Posted on 04/06/2018 1:51:27 AM PDT by Swordmaker
The story of Windows’ decline is relatively straightforward and a classic case of disruption:
What is more interesting, though, is the story of Windows’ decline in Redmond, culminating with last week’s reorganization that, for the first time since 1980, left the company without a division devoted to personal computer operating systems (Windows was split, with the core engineering group placed under Azure, and the rest of the organization effectively under Office 365; there will still be Windows releases, but it is no longer a standalone business). Such a move didn’t seem possible a mere five years ago, when, in the context of another reorganization, former-CEO Steve Ballmer wrote a memo insisting that Windows was the future (emphasis mine):
In the critical choice today of digital ecosystems, Microsoft has an unmatched advantage in work and productivity experiences, and has a unique ability to drive unified services for everything from tasks and documents to entertainment, games and communications. I am convinced that by deploying our smart-cloud assets across a range of devices, we can make Windows devices once again the devices to own. Other companies provide strong experiences, but in their own way they are each fragmented and limited. Microsoft is best positioned to take advantage of the power of one, and bring it to our over 1 billion users.<
That memo prompted me to write a post entitled Services, Not Devices that argued that Ballmer’s strategic priorities were exactly backwards: Microsoft’s services should be businesses in their own right, not Windows’ differentiators. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at stratechery.com ...
And now I understand your username :)
I got a call from one of them yesterday morning before I left to drive an hour to work claiming he was from the Widows Corporation Tech support department and my Windows computer RIGHT NOW was reporting to them it had many, many, many malwares installed on it. He would help me get rid of them. "Are you sitting in front of your computer?"
Since I had my MacBook Pro on my lap, I said "yes, I am," wondering how far I could pull his chain. . .
"We need to install some software on your computer so I can access your files, sir. I need you to check if your computer is online by going to the lower right hand corner of the tray and clicking on the. . . "
Me, interrupting, “There’s nothing there to click on.”
"Sir, there is so something there, right at the end of the tool tray on the bottom of your screen at the right. . . "
I keep my Mac Dock on the right side of the screen so there’s nothing on the bottom at all. "No, there’s nothing on the right on the bottom. How did my computer know to call you? Who are you?”
"We are Windows Corporation Tech support," heavy Indian or Pakistani accent, "we make the Windows 10 Operating System all computers use. . . You must click on the tool tray . . . wait we try another way. Go to start menu."
Me: "Where’s that?”
"Click on the round button on the bottom left of your computer’s screen. . . That is the Start Button.”
Me: “You’re pulling my leg, right? There’s nothing there. Are you SURE you’re from Microsoft?”
"Yes sir, I am from Windows Corporation, we write your software . . . The operation software. Unless we get the bad malware off your computer it will stop working. You must need to click on. . .”
"But there’s nothing on the bottom of my screen to click on. . . Where are you calling from, again?”
"Windows Corporation”
Me, "No, I got that. What city?”
him: “Red. . . Redmond. . . Redmond, Washington DC. . . where the Windows Corporation offices are located. That is from where I am calling you.”
I have the call on speaker and my girlfriend is listening and is trying not to laugh out loud.
Me: "My friend, I’m going to let you in on something. . . First, I’m a certified IT tech with over forty years of experience working with computers. Second, Microsoft, not Windows Corporation, doesn’t call users to tell them . . .
"Oh, yes sir, we do indeed. . ."
"Excuse me, but Microsoft doesn’t call their users to tell them their computers are infested with malware. Third, I’m not sitting in front of a Windows computer. . . I don’t have a Windows computer here which could ever have contacted any Windows Corporation . . . And although I’ve worked on thousands of them, I won’t have one in my home. I prefer something that gives me peace of mind. This is an Apple Mac. And finally, you, sir, have no clue whether or not there is any malware on my computer. You’re just trying to rip me off. . ." [click] silence. . .
Azure won’t go anywhere. When I evaluated it a couple years ago it wasn’t up to snuff what so ever. There are cheaper alternatives, one even offered by Amazon (which the company I work for uses).
I find it quite fascinating that people tend to make final judgments based on a single event that happened years ago without ever taking into account the fact that technology does, indeed, advance.
what world are you living on? I have not seen a BSOD in years, and I write software for a living.
I’ve never seen an outlook DB, or any of those other things.
Yeah they happen occasionally, but you’ve got thousands of different companies working in that engineering environment.
MAC is one world. And after 4 decades they still have not taken over, despite being a superior operating system. (Yes, I agree it is) Why do you think that is?
Exactly. Smartphones are still just toys.
...
I can remember when the same was said about PC’s.
But still, I can’t imagine doing my computing work on a phone. I can’t stand those little touchscreens. I have to have a keyboard and mouse.
