Ed Bott / ZDNet:
Online reseller Newegg leaks Windows 10 OEM pricing and on-sale dates: Home packages is $109.99, Pro package is $149.99, and release date is August 31
Summary:A major software reseller in the U.S. has begun taking preorders for Windows 10 OEM software, in the process leaking prices and the apparent availability date of the software. Surprisingly, Microsoft is actually raising OEM prices in this cycle.
Arstechnica has the scoop on a new build with less flat icons and a confirmation of a mid July release date. While Microsoft is in a hurry to fix the damage done by the Windows 8 versions of its operating system, the next question is, is ready for prime time?
MICROSOFT HAS ANNOUNCED plans to clean up the Windows Store by clamping down on apps that are too expensive or inappropriately designed.
Microsoft is clearly looking to clean up its app store ahead of Windows 10′s release, and is looking to get rid of applications that don’t look nice, are largely useless and that don’t offer good value for money, in a move that could force developers to lower the cost of Windows apps.
Bernardo Zamora, product manager for Microsoft’s Windows Apps and Store team, said: “The price of an app must reflect its value. Customers need to know that, when they purchase apps from Windows Store, they are paying a fair price.
Microsoft announced yesterday that Windows 10 will be for public distribution in late July. Current Windows 7 and Windows 8 users will receive an updated operating system for free.
Until now, Windows users have been able to freely choose the time, what version of – if at all – they use their machine. In the future, Microsoft will force users to a specific version of the update and these updates will happen automatically.
What does this mean for the user? Above all, the fact that Microsoft were to decide what applications included in the operating system update will be.
Contemporary data show that Windows 10 shipped, for example, the popular candy with Crash Saga game. No one shall be asked whether they want the game their computer or not.
Microsoft announced today that it will be launching Windows 10 on July 29th, encouraging Windows 7 and 8.1 users to reserve their free upgrade with a notification in their task bar. However, while the company has been busy highlighting all the shiny new features in the upcoming OS, it’s been a bit quieter when it comes to spelling out the limitations — including making updates automatic for Windows 10 Home users.
Firstly there are the software losses. Most of these will only affect a small number of users, but upgrading will mean saying goodbye to Windows Media Center, the card game Hearts, and Windows 7′s desktop gadgets. Anyone in the habit of using floppy disks on Windows will also have to install new drivers, and Microsoft warns that watching DVDs will also require “separate playback software.”
In addition to the software losses, there are also a number of limitations for some of Windows 10′s most exciting features. Cortana will only be available in the US, Canada, UK, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain at launch, while Windows Hello (which offers support for various biometric passwords) will need an infrared camera for facial recognition, or a supported fingerprint reader. The Xbox Music and Xbox Video streaming apps will also be constrained by the usual, complex web of region-based licenses.
More annoyingly, perhaps, Microsoft has also changed how updates will work with Windows 10. Although the Pro and Enterprise editions will both be able to defer updates, Windows 10 Home users will not have the option. Updates will instead be downloaded and installed automatically as soon as they’re available. System requirements for the new OS have also been detailed, with PCs and tablets needing to pass a fairly low bar: a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a display resolution of at least 1,024 x 600 are required. These specs are a bit higher for the 64-bit version of Windows 10
Today Microsoft has finally created tables outlining what the different versions of the operating system are going to feature. It was back in May that they finally announced all of the versions of Windows 10 that are coming, but the actual features of each version was still a mystery. We could of course take an educated guess based on history, but as of today there is finally a list of all of the features broken down by version.
MICROSOFT WILL RELEASE the RTM edition of Windows 10 to its partners later this week, according to a report at The Verge.
It’s a significant milestone, but it would be wrong to call this the ‘finished product’ as Windows 10 is designed to be a perpetual beta, constantly being updated and improved.
That said, the RTM will be the version that will appear in the PCs you buy in the shop, and will be bettered only by bug fixes that happen between now and 29 July when the rollout proper starts.
Microsoft is planning to finalize Windows 10 this week, ahead of its official launch later this month. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company is currently working on final copies of Windows 10, with a release to manufacturing (RTM) build expected later this week. RTM candidate builds have already been spotted online. Once the RTM build is ready, Microsoft will send the final copy of Windows 10 to its PC partners ahead of a release to the public on July 29th.
For two decades, the default web browsing experience in Windows has been Internet Explorer. Over the years, Microsoft’s home-built browser became bloated, insecure, confusing to use, and just plain hated by many users. A lot of people turned to alternatives, such as Google Chrome, as a result. With Windows 10 (check out our full review here), Microsoft went back to the drawing board and scrapped everything it had done so far with Internet Explorer. It built an entirely new browser from scratch, one that would shed all of the baggage of Internet Explorer and offer a modern, fast web browsing experience for Windows users. That browser is Edge.
Edge comes with Windows 10 out of the box. And I should say up top that Internet Explorer also comes with Windows 10, though it’s buried in the OS, and Microsoft says that’s largely for compatibility with legacy enterprise apps.
When Microsoft released Windows 95 almost 20 years ago, people packed into stores to be among the first lucky buyers to get their hands on this cutting edge new technology. Microsoft had an iron grip on productivity software in the enterprise, but even ordinary consumers were accustomed to paying hundreds of dollars for software. Two decades later, Microsoft is releasing Windows 10. But most people won’t have to rush out and purchase a copy. Anyone with a copy of Windows dating back to Windows 7 can upgrade for free, a first for Microsoft.
The decision to forgo that traditional revenue stream and attempt to broaden the install base of Windows 10 highlights the tough choices Microsoft must make as it tries to claw its way back into the competition for mobile. It also needs to marry the strength of the slowly waning desktop world to its offerings on phone, tablets, consoles, and the cloud. The goal is to create “universal” apps that work on Windows 10 and across Windows mobile, as well as on computing platforms like Xbox and the forthcoming HoloLens.
Along with growing its user base to woo developers, Microsoft hopes it can use a freemium model, giving away more of its core software but monetizing in other ways. The margins will never again be as fat as they were in the glory days of Windows 95, but the number of people who own a personal computing device is now far larger. If Microsoft could capture a significant portion of the smartphone market, the revenue opportunity could be far greater.
