Technobabble

Windows 10, And My Insecurity

Did you all hear about the free Windows 10 upgrade? Windows 10 has so many new features, and better ways of doing things…

They even have this country’s safety in mind by tying everything you do to a Microsoft account that they can use to log chat messages, voice chats (voice recognition), video chats (facial recognition), emails, and other things that make up your digital footprint (it even has a built-in keylogger). Their EULA makes reference to the fact that they’ll share this information with people if they feel that your actions are dangerous.

Privacy Problems in Windows 10

Here is a list of the things Windows 8 and 10 will do to invade your privacy.

  • Keylogger
  • Email logger
  • SMS logger (for people with windows phones)
  • Chat logger
  • Voice chat logger
  • Video chat logger

They disclose this information to 3rd parties if they have a “fair” reason to do so. Well, the reason of “we need to make money, so we’re sending it to advertisers to inject ads right into your operating system” sounds pretty “fair” to them doesn’t it? Not fair to you, but definitely to them.

I don’t want my information logged like that. But here’s the thing: apparently I’m a hypocrite.

Oh, But It’s Totally OK When Google Does It…

First of all, I’ll admit it… I’m more likely to blindly agree with Google than I would for Microsoft. Why? Because Google’s products have pissed me off less than Microsoft’s products have. That’s literally the only reason. But why is privacy suddenly an issue now that Microsoft is doing it? Google has been doing this for years. Why is it ok when Google does it, but horrendous when Microsoft does it?

Well, like I said before, I like Google as a business more than Microsoft, and trust them a bit more. Google’s products have always been totally free, but with the caveat that everything I do on those products gets tracked. I know this going in. But here’s the kicker – I have the choice of whether or not to use Google’s products. I can use firefox instead of chrome (actually, I use chromium). I can use duckduckgo instead of google for a search engine. I can use a secure email provider instead of gmail. Realistically speaking, I’m not required to use any Google product at all. It’s an opt-in choice. With Microsoft, there is no choice. Oh sure, you can use a Mac, or use Linux, but let’s face it – everything revolves around those Windows PC’s. Even a good chunk of the internet is built around Internet Explorer… which needs Windows in order to run (or some sort of Windows emulator). Think of how many businesses use Exchange for their email, and all the .Net developers that need Windows Servers running. How about Microsoft Office? Do you wanna go around to technophobes and tell them that after finally getting used to that horrible Office Ribbon that we all hate, you’re going to completely change the programs they use for documents and spreadsheets? They’ll eat you alive!

Microsoft is huge, and you can’t get away from having to use it. So when Microsoft says “you have to upgrade”, people have to upgrade… and when that upgrade is a violation of your privacy, I feel like I’m forced into a prison. This isn’t a trade-off that I make by choice – this is a corporation taking control of my life.

Well, Why Would Anyone Upgrade?

I will stick with Windows 7. Microsoft thinks Windows 10 is a major improvement over Windows 7, but every single change they’ve made is either pointless, or something I can achieve with a 3rd party plugin in 7. I took a look at this article to see the differences. Here’s what’s different:

