Has Anyone Switched to Windows 10

People don't hate MS for their contributions or innovation... but they do hate them for how they went about it and continue to go about it. Frankly, I'm surprised the FTC hasn't busted them up yet... oh... wait... .GOV machines run on MS.

And as for the world voting with their wallet, kind of a poor analogy considering the world's track record regarding fact-based decision-making and critical thinking and open-mindedness, and tolerance, and... oh, never mind.

If I intend to insult someone or violate the rules of civility on this board I will do so directly without need for your "interpretation."

My opinion piece was not directed at you or anyone else in particular.

Then don't speak insulting terms, and cite your 20+ years as though it made you an oracle, when you're going to give us an erroneous history lesson. Ever heard of "The Well"? Probably not, but it makes interesting history. However, it predates anything "web-ish", so it doesn't count for much.

What might is that I first encountered computers in my programming classes in High School, in 1970. And I was a user of the "Darpa Net" when connectivity required either a ".mil", a ".gov" or a ".edu" address, with only selected users among the latter two having access, and then only if they had legitimate business in helping the military develop the net.

I had access as a civilian contractor working for the Military Intelligence Agencies of the US, but very few did, even there. As a result, I know, intimately, the development history of the entire infrastructure of the web. Obviously you, as a "Johnny come lately", do not.

And while YOU may characterize history errors as "an opinion piece", I call it flaunting ignorance to support a flawed position. Get your facts straight before you tell us about your experience and superior knowledge. We are then much more likely to respect your opinion.

Well, you're entitled to your opinion.

We all lived without computers for many years, and to credit MS thieves with bringing about the "revolution" is a disservice to all the others who have contributed along the way.

Let's consider how you would feel if you just paid $40,000.00 for a new car only to find that there were no keys for it. Then you discovered that the transmission only had forward gears. The AC is there, but you have to go under the dash and connect the wires. That's how a new OS comes to the customer.

As far as "bash MS on privacy and selling personal info", hell yes I bash them, they are thieves.

I don't want to have to spend days learning an new language, finding hidden features that used to be obvious, etc, etc...................................ad nauseam.

It's not funny, at all, to the hapless user that doesn't want to spend days learning a new system they just bought.

We paid them hard earned money for their half baked OS, why should they possibly thing they are entitled to STEAL our personal information and, in essence, have total control over our property?

As one who has been working with computers for 40+ years (I bought my first one for home in 1979; my first personal contact with computers was registering for classes at college in 1959, or perhaps 1960; I had a LAN operating in 1979), I can tell you it wasn't the market that chose the DOS operating system (the predecessor to Windows). It was the IT guys at large corporations, who saw the name IBM on some kludged-together computers that happened to be running DOS. They felt safe with that name, and didn't want to risk others, even though there was more than one superior product at the time.

When corporations bought large quantities of that inferior product for corporate use, virtually no one had computers at home, so people got accustomed to them at work, and naturally many of them later bought what they were accustomed to for use at home.

Yes, there would be computers at home now even if Microsoft had never existed. I doubt if there is anyone who can say for sure whether we'd have better or worse computers and operating systems, but they would be different.

GA, MS did help bring the PC to the masses.

Your new car analogy isn't quite the same as a new MS OS user's learning curve. At least in a new car the pedals are still in the same location.

"MS did help bring the PC to the masses."

Yes. It HELPED!

My main concern is the data security issue. Is there any way to enable settings that will protect you in win 10?

As for the economics of renting instead of buying, what business man wouldn't want to be able to show investors what next quarters earnings will look like without having to worry about sales? That being said...I bet it will not be as good for the consumers...

Drew K

I hope this will help you Drew not knowing what level of "security" you are looking for, NSA Black Box, or "the internet is perfectly safe why worry" level. This is the quick and easy with links that should help to some degree.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/windows-privacy-faq

for those who might be curious, a well respected tech writers opinion on security and Windows 10.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/no-microsoft-is-not-spying-on-you-with-windows-10/?tag=nl.e539&s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61

So?

To me, that does not instantly immunize MS from culpability.

Many other "well respected tech writers" have expressed opposing assessments.

Again, I have a reasonable expectation that any operating system I BUY will protect me from data mining, and give me the option to OPT IN, instead of shoving it down my hard drive and making me (the customer) waste hours disabling the undesirable features.

You're asking us to trust Bill and the gang. No way.

I installed Ubuntu Linux on my old desktop PC last night. Absolutely painless install needing no help from me apart from about 3 clicks to select options. Came complete with Firefox & Libre Office (which I already use) & a link to get further programmes. Web browsing is quick & easy and start-up & shut down are incredibly quick, about 2 seconds for shut down.

But how does unbuntu work with third party software? MS office, autocad, inventor, and such? What about the webcam and hdmi port on my laptop?

Drew K

That's a journey I still have to travel. It comes with Firefox, Libre Office & some other programmes and gives links to the store for free & paid for stuff. For my purposes I was not too bothered as this is a spare PC.

Libre Office and the other Ubuntu office can open .doc and .docx files just fine. The reverse may not be true, as their native modes have a different extension. I could not find an example to verify.

I've opened worked on and saved Open Office docs. with MS word and Excel with no problems.

I use Libre Office on my Win 10 PC, you can save in Word etc. formats from within Libre Office

What about using virtual box to run windows programs? Does it slow them down, or slow the pc down?

