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The administrator of AE News (an online news portal for Czech and Slovak expatriates) writes a very revealing article regarding the Windows 10 collection of user data. Here is the original Czech article. Here is a Bing translation to English. Here is a English condensed version translated by a blogger. And finally a PDF of the original Czech article.
In the post the AE News administrator states:
With the advent of Windows 10, I decided to undergo several tests. The collected knowledge for someone may be alarming. The Windows operating system 10 is essentially the end terminal, more than the operating system, because many of the processes and functions of this system is directly or indirectly dependent on remote servers and databases to Microsoft.
All text typed on the keyboard is stored in temporary files, and sent (once per 30 mins) to:
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
pre.footprintpredict.com
reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
AE News also references an arstechnica.co.uk article which states it might be impossible to stop this communication:
And finally, some traffic seems quite impenetrable. We configured our test virtual machine to use an HTTP and HTTPS proxy (both as a user-level proxy and a system-wide proxy) so that we could more easily monitor its traffic, but Windows 10 seems to make requests to a content delivery network that bypass the proxy."
arstechnica.co.uk also "asked Microsoft if there is any way to disable this additional communication or information about what its purpose is". Microsoft did not reply as to a way to disable this chatter but did respond to the 'additional communication' stating Microsoft is now 'delivering Windows 10 as a service'.
Although the original source for this story is skeptical, Smart nerds on soylentnews can easily fire up Wireshark and reveal the communication for themselves. It appears that MS has fully embraced the cloud where your OS is now a terminal. And regarding privacy? Well, according to arstechnica.co.uk: Windows 10 privacy policy is the new normal
(Score: 4, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Saturday August 22 2015, @07:54PM
Well, I hope the kids are happy. Everything the entire personal computing revolution was about, down the drain.
Having control over your own data? Gone.
Having control over the software you are running? Gone.
Being able to do whatever you want with your own processor? Gone.
Not having nosey IT snooping in to your business? Gone.
Lets pull out our VT-100 terminals and lease time on the big iron like it was the 1970s all over again!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by BsAtHome on Saturday August 22 2015, @08:05PM
Although I agree with the sentiment, I cannot agree to the conclusion.
We _can_ have control and it is called "stop using stuff from the bad players". There are plenty of alternatives. It is different, it is enlightenment, it is frustrating and it gives you complete control. Choose wise my friend, choose wise.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 22 2015, @08:17PM
Seems to me wise people have been saying for thousands of years, cast not your pearls before swine. And for just as long a time, the message is not being received.
(Score: 2) by mtrycz on Sunday August 23 2015, @12:23AM
Free/Open source software is for anyone and everyone, not just for elitist pricks ;)
In capitalist America, ads view YOU!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 23 2015, @01:25AM
You are wrong, of course. Free software has always been elitist, as stated in the GNU Manifesto.
GNU, which stands for Gnu's Not Unix, is the name for the complete Unix-compatible software system which I am writing so that I can give it away free to everyone who can use it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Sunday August 23 2015, @02:57AM
You are wrong, of course. Free software has always been elitist, as stated in the GNU Manifesto.
GNU, which stands for Gnu's Not Unix, is the name for the complete Unix-compatible software system which I am writing so that I can give it away free to everyone who can use it.
And anyone who can boot a computer can use it.
Making the definition of elite "the top 99+%".
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Sunday August 23 2015, @04:08AM
Of course, Microsoft is in the process of making that *much* more difficult to do.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Sunday August 23 2015, @06:29AM
Of course, Microsoft is in the process of making that *much* more difficult to do.
Which is why it needs to be put down and out of everybodies misery.
It may not be a total monopoly, but microsoft is still dominant in the market and it is still abusing its dominance.
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Pino P on Saturday August 22 2015, @09:53PM
We _can_ have control and it is called "stop using stuff from the bad players". There are plenty of alternatives.
