Windows 10 S. The S is for "Screwed"

Discussion in 'Techforge' started by Tuckerfan, Jun 11, 2017.

  1. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    Surprised there hasn't been a thread about this already, but Windows 10 S is "the future of Windows."

    Essentially, MS has decided that they need to compete with Chromebooks, so they've come up with Windows 10 S, a stripped down version of Windows, where you can only run MS approved apps and where your files are often stored "in the cloud." For those of you who were wondering what the "catch" was with MS offering Windows 10 for free a while back, it looks like we've found it.

    Now, MS says that you'll be able to pay $50 to "upgrade" to the full version of Windows so you can run apps that won't be found in the app store (like Chrome, iTunes, and a whole host of other programs), but there's no telling how well they'll perform, and if you're somebody who uses Linux or certain admin tools, you'll be SOL. It's not really clear if a full upgrade will give you those tools or not.

    Hopefully, this will turn out to be an even bigger flop than Win8 was (because who wants to only use the Edge browser and Bing?), but if they get traction with it, then you can expect them to gouge you on everything in the future.
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  2. Diacanu

    Diacanu Comicmike. Writer

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    *Blood runs cold, goosebumps*

    Fuuuuuuck. :shock:
  3. Amaris

    Amaris Guest

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    It's essentially Microsoft's answer to iOS, but available to desktops. I'm not sure it will do well at all, nor do I feel it should.
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  4. Diacanu

    Diacanu Comicmike. Writer

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    Oh, it's not a forced upgrade?
    Phew, shit.
    :whew:
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  5. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    For now. :unsure:
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  6. Amaris

    Amaris Guest

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    Nope, not forced. It will be their attempt to show up Google Chrome, at best.
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  7. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    In other Windows S news, it turns out that it's not terribly hard for hackers to install malware on a machine running 10 S.
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  8. Amaris

    Amaris Guest

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    So the "S" isn't for screwed, it's for "Shit-tastic."

    Seriously, though, I like Microsoft, I like Windows 10, but any time someone gets the notion to say their software is anything proof, I know there's a hacker out there ready to show them how very wrong they are.
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  9. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    The number of hacks is directly proportional to how many systems have the OS installed.

    I like windows 10 too.

    I also discovered that MS has a method to upgrade our winphones to windows 10 outside the service provider. Download "windows insider" from the MS store on your phone. You can upgrade to "test" versions of windows 10. Choose the "slow" path so you don't get beta or alpha ware.

    Mine took two upgrade cycles. Don't wait to do the 2nd upgrade as it seems this is necessary to download/link all MS accounts. For a while I thought I'd have to re-enter contacts. After all was done, it's using less memory on the device, is more responsive. MS apps are improved: Maps (navigation), weather, news, explorer. I can even respond to WF posts using it now.

    It's much nicer than windows 8.2 or whatever it had. This is on a lumia 640.
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2017
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  10. Amaris

    Amaris Guest

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    Makes me wish I still had my Windows phone. :(
  11. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    The problem is that when MS pushes out the final version, some phones aren't going to get it, even if they've had no problems with 10.
  12. Paladin

    Paladin Overjoyed Man of Liberty

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  13. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    "The Cloud" is one of the silliest things being batted around marketing meeting rooms. When I first heard the term used, about 8 years ago, it was specifically referencing cloud computing, where a host didn't reside on a single server, but a content delivery network (CDN) that was infinitely scaleable across data centers around the world. It's been rendered meaningless today, or rather come to mean "someone else's computer" which has been the way of computing since "Client/Server" was coined in the 1960s. It does lend itself to easy graphics on powerpoints.

    Shrug. The final version will be a build that was in beta the week before. According to the cell phone wogs, Winphone 10 has been rendered irrelevant even by Microsoft (and not just buyers).

    My phone updated again last night, the email client app interface is better today. Maybe they just stacked updates and are applying them in order, rather than a single service pack. Either way it's a $30 appliance that keeps on working. I missed not having google maps/navigator but the windows 10 Maps app is much better than the Nokia Here app it replaces. Still doesn't tell me if my destination is on the left or right. Cortana lost some of her sexiness: she doesn't recognize "take me home" anymore and instead of opening navigation to my house gives me web page references, but voice recognition is almost flawless. For some evil reason, asking her to "take me to work" still guides me to the office.
  14. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    Well, it's just a way to ensure a steady revenue stream continues to come in whole we wait for someone to figure out the next big computing innovation. The "make it so buggy that consumers will be forced to buy the next upgrade" ( :) ) business model has run out of steam, so they've got to do something if they want to continue to be able to afford to buy mega yachts.
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  15. oldfella1962

    oldfella1962 the only real finish line

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    my work company will be upgrading (if you can call it that from the opinions I am seeing lately) to Windows 10 in a month or two. I have it at home on my other computer already.
  16. Kommander

    Kommander Bandwagon

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  17. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    Windows 10 for the PC is nice. As smooth as Windows 7 but more sophisticated.

