Posts by Wade Burchette

Re: AT&T hasn't even tried

I was thinking of this: https://youtu.be/oyi_q7hIOmw?t=6m4s

Re: Nope

For those without a touchscreen, utilman.exe is another choice. This is the file for accessibility options. I like to use the command net user username * because the * prompts for a new password.

Re: is there a comprehensive list of cockups?

"How exactly didn't they listen to their customers...every heard of the Windows insider program."

The most requested feature of the insider program was the return of Aero. Where is Aero? Many people requested Microsoft disable all the telemetry and spying. I repeatedly requested the return of the pre-boot F8 repair button. All ignored. Many people requested a customizable hierarchy-based start menu like the one found in every Windows version from 95 to 7. What they got was an illogical, strict alphabetical mini-Metro start menu whose sole purpose is to push apps. When people made suggestions to the mini-Metro start menu, they were listened to. The insider program was not about feedback, it was about affirmation.

Re: customer satisfaction

"Windows 10 continues to have the highest customer satisfaction of any version of Windows."

What are they smoking? And where can I get it? Everybody I talk to, everybody I have met, everywhere I read, people hate Windows 10 with a passion. PC sales are still down because of Windows 8 and 10. You should see how people's eyes light up when I tell them how to get a Windows 7 computer. And yet, despite all these facts, Microsoft says it has the highest customer satisfaction of any Windows. I think their management and PR department would do well in the North Korean propaganda department. They are like the former information minister of Iraq under Saddam Hussein who proclaimed the Americans were losing while the world saw them march into Baghdad. "Windows 10 is the most popular Windows ever. PC sales are not down; these are lies. In fact, people are still begging to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10."

Re: This effectively puts AMD on notice.

Yes. They already have an ARM Opteron. Not a good one, but it is a start. And with FinFET, the next generation might actually be respectable.

4096x2160 is the 256:135 aspect ratio found in movies today.

3840x2160 is the 16:9 aspect ratio standard for broadcast television.

Re: New Feature List

8) Block any program from installing that was not downloaded through the Microsoft app store, for your protection of course.

Re: And so disappears the Personal Computer from Microsoft history

"From a country whose citizens file a suit if their coffee is too hot, I find that a bit rich on both sides."

Read the terms of service. I have copied the relevant part here:

Binding Arbitration and Class Action Waiver if You Live in (or if a Business Your Principal Place of Business is in) the United States.

We hope we never have a dispute, but if we do, you and we agree to try for 60 days to resolve it informally. If we can’t, you and we agree to binding individual arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), and not to sue in court in front of a judge or jury. Instead, a neutral arbitrator will decide and the arbitrator’s decision will be final except for a limited right of appeal under the FAA. Class action lawsuits, class-wide arbitrations, private attorney-general actions, and any other proceeding where someone acts in a representative capacity aren’t allowed. Nor is combining individual proceedings without the consent of all parties. “We,” “our,” and “us” includes Microsoft, the device manufacturer, and software installer.

Re: "Russians" or "The Russians"

I was at a customer's house Monday and she had on one of the annoying all-women talk shows where all they do is sit around and jabber on as if their opinion was wise when, in fact, just the opposite. I was trying to focus on fixing this computer, but the TV was loud. One of the blowhards said the Russians did this to benefit Trump. The reasoning went: no bank loans to Trump because of all his bankruptcies, ergo Trump had to borrow money from somewhere, ergo he borrowed from Russia, ergo the Russians want Trump to win because they will control him. And the audience clapped with delight. While my blood started to boil as if I had seen yet another attack ad.

I simply think this was simply a crime of opportunity. Hillary was in the news because she had her own email server. Let us not go further with that issue. But, you just know whoever put in that email server is not would not have it locked down as much as the US government or political party servers are. I would not be surprised if they hacked Hillary's email server and used that to find a weakness higher up in the Democrat command. I do not know, it is just pure speculation.

Re: Not celebrating yet but...

If I read this right, these numbers do not in reflect Polaris. The RX 480 is hard to find here in the States. I also read on some tech websites that custom RX 480's had to be delayed because AMD underestimated demand. All this is good news. I love competition.

I am also very excited for Zen. Although people do not expect the 8 core Zen to outperform a 8 core Xeon/Core i7, people are expecting it to be a better value. And Zen is coming in 8 to 32 core varieties. (Probably fewer too.) That will significantly lower the prices of Intel's line. A win-win for everyone except Intel.

Re: Apple

There is only one reason why I do not want an Apple computer: it is very difficult to repair yourself. I had to remove a hard drive from a dead first generation iMac. It took me 15 minutes just to remove the rear cover because visible screws are somehow the 8th deadly sin. On a newer iMac, I was asked to replace a failed hard drive. It took me an hour just to get to the drive. I like to service my own equipment whenever possible. And not just computers, anything I can. Apple use of proprietary screws just rubs me the wrong way.