  • Faster boot up. (Solved with a SSD in windows 7).
  • Uglier look. *chortle*
  • Start menu search will search windows apps, internet, and your computer all at once. (takes too long, screw that, I have a browser for that stuff, all I want is to find where the hell they hid MSPaint this time… I don’t need it to search all corners of the world to find what’s already installed on the hard drive).
  • Cortana is built into the start menu so you can use voice-activated searches. (Guaranteed to make everyone in the cubicles around you angry… what a great feature!)
  • Improved File Copying. (ahem… Ultracopier anyone?)
  • An UP button for browsing in Windows Explorer… it takes you up one directory. This is useful if you pasted in a file location, and want to go up one directory without having to mess with Windows 7’s stupid breadcrumb design. (Or you can go download ClassicShell (Update: now it’s called OpenShell). Shoot, while you’re improving the design of Windows Explorer, also take the time to download and configure StExBar. I know, it’s all a pain to have to download and set this stuff up, but it’s a small price to pay for freedom. You’re welcome everybody).
  • Storage Spaces – allows you to essentially create drive redundancy with any collection of hard drives you want. (“Holy shit! I gotta have hard drive redundancy on my computer!” – said no common Windows user ever. This sounds great for server architects. Except if you’re going to bother getting a server, you’re probably going to get Linux anyway…)
  • Gaming! … Um… well, in a few cases, the games run 0.5% better, and in most they run 0.5% worse… (Wow… If there’s any difference, it’s negligible, and hardly noticed. 0.5% is less than the common margin of error, for crying out loud…)
  • Better notifications window, sorting your notifications in a history format. (Ok, not bad. A brief search on google yields no 3rd party apps that do this. That being said, this is a very tiny feature, and it’s not enough to make me switch by standing on its own…)
  • Multiple Workspaces, just like in Ubuntu! Now you can have like 4 desktops! (ahem… Virtuawin)
  • Tablet Mode and Touchscreen Optimization! (Touchscreens suck. Can I use buttons again, please?)
  • Total integration with your microsoft account… integrate with your calendar, contacts, emails, and more! (Something we’ve already been doing with Google…)

Honestly, nothing there excites me. The reason I upgraded to Vista from XP is because it had better support for 64-bit architectures. I then upgraded to 7 when I found out it had way better performance, and a better task manager.

What reason now do I have for upgrading to 8 or 10? There’s absolutely none. The performance is negligible, the interface is uglier, and any new stuff it has is stuff I’ve been enjoying for years already in 7 using 3rd party applications that most likely do it better than Microsoft would (I can neither confirm nor deny it, because I don’t know… let me know in the comments whether these 3rd party apps pull off the functions better than Microsoft’s native implementation does…)

Ok, So Stick With Windows 7… Problem Solved, Right?

Problem not exactly solved. On January 14, 2020, Microsoft plans to pull the plug on Windows 7 completely. No more updates. Well, shit, now what? Do I keep stubbornly using Windows 7 anyway? Do I suffer never being able to get any better performance out of my machines with better operating systems on the horizon?

Sure, it’s an option, but not one that I’m taking. I think what’s going to happen is most people are going to say “You know what, screw Microsoft! I’m going with another vendor!”

Many of you will jump into the Apple boat. You can survive quite a while in a Mac… After all, it supports Microsoft Office and quite a few games that have been ported to it.

I, however, am taking the high road, and moving to Linux. If I have a pressing reason to upgrade at all on that day, I’ll refuse to upgrade to another Windows operating system ever again.

Can Linux Save The Day?

We need more people developing for Linux. And I know, many of you are afraid of Linux… You think it’s an operating system designed for nerds, and it’s really complicated with terminal windows open everywhere and lots of coding… And you’re wrong. Most desktop distributions of Linux look very similar to Windows, and function almost exactly the same. If you can get used to how different a Mac interface is, then you can get used to the different interface Linux has.

The problem is that while many programs and games have been ported to Macs, not as many have been ported to Linux. One gaming company even said that they were killing support for Linux because they were wasting too much time trying to get things working in it. I think they’ve got rookies coding their software who have coded themselves into a corner, but that’s just speculation on my part.

Steam for Linux has been making great strides, as has the Desura platform. The gaming industry is what truly drives the direction of computers. And with game development getting easier and easier with engines like Unity and Unreal, 2 engines that are cross platform between not only operating systems but mobile devices and gaming consoles, we may see more support for Linux.

I hope that when that day in 2020 arrives that many people will jump in and take the plunge with a different operating system entirely rather than dealing with more of Microsoft’s controlling attitude. I used to be adamantly against Apple… but you know what? With recent events, I’d sooner use a Mac than a PC running Windows 10 or higher.