jesus fuck, utterly atrocious.
It is here that I'd like to give a shoutout to Classic Shell [classicshell.net] for unfucking the graphical headache that is Windows 10.
Well, at least I will say this - Visual Studio 2017 Community edition is free to use with no strings attached, even if you are using it for corporate use (they make their sheckels mining more and more data and charging enterprise license fees for more advanced versions, though the Community Edition does 90% of what Joe Shit the Average Programmer needs to do). Reconfiguring solutions built with previous versions is the usual bitch it always is, though, especially if you're using makefiles with the projects.
When I chose to study computer science I had no idea how autistic and retarded the field of programming was, and how many man-hours of productivity are lost dealing with such autistic retardism. Makes me want to give up on life and move to South Texas where I can live in a shack and spend my time growing vegetables and playing banjo in between taking potshots at illegal Mexicans trespassing on my property.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 15 2017, @11:06PM
Texas has all kinds of shit of its own to deal with. Plus all the asshole yuppies from Cali and elsewhere who moved in (thankfully mostly city folk.) But the old areas have been changing too as the older generation dies off and the kids replace them.
Anyway, good luck whichever you choose.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 15 2017, @11:10PM (5 children)
I thought you Boston Dynamics guys were intelligent, and therefore used intelligent-person tools.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday October 15 2017, @11:24PM (4 children)
I had addressed this in a previous comment -- Boston Dynamics as a robotics firm is essentially dead and is forced to use off-the-shelf products, rather than proper electrical engineering and systems integration, as a result of cost-cutting. Actually, that's why I'm programming for them when before I was a lowly technician in their mechatronics and later wireless applications division -- because all the good programmers left.
They needed another programmer and now that the company is nicknamed "the resume stain," we can't find other programmers who are willing to work for peanuts. So they surveyed the pool of technicians, and I didn't step forward but everybody else stepped backward. I figured "why the fuck not?" As a recent grad I need professional programming experience and I get to play with some cool toys, and I already had experience programming test software using RS-232/RS-485 and SPI (note: and even that is mostly obsolete now since everybody else and their mom is going the LabView route for their test software).
Now a lot of our work is doing electromechanical art pieces, we are essentially low-priced consultants for artists and other people who want to ride bandwagons without having to learn how to do the work themselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 16 2017, @12:09AM (1 child)
Your lack of ambition disgusts me. We want Trump-800 models roaming the streets before Christmas, you'd better start putting in overtime!
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday October 16 2017, @12:22AM
That knowledge sat in our closed area where only red-badges could go, but when Boston Dynamics got bought out all that stuff got moved over to the Naval Research Laboratory and our closed area was decommissioned. Our FSO left the company shortly afterward.
Like other knowledge of the damned, it sits waiting for a situation where it would actually be needed.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Monday October 16 2017, @02:57PM (1 child)
So in other words Google couldn't figure out how to squeeze advertizing revenue out of robots.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 16 2017, @10:50PM
What's so hard to figure out? Have the robot whisper in a guy's ear when he orgasms.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 16 2017, @12:04AM (2 children)
Windows 10 is a clusterfuck but it's the best, most usable version of Windows ever. The problem Microsoft and Apple both have is that they failed to discern the professional user from the consumer. It's not only the OS but Adobe and Autodesk are feeling the heat with their cloud subscription plans, professional users don't want the cloud bullshit. They don't want prompting about cloud accounts or the fucking telemetry and they don't want bullshit like cortana. There should be a single switch to disable all consumer bling and phone home features. Just bin that retardation, some of us have work to do and it's never going to be in the fucking "cloud" unlike the minds of the imbeciles trying to push this shit!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 16 2017, @12:50PM
You mean like the DisableWindowsConsumerFeatures registry key? That is an enterprise only feature, but still.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 17 2017, @12:06AM
How much did Microsoft pay you to post that?
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 16 2017, @12:10AM (2 children)
Thanks for the tip on Classic Shell, one co-worker has been leading our little group by experimenting with Win10 (rest are still on 7, Windows is required by our customer).
The saga so far -- He bought a high end Lenovo ThinkPad w/Win10Pro several months ago and loaded up a few simple things (not our main tools). Turns it on a few times a week to play with. Every time Win10 decides to update itself it barfs. Most recent update appears to have almost-bricked it. It fails during boot and asks if you want to go back to a previous restore point...but this isn't possible because the update erased previous restore points!
Next is probably a finger pointing game -- will Lenovo blame MS? And vice versa?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday October 16 2017, @12:29AM
Windows 10 is incomplete buggy shit, but one of their better releases in the grand scheme of things. They are by now well-known for having decent versions and "dog" versions.
For example, if you wanted shit to work and (somewhat) reliably, you used win2K. XP was also pretty damn good -- probably by coding the whole OS in a giant "try" block that didn't do anything but at the same time didn't crash the OS like BSODs did for previous versions. But ME, Vista, and 8.x were all dogs.
I suspect 10 will get somewhat usable with patches, and Classic Shell to make it palatable to people who need to actually be productive.
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Monday October 16 2017, @07:02AM
Try configuring it to always boot to "VGA graphics" or whatever the setting is called. That's stopped the continous upgrade->boot-is-f*cked->repair->oops-failed-to-repair->do-you-want-to-restore->oops-no-restore-points mess for the VirtualBox VM I have with Win10 Pro in it. Sure, it means I have to change the resolution after each reboot, but at least the damn thing boots now instead of wasting 3h trying to repair itself.
(Score: 2) by rylyeh on Monday October 16 2017, @02:58AM
+1 Ironic!
"a vast crenulate shell wherein rode the grey and awful form of primal Nodens, Lord of the Great Abyss."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 16 2017, @02:05PM
You can live next to the MySQL / MongoDB guy who is now having endless fun cutting off the testicles of a 3000 pound raging bull as it tries to kick his head in.