Updated EULA terms let Microsoft invade your Windows 10 computer in search of counterfeit software.
Microsoft’s updated European Licence Agreement terms and conditions let it disable any counterfeit software or hardware and, if you’re running a Windows 10 computer, you’ve just agreed to them.
Section 7b – or “Updates to the Services or Software, and Changes to These Terms” – of Microsoft’s Services EULA stipulates that it “may automatically check your version of the software and download software update or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorised hardware peripheral devices.”
This means that, if you use Windows 10, a Windows phone, or any of Microsoft’s other services, Redmond can disable any games you’ve pirated or devices you’ve unlawfully hacked.
While it’s incredibly clear what Microsoft means by “counterfeit games”, the wording “unauthorised hardware peripheral devices” is a little hazy.
Microsoft won’t change its licensing options to permit services providers to offer Windows 10 desktops-as-a-service (DaaS) on shared infrastructure.
Redmond’s rules divide the DaaS word into two categories. In the first, a service provider runs “dedicated” infrastructure that delivers DaaS for only one client customer and is therefore allowed to offer Windows-as-a-service. In the second a service provider shares DaaS infrastructure among several clients customers, so is not allowed to offer Windows-as-a-service. Instead it is only permitted to provide Windows Server with a desktop GUI. Services like Amazon Web Services Workspaces therefore offer Windows Server desktops but are marketed as Windows desktops.
Redmond did loosen up its virtual desktop licensing last year, by moving to per-user licences, which made it rather cheaper to adopt desktop virtualisation. But Microsoft has, as the comment above shows, shut the door on service providers keen on a broad DaaS product.
Even with aggressive setup switching, Edge has been adopted by a minority of those running Windows 10, according to two metrics vendors
Microsoft’s new Edge browser is being used by a minority of those running Windows 10 — between one-sixth and one-third — according to data from a pair of analytics vendors.
The early returns on Edge not only hint at Microsoft’s failure to get the earliest adopters to rely on the new browser, but also question Mozilla’s contention that Windows 10′s setup will result in defections from its own Firefox, or by association, other non-Microsoft browsers.
Windows 10 brings a slew of features to the table—the return of the Start menu, Cortana, the Xbox App—but the most interesting for gamers is obvious: DirectX 12 (DX12). The promise of a graphics API that allows console-like low-level access to the GPU and CPU, as well as improved performance for existing graphics cards, is tremendously exciting. Yet for all the Windows 10 information to trickle out in the three weeks since the OS launched, DX12 has remained the platform’s most mysterious aspect. There’s literally been no way to test these touted features and see just what kind of performance uplift (if any) there is. Until now, that is.
The Verge has a piece on Windows 10 privacy that presents actual passages from the EULA and privacy policy that suggest what the OS is capturing and sending back to Microsoft. The piece takes a Microsoft-friendly point of view, arguing that all Microsoft is doing is either helpful or already being done either by Google or older releases of Windows, and also touches on how to shut things off
Last week came the warning, now comes the roll out. One of the most most controversial aspects of Windows 10 is coming to Windows 7 and 8. Microsoft has released upgrades which enable the company to track what a user is doing. The updates – KB3075249, KB3080149 and KB3068708 – all add “customer experience and diagnostic telemetry” to the older versions
Last week came the warning, now comes the roll out. The most criticised aspect of Windows 10 is coming to Windows 7 and Windows 8 after Microsoft released upgrades which enable the company to extensively track what users are doing. The releases bring good and bad news…
The Bad News
The three updates in question – KB3075249, KB3080149 and KB3068708 (which replaces KB3022345) – all add “customer experience and diagnostic telemetry” to Windows 7 and Windows 8. This is shorthand for monitoring how you use Windows and sending that data back to Microsoft HQ for evaluation.
Worse still software specialist site gHacks, which first discovered the tracking, notes these updates will ignore any previous user preferences:
“These four updates ignore existing user preferences stored in Windows 7 and Windows 8 (including any edits made to the Hosts file) and immediately starts exchanging user data with vortex-win.data.microsoft.com and settings-win.data.microsoft.com.”
With all the different websites and devices you log into, it’s become almost impossible to keep track of all the passwords you have.
But what if you could forget about passwords and log in instantly using something else, like your face or finger prints?
Intel thinks that’s a real possibility — and something you can do right away.
“We want to eliminate all passwords from computing,” Kirk Skaugen, Senior VP and general manager of Intel’s Client Computing Group said at the Citi Global Technology Conference held on Tuesday. “I can confidently say today, you can eliminate all your passwords today, if you buy a 6th Generation Core system.”
Skaugen was referring to the new 6th Generation Core chips Intel released last week, which powers some of the latest Windows 10 devices that come with some of the new facial recognition software, like Windows Hello. To enjoy the full functionality of Windows Hello, you also need Intel’s RealSense 3D Camera, which looks at multiple angles to detect the photo’s depth and heat to determine the user’s identity.
Windows 10, released last month by Microsoft, replaces the hackable password system with biometric recognition. You log in using your fingerprints, and with eye and face recognition.
The new feature is called Windows Hello. If you have an iPhone or recent Samsung smartphone, you will know how convenient fingerprint recognition is, and it has proved consistent and reliable.
But a large number of notebooks coming on to the market with Windows 10 offer face recognition as an alternative to passwords for accessing your account.
The face recognition process involves a RealSense camera made by Intel, which sits embedded above the display. Three cameras — featuring an infra-red lens, a regular lens and a 3-D lens — use photographic analysis, heat detection and depth detection to decide who is at your computer display.
Personally I found face recognition worked a treat. The Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14 we used quickly identified who I was among several account holders, and in a flash logged me in.
MICROSOFT HAS CONFIRMED that Windows 10 is being downloaded to computers whether or not users have opted in.
An INQUIRER reader pointed out to us that, despite not having ‘reserved’ a copy of Windows 10, he had found that the ~BT folder, which has been the home of images of the new operating system since before rollout began, had appeared on his system. He had no plans to upgrade and had not put in a reservation request.
