I was preparing to install Windows 10 on a virtual machine, for testing. My parents' business is on Windows 7 because that's all their general ledger will run on, and my testing was to determine if they should or should not upgrade; but as they run an accounting firm, I now have serious misgivings.
Check out the Windows Update Delivery Optimization (WUDO) feature built into Win10. WUDO can be turned off, but it's on by default.
I'll add even MS Office likes to call home, frequently. I recently spent 2 weeks in China and from about day 3 onward I was constantly reminded that my Office 365 subscription could not be verified. Thankfully I was still able to use it but the constant nagging from the software was irritating. I always had my fingers crossed the next morning that Office would still be working.
FYI, this line is from the MS website,
"...make sure your users can connect to Office Licensing Service via the Internet at least once every 30 days.".
If you noticed, I used the word "Same" not "Similar". Windows 10 in the desktop is the "Same" Windows 10 in the Surface. And Windows 10 can be used in a tablet or desktop with Continuum, where it adjusts automatically if you are using touch or a keyboard + mouse. BTW, why you call the Surface division a failure when it's making close to a billion per quarter and growing?
I have been waiting for a proper stylus in the iPad since the first gen, while at the same time watching the Surface Pro getting better every year. Right now I'm waiting for the SP4 to replace my MBA. Let's see how it goes.
And I can't read Steve Job's mind regarding the iPad and the stylus. But I remember people mocking the Surface Pro, including Tim Cook (remember refrigerator + toaster). Looks like MS was right all this time.
I knew this was still happening already because I watched my network traffic with all the settings turned off and saw continued pings in that direction. Never mind that Microsoft turns them back on after every update, anyway. It’s like what Apple does with Bluetooth after every iOS update! Except instead of draining your battery, it steals your info.
So I have a few questions.
1. Isn’t there something like Little Snitch for Windows that we could use to just block this traffic to Microsoft’s servers?
2. Can’t we just find the malicious parts of the OS and delete them, slipstreaming a new copy of Windows 10 without them? Yeah, it wouldn’t be “genuine”, but THE THEFT OF OUR PERSONAL INFORMATION tends to override my feelings of copyright infringement (as does having the gall to ask people to pay for software that itself is copyright infringement).
I've seen several in coffee shops since they've come out, but in comparison to even Android-based tablets (while themselves pale in comparison to the iPads I've seen in use) their usage numbers (anecdotally) are very, very small. I've even had to assist two different people with them on two occasions because they couldn't figure out how to connect to the WiFi properly. I deal with Windows every… single… day because despite what they do well with the Enterprise backend and tools they still can't figure out (or maybe don't care) about the front end. Even their Control Panel isn't a unified app in Win10. You start clicking on things and new windows pop up and you still have to his Accept or OK for the change to take place, which can sometimes cripple for system for a several seconds while those changes are enacted. It's fucking ridiculous when because 1) they have Mac OS X as a model, 2) they have done a great job with WinPhone (which should have been modified for a proper tablet OS), and 3) they do have a lot of good talent working there. MS is a prime example that being brilliant simply isn't enough to do great things if corporate exec asshats and beancounters can't look past the next next quarter results. It pisses me off but the fact is this means there will always be work fixing Windows.
<span style="line-height:1.4em;">I knew this was still happening already because I watched my network traffic with all the settings turned off and saw continued pings in that direction. Never mind that Microsoft turns them back on after every update, anyway. It’s like what Apple does with Bluetooth after every iOS update! Except instead of draining your battery, it steals your info.
So I have a few questions.
1. Isn’t there something like Little Snitch for Windows that we could use to just block this traffic to Microsoft’s servers?
2. Can’t we just find the malicious parts of the OS and delete them, slipstreaming a new copy of Windows 10 without them? Yeah, it wouldn’t be “genuine”, but THE THEFT OF OUR PERSONAL INFORMATION tends to override my feelings of copyright infringement (as does having the gall to ask people to pay for software that itself is copyright infringement).
1. There are simply too many options to list here but this page (below) has a comprehensive list with reasons why people like and dislike these personal firewalls.
Disclaimer: There really isn't anything that effectively does what Little Snitch does on Windows. It's really in a class all to itself, but some of those in the list should be good enough for Windows users.
2. Sure, but you also introduce the potential problem of features no longer working if you do want to enable them, having whomever created the SS dictate what you may or may not need, introducing some issues when removing or altering standard Windows components that could crash the system for your needs, and potentially introducing their own malware into the SS. My advice is to manually remove the components you wish on a clean system over time, create a back up of it, and then create your own SS. This gives you the best protection and best understanding of Windows, but it may also be too time consuming and you'll probably be spending a decent amount of time on forums with people that will shun you if they find out you are using a Mac.
