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posted by martyb on Monday May 19 2014, @11:51AM   Printer-friendly
from the updates-got-you-down? dept.

Woody Leonhard of Infoworld summarizes the current state of Microsoft KB 2919355, the ambiguously-titled 'Windows 8.1 Update' (not to be confused with the update _to_ Windows 8.1).

In short: Microsoft has frozen two discussion threads on KB2919355 issues (after 103 and 116 pages of comments), and updated the Knowledge Base article with workarounds for seven major errors... some of which don't work.

In last week's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft changed their deadline for this Update until June (formerly they were requiring all Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 systems worldwide to have installed the Update in order to receive new patches).

Meanwhile, if you run a WSUS server, you may notice that the package for KB291355 (last reissued for the third time on 6 May) was apparently silently reissued over the weekend with a new release date of '15 May 2014', but there's no indication of any software updates in the KB article. The article revision number, however, now stands at '21.0'. Yes, twenty-one revisions. With no changelog.

Anyone else with interesting stories about your deployment issues with this Update?

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Tuesday May 20 2014, @12:00AM

    by Hairyfeet (75) <{bassbeast1968} {at} {gmail.com}> on Tuesday May 20 2014, @12:00AM (#45440) Journal

    What counterarguments? you want citations here ya go [kroah.com]. this is about as close as you'll get to Linus on the subject BTW as for most of the last decade you even mention the word ABI and that's it, interview over or subject changed. So don't blame the messenger if you don't like the message. Notice how the ONLY solution the kernel dev has is to "get your driver in the tree and let US handle it" Hmmm...lets see, leave my customers to the mercy of some guy who has ZERO interest in my business, doesn't have any reason to care whether my customers have a full featured or even functional driver, and whom i can't even fire if he doesn't do his job? How about NO. There is NO sane company that is gonna take that half ass excuse when it comes to whether their devices work or not, no way!

    So lets here what you have to say, I want to hear EXACTLY how you think a handful of guys can support over 100,000 drivers with QA and QC and give my customers reasonable assurance that the device that works today WILL work tomorrow NO MATTER WHAT. because that is EXACTLY what we have on Windows and which the Hairyfeet challenge proves quite easily, I can take a box from XP RTM to XP EOL with ZERO driver failures, you can't even accomplish half that amount using the fucked up Linux driver model.

    the challenge is there, it costs nothing, can be completed in less than a day start to finish yet in 7 years not a single one has passed, NOT ONE. And the reason is NOT the software, its NOT the DEs, its NOT the repos, its the simple fact that the Linux driver model does not work. So mark this flamebait all you want, won't change the fact that I'll take the Hairyfeet Challenge with any version of Windows from XP on up and will not have a single driver fail, you can use any Linux flavor you like, and I bet my last dollar you won't make 5 years, hell you probably won't make 3, before Linux has crapped al over its drivers.

    --
    ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
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  • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Tuesday May 20 2014, @02:22PM

    by tangomargarine (667) on Tuesday May 20 2014, @02:22PM (#45615)

    You're arguing that a bunch of guys working for free should be able to compete with a multi-billion-dollar company. Listen to yourself. You're beating a dead horse with unparalleled gusto from where I'm standing. You don't want to do the work, then you complain when volunteers don't reliably do it for you. You want Microsoft-level support, then complain when volunteers don't give it to you. If you're so all-fired dead-set on using Linux, assemble your own team, track the Linux repository, and add the drivers your own damn self.

    Oddly enough, the very article you quote says what you dismiss is a good idea:

    Simple, get your kernel driver into the main kernel tree (remember we are talking about GPL released drivers here, if your code doesn't fall under this category, good luck, you are on your own here, you leech .) If your driver is in the tree, and a kernel interface changes, it will be fixed up by the person who did the kernel change in the first place. This ensures that your driver is always buildable, and works over time, with very little effort on your part.

    The very good side affects of having your driver in the main kernel tree are:

            The quality of the driver will rise as the maintenance costs (to the original developer) will decrease.
            Other developers will add features to your driver.
            Other people will find and fix bugs in your driver.
            Other people will find tuning opportunities in your driver.
            Other people will update the driver for you when external interface changes require it.
            The driver automatically gets shipped in all Linux distributions without having to ask the distros to add it.

    As Linux supports a larger number of different devices "out of the box" than any other operating system, and it supports these devices on more different processor architectures than any other operating system, this proven type of development model must be doing something right :)

    But I guess I'm just reading that wrong. Obviously the lead kernel maintainer for -stable is arguing against his own model. Why else would he be the lead maintainer?

    give my customers reasonable assurance that the device that works today WILL work tomorrow NO MATTER WHAT. because that is EXACTLY what we have on Windows

    Bullshit. You're not going to get that from Microsoft either. "No matter what" doesn't exist in computing support. This whole challenge is predicated on the supposition that Windows is perfect.