He told us: “The symptoms are repeated failed ‘Upgrade to Windows 10′ in the WU update history and a huge 3.5GB to 6GB hidden folder labelled ‘$Windows.~BT’. I thought Microsoft [said] this ‘upgrade’ was optional. If so, why is it being pushed out to so many computers where it wasn’t reserved, and why does it try to install over and over again?
“I know of two instances where people on metered connections went over their data cap for August because of this unwanted download. My own internet (slow DSL) was crawling for a week or so until I discovered this problem. In fact, that’s what led me to it. Not only does it download, it tries to install every time the computer is booted.”
We asked Microsoft to comment on whether it was downloading Windows 10 anyway as the company rushes to build on the 75 million machines with the new OS installed in its first month, putting it in fourth place behind Window 7, 8.1 and the erstwhile XP.
Microsoft has published a technical guide to its new Device Guard features in Windows 10 – including how to configure the anti-malware technology, and what hardware you’ll need to use it.
That zone is guarded by the IOMMU and other mechanisms in the computer’s processor that ensures kernel-level drivers and other privileged code, as well as devices plugged into the machine, cannot interfere with these vital parts of the OS
Microsoft has confirmed, or rather, gone into length about how Device Guard is supposed to work. “The same type-1 hypervisor technology that is used to run virtual machines in Microsoft Hyper-V is used to isolate core Windows services into a virtualization-based, protected container,” the TechNet article, quietly published at the end of last week, explained.
“This isolation removes the vulnerability of these services from both the user and kernel modes and acts as an impenetrable barrier for most malware used today.”
In other words, Microsoft has moved the bits of Windows that check whether or not drivers and kernel-level code are legit into a container that malware (in theory) cannot reach. That means even if (or when) a software nasty manages to get into the Windows operating system, it shouldn’t be able to crack this final layer of protection. With that in mind, all the other features of Device Guard can be built on this foundation, we’re told.
Code signing
Device Guard is aimed at enterprises and other large organizations, and parts of it looks like the protection mechanisms in Windows RT and Windows Phone with the serial numbers filed off. Tablets and smartphones running Windows RT and Phone are locked down in that only code cryptographically signed by Microsoft or your IT department is allowed to run. Now that’s been popped into Windows 10.
“Historically, UMCI [user mode code integrity] has been available only in Windows RT and on Windows Phone devices, which has made it difficult for these devices to be infected with viruses and malware,” the TechNet piece claims.
“In Windows 10, these same successful UMCI standards are available. Historically, most malware has been unsigned. By simply deploying code integrity policies, organizations will immediately protect themselves against unsigned malware, which is estimated to be responsible for more than 95 percent of current attacks.”
Crucially, it optionally turns your work PC into an Apple-like mobile phone, which can only run vetted software
Executives in Redmond were caught flat-footed after this summer’s Windows 10 launch by charges that the new operating system is spying on customers. Several new statements for consumers and IT pros today aim to explain why those accusations are unfounded.
Microsoft has a privacy problem.
It’s not the one you’ve read about lately, though. Instead, Microsoft’s biggest problem is that its customers don’t understand its privacy policies, and a sensational press is all too eager to manufacture outrage over policies that don’t exist.
In reality, Microsoft has been building privacy protections into its software products for years.
Given the long awareness of privacy in Redmond, then, the virulent attacks against Windows 10 this summer came as an unwelcome surprise. Critics have accused Windows 10 of spying on customers and collecting data for nefarious purposes, and those criticisms, despite a lack of supporting evidence, have persisted.
The trouble for Microsoft is that its only communication on Windows 10 privacy features so far has been its privacy policy, a long document written by lawyers and designed to cover a broad range of legal situations across hundreds of jurisdictions worldwide.
Today, the company published a series of detailed technical articles designed to explain how its actual practices align with its privacy policies across the board. The explanation starts with two clear principles:
1. Windows 10 collects information so the product will work better for you.
2. You are in control with the ability to determine what information is collected.
Most of the criticisms I’ve seen were based on misreading of the privacy policies for Windows 10 and for Microsoft’s online services.
Telemetry data
“We collect a limited amount of information to help us provide a secure and reliable experience,” the company says. “This includes data like an anonymous device ID and device type. … This doesn’t include any of your content or files, and we take several steps to avoid collecting any information that directly identifies you, such as your name, email address or account ID.”
In Windows 10, telemetry data is stored on dedicated servers that are used exclusively for reliability purposes. I’ve seen several online analyses using network packet sniffers that point a suspicious finger at the unique ID included with each packet. But as Microsoft engineers have explained in the past, the point of those identifiers isn’t to tag an individual person; rather, that ID is essential to tell whether 100 identical problem reports are from a single device or from 100 different devices.
Windows 10 has three telemetry settings: Basic, Full, and Enhanced.
Basic. This information includes information about security settings, quality-related info (such as crashes and hangs), and application compatibility.
Enhanced. This level includes the Basic information and adds details about how Windows and Windows apps are used, how they perform, and advanced reliability info.
Full. This setting, which is the default for Windows 10, includes all information from the previous levels, plus additional details necessary to identify and help to fix problems.
In earlier Windows versions, telemetry (Windows Error Reporting) was an opt-in feature. In Windows 10, it’s on by default. Individuals and small businesses can change telemetry collection to the Basic level with the flip of a switch in Settings. Organizations running Windows 10 Enterprise or Education have the option to disable telemetry completely, although Microsoft recommends against it.
Personalization and services
In a world where software and cloud-based services are increasingly intertwined, software companies have to “collect” your information to carry out your wishes.
As the company explains, “Windows sends and gets info … to give you access to online services like Outlook, OneDrive, Cortana, Skype, Bing and the Microsoft Store, to personalize your experiences on Windows, to help you keep your preferences and files in sync on all your devices, to help keep your device up to date, and so that we can make the next features of Windows ones that you’ll enjoy.”