Give me just about any computer built since 1999, and I can run Linux on it and do ANYTHING Windows 10 can do! Or, just let me have my UNIX and leave me alone!
The funny thing is that Microsoft almost KILLED the dummy terminal computing platform, only to see us returning to dummy terminal-like, stripped down, basic laptops, tablets, phones and even some desktops.
Microsoft made it’s mark destroying the big computer systems like IBM mainframes...but how is cloud computing different (other than it’s not your companies specific mainframe on which you are doing all your storage and computing)!
We seem to be coming full circle - which means that Windows will either die or have to change to the new times.
Guys like this one who called my answering machine will probably never give up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOVw2stWtlg
I have a Lenovo laptop that is 6 or 7 years old that works just fine.
The battery has long since had it.
If trebb's experiences with Linux are anything like mine, a live CD won't tell the full story. In my case there is at least one program I really need that requires Windows and is not available for Mac or Linux, and there are no alternatives.
Getting it set up after copying a command line you find in a forum somewhere is nice. After a few update cycles, something changes so that the program no longer can be launched. Try to find a solution online again and hope it works. Rinse, repeat.
I had other errors after updates as well.
I cut my teeth on DOS and can understand how to move around and get stuff done in that environment if I ever need to, but most Linux commands make little sense to me.
They on to another scam...a fictitious “arrest warrant” from the IRS.
Same voice.
I see the rare BSOD on laptops these days.
Almost never on a typical PC now.
That’s the multiple times debunked Security by obscurity canard. He’s wrong.
There has been computer worms written for fewer than 18,000 vulnerable computers. The Witty Worm in 2007 was just such a virus that targeted the 18,000 unpatched Black Ice firewall software left six months after the company parched a vulnerability in the vast majority of the Windows computers that used it. The vulnerable computers were spread all over the world, yet less than 35 minutes after the Witty Worm was released into the wild every single one was infected. Someone wrote a virus to infect the 75 known iPods that had had Linux installed on them.
A 2000 member PC BOT sending out spam for just two weeks has a current value to its controller of over $80,000. . . and that’s the average life span of such a bot before it gets discovered and shut down. $80 Grand for two weeks.
There are 150 MILLION Apple Macintosh computers in the world, wmileo, 99% of them are running bare naked of any third-party anti-virus protection, owned by people who have more money than the average PC user. . . can you say "sitting ducks?" Each of them are as close to those hackers as the computers that fell to the Witty Worm and far less well protected if your counting 3rd party AVware. Recall the $80 Grand a two-week bot is worth? The ONLY reported bots on Macs turned out to be hoaxes perpetrated by a Russian antivirus publisher, Dr.Web, trying to sell its Mac Antivirus for Business package and then later the Mac Antivirus Personal.
Their first hoax claimed a 600,000 member Macbot, but the hoax fell apart when no one could find any members of the so-called Macbot in the wild, even ones Dr.Web’s "Honeypot" Server reported as infected turned out were not, and some supposed "infected" Macs had not even been made yet! The same thing happened with their next 20,000 member hoax, and their claims were roundly laughed out of the news.
There have been SEVEN true computer virus candidates for OSX and the newer MacOS in 20 years. ALL have failed in their attempts at self-prpagation, self-installation, and self-transmission, the three criteria for them to be a true computer virus. The ALL FAILED!
There are approximately 145 known Trojans in eight distinct categories or families. . . and OSX and MacOS built in antimalware will recognize and warn the user if he or she attempts to download/ install or run any of them or any variation of those known Trojans. To continue requires the user to enter an administrator’s name and password at each warning. A user has to be industrial strength stupid to get a Mac infected with a known Trojan.
It’s not just clicking an OK button.
Linux Mint will give you the least number of headaches.
The windows 10, I think one of it’s main reasons for being created is the touchscreen. So as the general population gets more comfortable with touchscreen, it makes sense. I don’t play any games on the lap top. My daughter does. But I do go back and forth to the screen and keyboard. I have a fairly big lap top, with a glass screen. I really like it. Windows 10 without a touchscreen, and not using it is selling it short.
Like I said--try it out. I don't know every situation, and some situations won't work. Use what works for you.
They hang up pretty quick.
FReegards!
“The windows 10, I think one of it’s main reasons for being created is the touchscreen”
Touchscreen was the second thing I disabled - after the touchpad.
Win10 was the last straw for me. I went Linux native.
Yes, I have to dual-boot for work, play some games or even run some apps that don’t jive w/ WINE/etc. 100%, but my time in the MS world is dwindling down.
Been getting into SBCs (single-board computer) too, and having the Linux as primary makes the hobby a joy (Retro-Pi anyone? Pi-Hole? NextCloud, OpenVPN, etc.)
The power of the command-line (if needed) is great.
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