No, no, nope.

Agreed.

However, my main reason for not wanting a smart home or a smart car or a smart TV or a smart anything is security. Nothing is ever completely secure. If I can access it from the internet, then so can potentially billions of other people. If it supports remote updates, could a hacker silently update it and use it in his botnet? Or hack it to use it as an attack vector for other devices? This example is an oversimplification to make a point: A door lock IoT device, for instance, may not support remote updates but local updates. So a hacker could cause the IoT door locks to do a factory reset by using the insecure IoT device. And since many factory resets have the same password, now the hacker knows what the combination is to open your door.

I told someone about all this, and he glibly dismissed it. "I won't care if someone turns my AC off while I am away," he said. Yeah, but what if a hacker turned it all the way down so it ran all the time? Imagine that electric bill. This is the same "so what" attitude that lets Google, Facebook, Microsoft, et al mine all our private data.

Re: No need for any extra equipment?

"No need for guns, or other specialized drone-busting equipment --- just fly above the drone and drop water on it!"

Some time ago I saw a video on YouTube where a moron was flying his drone while firefighters were trying put out a burning house. One firefighter sprayed the drone with a quick burst of water; no more drone.

Re: Perhaps ....

"Whats also interesting is how many college types I talk to who are just using a penguin now."

Businesses are where it is at; lose them and you lose the game. How do you think Microsoft became so successful? Businesses had IBM machines with MS-DOS and when computers started to become affordable, people wanted a machine like the one at work. They did not want to re-learn.

If businesses switch the employees computers to Linux, it is game over for Microsoft. And now amount of micro-payments from the app store will save them. Soon after a business switches to Linux, the employees will want a machine like the one at work. In the Bill Gates years and most of the Steve Ballmer years, this idea would be unthinkable. But then Microsoft delivered a hard kick in the groin to traditional PC users by making a touch-friendly, mouse-unfriendly GUI mandatory in Windows 8. People were stunned, sales declined, upper-management at Microsoft left. Along comes new management who thought that the only complaint against Windows 8 was the lack of a start menu, which it was not. So we get yet another but harder kick in the groin when Windows 10 was released. Now what was once unthinkable is not whispered about. It now won't take much to push people completely over the edge.

Re: And, what has happened at MS since 2005?

UAC was actually a good thing. I read a TechNet magazine article (back when TechNet was still a subscription service and still sent out the magazine) about UAC and how it worked. The reason why UAC broke many programs is because quite often lazy programmers did not follow best practices. Each program is supposed to have a per-user setting, with global settings only performed when installing/uninstalling. Many programs were not doing that, a change in the settings was global instead of limited to the current user. This is one example of how UAC forced programmers to up their game.

Re: Games

Let us hope Vulkan is more popular than DirectX 12.

Re: Its amazing how Intel and the PC makers...

"If they shipped PC's / Laptops / Netbooks with Linux and no Crapware / Trialware / Bloatware / Spyware... I'm in!"

I just ordered a custom built HP laptop and it had the option to install FreeDOS, Windows 7, or Windows 10. Getting FreeDOS lowered the cost by $120. So, it may not come with Linux, but at least you can avoid giving any money to Microsoft. (P.S. I went with Windows 7.)

Re: Killing TVs, a step too far

"What could the manufacturer possibly do to protect you from yourself in that scenario?"

The solution is simple: sell TV's that only let you choose a source input or change the channel, like my first HDTV did. Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, TiVo, etc do a much better job at streaming services than smart TV's anyway.

If Microsoft had released a Windows 7 clone except with the performance enhancements of Windows 8, people would have gladly paid good money for it. (A Windows 7 clone requires a working F8 button without any hack.) Talk around, Windows 10 has a worse reputation than Windows 8. And these are by people who have no idea what Windows 10 is really doing.

Re: I always feared the worst

Just for the record, I made a slight mistake and confused MACROMEDIA with MACROVISION but corrected it a few minutes after I posted. That is why there is the discrepancy above.

Re: Not Just Cars

That is my too: if I can access this device remotely, then so can billions of other people.

If it ever gets to a point where "connected cars" are the standard, then the first thing I am going to do with my car is pull the fuse that controls it. If other useful electronics are on the same circuit, they I will find the service manual and disconnect the components. There is always a way.

"Firstly Microsoft is making Windows more friendly to users by moving them to a safe ecosystem for getting their apps."

Ha ha ha ha ha. Oh wait, you're serious, let me laugh even harder. The app store is as much about safety as smart meters are about saving energy; we are told it is for our benefit but in reality it is for the benefit of the business's wallet. "Safety" is just the blind used to distract you from its real purpose. Just like people love to use "think of the children" to try and prevent any opposition to their idea. And who decides what is and is not safe? And what is to prevent Microsoft from deciding that a competing program is not "safe"? Since Win10 is not owned, they can do that.