Not once it becomes common in the industry to lock down Secure Boot on mass market Windows laptops. At that point, there will be one alternative, singular: the MacBook.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 22 2015, @11:51PM
They all have AMT/vPro/etc
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 23 2015, @01:01AM
Seriously, who's NOT taking your data these days whether you want them to or not? I really want to know.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday August 23 2015, @02:32AM
*chuckle*
"it is enlightenment"
https://www.enlightenment.org/ [enlightenment.org]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Hairyfeet on Sunday August 23 2015, @06:21AM
I would be amazed if the average user does not have hundreds of dollars, if not thousands of dollars, tied up in software that your OS has no alternative to and which simply not run. If you expect users to give up the very software they bought a PC for in the first place why should they even stay on a PC? Why not just grab a cheap tablet and watch YouTube?
The simple fact is FOSS advocates have conditioned themselves to believe that "If a browser and LO and Gimp are enough for me, they are enough for everybody" and that simply is not the case, the reality is the majority of software out there? Doesn't run on your OS or only runs poorly after having jumped through flaming hoops setting up shit like "Wine Bottles" to get it to "kinda sorta" run. People hated Windows ME...yet you gained nothing. People hated Windows Vista...yet you gained nothing. People hated Windows 8...yet you gained nothing...noticing a pattern here? For 22 years you have been giving your product away for free yet have gained nothing...this ain't no conspiracy pal, it ain't no secret cabal from Redmond, its the same thing that happened with all those Linux netbooks, remember those? Folks bought 'em, brought 'em home, found out their software didn't run and promptly brought them back [laptopmag.com] at a rate of 4 to fricking 1! MSFT didn't hold a gun to their head, didn't offer them cash, they bought the netbook to run their software and found out your OS is incompatible and thus was worthless to them, it really is THAT simple!
So you can preach on the mount all you want, but your "offering" is the equivalent of asking people to give up their cars for your spiffy new Llamas...does the Llama do what my car does? Easier to use, maintain, does it have even a single positive OTHER than "its not a car"? Nope? Yeah and you wonder why despite the spying windows 10 got more users in a week than Linux desktops have managed in 22 years.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 23 2015, @06:35AM
Initially netbooks could not run Windows. Microsoft pressured manufactures to include 160GB Spinning disks rather than 4GB CF cards. This makes the machine slower and more power hungry (but more storage is nice).
Mircosoft also extended Windows XP support Because Vista would not run on the machines. Linux was actually doing something Windows could not.
Thank-you for the link though. I was not aware that Linux netbooks suffered from higher than normal return rates. I doubt there was such confusion before the Windows netbooks became available.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 23 2015, @10:47PM
Linux netbooks suffered from higher than normal return rates
FALSE
Any high return rates on netbooks were due to the wading-in-molasses Windoze boxes [googleusercontent.com] (orig) [oreilly.com]
ASUS CEO says there wasn't enough difference to note. [googleusercontent.com] (orig) [ostatic.com]
...and MSI's sales staff (who started spewing this FUD) is a bunch of liars. Surprise!
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday August 23 2015, @04:09PM
I would be amazed if the average user does not have hundreds of dollars, if not thousands of dollars, tied up in software that your OS has no alternative to and which simply not run.
Like what? Especially outside corporate environments.
The only software I see home users spending any money on these days is games (aside from Windows and Office of course), and that's a minority of users. People don't even use TurboTax on their PCs any more, they use web-based tax prep software.
There's a reason iPads were and still are so popular: no one buys software packages for their computers any more, they just do everything on the web.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Hairyfeet on Sunday August 23 2015, @11:37PM
Games, picture editing (A LOT of folks are using easy to use tools that come with their printers and cameras, Corel, Creative, just to name a couple) and in my own case? I have a USB AD/DA for use in audio recording, don't work. My audio software I use with the AD/DA that has probably $400 worth of plugins? yeah that don't work either. My $500+ worth of games? Yeah maybe $40 worth and its all the indie crap I got with Humble Bundles I don't care about, my triple A games? yeah they don't work either.
And again you are using the "This is what I need so others don't need anything else" because unless you are in a job that spends a large amount of time dealing with all kinds of customers? Then you just aren't getting a complete picture. Sure if all you talk to is your grandma crowd, who think facebook is the web? Then they can get by fine on a tablet, but if you look at the figures even iPad sales are dropping and I would argue that those pads are ending up in the same place as my tablet did, sitting in a drawer because it doesn't run anything other than a browser, none of my software functions. Meanwhile my 2011 netbook allows me to plug into my digital multitrack, edit my tracks, layer them, and upload them to my friends. of course it runs Windows 7 so all my software works, just as it will work on Windows 10.
