Let’s put it this way.
There’s millions of copies of microsoft 10 out there. It takes resources to make sure all those copies are timely updated. What benefit does microsoft get that makes that expenditure or resources worth it?
Some 25 year old’s in Redmond, Wa. are always trying to make your internet experience better. To them that means making your portable device/phone/pad easier to use. Windows 10 is more aligned to service the portable device market. When I first downloaded it I went through what I though was some unnecessary steps to get it back to desktop functionality and look.
Who waits to get home to sit down in front of their desktop? Old people, that’s who. And we are no longer the target audience/customer.
And all the flaws in programing and coding cannot be anticipated, there is a lot of code, so there are always bugs to fix, and fix, and fix.
There are other marketing goals that conflict with your needing to control your machine. Internet companies are not making money on the upgrade. They are not making money on your move to Windows 10. They are making money, lots of money, from the information that can be harvested from you.
Now, I will go out and check my lawn for intruders.
It’s not arbitrary. I would object to anyone downloading malware into my computer. Microsoft happens to be the only ones who do it on a regular basis.
My suspicion is their main purpose is to sabotage competing products. Microsoft would prefer, for example, that I used Bing instead of Google. They can’t make Bing a better product than Google. But they can change the Windows operating system so Google starts having glitches.
Two reasons for the regular updates. Firstly, and most importantly, to protect against malware and bad actors. By not updating you’re putting both your own system and those of other people at risk. And secondly, to ensure that everybody is running on the same version of the operating system so that other software only has to be witten for and updated to one target, not multiple.
These far outweigh the minor inconvenience of having to switch off your computer for a few minutes once a month.
That cant possibly be true. It’s relatively trivial to deny access to computers that dont meet security standards. My not updating could possibly affect computers in my local network. But if my computer, infected with a virus, could infect other systems then why wouldnt hackers just infect a decoy system and have them interact with others?
also crap. there are dozens of operating systems out there, not to mention the different versions of windows. so that means that software already has to be written for multiple platforms. And if a program or a website that I favor suddenly wont work without the latest update then I am instantly incentivized to perform the update. No coercion necessary.
Look, I get that microsoft needs to update it’s system on a regular basis. And I get that they want to ensure that their customers have the most hassle free experience with their product and the best way to do that is by ensuring that updates are preformed in a timely manner. But, that has always been true for all preceding versions of windows. And up until version 10 that was always highly encouraged - even going so far as to make automatic updates the default position, but it was never mandatory. Something changed. And that’s what I’m trying to get at.
My innate skepticism of big business leads me to believe it’s something along the lines of what Little_Nemo alluded to. There’s some reward in it for microsoft to make updates mandatory. Otherwise, why change the process?
Your computer can be hijacked to be part of a bot network used in DDOS attacks and other nefarious purposes. That impacts everyone on the 'Net potentially. Your computer can be scanned/monitored for usernames/passwords that can then be used to hack into other systems, impacting other people. Your computer is the “decoy system”.
simply put … you should not block microsoft from doing it’s job … what is advisable is for you to upgrade your os to win-10. if you already have win-10 … check my screen-cap (imgur.com) and compare with your settings. my win-8 updated without warning … win-10 has never done so. however … if the computer goes to sleep or hibernates … that might be different.
as to changes in your settings … should only happen during major updates (twice a year?).
course … there’s always linux os.
disclaimer: the above content is my opinion only.
Converted to Linux Mint a couple of years ago, and I haven’t looked back. There’s a learning curve for sure, but it’s not that difficult, maybe a few hours. Here are the drawbacks: networking is a bitch. It can be done, but it’s not easy. Bios updates are a problem, if you’re running an old unit that needs it. All my machines were given to me by people who gave up trying to make them functional under Windows, so they went out and bought new computers, or simply use a smartphone instead. They work fine under Linux, no installation problems, haven’t had a virus problem yet, and mint always gives you the choice to update every individual piece of software installed. And it’s free.
I should eat healthier. But Walmart doesn’t have the right to come into my house and search my refridgerator.
I should get regular maintenance check-ups on my car. But Toyota doesn’t have the right to come into my garage and work on my car.
You should punctuate correctly. But I don’t have the right to edit all the ellipses out of your posts.
Microsoft has no more right than anybody else to break into my property and claim it’s for my own good. Especially when their claims are so obviously wrong; as I pointed out, the usual result of Microsoft updates are existing programs not working. Windows updates are effectively malware and I don’t see why I should treat Microsoft any differently than I would treat anyone else attacking my computer.
Right now, they don’t. But Tesla, for one, pushes updates to the software on its cars and I expect other companies will do the same thing.