As usually happens, the Internet echo chamber turned the complex technical details of Windows 10 privacy into a series of gross oversimplifications. Even normally sober publications like PC World succumbed to the hysteria, offering advice on “how to turn off Windows 10′s keylogger,” adding parenthetically, “Yes, it still has one.”
Have you noticed Microsoft being a little too eager in pushing its Windows 10 upgrade lately?
You’re not alone.
The Reg news tip inbox has been awash the past few days with readers reporting that the newest version of Windows has been forcing itself onto computers amid other operating system updates, and sometimes even downloading itself after users thought they had opted out.
“In the latest raft of MS updates, the “optional” Windows 10 option on this Windows 7 PC was pre-ticked. Can that be right?”
MICROSOFT HAS taken another enthusiastic turn in its desire to get people to upgrade to the new Windows 10 operating system.
It now appears that some users of Windows 7 and 8 are being updated without even asking.
We reported a month ago that Microsoft is downloading images of Windows 10 to computers whose owners hadn’t opted for the upgrade, in some cases taking up 6GB of the hard drive.
Microsoft has yet to fully answer our concerns surrounding Updategate, but we had a note yesterday from our original tipster, Mike Wallace, observing that a number of patches for Windows have been reissued.
Then this morning, in Ars Technica, our worst fears were realised: Windows 10 is manifesting automatically.
We’ve all become used to the idea of ads online — it’s something that has become part and parcel of using the internet — but in Windows? If you’ve updated to build 10565 of Windows 10, you’re in for something of a surprise: the Start menu is now being used to display ads.
We’re not talking about ads for Viagra, porn, or anything like that, but ads for apps. Of course, Microsoft is not describing them as ads; ‘Suggested apps’ has a much more approachable and fluffy feel to it. Maybe. This is a ‘feature’ that’s currently only being shown to Windows Insiders, but it could spread to everyone else. Will it be well-received?
A FORMER HP employee has designed an app to give users of Windows 7 and 8 control over if and when they wish to upgrade to Windows 10.
Win10WiWi (Windows 10, When I Want It) reclaims storage taken up with unwanted upgrade files, removes and hides the Windows Updates causing the actions to be triggered and ensures that no telemetry data is being recorded, all with a few button clicks.
What’s particularly neat, however, is that designer Yves Gattegno has also ensured that the process is reversible, allowing users to update to Windows 10 in the same few clicks.
Gattegno, founder of French consulting company SysStreaming, told The INQUIRER: “I think that it is really great from Microsoft to offer the possibility of a free upgrade to their latest operating system, but users should have the choice not to do so.
“There are many reasons why a particular user would not want to upgrade to Windows 10, including not wanting to take the risk to break something that is working. If it is working, don’t fix it!”
Microsoft has named the day for the next wave of Windows 10 upgrades: on November 12th, Redmond’s latest creation will land on Xbox.
Owners of the PC-disguised-as-a-console are promised “The fastest, most social Xbox experience ever” thanks to “a completely re-imagined Xbox One experience that integrates the speed and versatility of Windows 10.”
Should you care? If you own one, of course: you may want the new shiny and who can blame you. You might even decide to work from home. All in the name of flexible working, of course.
The 12th is a Thursday, so if there’s a Xbox in your lunch room, you probably want to make sure it’s behaving by the time Friday afternoon drinks roll along. If your workplace does that kind of thing.
Microsoft stubbornly refuses to let go of making hardware, but now the reasons why CEO Satya Nadella has not followed his clear instinct to ditch devices (except Xbox) are becoming clearer.
We have analysed many times why Microsoft should not make smartphones and tablets, mainly because of conflicts of interest with the OEM partners which have always been the basis of its model. However, there is the defensive reason that without the former Nokia products, there would be very few Windows handsets at all. The software giant is ill-equipped, in terms of its business model and its capabilities, to be a vendor of mass market hardware.
Yet it does need Windows 10 to live up to its promises of spanning every kind of device and screen, which means continuing to provide users, especially in the business sector, with the option of a Windows smartphone.
If you disable the User Account Control in Windows 10, all programs will have same security clearance as the account you’re logged in with. However, disabling that feature is a terrible idea.
If you frequently run programs in administrator mode, dealing with the User Account Control (UAC) – the pop-up window that asks you if you’re sure you want to let this program make changes to your computer – can get annoying. While you can set up specific programs to always run in administrator mode (thereby bypassing this pop-up), there’s no easy, secure way to set up your computer so that all programs run in administrator mode.
Well, there is one way, but it’s not secure. You can disable the User Account Control pop-ups altogether, but this is not recommended – not even for veteran PC tinkerers. The reason this is not recommended is because the UAC actually does serve an important purpose: It alerts you to any programs that might be trying to change your computer, including viruses and malware links you may have accidentally clicked on. If you disable the UAC completely and you’re using an administrator account, any program that runs on your computer, including viruses and malware, will automatically have access to make changes to your PC.
Trust me, you don’t want that. But you can make the UAC pop-ups a little less annoying by asking them to not dim the screen whenever they pop-up. Here’s how
Microsoft’s decision to push out Windows 10 upgrades as automatic Windows Update downloads is one of those ideas that sounded great in a Redmond meeting room, but will cause more problems than it solves.
Right from the get-go Microsoft has made it clear that it is looking for a very fast rollout of Windows 10. The new operating system was offered as a free upgrade for some users – a first for Microsoft – and ever since the launch, Microsoft has been hustling people to upgrade, by fair means or foul.
Nowadays, if you boot up a Windows 7 or 8 system you’ll see a variety of popups encouraging you to upgrade – roughly every few days, based on Vulture West’s experience. These are annoying but perfectly legitimate advertising.
But deciding to make the upgrade part of the patching cycle is a grave mistake. True, it’s only going to be an optional upgrade at the moment, but by early next year the pressure is going to be raised, and anyone who automatically installs recommended security patches will find themselves with a new operating system waiting to start.
And just about everyone installs recommended updates automatically because Microsoft insists on it.