PS: it looks like you have the HTML editor set in Preferences, instead of the BB code editor. This wreaks havoc on formatting when quoting comments. Note, you can still inject HTML anywhere in Huddler even if the BB editor is selected.
2. Sure, but you also introduce the potential problem of features no longer working if you do want to enable them
Oh, I don’t care. I only use Windows for the few games I want to play and for the architectural software I’m using during my home remodel. I would rather shut Wi-Fi off (just delete Windows’ knowledge of the installed hardware) and use an unmodified version, but Steam requires an Internet connection.
I’ll check out that list of LS equivalents. Thanks, Soli.
PS: it looks like you have the HTML editor set in Preferences, instead of the BB code editor. This wreaks havoc on formatting when quoting comments.
Does it? I’ve noticed errors in formatting when people paste in code from other websites without the formatting stripped, but I’ve never had a problem with quoting (I just get rid of the extra white space that I don’t like by hand). I never liked BBCode, but I could try it out again.
Does it? I’ve noticed errors in formatting when people paste in code from other websites without the formatting stripped, but I’ve never had a problem with quoting (I just get rid of the extra white space that I don’t like by hand). I never liked BBCode, but I could try it out again.
I think he means that when he quotes it, his BB code editor is all wacky because it is trying to read HTML but it can't do it very well, hence he has to fix the quoted text before posting or it would be all messed up.
BTW, Wire Shark is absolutely the best packet sniffer out there on any platform, IMHO, but they do make Little Snitch for Windows now.
I have been waiting for a proper stylus in the iPad since the first gen, while at the same time watching the Surface Pro getting better every year. Right now I'm waiting for the SP4 to replace my MBA. Let's see how it goes.
And I can't read Steve Job's mind regarding the iPad and the stylus. But I remember people mocking the Surface Pro, including Tim Cook (remember refrigerator + toaster). Looks like MS was right all this time.
A Stylus is impractical and the worst entry interface ever invented, easy to loose, that’s probably how MS is making profit by replacing lost pens. Why use a stick when using your fingers is good enough? Microsoft is too lazy to do the Surface interface correctly, that's why it needs a stylus, so you can click on those tiny buttons that was designed to use with a mouse.
Apple is about ease of interface and the human connection to hardware, touching your device is as human as you can get. Apple will never make a pen. If your looking for validation from Apple your in for a long wait (it will never happen) maybe you just want Apple to put the “cool factor” seal of approval in offering a stylus that will never look cool.
Why is MS trying to push this? Do PC users need to be holding onto a phallic wand to compensate for they’re manhood? Or maybe it’s to look busy or important, Harry Potter fetish? Who Knows?
A Stylus is impractical and the worst entry interface ever invented, easy to loose, that’s probably how MS is making profit by replacing lost pens. Why use a stick when using your fingers is good enough?
So writing, drawing and painting should have only ever been done with our fingers directly on the media? Come on!
So writing, drawing and painting should have only ever been done with our fingers directly on the media? Come on!
I'm an artist and use a non-Apple stylus, not everyone is an artist, and I can still use my fingers if I loose my stylus. What is especially exciting is using multiple fingers at the same time, each with pressure control, which is coming soon from Apple. Microsoft is pitching the surface as a business tool, I don't think they have artists in mind. Cursive writing is dead.
A Stylus is impractical and the worst entry interface ever invented, easy to loose, that’s probably how MS is making profit by replacing lost pens. Why use a stick when using your fingers is good enough? Microsoft is too lazy to do the Surface interface correctly, that's why it needs a stylus, so you can click on those tiny buttons that was designed to use with a mouse.
Apple is about ease of interface and the human connection to hardware, touching your device is as human as you can get. Apple will never make a pen. If your looking for validation from Apple your in for a long wait (it will never happen) maybe you just want Apple to put the “cool factor” seal of approval in offering a stylus that will never look cool.
Why is MS trying to push this? Do PC users need to be holding onto a phallic wand to compensate for they’re manhood? Or maybe it’s to look busy or important, Harry Potter fetish? Who Knows?
So do you think that the stylus in the Surface if to interact with the UI? Go to this Adobe video, so you can learn how a Surface uses touch and the stylus in ways you'll will never do in an iPad (at least for now).
This is nothing related to cool factor, manhood or Harry Potter. Is about how good is the SP3 as a hybrid with a useful stylus.
So you aren't anti-stylus as your previous comment implies. You are then aware that a stylus does have it's place and can be far superior to simply using your fingers to write, draw and paint?
I figured that's what was going on but like I said the messages started appearing right around day 3. Quite annoying. You would think a week or two without contacting the server would be good enough... TimeMachine gives you ~ 15 days before the first notice and that's a lot more mission critical than an office suit.