And if your theory is correct how do you explain the link I provided that showed Linux netbooks were returned four times more often than Windows netbooks despite Linux having a browser and Open Office and Gimp? I would argue that the answer is obvious, the users have software they wanted to run on that netbook that Linux doesn't run and therefor was worthless as far as their needs were concerned. You may have the best Llama on the planet but if my requirements are to move hundreds of pounds 30+ miles in under an hour? Your Llama, no matter how nice, just isn't suitable for purpose. People stick with Windows because they have Windows software that they require to make that device usable to them, your OS will simply never be a suitable replacement.
In my own case I spent nearly a grand building this PC to perform work as a digital audio workstation using the years of software and plugins I've built up, to play games that I have spent hundreds over the years building up, and to surf the web. I'm sorry to inform you that of those 3 tasks this PC was built for? The ONLY task your OS can do as well as the Windows I have installed is the third one...which can be done just as easily on my phone or tablet. Your OS simply holds no value to me and the numbers show I'm in the majority on this, as what good is a PC if it can't run the software you want to run? Might as well be offering to trade all those new PCs for Atari 800s and Commodore 64s for all the use the users will have for your OS.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Monday August 24 2015, @02:59AM
Then they can get by fine on a tablet, but if you look at the figures even iPad sales are dropping and I would argue that those pads are ending up in the same place as my tablet did, sitting in a drawer because it doesn't run anything other than a browser,
I disagree. I would argue that the sales are drying up because *everyone who wants an iPad now has one*. Unlike PCs between 1995-2005, where people were constantly upgrading to stay caught up with technology because software kept getting slower and hardware kept getting so much faster, things aren't moving like that any more, and if you're just using your tablet to surf the web and other light work, it likely still works just fine, so why do you need to buy another? Maybe a bunch of people have upgraded their iPad1s to iPad2s, but it's probably plateaued now, and the market is saturated. The only people buying them now are people who broke theirs, or who are hard-core users who just gotta have the latest and greatest, along with a small number of new users.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Monday August 24 2015, @07:14AM
You have ignored the question, allow me to again highlight it...if your theory is correct how do you explain Linux netbooks being returned four times more than Windows netbooks because I'm betting you will continue to just bring anecdotes because IMHO the return rate is the perfect example of how your OS is of no use to the vast majority.
Again lets take myself as an example, I sank nearly a grand on this PC, FX8320E with 16GB of RAM, R9 280 3GB, 6TB of HDDs with an SSD boot, and a 27in 1080P monitor to display the results. This PC was built to do audio/video composition and editing, play a large library of AAA titles and surf the web...now what can your OS offer me? It can only do one of those tasks, the one that can just as easily be done by a $50 tablet. My AD/DA doesn't work, my recording software with the years of plugins don't work (there have been some attempts with Wine to make the big audio recording software work, but the latency makes it a pointless exercise) and the vast majority of my games will not work, not to mention the fact that on its best day Linux graphical driver stack is a bad joke, with only a handful of really old games (like Valve's HL2 series) actually running faster than on Windows, the rest? Your graphics stack would make my $150 GPU run like the $60 GPU it replaced.
And believe me I'm pretty far from being atypical, in fact its an extremely rare case that a customer that has me build them a new PC or who asks me to wipe theirs and start anew doesn't bring me a list of software or more often a stack of discs for me to install. Hell the 73 year old guy that bought an HTPC from me a few weeks ago brought no less than 4 discs, MS Office 2013 (because while being retired he still does occasional consulting for his former company and they do everything through Outlook), a calendaring program he prefers to keep track of dates, and 2 games for his grandkids...wanna guess how many of those worked on Linux?
I know truth sometimes hurts but the simple fact is that Linux holds no value to the majority because their software won't run and again what use is an OS if it won't run the programs you bought a PC to run in the first place?