Getting a download from a bunch of fading rockers is one thing, but getting a new operating system is quite another. I’ve already had a call from an elderly relative asking about this and she’s not keen, as she’s only just learned how to use Windows 8 in the last few years and doesn’t fancy redoing all that.
It’s likely to be the same story for a lot of other Windows users. Update settings are going to be changed and, as a result, we’re going to see a lot more operating system and application software flaws going unpatched.
Malware writers and phishers are going to have a field day with this. It typically takes less than a week after Microsoft announces its Patch Tuesday fixes for the scummier side of the internet to reverse-engineer them and distribute to take advantage of the unpatched.
MICROSOFT HAS RELEASED a major update to the Windows App Studio which will allow users to become developers without a lick of code, and without going via Visual Studio.
The new release creates Windows Universal Apps, which can be run on any Windows device, using information and resources imported from elsewhere in what five or six years ago we would have called a ‘mashup’.
Even the shopfront is taken care of, as the Studio package will also create screenshots to populate your entry in the Windows Store.
Even the shopfront is taken care of, as the Studio package will also create screenshots to populate your entry in the Windows Store.
Also new is an ‘immersive simulator’ which will allow you to run your new app in full screen, without leaving the safety of the development environment.
Anyone who built an app in Windows 8.1 can convert it to a Universal app quickly and easily in App Studio with a single click of the ‘Convert’ button.
In the run-up to the launch of Windows 10 earlier this year, users noticed that Microsoft’s operating system would be collecting more data on them by default than it had in the past, including information about their location and what they’re typing, and sending it off to Microsoft.
Understandably, some folks were concerned about the privacy implications of such a move, especially given disclosures around government surveillance, and the fact that Microsoft previously hadn’t built this kind of data collection into its operating system.
Those concerns weren’t helped by Microsoft, which was slow to clarify exactly what it takes from users and how to disable much of that collection. It’s possible for users to opt out of things like the contact and calendar tracking through Microsoft that Cortana uses to provide its personal assistant services, but people who use Windows 10′s express settings will toggle them on immediately.
Customers who own a Windows 7 or 8 PC, in need of a replacement PC, and aren’t ready to get familiar with Windows 10, have a deadline to buy a new PC running their familiar version of Windows. Microsoft has confirmed on its Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet web page that PC manufacturers have until October 31 of next year to sell off all their stocks of computers running Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1.
MICROSOFT IS ROLLING OUT its first major update to Windows 10 since the operating system was launched at the end of June.
The Windows 10 November Update, known internally as Threshold 2, will be delivered as part of the “Windows-as-a-Service” model, as a silent update in accordance with settings specified in Windows Update.
Unlike with previous versions of the operating system, where this would have constituted a Service Pack, under WaaS the update will “become” Windows 10 and the de facto version that new customers will receive, supplanting the launch version.
“There’s literally thousands of compatibility and driver updates that make it even more stable. Windows 10 is already running on 110 million devices but this will make it even better.”
A number of new features are also being rolled out today, demonstrating Microsoft’s commitment to Windows 10 as an ongoing development.
Microsoft rolled out Threshold 2 earlier this week as the first major update for Windows 10 that comes with significant improvements to both the operating system itself and the pre-installed apps.
But as far as the latter part is concerned, it turns out that Threshold 2 is actually making some changes to the app lineup that some people might not be aware of.
A post on reddit reveals that Threshold is resetting the default apps on Windows 10 computers that are installing the updates, although such a change isn’t mentioned during the setup process.
But at the same time, Threshold 2 also reinstalls the apps that you previously removed, such as Xbox and Edge, all of which come with the operating system. Windows 10 ships with a series of pre-installed apps, and users can remove them with PowerShell commands, but after installing Threshold 2, all of them are brought back on your PC
New group policy controls for Windows 10 give companies a way to postpone updates for up to four weeks
Microsoft last week gave businesses a way to delay potentially disruptive or even damaging Windows 10 security patches and bug fixes for up to four weeks.
New options for controlling the timing of Windows 10 upgrades and updates arrived as part of Windows 10 version 1511, the upgrade that began rolling out Thursday.
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The settings are available to businesses and organizations running Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education, and managing those PCs with the Windows Update for Business (WUB) service that the Redmond, Wash. firm introduced in May.
“Windows Update for Business provides IT controls over the deployment of updates within their organizations, while ensuring their devices are kept current and their security needs are met, at reduced management cost,”
Companies transition to the Windows 10 operating system is not yet in practice even started, but Gartner believes Windows 10 to spread the fastest of Microsoft platforms.
Gartner believes that many companies will undertake pilot the Windows 10 as early as next spring. These projects are then exported to a wider use during the rest of the year.
Last weekend, Microsoft suddenly pulled its online tool for downloading the latest Windows 10 installation files. Today, the company explained the seemingly minor bug responsible for the decision, and has now made the tool available again.
WHATEVER YOU THINK of Windows 10, there’s one thing on which everyone from the casual observer to the most long-toothed analyst can agree: Microsoft has to make it work for business. If it doesn’t, it’s to all intents and purposes game over for Windows as the predominant operating system.
It’s a heart-warming, Thanksgiving miracle, then, that we’ve been able to run exciting headlines like Windows 10: Enterprise migration set to be ‘fastest ever’ and Windows 10 enterprise adoption stands at over 11 percent just a few months after it arrived.
Contrary to popular belief, we’ve never had a problem with Windows 10 to the point where we want it to be a tragic failure.
So when we get a statistic, even from heavyweights like Gartner, Forrester and Spiceworks, suggesting that half of enterprise users plan to switch to Windows 10 next year, we have to raise our eyebrow ever so slightly.
You can make a statistic say anything you like and turn it into a nice juicy headline. We know that.
So here’s the bottom line. There’s no way that, with the best will in the world, Microsoft will have a 50 percent enterprise market share this time next year. Because that’s not what it is saying – it’s just implying it.
The devil is in the details. Microsoft is counting enterprises that have at least one machine that they’re using to test on.