    Windows 10 mobile (I have the sole copy since John went over to the dark side) is slicker than 8.1 but a bit buggy and no place to go. It's a dead branch on the smartphone evolutionary tree. I shall nurture my copy and one day it will be a beautiful butterfly.
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  18. Ebeneezer Goode

    Ebeneezer Goode Gobshite

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    10 on the PC can be nice, but I'd rather not have to hunt for settings after every update. Silly shit like shifting the ability to switch off Cortana just annoys me, as does advertising in the start panel.

    And it still feels like the abused offspring from a brief, yet so very bitter, relationship between a touch and non-touch UI.

    Although 10, unlike 8, generally doesn't need the start button now, but search still sometimes breaks horribly necessitating its use.

    Oh, and having watched a corporate network shit a brick from the auto-set telemetry level MS might want to watch that. Not everywhere has figured out you make a golden image and copy it to every new install, rather than just pass out the default install, and they're likely to demand a rollback to 7 rather than deal with the sudden spike in traffic.
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  19. Ebeneezer Goode

    Ebeneezer Goode Gobshite

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    New annoying thing on 10: My VM updated, and now every 30 minutes I have to run network diagnostics as it loses the default gateway.

    On the bright side, no one can annoy me on Slack.
  20. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    The latest update seems to have played with networking some.

    The win10pro desktop at home has a qualcomm wireless nic that after the upgrade would fail to connect half the time. Before it never failed to automatically connect with the router.

    I noticed that under wireless connections management it had copied all the credentials from my cellphone (hey, it's a windows phone). Thought maybe going through that list exhausted the poor thing. Removing everything except the local wifi router didn't help.

    Updating the nic's driver did help. qualcomm has much newer software available than through windows. Still it seems to fail to connect automatically about 5% of the time.
  21. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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  22. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    I watched 2:37 minutes and fell asleep. when's the scathing start?
  23. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    Around 10 minutes or so, as I recall.
  24. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    [​IMG]

    Microsoft (AKA MackrelsSurp) has claimed that you'll be able to install non-Windows store programs on Windows S, but hasn't exactly explained how one would do this. They've also said that anyone who's bought a new PC with Windows S installed can upgrade to real Windows for free to March 31st, 2018.

    Personally, I'm going to be looking at Linux when it comes time to build a new machine.
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  25. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    Um, this about MS Surface laptops. Anyone who needs a $1000 laptop and buys one of these deserves what they get. 10S will only run microsoft store apps. Sounds a bit like Apple:

    The laptop comes with Windows 10 S preloaded. This iteration of the operating system is compatible with any app in the Windows Store, but you can't run third-party Windows programs or use a browser other than Edge unless you convert to Windows 10 Pro. This locked-down version of Windows keeps users from inadvertently installing malware, a plus for school administrators who want to ensure the integrity of their hardware. Educators can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for free. Other users who purchase the Surface Laptop can upgrade for free until Dec. 31, 2017, after which it will cost $49. Windows 10 S works well for supporting school IT policies, but users who want more flexibility should note that it only takes about 10 minutes to convert the laptop to Windows 10 Pro online, which is well worth the time.
    link

    Linux is a fine OS. I never saw the use for it; what would you use it for? If you're a multinational corp and want to develop your own applications it pays to do it on Linux.

    Firmware update on my router seems to have fixed my wireless automatic connectivity issue.
  26. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    Same things I do now on Windows. There's plenty of free software available for Linux, and even some of the software giants are starting to release programs for Linux. And with things like WINE, you can even run most Windows software under Linux.
  27. Ancalagon

    Ancalagon Scalawag Administrator Formerly Important

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    Steve you ignorant slut, it's not a dead end. Surface Phone is just around the corner.

    Any day now.

    Any day.
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  28. garamet

    garamet "The whole world is watching."

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    I've rolled back to Windows 7. No regrets.
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  29. Soma

    Soma OMG WTF LOL STFU ROTFL!!!

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    I've rolled back to an abacus. No regrets.
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  30. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    There is another?

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