I need ms office for work and just didn't like using the office clones.

I wish I had a spare pc to experiment on :-/

Drew K

I was given my Step daughters brand spanking new HP notebook, with the complaint that after having switched to Win10 from 8.1 the WiFi wouldn't work. After much tinkering and research and even more tinkering I rolled back to 8.1 and low and behold WiFi works again.

The WiFi soft switch in the network set up would not switch on. you could click on it and it would flick on then off. Updated drivers, dug into the bios (per HP advice) nothing worked.

Told her that she'd have to live with 8.1 till W10 caught up.

Oops.

Kinda like buying a new car and not being able to get the windows rolled down.

Does the dealer help? Nope!

Factory? Nope!

Owner's manual? You're kidding right?

Bill Gates? He's not even on our planet, so he's no help.

Finally, you find out that a black and yellow striped wire way, way up under the dash was not connected at the factory on cars assembled from May 5th through May 23rd last year.

Thanks Microsoft.

Prolly OT, but my Dad had a brand new car burn up three transmissions (really burned, overheated) before the dealer, who replaced them all under warranty, found a chunk of human thumb, and a broken off golf tee, jammed in the transmission intercooler line. It took a mech who took the line off and tried to blow high pressure air through it to find the chunks. Assumption was that the assembler who lost a piece of his thumb jammed the tee in, out of anger at the pain and loss of the injury. But no one will ever know for sure.

I always buy used. And I've never found a problem like that, and usually know exactly what to expect from part failures, since at the age I buy them, they've usually fried any weak or weird parts, had them replaced, and are now into only wearing out the better built, better QA'ed, better assembled parts.

That's another reason I won't try W10 for a long time. So I guess this isn't OT after all.

You know what it's like the first time you jump off the high board (or off that bridge into the swimming hole), and though you've seen other people do it, and they've told you all about it, you never really know what it is going to be like until you overcome your fears and do it yourself.

Is it thus also with the upgrade to Windows 10?

In the end Windows 8.1 annoyed me so much I had to take the plunge. I'll let you know whether we sink or swim! (Just treading water for the moment, but at least no one has died yet!)

Been with it (10) for a several months now and yes, it works. Personally I preferred
the more concise and compact appearance of XP, but that's likely only my age.

I can see it being well adopted, even though there are several niggles I have with it.
But then, most new things have some niggles. What I am afraid of, is the fact that
I get the feeling of losing control.

XP definitely, and to some extent 7 and 8, gave a reassurance that one could always
"take charge," sort things out, i.e. feel in control. (for real or not) With 10, I get the
distinct impression that a "trap door" is about to slam on me? Perhaps it's me?
We will see over the next 12 months, especially when it comes on sale.

jt.

I'll never forget how happy I was when I saw my missus walking down the aisle
towards me..............
My heart was beating fast, and the excitement was unbearable.
It seemed to take an age, but eventually there she was, standing beside me.
I gave her a loving smile and said,

"Get that trolley over here love. They're doing 3 cartons of Beer for the price of 2."

I heard that they will be releasing a paid for edition eventually that will allow you to have a bit more security over your data.

Microsoft is going to make governments and corporations all change to linux if they are not careful.

Drew K

Inappropriate. CR4 is not an advertising site. Reported to admins.

Hi All,

It is several months now since we (I) decided to give Win 10 a fair chance and my
jury is now in. With all the promises, resources, massive Giga programming, and
after many weeks of downloading, re-installing, and trying to get my email working
reliably, etc. I do confess to my disappointment with it. Thankfully it was "free"
costing me only a great deal of time. (which at my age is not inconsequential.)

Without nit picking, the W10 Mail is sufficient to drive many people mad.
Outlook was far simpler, more efficient, more effective, and easier to understand.

Even when I tried to download the client settings from my server - it reported "could
not be done - because a W10 file was missing." (and it was) after several re-installs!

Defender virus protection (according to the sales pitch) keeps you safe. In reality
it is ineffective at best. I had trojens (severe) "installed" almost every other day.
But the worst part, on par for MS, is the continual and repeated failure to do what
was promised on the tin. i.e. exclude viruses and be an easy to use best yet reliable OS.

I tried to review it fairly, and, it is not totally "broken." However, for a huge multi
Gigabyte programming effort, backed up with MS's 20 years OS experience, patches,
and feedback, I honestly find it a real disappointment.

I truly did expect MS with their promises, experience, resources, and a seller's dream,
- their ready to buy market, not to put us through another OS disaster. Personally I found
their many other previous OS far simpler and easier to use. Also more reliable.

Do we really need such a complex OS that.. does this, and that? Truly? Would many
oldies (like me) be more grateful for a far simpler, efficient, easily understood OS.?
In this, have the MS programmers lost direction? Perhaps it's just a "new" world.

Constructively, I would ask MS to reconsider what we actually need. 1. Trouble free
reliability. 2. A guaranteed "lock-out" of viruses, 3. a sleek (compact simple looking
OS with apps. (like the old outlook) which are (were) easily understood.
Simply a tool that does the job. One that does not waste our time, in torment. Please.?

Without doing this, and by promoting W10, (which does not fulfil the promise) I truly
believe MS has opened the door for a competitor who will realise what the market really needs. (IMO)
Sorry to be so damning MS but I have wasted weeks on this, and hope my reply to
the OP may be able to help others.

jt.

If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. W. Churchill.