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday August 24 2015, @06:22PM
I keep hoping that SteamOS will take off and crush the behemoth that is Microsoft. We'll see soon enough, but it will highly depend on developers getting their games on the Linux platform. I would gladly run SteamOS on my main machine, if 95% + of my games worked on it. The problem is that currently only about 10% or so of my games work on Linux, excluding the older titles. Sure, there may be portion of people stuck with Windows due to specific hardware / software, but you get my games on SteamOS and I won't look back. I can build a decent gaming machine for $600 to $700 with MS Windows. Building a gaming machine to run SteamOS instead of Windows drops the price tag $120. I don't know about you, but I would love to spend that extra $120 on a second drive or something. Though, again, it's still just not quite there yet. Makes me think of the newer, better battery, that will totally revolutionize my devices, but I'm still using AAs, AAAs, etc . . .
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: 2) by Hairyfeet on Monday August 24 2015, @10:02PM
If you wanna make wishes? Wish that the Linux devs would get off their high horses and invest serious time in ReactOS as that and ONLY that would have a chance at killing Windows because there is simply too great a sunk cost in Windows software now.
Lets say that SteamOS gets 100% of games working (never gonna happen and the Linux driver stack is still a mess, thus hurting framerates) that would take care of only one out of the 3 use cases for this PC, and not even the most important one. I bet if you talk to ANY of the PC gamers and you'll find there is more than just games they are running, be it productivity, video recording (quite popular as a LOT of gamers are recording their plays and reviewing the games on YouTube) team chat programs, there is a ton of stuff other than games that the gamers run and if it doesn't run? Again Linux might as well be FreeDOS for all the use the end user will get from it.
OTOH if you get ReactOS up and running, with API/ABI compatibility so that programs all think they are running on Windows and a Win 7 skin to seal the deal? I know a LOT of people, myself included, that would be happy to flip MSFT the bird and jump ship. I mean for fucks sake look at Windows 10, it might as well be called "Windows Big Brother Edition" for all the spying that shit does, think folks WANT to be spied upon? Think they WANT to have their data and bandwidth stolen so MSFT can make a few Shekels? Not a chance in hell, people are tied of their shit but at this point they simply have too much money sunk into software that doesn't work anywhere else.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Tuesday August 25 2015, @12:16AM
Why would Linux people want to work on ReactOS? That's like wondering why Mac developers don't switch to Windows: they *don't like the platform*. So they're certainly not going to want to mess around with a clone of it. I already have to use Windows a little bit at work, and it's a painful experience because the platform is so poorly designed and doesn't have any of the software I want; why would I want a clone of it? Just because it's free? No thanks.
What would make more sense is getting WINE to work better, but that's not that easy.
You keep going on and on and on and on about gamers. If you're a gamer, Linux probably isn't the platform for you, just like MacOS isn't. Apple seems to do just fine without courting the hardcore gamers.
As for the Linux driver stack, from what I've read, many times Linux beats Windows in framerates, but it's really dependent on the particular drivers. AMD drivers seem to really suck, and Nvidia's seem to be the best if you need absolute performance, but of course they're proprietary, but the distros have gotten pretty good these days at making dealing with them a seamless experience, or so I've read. Intel's drivers work just great, but of course those won't help you if you're looking for serious performance, but for more mild usage they're usable; Intel's GPUs are constantly getting better.
I mean for fucks sake look at Windows 10, it might as well be called "Windows Big Brother Edition" for all the spying that shit does, think folks WANT to be spied upon?
No, they realize most of their users are just like you, they absolutely refuse to leave the Windows platform, no matter how much Microsoft abuses them. I mean, if it came down to a choice between abandoning your investment in software and switching platforms, or using Windows 10 and having all your personal data not only sent off to MS, but also an ironclad legal license agreement that allowed them to do whatever they want with that data, including selling it to Chinese hackers so they can hack into your bank accounts and steal your money, which would you choose? (Assume that sticking with an old version of Windows isn't possible.) As for an "investment" in software, you have heard of the sunk cost fallacy, haven't you?
Finally, about netbooks, I dunno, but I don't even see people buying Windows netbooks these days, the whole market for them seems to be dead. People probably returned the Linux ones because they didn't understand what they were buying and freaked out when it was slightly different than the Windows experience they were used to. It's not like you can actually play any Windows games on a netbook anyway.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Tuesday August 25 2015, @03:49PM
Again you ignore the most important fact which if the software doesn't run your OS is useless and working in a shop I can tell you that everybody, from that 16 year old kid getting his first rig to the 73 year old guy I recently built an HTPC for all have tons of software that your OS simply will not run.