    --
    "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
    • (Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Tuesday May 20 2014, @04:09PM

      by Hairyfeet (75) <{bassbeast1968} {at} {gmail.com}> on Tuesday May 20 2014, @04:09PM (#45640) Journal

      So your counter is Its Free You Cant Complain [tmrepository.com]? Really? And I'm the USER, explain to me why I should give a rat's ass whether these guys get paid or not? Why is it my concern? YOU are the advocate, I've walked into your shop...sell it to me, give me ANY reason why I should choose YOUR product over Windows or OSX.

      And ya wanna know what is really fucking sad? That if you and the other Linux advocates here were to take just a few seconds to think frankly you'd be horrified at what you are arguing in favor of....I mean do you even realize that you are arguing in favor of Linux not being able to update itself for a lousy 5 years being acceptable....really? Its a fricking Operating System, the absolute bare minimum we should be wiling to accept from an Operating System is that it be able to apply its own security updates without breaking!

      To me that is what is fascinating about the whole thing, I've gotten death threats, been called every filthy name you can imagine, even had a cyberstalker for the better part of two years for DARING to post a challenge that only requires Linux to update itself without dying, that is really ALL Linux has to do to beat the challenge, simply have a working system with wireless at the beginning of the test and a working system with wireless at the end of the 5 years simulation...yet the Linux fans act like I asked Linux to do the most impossible test, that this can't be fair, how dare you ask Linux to do something that Windows has been able to do for the better part of 14 years! Its an outrage!

      --
      ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Tuesday May 20 2014, @07:43PM

        by tangomargarine (667) on Tuesday May 20 2014, @07:43PM (#45709)

        So your counter is Its Free You Cant Complain? Really? And I'm the USER, explain to me why I should give a rat's ass whether these guys get paid or not? Why is it my concern? YOU are the advocate, I've walked into your shop...sell it to me, give me ANY reason why I should choose YOUR product over Windows or OSX.

        I'm not arguing that they're going to be the same quality. That's my point. You seem to be expecting them to be the same quality. If you want a job well done, you shell out some cash. As for me trying to sell you Linux, I'm sure you're aware of the arguments for and against already, so I doubt anything I say would make a difference.

        I mean do you even realize that you are arguing in favor of Linux not being able to update itself for a lousy 5 years being acceptable....really? Its a fricking Operating System, the absolute bare minimum we should be wiling to accept from an Operating System is that it be able to apply its own security updates without breaking!

        I never said I was against updates. You were the one saying you wanted professional support right here, right now, and perfect, for no money. If you won't shut up about your precious challenge, I started out my last install on Quantal Xubuntu, did 2 dist-upgrades, and am going to do another one one of these weekends. Granted I have a desktop so no wireless is involved, but everything still works with minimal jiggery-pokery after the initial month of intermittent command line-fu. But I think we've already established that your anecdotes are the only ones with value, somehow.

        blah blah blah repeating the Challenge for the 14th time only using bold now

        I'm sure somebody else has done (and succeeded at) your precious challenge already. That you keep repeating it over and over and over makes me suspect this more strongly, actually. ("The Big Lie" [wikipedia.org], which seems to also be a favorite tactic of the political talking heads these days)

        But I just Godwinned myself, and was arguing with a troll all along, so whatever. Oh, and you can take your smug TM Repository link and shove it, too. I'm done.

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
        • (Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Tuesday May 20 2014, @08:42PM

          by Hairyfeet (75) <{bassbeast1968} {at} {gmail.com}> on Tuesday May 20 2014, @08:42PM (#45724) Journal

          Show me where I said "professional support", unless you are arguing that ONLY a "professional OS" can APPLY ITS OWN UPDATES WITHOUT BREAKING which if that is the case then what do you call Linux? A hobby OS?

          And the rules are simple and state clearly WIRELESS REQUIRED because i haven't dealt with a system in 5 years that didn't have wireless, nobody wants ugly wires running through their house. if you want to just change the rules you might as well add no sound and video as well, since you are removing the worst offenders. if you stick with nothing but bash then Linux never breaks!

          So do what you like, you've already ignored the rules so it really proves nothing, after all if i ignore sound I can get Win 7 on a P2, doesn't prove that its usable. And if you don't like the challenge? Fell free to ignore it, Linux has stayed in the same spot for 20 years, lower than JavaOS last i checked, so its not like anything either of us says or does will matter. Final food for thought...even though Linux cost nothing and the netbook was designed around "Linux friendly hardware" what happened the SECOND that MSFT offered them XP? the OEMs ran away from Linux as fast as they could, but why? Because the drivers didn't stay workinge [theinquirer.net] so people brought them back [laptopmag.com].

          And you still ignored my question...name ONE thing that makes it somehow better than Windows and OSX? its not cost because at $99 for 10 years that is less than a burger a year so no value there, its not source because non programmers have no use for it, so name one thing that would make it worth all the breakage and mess for? And isn't it funny how its always the supposed "enlightened" FOSS advocates that resort to name calling? Why is that? Afraid your argument hold up to scrutiny so you have to try to flame instead of arguing on the merits?

          --
          ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.