"Windows 10 is also safer than Windows 10 for a number of other security reasons, not the least of which is that users can not refuse to install regular patches."

I have found 25 security updates for Windows 7 that cause an essential Microsoft program I use every day to crash. 25. And these 25 are messing up one of Microsoft's own programs. Strange as it might seem, businesses have essential programs. Strange as it might seem, these essential programs can be affected by Windows update. Control over which updates you install is critical. Furthermore, who is to say what Microsoft is pushing in their non-optional updates? What if a "security" update was pushed out that essentially disabled all your privacy choices. (Since Win10 is not owned, they can do that.) P.S. It is 'cannot', one word.

"If the desktop is so over why do people even care how Microsoft manages it?"

The desktop is only over because of Windows 8 and Windows 10. You should see how people's faces shine when I tell them how they can get a Windows 7 computer. If Microsoft released a Windows 7 clone with the performance enhancement of Windows 8, desktop sales would soar and people would have paid good money to buy it, guaranteed. Microsoft's buzzword-chasing book-smart-but-real-world-stupid incompetents ended the desktop, not tablets. There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.

"Now imagine if Google said they are forcing an upgrade of all Android 4.0 handsets to Marshmallow, and from now on would centrally manage updates so the whole android ecosystem would stay in lock step. Somehow I think the story would be very different."

Sigh ... Comparing apples to oranges. Tablets/smartphones have not been mainstream except for a few years. There aren't programs 15 years old on them that we need to run. We are not used to having the freedom to install whatever we want whenever we want on them. They are a different use case anyway. Besides, it is not about the upgrade, it is about the upgrade to clearly inferior product whose sole purpose is to spy on you and to force you into an app store so that Microsoft can get a cut of all programs sold for the computer. I would be happy with an upgrade if the product was superior, but it is not. Windows 10 has a stink so bad around it that nobody wants it. Why do you think that is? If it is was such a superior product, then why do they have to resort to making people take it, like it or not? All we ever wanted was an improved version of Windows 7. All we got was the worst Windows ever.

Re: IoT

"developers are being asked to rush things out there and security doesn't even get invited in for the ride, never mind take a back seat."

If I can access something from the internet, then potentially so can billions of other people. Nothing can ever be completely secured from a determined hacker. This is the reason why I will never have a connected home or a connected car.

This is for Android 6.0 or later. Some options are also available in Cyanogenmod if your carrier and device manufacturer is too cheap or lazy to upgrade Android.

If you do have Android 6 or Cyanogenmod, be sure to go through all the apps and turn off many unnecessary permissions. The microphone is a big one. Turn off location too except for a few special apps, i.e. map apps, weather radar. And then turn off all Google privacy settings, both on the Android and on Google's own privacy controls website.

@AC

You should read some reports on North Korea's concentration camps and read interviews by their defectors.

They may hear but will they listen?

Let me tell you how the feedback will work, based on my experience with giving feedback in the Win10 beta. Any ideas that point out serious problems, such as 'when I click on this, a BSOD appears' will be listened to. Any ideas that mesh with Microsoft's misguided vision will be listened to. Every other idea will be ignored.

The most requested feature in Windows 10 was Aero. Well, where is it? It didn't fit with Microsoft's ideas so it was ignored. I requested a customizable hierarchy-based start menu like we see in Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98, 95. Ignored. People who made requests about the new mini-metro start menu where listened to. The goal is to push apps, apps that are sold through Microsoft's app store. Removing the tiles and having a useful start menu again did not fit with Microsoft's vision. I have told them several times to return a pre-boot F8. Of all the dumb decisions Microsoft has made, getting rid of that was the absolute dumbest. Even Apple still has key combinations to get into repair modes. Well, F8 is still disabled out of the box.

Microsoft isn't looking for feedback; they are looking for affirmation.

Re: 19,000,000 km/h ?

Yes, but how fast was Han Solo when he made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs?

Re: MPAA and RIAA can kiss my analog hole!

"Most of them couldn't stand on their own because true membership to them's rather small"

Good riddance I say. If you cannot stand on your own, then you are not worth it. Why should I subsidize obscure channels? I am also opposed to networks double-dipping. They charge the cable providers (who pass that fee onto me) a fee to receive their channels that packs more than 15 minutes of commercials per hour. You should be able to charge us a fee OR show commercials, but not both. And you should not be allowed to show commercials or promos for another show during a show.

Windows 10 has been installing without permission. I know two people who told me their computer said that Windows 10 was installing in under 30 minutes. What was happening was the user was away and Windows 10 installed because the user didn't hit the X to cancel. (P.S. everyone I have talked to says they always hit the X to cancel. Windows 10 has a stink about it worse than Windows 8.) Microsoft has taken the attitude that it is better to apologize than ask for permission.