And get ready for the screams but fuck it, truth is truth...wanna know what Linux desktop software in 2015 reminds me of? You ever go to a site like Chinabuye where they have cheap knock offs like the "Wii Me" and "Polystation 4"? Because THAT is what Linux desktop software in 2015 is, its a "true believer" trying to convince you that Gimp can compete with Photoshop, Audacity can compete with Sonor (And Reason, and Acid Pro), that GnuCash can compete with Quickbooks...its sad really, as the absolute best you have to offer can't compete with commercial software from a decade ago but that is simply the truth. and forget games, hell you name the field, financial, medical, business, DTP, audio/visual creation, in every single one in every single metric other than price (again like Chinabuye) your software is simply inferior and in most cases EXTREMELY inferior, as in "can't compete with releases from the late 90s on features" kinda inferior!
So you wanted to know why you need ReactOS to run? Because the answer is simple, if given the choice of running inferior software or using Windows 10 people ARE gonna choose the latter, and if you don't get your numbers up but quick? Well in a couple years MSFT will just get the OEMs to lock UEFI "for security reasons" and you'll be stuck trying to use a Raspberry Pi for a desktop as Apple,MSFT, and Google simply split the market. All three will spy on you, all three will copy all your data, and there won't be a damned thing you can do about it...reason enough for you?
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday August 30 2015, @02:42AM
o you wanted to know why you need ReactOS to run? Because the answer is simple, if given the choice of running inferior software or using Windows 10 people ARE gonna choose the latter, and if you don't get your numbers up but quick? Well in a couple years MSFT will just get the OEMs to lock UEFI "for security reasons" and you'll be stuck trying to use a Raspberry Pi for a desktop as Apple,MSFT, and Google simply split the market. All three will spy on you, all three will copy all your data, and there won't be a damned thing you can do about it...reason enough for you?
No, that's not enough reason to bother working on a project I have no interest in. I don't want to use Windows, nor do I want to use a clone of it. There's no way in hell I'd want to help build a clone of it; that's like building a car that looks exactly like a Pontiac Aztek for a car guy. There's a reason other FOSS projects (like the Linux kernel and distros) have tons of developer support, and ReactOS doesn't: no one wants to work on it.
As for a RPi desktop, we can keep using existing PCs indefinitely. This isn't the 90s when a 5-year-old PC was too slow; software isn't getting any slower (unless you're running Adobe crapware maybe), and PCs aren't getting any faster, only more energy efficient. You can already use ARM chips as desktops anyway. The Linux users will just do one or the other, they're not going back to Windows. The Windows users will just continue to put up with MS's shenanigans and complain about them while continuing to do the same thing, expecting a different result. You can't save addicts; they have to want to change.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Sunday August 30 2015, @06:06AM
LOL use existing desktops forever....hate to break the news to ya but motherboards have caps and traces and those WILL die, no matter how well you baby your system. Now some will die sooner, some might make it to the decade mark, but as someone who has had to buy NOS computers for clients whose software wouldn't run on newer systems I can tell ya the stuff is thinning out VERY quickly and nearly all died from either caps popping or traces breaking from heat cycling.
So I hope you are good with a soldering gun, have your own reflow oven, and can make a new motherboard because what you have, especially if its originally designed for consumer or SMB instead of industrial, WILL die and the only question is when and when it does? Then you are stuck, just try looking up prices on AM2 (not +) or 423 boards, they are nearly all gone and the ones left are pretty expensive.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday September 02 2015, @02:57AM
hate to break the news to ya but motherboards have caps and traces and those WILL die
Huh? Electrolytic caps are easily replaced. Lots of small businesses popped up doing just that when the Capacitor Plague hit. Bad caps are still a problem because of crappy Chinese caps, but again they're easily replaced for a few bucks. Traces don't die. Traces are copper. The only way for them to "die" is if they get damaged somehow. Leaky caps don't usually cause that much damage; the cap normally fails, causing the equipment to malfunction, before anything catastrophic happens.
What eventually will kill the computer is electromigration in the ICs. But you're looking at decades for that to happen, if not longer.
and nearly all died from either caps popping or traces breaking from heat cycling.
You couldn't just replace the caps? You don't know how to use a soldering iron?