Windows 10 is likely to be a success for the enterprise. We’ll buy that for a dollar. There’s way too much at stake and it’s too good a system (despite our niggles) for it not to be. But if you’re expecting it to dominate our lives by the end of 2016, we’re calling shenanigans. Life just doesn’t move that fast
Over the past few months, a number of companies and designers have started picking up the newest Intel SoCs. Intel has to kill ARM somehow, right? The latest of these single board x86 computers is the Lattepanda. It’s a tiny board that can run everything a 5-year-old desktop computer can run, including a full version of Windows 10.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a tiny x86 board in recent months. Last October, an x86 board that takes design cues from the Raspberry Pi 2 hit Kickstarter. These are proper PCs, with the ability to run Windows 10, Linux, and just about every other environment under the sun.
LattePanda is featured with quad-core 1.8Ghz, 2/4G RAM, 32/64 GB eMMC, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB 3.0, plus onboard Arduino processor!
It includes everything a regular PC has and can do anything that a regular PC does, all at a low price of 69 USD.
LattePanda runs perfectly on the go. Creating documents with Microsoft Office, playing HD videos and running Windows apps on LattePanda is exactly the same experience as using a regular PC.
LattePanda comes pre-installed with a full edition of Windows 10, including powerful tools such as Visual Studio, NodeJS, Java, Processing, and more!
We have published a new version of our Windows 10 app to the Windows Store. This update features an updated user experience that is powered by an entirely new implementation on the Universal Windows Platform.
Using the Universal Windows Platform
Over the last few years we have launched several applications for Windows and Windows Phone. The applications were built from a few code bases that span several technologies including Silverlight, XAML, C#. Bringing new features to our members on Windows platforms has required us to make changes in several code bases and ship multiple application updates.
With the Universal Windows Platform, we’re able to build an application from a single code base and run on many Windows 10 devices. Although the initial release of this application supports desktops, laptops and tablets running Windows 10, we have run our application on other Windows 10 devices and we will be adding support for phones running Windows 10 in the near future.
Rich McCormick / The Verge:
Microsoft forms joint venture with Chinese government to deliver a custom version of Windows 10 for public sector agencies — Microsoft aims to supply Chinese government with customized Windows 10 — After signing a deal with China’s answer to Google in September, Microsoft is again strengthening …
After signing a deal with China’s answer to Google in September, Microsoft is again strengthening its position in the country, this time by providing Windows 10 directly to the Chinese government. The company today announced a new joint venture that will license, deploy, manage and optimize a custom version of the operating system for government agencies. The Beijing-based joint venture — provisionally called C&M Technologies — is still subject to regulatory approval, but Microsoft says in addition to government agencies, it will serve “state-owned enterprises in key infrastructure fields such as energy, telecommunications, and transportation.”
Back in November Microsoft confirmed Windows 10’s worst kept secret: its extensive telemetry (or ‘spying’ as it has been labelled) cannot be stopped. What no-one realised until now, however, is just how staggering the extent of this tracking really is…
Blowing the lid on it this week is Voat user CheesusCrust whose extensive investigation found Windows 10 contacts Microsoft to report data thousands of times per day. And the kicker? This happens after choosing a custom Windows 10 installation and disabling all three pages of tracking options which are all enabled by default.
The raw numbers come out as follows: in an eight hour period Windows 10 tried to send data back to 51 different Microsoft IP addresses over 5500 times. After 30 hours of use, Windows 10 expanded that data reporting to 113 non-private IP addresses. Being non-private means there is the potential for hackers to intercept this data. I’d argue this is the greatest cost to owning Windows 10.
f you’re looking to grab Windows 10, there are a lot of versions to choose from: Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Mobile, etc. Now it looks like we can add a new one to the list: Windows 10 Chinese Government Edition.
That’s not the real name – it’s called Windows 10 Zhuangongban, or “Windows 10 Specially-provided Edition” – but Microsoft really has made a version of Windows 10 for the Chinese government, according to a report in Chinese magazine Caixin.
This shouldn’t come as a major surprise, of course. Microsoft announced the deal and its intention to develop the China-specific software back in December.
So what’s different about the Chinese government version of Windows? Haupter told Caixin that it features fewer of Microsoft’s consumer-targeted apps and services, while including more management and security controls, in accordance with the needs of China’s government.
Microsoft’s new Chinese-government-specific Windows 10 isn’t the only Chinese-security-focused OS on the market. For years, China’s government has itself been funding and pushing the development of what is now called NeoKylin, a partially-Chinese-developed Linux fork.
Being notoriously strict about censorship, China makes it difficult for companies to launch their products there. It’s a major stumbling block for businesses that want to take a stab at the largest market in the world.
Often, companies will have to bend to suit the requirements of China’s government and that’s exactly what Microsoft has done. Ralph Haupter, Microsoft’s CEO for the Greater China region has revealed that the company’s made a Chinese government-approved version of Windows 10.
Partnering with a state-run technology and defense company, CETC, Microsoft created its specialized version of Windows, officially called Zhuangongban, to comply with governmental standards.
What does that entail? Well, Microsoft isn’t giving away much.
Whether those controls will allow the users to control or at least see the level of surveillance they’re being subjected to or not isn’t confirmed.
Build 2016 “There are 16 million Win32 or .NET apps in the world. When we built the Universal Windows Platform, we left them behind. And that was dumb,” said Microsoft Distinguished Engineer John Sheehan, speaking at the Build conference last week in San Francisco.
Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is based on the Windows Runtime, the environment once known as Metro, which was introduced with Windows 8 in an attempt to reinvent the operating system.
The Windows Runtime had several goals. One was to bring Windows into the world of tablets, with a user interface designed with touch in mind. Another was to enable users to install and remove applications easily and cleanly, via the Windows Store or custom business portals. Thirdly, the Windows Runtime was intended to be secure, with each application sandboxed both from the operating system and from other applications. Only a safe subset of the Windows API was available, and access to the file system was restricted to an isolated app-specific area, or to standard locations for things like documents and pictures – subject to the user’s consent.
