It's so mind boggling to me that we're okay with this level of uncertainty about the systems we rely on every day. I run LTSC with updates disabled because the idea that something that's working one day would stop working the next drives me up the wall. I have a linux phone (which is awful) because at least when that breaks it's my fault and I can always just put it back into a known working state.<p>I hate how my relationship with Microsoft/Google etc is essentially one where they're constantly pushing the boundaries of what I'm willing to put up with. It's fucking abusive.
HERE BE DRAGONS.<p>From the article comes this nugget of knowledge.<p>quote
This problem combines two of latter-day Windows' most annoying tendencies. First, the operating system relentlessly promotes and prioritizes Microsoft's first-party apps and services. Second, the operating system talks to Microsoft's servers in the background to report diagnostic data, fetch advertisements, and even download Windows Store apps without asking. As Aleksandersen correctly points out, these non-essential background processes shouldn't be capable of breaking core functionality.
unquote
To clarify, though, this is just an issue for people who are deliberately getting preview builds (aka beta testers), correct? The article feels pretty click-baity with that critical detail not part of the title.
One bug I've been hitting for a couple of years on Windows 10:<p>If the computer starts with a working Internet connection, but then you lose Internet, Start Menu search just stops working during net downtime. Meaning I type some app name like "calc" in the Start Menu search box and nothing appears! Which is absolutely ridiculous, I can't search for locally installed apps, or Windows settings. Even if I disabled Cortana and Internet search in the Statt Menu (or maybe because of it?)<p>And I failed to Google the problem since all the keywords combinations I tried inevitably lead to some article on how to disable Internet search in the Start Menu, so I have no idea if I'm the only one with this bug.
There used to be the "Windows tax" that the rest of Microsoft had to pay[1], now I guess that there is the "Rest-of-Microsoft tax" that Windows has to pay.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/9e09d082-b5d3-11e3-a1bd-00144feabdc0" rel="nofollow">https://www.ft.com/content/9e09d082-b5d3-11e3-a1bd-00144feab...</a>
This is the achilles heel of Microsoft. They will cannibalize a successful part of their business in order to subsidize/bootstrap/launch or even straight-up force the adoption of new service.<p>Every Windows release gets progressively worse when it comes to Microsoft's integrated services and how obtrusive they are.<p>The cherry on top is the fact that Windows 10 Pro is $199 and yet you'll still feel like you are flying Sprit airlines when you boot it up.
I will begrudgingly use windows 11 at some point because of the games you can play on it. But for anything else I'm so glad Linux and its ecosystem exists, and is only getting more stable lately.<p>Windows gives me heartburn.
What ever happened to simple, light weight, free standing OSes? Why does everything have to be networked, with "like share subscribe" buttons, bundled with crap and always online?
For what it’s worth, the web has figured out ad serving. With stuff like SafeFrame there is decent sandboxing and exception handling. I’ve really not seen any ad serving outside of web and app sdks that doesn’t fail miserably on a technical level.
This also creates trust issues in a lot of applications like Point of Sale, Machine Control Devices, Security and Automation Solutions, Motion Control Solutions, Etc.<p>I miss Balmer a little bit. Developers hate this shit. Have trust that if you support developers, they will advocate your OS.
Microsoft stopped using real hardware for Windows Update testing and instead now rely on virtual machines. Ever since then Windows Update has been the most incompetent, half-assed major software project in the world, bar none. Java has a better track record.
Teams, that application that is notoriously slow, unstable and crashy AF...will soon be 100% baked in and inseparable from the rest of the OS.<p>[cue hyper-emotional MSFT spokesperson reaction GIF]
Windows is probably the most important piece of software in the entire world, yet Microsoft does not treat it like the most important piece of software in the entire world. They have no sense of responsibility about foisting this garbage onto billions of users.<p>I've been a lifelong Windows user, but I've come to feel that Windows needs to be completely replaced. We simply cannot trust Microsoft with mission-critical software any longer.
I'm also a big fan of the weather widget they tried to force on everyone's start bar.
I'm also a big fan of how "one drive" is now critical functionality, and windows needs to persistently notify me if I'm not logged into it.
I'm also a big fan of how it's 2021, and their bloated OS still takes like ten minutes to truly boot up all the way.