Traces don't "break" from heat-cycling on any decent PCB. Even if they did, it's possible to fix them with mod-wire as long as they aren't some high-speed serial link or something. Again, this is not a problem on any decent PCB that I've ever heard of; I've never even seen this. But I've seen lots of boards die from caps, and fixed a few when it was worth it.
So I hope you are good with a soldering gun, have your own reflow oven
Who the fuck uses a "soldering gun"? That's something they used in the 1950s before PCBs were invented. This alone shows you know nothing about soldering.
And yes, I do have both a temperature-controlled soldering station and a reflow oven.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Tuesday August 25 2015, @04:04PM
I have been following ReactOS for about a decade. They have improved things greatly in the meantime, but it is extremely slow going. They are open source and I think that's the only reason Microsoft hasn't snuffed them out, yet. Whenever I even mention ReactOS in FOSS circles it's usually shot down immediately. Personally, I applaud what ReactOS is doing. Though, I haven't actually put my money where my mouth is and backed their kickstarter or even bought a flash drive from their shop. ReactOS could be something great, a free Windows Clone that just works. What I really want it to be able to do is run all of my old windows software natively. That's something that Microsoft hasn't gotten right and I don't know that they have any incentive to get it right. Microsoft is quickly becoming a "social OS" and likely morphing into a "subscription based service". That is a model that I have hated as a gamer and as a consumer. Certain things work well as a "subscription based service" like Netflix which provides a library of videos I don't have to purchase. My Operating System shouldn't require me to spend $10, $20, $30+ a month or year to work. I shouldn't need to worry about my OS being the Malware on my computer. Windows has been notorious for it's security issues, but to my knowledge they haven't been actively Sabotaging your computer. Having a Keylogger that sends all of your keystrokes anywhere outside of your control is by default Sabotage / Malware. I expect for my messages I type in Steam, Facebook, Twitter, to have at least some interaction with those services. The data I type on my keyboard Shouldn't Ever be sent to Microsoft by Default or as a part of "standard practice" to improve quality / service. I am waiting for Windows to actually come out with hopefully something as good as or better than Windows 7. Assuming, they don't ever, Windows 7 could be the last Windows I ever use.
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: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday August 30 2015, @02:35AM
Whenever I even mention ReactOS in FOSS circles it's usually shot down immediately.
How so?
Personally, I think people should work on whatever projects they want to work on. If some people want to spend their free time making a Windows clone, more power to them. I wouldn't waste my time doing that, though, because I don't actually like Windows, so why would I want to make a clone of it? If I did like Windows, I'd just buy a copy of it; it's not *that* expensive. If I had a bunch of free time to spend on FOSS work for free, it'd be doing things *I* am interested in; maybe it'd be contributing to KDE, and cloning some select bits and pieces from Windows that I do like (it's not *all* bad...), but it sure wouldn't be with the goal of making a clone. I don't care much for GM cars either, but if I were an automotive engineer I'm sure I could find something in them I liked and wanted to copy, but that doesn't mean I want to make a car that looks as ugly as an Aztek.
I suspect most FOSS contributors are similar. They work on things that interest them; they're not trying to make a better Windows. There's a reason all the FOSS desktop environments have diverged significantly from both Windows and MacOS, while copying bits and concepts from both.
What I really want it to be able to do is run all of my old windows software natively.
I'd like a lot of things, but I don't expect people to spend millions of man-hours giving them to me for free. If they do (like with Linux, or DD-WRT), that's great, but I don't feel entitled to it, just lucky there's so many people willing to contribute to a project I like.
My Operating System shouldn't require me to spend $10, $20, $30+ a month or year to work. I shouldn't need to worry about my OS being the Malware on my computer.
You shouldn't, but apparently you do. As long as you give MS power by patronizing them, they're going to do whatever they can. The only way to break the cycle is to pull your support. But as long as so many people keep sending their money to Redmond, because they just *have* to be able to use their Windows apps, MS will keep pulling these shenanigans.
If I had a highly successful business making money hand over fist, and my customers complained about how poorly I treated them, but refused to stop buying from me, why would I bother improving? Where's the incentive?
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Sunday August 23 2015, @02:27AM
Have you seen the commercials for Windows 10? It makes me think what a brave new world we are entering.