The long-term strategy seemed to be that users would gradually use more Store apps and fewer legacy desktop apps, until the moment came when most Windows apps used the new model and Microsoft would be able to lock down the operating system to be more like Apple’s iOS, which is less vulnerable to malware and to intrusive third-party software that damages the user experience.
Andy Weir / Neowin:
Microsoft adds QR codes to Windows 10 ‘Blue Screen of Death’ to help troubleshoot crashes — It’s always annoying when your PC crashes, but it’s that little bit more frustrating when you have no idea why it’s done so. — Even the updated Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows 10 …
But of course, the most noticeable addition there is the QR code, which is ostensibly intended to offer users a fast-track solution to get the support they need on a secondary device like a smartphone or tablet.
In both of these examples, the QR code simply directs the user to the same windows.com/stopcode URL, which resolves to this page, a generic resource for ‘troubleshooting blue screen errors’.
We’re pleased to see Windows 10 become one of the largest online services in less than a year.
These Windows 10 services are getting better and better each month, with significant new innovations shipped in November, and many more coming in the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update this summer. Of course, as part of delivering Windows 10 as a service – any Windows 10 customer can enjoy these innovations – for free.
And, today, we want to remind you that if you haven’t taken advantage of the free upgrade offer, now is the time. The free upgrade offer to Windows 10 was a first for Microsoft, helping people upgrade faster than ever before. And time is running out. The free upgrade offer will end on July 29 and we want to make sure you don’t miss out. After July 29th, you’ll be able to continue to get Windows 10 on a new device, or purchase a full version of Windows 10 Home for $119.
Read more at https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/05/05/windows-10-now-on-300-million-active-devices-free-upgrade-offer-to-end-soon/#HkoLDFstCG7KV2gE.99
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Microsoft concedes that it won’t have Windows 10 installed on 1B devices by mid-2018, as previously projected — Microsoft isn’t going to make its self-imposed deadline of having Windows 10 installed on 1 billion devices by mid-2018, company officials have conceded.
Microsoft isn’t going to make its self-imposed deadline of having Windows 10 installed on 1 billion devices by mid-2018, company officials have conceded.
A little over a year ago, with much fanfare, Microsoft execs drew a line in the sand, predicting that Windows 10 would be installed on 1 billion devices by mid-2018.
But Microsoft officials conceded today, July 15, that they likely won’t make that deadline.
My ZDNet colleague Ed Bott noted at the end of a blog post Friday that Microsoft officials still think they can hit the 1 billion Windows 10 market, but that “it’s unlikely to happen by 2018 as originally projected”.
“Windows 10 is off to the hottest start in history with over 350m monthly active devices, with record customer satisfaction and engagement.”
Microsoft Windows and Devices chief Terry Myerson made the original claim at Build 2015, noting the 1 billion would encompass all kinds of devices that would run Windows 10 in some variant, including desktops, PCs, laptops, tablets, Windows Phones, Xbox One gaming consoles, Surface Hub conferencing systems, HoloLens augmented reality glasses, and various Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Officials said at that time the majority of those 1 billion devices would be PCs and tablets.
But Windows Phones running Windows 10 Mobile were also expected to help Microsoft reach that total by mid-2018. Since April 2015, the bottom has fallen out of the Windows Phone market, with Microsoft officials conceding that Windows Phone isn’t much of a focus for Microsoft in calendar 2016.
It’s been a busy year in Redmond, with Windows 10 delivering three major releases to 350 million active users. Here’s a look back at some major milestones and stumbles along the way, and new predictions about when Windows 10 will hit its ambitious goal of a billion devices.
With 2016 now behind us, we can take a look at how far Windows 10 has come thanks to usage-share with statistics from Net Marketshare. At the end of December for 2016, Windows 10 is installed on roughly 24.5% of devices
Microsoft has been investing heavily in Windows 10, not only for a development point of view but also with marketing as well. The company is pushing the OS at every opportunity and occasionally crossed the boundary of forcing it on to machines even when a user does not want the OS.
With 2016 now behind us, we can take a look at how far the OS has come thanks to usage-share with statistics from Net Marketshare.
At the end of December for 2016, Windows 10 is installed on ~24.5% of devices whereas, at the end of 2015, the OS was only installed on around 10% of machines. During the same period, Windows 7 declined from 55.68% to 48.34%, Windows 8.1 usage dropped from 10.3% to 6.9% and XP dropped slightly from 11% to about 9%.
The last figure Microsoft publicly stated was that there are now 400 million devices running Windows 10 but this figure was released in late September.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Ed Bott / ZDNet:
Online reseller Newegg leaks Windows 10 OEM pricing and on-sale dates: Home packages is $109.99, Pro package is $149.99, and release date is August 31
Online reseller leaks OEM prices and on-sale dates for Windows 10
http://www.zdnet.com/article/online-reseller-leaks-oem-prices-and-on-sale-dates-for-windows-10/
Summary:A major software reseller in the U.S. has begun taking preorders for Windows 10 OEM software, in the process leaking prices and the apparent availability date of the software. Surprisingly, Microsoft is actually raising OEM prices in this cycle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 RTM In 6 Weeks
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/05/31/1841245/windows-10-rtm-in-6-weeks
Arstechnica has the scoop on a new build with less flat icons and a confirmation of a mid July release date. While Microsoft is in a hurry to fix the damage done by the Windows 8 versions of its operating system, the next question is, is ready for prime time?
Windows 10 build 10130 rolled out with slightly less ugly icons
Build goes out to the fast ring today, and if successful will then hit the slow ring.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/05/windows-10-build-10130-rolled-out-with-slightly-less-ugly-icons/
Tomi Engdahl says:
MICROSOFT HAS ANNOUNCED plans to clean up the Windows Store by clamping down on apps that are too expensive or inappropriately designed.
Microsoft is clearly looking to clean up its app store ahead of Windows 10′s release, and is looking to get rid of applications that don’t look nice, are largely useless and that don’t offer good value for money, in a move that could force developers to lower the cost of Windows apps.
Bernardo Zamora, product manager for Microsoft’s Windows Apps and Store team, said: “The price of an app must reflect its value. Customers need to know that, when they purchase apps from Windows Store, they are paying a fair price.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft announced yesterday that Windows 10 will be for public distribution in late July. Current Windows 7 and Windows 8 users will receive an updated operating system for free.