Comments
I was preparing to install Windows 10 on a virtual machine, for testing. My parents' business is on Windows 7 because that's all their general ledger will run on, and my testing was to determine if they should or should not upgrade; but as they run an accounting firm, I now have serious misgivings.
Check out the Windows Update Delivery Optimization (WUDO) feature built into Win10. WUDO can be turned off, but it's on by default.
http://www.ibtimes.com/windows-10-wudo-hijacks-customer-bandwidth-share-updates-2035859
I really wanted to like (and try) Win10, but my opinion has soured on it the more I read about it (from a privacy standpoint).
I'll add even MS Office likes to call home, frequently. I recently spent 2 weeks in China and from about day 3 onward I was constantly reminded that my Office 365 subscription could not be verified. Thankfully I was still able to use it but the constant nagging from the software was irritating. I always had my fingers crossed the next morning that Office would still be working.
FYI, this line is from the MS website,
"...make sure your users can connect to Office Licensing Service via the Internet at least once every 30 days.".
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg982959.aspx
If you noticed, I used the word "Same" not "Similar". Windows 10 in the desktop is the "Same" Windows 10 in the Surface. And Windows 10 can be used in a tablet or desktop with Continuum, where it adjusts automatically if you are using touch or a keyboard + mouse. BTW, why you call the Surface division a failure when it's making close to a billion per quarter and growing?
I have been waiting for a proper stylus in the iPad since the first gen, while at the same time watching the Surface Pro getting better every year. Right now I'm waiting for the SP4 to replace my MBA. Let's see how it goes.
And I can't read Steve Job's mind regarding the iPad and the stylus. But I remember people mocking the Surface Pro, including Tim Cook (remember refrigerator + toaster). Looks like MS was right all this time.
What's a Surface Pro?
Is it something that people actually use?
I knew this was still happening already because I watched my network traffic with all the settings turned off and saw continued pings in that direction. Never mind that Microsoft turns them back on after every update, anyway. It’s like what Apple does with Bluetooth after every iOS update! Except instead of draining your battery, it steals your info.
So I have a few questions.
1. Isn’t there something like Little Snitch for Windows that we could use to just block this traffic to Microsoft’s servers?
2. Can’t we just find the malicious parts of the OS and delete them, slipstreaming a new copy of Windows 10 without them? Yeah, it wouldn’t be “genuine”, but THE THEFT OF OUR PERSONAL INFORMATION tends to override my feelings of copyright infringement (as does having the gall to ask people to pay for software that itself is copyright infringement).
I've seen several in coffee shops since they've come out, but in comparison to even Android-based tablets (while themselves pale in comparison to the iPads I've seen in use) their usage numbers (anecdotally) are very, very small. I've even had to assist two different people with them on two occasions because they couldn't figure out how to connect to the WiFi properly. I deal with Windows every… single… day because despite what they do well with the Enterprise backend and tools they still can't figure out (or maybe don't care) about the front end. Even their Control Panel isn't a unified app in Win10. You start clicking on things and new windows pop up and you still have to his Accept or OK for the change to take place, which can sometimes cripple for system for a several seconds while those changes are enacted. It's fucking ridiculous when because 1) they have Mac OS X as a model, 2) they have done a great job with WinPhone (which should have been modified for a proper tablet OS), and 3) they do have a lot of good talent working there. MS is a prime example that being brilliant simply isn't enough to do great things if corporate exec asshats and beancounters can't look past the next next quarter results. It pisses me off but the fact is this means there will always be work fixing Windows.
"There's always money in the banana stand."
1. There are simply too many options to list here but this page (below) has a comprehensive list with reasons why people like and dislike these personal firewalls.
Disclaimer: There really isn't anything that effectively does what Little Snitch does on Windows. It's really in a class all to itself, but some of those in the list should be good enough for Windows users.
2. Sure, but you also introduce the potential problem of features no longer working if you do want to enable them, having whomever created the SS dictate what you may or may not need, introducing some issues when removing or altering standard Windows components that could crash the system for your needs, and potentially introducing their own malware into the SS. My advice is to manually remove the components you wish on a clean system over time, create a back up of it, and then create your own SS. This gives you the best protection and best understanding of Windows, but it may also be too time consuming and you'll probably be spending a decent amount of time on forums with people that will shun you if they find out you are using a Mac.
PS: it looks like you have the HTML editor set in Preferences, instead of the BB code editor. This wreaks havoc on formatting when quoting comments. Note, you can still inject HTML anywhere in Huddler even if the BB editor is selected.
Oh, I don’t care. I only use Windows for the few games I want to play and for the architectural software I’m using during my home remodel. I would rather shut Wi-Fi off (just delete Windows’ knowledge of the installed hardware) and use an unmodified version, but Steam requires an Internet connection.
I’ll check out that list of LS equivalents. Thanks, Soli.
