Thanks to Swordmaker for the ping!!
Posted on 04/08/2017 5:55:15 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Thanks to Swordmaker for the ping!!
Why should I? I spent almost half my life supporting Windows crappy bug ridden systems and have made a lot of money doing it. It has no excuse for being crappy.
Well, Windows -used- to be crappy and bug ridden. It got a heck of a lot better after Vista. But then it all went to hell, and there was no need for it to do so.
One of the great disappointments of my professional life has been that, just when Windows had become reasonably secure (e.g. Win7 properly configured), Microsoft b!tched up the user interface with Metro in 8.x, and then destroyed data privacy with Win10, and turned the operating system into an advertising vehicle.
I had been looking forward to Windows becoming a system I could use confidently and comfortably for most of my work and play. But no-o-o-o... *sigh*
It appears that Windows will remain a system designed for gaming and data mining, and incidentally capable of running the Windows programs of the past 10 years. The very disappointing, slow uptake of Windows 10 (now that it's not free anymore) indicates that the opportunity for Windows to become truly great has passed. People are tired of waiting for Microsoft to wise up.
I still hold out a hope that before Windows 7 runs out of extended support in Jan 2020, Microsoft will get their act together with Windows 10 and make it at least as usable as Win7 has been all along. I'm not holding my breath, but hope springs eternal nonetheless.
Well darn it. They better quit leaking this stuff. With this latest disclosure the NSA is now down to only 6136 undisclosed system hacks. If this crap doesn’t end soon their toolbox is going to run dry in like NEVER.
#5 My Windows 7 desktop pc did an update yesterday when I restarted the pc. I have updates TURNED OFF!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the old 'I've been doing this for 30 years so you should bow down before me. Big deal, a lot of people have one years experience thirty times. Been to Hamburg yet? That is code for a cred check, smile off.
I don't want to belittle you, only ask you to recognize that your experience does not necessarily square with the experience of many other people around the world. The mime that a bare Windows machine will be infected with viruses when connected to the internet is the mime of those who sell anti-virus programs. More people have had computer problems caused by anti-virus programs than ever had viruses. I know that statement is an anathema to big iron folks but it is non-the-less true. I don't know why people think that a hugely profitable company produces crap, or that a multi-Billionaire can't run a ten man cabinet, but there it is. Imagine my amazement.
Kabylake processor sniffer. MS will no longer support Win 7 on NEWER processors. I have both KBs declined on WSUS for approx 1000 endpoints
I have not experimented with firewalls for at least 10 years, but I suspect it might help to stop the MS crapware and spyware. The problem however is the arms race between the firewall and other OS components and apps to get low in the network stack. I would recommend turning off networking but that defeats the purpose of having a computer. But NAT routing should provide most people protection from incoming connection attacks and safe browsing will protect them on their outgoing connections provided they can turn off auto-update.
Don't bother wasting you time. The windows haters tend to be childish in their animosity towards Windows users. It doesn't matter to them how well a Windows machine runs for someone.
The only changes to the security of Microsoft Operating Systems in the last thirty years have been dramatic improvements in obfuscation and non-attribution for those who hack them.
The reason Diogenes is still out there with his lamp looking for an honest man, is that his probability of success in that quest is much greater than the probability of him finding an uninfected Windows machine on a network.
There are two kinds of Windows users:
The first are individuals who use Windows and KNOW their devices and networks are thoroughly compromised and infected.
The second are individuals who use Windows and haven’t got a clue.
If you are faced with a non-negotiable operational requirement to use Windows, ensure you obtain your hardware from one of the very few approved product list sources, pop the hood and harden the BIOS, run Windows in a Virtual Environment hosted in Linux or Unix, and invest in a comprehensive set of security tools that let you see what is going on in the entire device, especially those areas that are not mapped by the Windows Operating System.
If you want to use encryption, know what you are doing, and have the ability to discern which products really work, encrypt the entire Virtual Environment. Encryption within Windows, like passwords, is a speed bump at best to any mildly competent hacker.
Windows 10 is a key logger from the moment after the 1st boot based on what I’ve read. I have it on my Mac Pro via bootcamp for gaming & preparing for the future when Apple obsoletes my machine.
I’m not throwing away a perfectly good, powerful computer just because Tim Cook says its no good anymore. Linux isn’t an option because there is no Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools or Studio One version for it so I am not ditching the software I know & paid a small fortune for over the years.
Interestingly, Windows 10 screams on this Mac Pro. Even on a HDD programs load really fast.
“LINUX ROCKS! Been using it for years. No worries.”
Linux has come a long way over the years. Can’t do pro audio with it, sadly. The few DAWs for Linux are still lacking in too many ways to use daily. I like Mint & Ubuntu a lot.
If Sling TV ever comes out with a Linux app for their service I do have a 2010 Mac Book I would run it on after Apple obsoletes it in the next few months or next year.
Thanks for the ping.
Your post is accurate and well stated. However, it is only understandable by a very few people among the general populace. An analogy would be a race car mechanic obsessed with getting the absolute most out of his engine without it blowing up, with special fuels, turbochargers, valve timing, ad infinitum. The rest of the people, 99.99 percent, are quite happy their car starts and gets them to their job.
Absolutely agree with you. Have someone competent set up your new computer as you described, use a router, and enjoy years of trouble-free driving.
Haven’t they been using that for at least a decade? Always shut off the automatic updates.
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