That was the one that really took me down–I have a media computer with many TB of data on it and it runs Win7 which is stable as can be. It’s also a bitch to do data maintenance on because it’s hooked up to the tv across the room so I use my laptop to move stuff around and fix filenames and the like and if I can’t network easily then none of that stuff gets done and that offends my tidiness lobe. I made a good faith effort to figure out Samba and all that but it was giving me migraines when all I wanted to do was watch a goddamned movie so I gave up. Maybe if I can find someone to fix the charging port on the old laptop I’ll wipe it and start over with Mint again. I really liked how fast and non-resource-heavy it is. And the update process is so simple, one command and about fifteen seconds and it’s done. So nice. Sigh.
It’s true. The short and brutal answer is that viruses are like diseases; updates are like vaccines; people who don’t want updates are a bit like anti-vaxxers*, and Microsoft is trying to create herd immunity by taking control of who gets vaccinated.
If you don’t update your computer, it can be potentially exploited as part of a distributed computing network for malicious purposes. Hackers don’t want just one computer they can use to run their exploits, they want thousands of them.
*I’ll acknowledge motives are different perhaps, sometimes.
It’s not so much that it’s OK… it’s that those older products are no longer supported by Microsoft. That is, Microsoft is no longer contractually obligated to provide security patches and bug fixes, and your workplace continues to use them at their own risk.
Each new version of Windows comes with some number of years of support, and companies can pay for extended support, but only up to a point. This info is on Microsoft’s website somewhere, and I believe it’s also in Windows’ terms and conditions (that normal humans never read, but hopefully the folks making purchasing decisions in corporate IT departments do).
My understanding is that Microsoft would still prefer that everyone use the newest version – because that simplifies things for people writing Windows software, and more new Windows software out in the world means more customers likely to stick with Windows. But, if someone is sticking with XP and they get hit with malware, at this point it’s not the same risk to Microsoft, either in terms of PR or potential lawsuits. (Disclaimer: I’m neither a lawyer, nor a spokesman for Microsoft. This is just my opinion. Etc.)
When you bought your fridge, you did not enter into a contract permitting Walmart to do that.
When you bought your car, you did not enter into a contract permitting Toyota to do that.
When we all signed up to this board, we did not accept an agreement permitting us to edit each others’ posts.
When you started using Microsoft’s product, based on the previous sentences, can you guess, what you did?
Different computers have different levels of access and different trust with other systems they interact with – even those outside of your local network, that they only interact with indirectly. For starters, your computer probably contains stored passwords and cookies for websites you visit.
A similar example (but exploiting the trust between humans, rather than between computers), is that someone might not click a link in an email from a stranger, but that same person might click a link in an email from a friend. [They probably shouldn’t, because the return address on an email can be forged, and a friend’s list of contacts could have been stolen.] So a bad actor compromising one email account can quickly lead to them compromising many more.
Apple Man 1: 83 pounds, good. Let’s get the bloodwork.
Kyle: Hey! You can’t do that!
Apple Man 1: You agreed we could take all the blood we needed.
Kyle: What are you talking about?!
Apple Man 1: When you downloaded the last iTunes update a window on your screen popped up and asked you if you agreed to our terms and conditions. You clicked “Agree.” Alright, let’s get him to the water tank.
Of course, unfair contracts can be challenged
If that’s how it worked I wouldn’t mind but thanks to the bloatware MS and HP installed on my HP Stream, the update in early August did not have enough room to install. No big deal – I’ll buy a 32-Gb micro SD card (the largest the Stream can take) for less than ten bucks and tell the updater to load the update there, easy peasy.
Well, the updater did just that, partitioning the card, forming a drive E: I have no authority to look into, and presumably stashed the update there. Then it can’t find E: and puts up an Insert external media and press OK msg. Even popping and reinserting the card does nothing – the same msg instantly reappears.
Every week like clockwork I have to stop what I’m doing, wait a half hour while the updater downloads the file again, and have the same message pop up. I have looked and there is no apparent way to email or have a chat with MS Support; you just go round and round to useless FAQ windows.
Since all the clients on the Stream have a Linux equivalent, so far as I can tell, I’m seriously contemplating on pulling the plug on MS and going that route.
If you really think that, and don’t want to update all your other programs to work more effectively and safely, your best option is to not use that system to go on the internet.
As for your other issues, if you could improve the safety and fuel efficiency of your car by simply switching it off for a few minutes - at a time of your choice, assuming you do it within a few weeks of being notified that it will happen, or have your food upgraded to being both healthier and tastier at no cost to yourself, it would be perverse not to. That’s the equivalent of what you’re trying to turn down.
I suppose it could be problematic if you don’t actually know how to use your car, or to cook. So, you should probably learn to use your computer properly, rather than lust learning by rote a few simple things.