Does it? I’ve noticed errors in formatting when people paste in code from other websites without the formatting stripped, but I’ve never had a problem with quoting (I just get rid of the extra white space that I don’t like by hand). I never liked BBCode, but I could try it out again.
[B]Windows 10 sends [I][U]everything you type[/U][/I] to Microsoft every 30 minutes.[/B]
[URL=http://aeronet.cz/news/analyza-windows-10-ve-svem-principu-jde-o-pouhy-terminal-na-sber-informaci-o-uzivateli-jeho-prstech-ocich-a-hlasu/]At least, I think that’s what it says here.[/URL]
It's bullshit.
Does it? I’ve noticed errors in formatting when people paste in code from other websites without the formatting stripped, but I’ve never had a problem with quoting (I just get rid of the extra white space that I don’t like by hand). I never liked BBCode, but I could try it out again.
I think he means that when he quotes it, his BB code editor is all wacky because it is trying to read HTML but it can't do it very well, hence he has to fix the quoted text before posting or it would be all messed up.
BTW, Wire Shark is absolutely the best packet sniffer out there on any platform, IMHO, but they do make Little Snitch for Windows now.
Quote:
I have been waiting for a proper stylus in the iPad since the first gen, while at the same time watching the Surface Pro getting better every year. Right now I'm waiting for the SP4 to replace my MBA. Let's see how it goes.
And I can't read Steve Job's mind regarding the iPad and the stylus. But I remember people mocking the Surface Pro, including Tim Cook (remember refrigerator + toaster). Looks like MS was right all this time.
A Stylus is impractical and the worst entry interface ever invented, easy to loose, that’s probably how MS is making profit by replacing lost pens. Why use a stick when using your fingers is good enough? Microsoft is too lazy to do the Surface interface correctly, that's why it needs a stylus, so you can click on those tiny buttons that was designed to use with a mouse.
Apple is about ease of interface and the human connection to hardware, touching your device is as human as you can get. Apple will never make a pen. If your looking for validation from Apple your in for a long wait (it will never happen) maybe you just want Apple to put the “cool factor” seal of approval in offering a stylus that will never look cool.
Why is MS trying to push this? Do PC users need to be holding onto a phallic wand to compensate for they’re manhood? Or maybe it’s to look busy or important, Harry Potter fetish? Who Knows?
So writing, drawing and painting should have only ever been done with our fingers directly on the media? Come on!
So writing, drawing and painting should have only ever been done with our fingers directly on the media? Come on!
I'm an artist and use a non-Apple stylus, not everyone is an artist, and I can still use my fingers if I loose my stylus. What is especially exciting is using multiple fingers at the same time, each with pressure control, which is coming soon from Apple. Microsoft is pitching the surface as a business tool, I don't think they have artists in mind. Cursive writing is dead.
A Stylus is impractical and the worst entry interface ever invented, easy to loose, that’s probably how MS is making profit by replacing lost pens. Why use a stick when using your fingers is good enough? Microsoft is too lazy to do the Surface interface correctly, that's why it needs a stylus, so you can click on those tiny buttons that was designed to use with a mouse.
Apple is about ease of interface and the human connection to hardware, touching your device is as human as you can get. Apple will never make a pen. If your looking for validation from Apple your in for a long wait (it will never happen) maybe you just want Apple to put the “cool factor” seal of approval in offering a stylus that will never look cool.
Why is MS trying to push this? Do PC users need to be holding onto a phallic wand to compensate for they’re manhood? Or maybe it’s to look busy or important, Harry Potter fetish? Who Knows?
So do you think that the stylus in the Surface if to interact with the UI? Go to this Adobe video, so you can learn how a Surface uses touch and the stylus in ways you'll will never do in an iPad (at least for now).
This is nothing related to cool factor, manhood or Harry Potter. Is about how good is the SP3 as a hybrid with a useful stylus.
So you aren't anti-stylus as your previous comment implies. You are then aware that a stylus does have it's place and can be far superior to simply using your fingers to write, draw and paint?
Microsoft is pitching the surface as a business tool, I don't think they have artists in mind.
Even though MS is focused on the business side of it, the SP3 looks like a good device for artists or designers,
https://youtu.be/PlLR9ANGsOo
https://youtu.be/y3CLHc7mQAc?t=13m49s
http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/05/23/surface-pro-3
http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/11/01/surface-3-update
To clarify, I'm not in the graphics design business. Just posted things I thought were nice.
I figured that's what was going on but like I said the messages started appearing right around day 3. Quite annoying. You would think a week or two without contacting the server would be good enough... TimeMachine gives you ~ 15 days before the first notice and that's a lot more mission critical than an office suit.
Interesting. I found this analysis of the claimed data being sent, so when I get it installed I’ll use Wireshark (or whatever else) to confirm/deny.