Until now, Windows users have been able to freely choose the time, what version of – if at all – they use their machine. In the future, Microsoft will force users to a specific version of the update and these updates will happen automatically.
What does this mean for the user? Above all, the fact that Microsoft were to decide what applications included in the operating system update will be.
Contemporary data show that Windows 10 shipped, for example, the popular candy with Crash Saga game. No one shall be asked whether they want the game their computer or not.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2914:windowsista-tulee-kuin-applen-os-x&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft explains what you’ll lose by upgrading to Windows 10
Say goodbye to Windows Media Center and control over your updates
http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/1/8696949/windows-10-feature-loss
Microsoft announced today that it will be launching Windows 10 on July 29th, encouraging Windows 7 and 8.1 users to reserve their free upgrade with a notification in their task bar. However, while the company has been busy highlighting all the shiny new features in the upcoming OS, it’s been a bit quieter when it comes to spelling out the limitations — including making updates automatic for Windows 10 Home users.
Firstly there are the software losses. Most of these will only affect a small number of users, but upgrading will mean saying goodbye to Windows Media Center, the card game Hearts, and Windows 7′s desktop gadgets. Anyone in the habit of using floppy disks on Windows will also have to install new drivers, and Microsoft warns that watching DVDs will also require “separate playback software.”
In addition to the software losses, there are also a number of limitations for some of Windows 10′s most exciting features. Cortana will only be available in the US, Canada, UK, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain at launch, while Windows Hello (which offers support for various biometric passwords) will need an infrared camera for facial recognition, or a supported fingerprint reader. The Xbox Music and Xbox Video streaming apps will also be constrained by the usual, complex web of region-based licenses.
More annoyingly, perhaps, Microsoft has also changed how updates will work with Windows 10. Although the Pro and Enterprise editions will both be able to defer updates, Windows 10 Home users will not have the option. Updates will instead be downloaded and installed automatically as soon as they’re available. System requirements for the new OS have also been detailed, with PCs and tablets needing to pass a fairly low bar: a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a display resolution of at least 1,024 x 600 are required. These specs are a bit higher for the 64-bit version of Windows 10
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Editions Compared
by Brett Howse on July 2, 2015 10:45 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9413/windows-10-editions-compared
Today Microsoft has finally created tables outlining what the different versions of the operating system are going to feature. It was back in May that they finally announced all of the versions of Windows 10 that are coming, but the actual features of each version was still a mystery. We could of course take an educated guess based on history, but as of today there is finally a list of all of the features broken down by version.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: Microsoft’s ‘final edition’ will arrive with PC makers this week
The end of an error x00064622b
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2416486/windows-10-microsofts-final-edition-will-arrive-with-pc-makers-this-week
MICROSOFT WILL RELEASE the RTM edition of Windows 10 to its partners later this week, according to a report at The Verge.
It’s a significant milestone, but it would be wrong to call this the ‘finished product’ as Windows 10 is designed to be a perpetual beta, constantly being updated and improved.
That said, the RTM will be the version that will appear in the PCs you buy in the shop, and will be bettered only by bug fixes that happen between now and 29 July when the rollout proper starts.
Microsoft to finalize Windows 10 this week
http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/6/8899919/microsoft-windows-10-rtm
Microsoft is planning to finalize Windows 10 this week, ahead of its official launch later this month. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company is currently working on final copies of Windows 10, with a release to manufacturing (RTM) build expected later this week. RTM candidate builds have already been spotted online. Once the RTM build is ready, Microsoft will send the final copy of Windows 10 to its PC partners ahead of a release to the public on July 29th.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Edge review: Windows finally has a good browser
Edge is the browser Windows 10 deserves
http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/29/9066255/microsoft-windows-edge-browser-review
For two decades, the default web browsing experience in Windows has been Internet Explorer. Over the years, Microsoft’s home-built browser became bloated, insecure, confusing to use, and just plain hated by many users. A lot of people turned to alternatives, such as Google Chrome, as a result. With Windows 10 (check out our full review here), Microsoft went back to the drawing board and scrapped everything it had done so far with Internet Explorer. It built an entirely new browser from scratch, one that would shed all of the baggage of Internet Explorer and offer a modern, fast web browsing experience for Windows users. That browser is Edge.
Edge comes with Windows 10 out of the box. And I should say up top that Internet Explorer also comes with Windows 10, though it’s buried in the OS, and Microsoft says that’s largely for compatibility with legacy enterprise apps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 for free
A great desktop operating system must be a bridge to the computing platforms that come after mobile
http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/29/9066749/microsoft-windows-10-office-app-free-upgrade-model/in/5910988
When Microsoft released Windows 95 almost 20 years ago, people packed into stores to be among the first lucky buyers to get their hands on this cutting edge new technology. Microsoft had an iron grip on productivity software in the enterprise, but even ordinary consumers were accustomed to paying hundreds of dollars for software. Two decades later, Microsoft is releasing Windows 10. But most people won’t have to rush out and purchase a copy. Anyone with a copy of Windows dating back to Windows 7 can upgrade for free, a first for Microsoft.
The decision to forgo that traditional revenue stream and attempt to broaden the install base of Windows 10 highlights the tough choices Microsoft must make as it tries to claw its way back into the competition for mobile. It also needs to marry the strength of the slowly waning desktop world to its offerings on phone, tablets, consoles, and the cloud. The goal is to create “universal” apps that work on Windows 10 and across Windows mobile, as well as on computing platforms like Xbox and the forthcoming HoloLens.
Along with growing its user base to woo developers, Microsoft hopes it can use a freemium model, giving away more of its core software but monetizing in other ways. The margins will never again be as fat as they were in the glory days of Windows 95, but the number of people who own a personal computing device is now far larger. If Microsoft could capture a significant portion of the smartphone market, the revenue opportunity could be far greater.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft can disable your pirated games and illegal hardware
http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/407894,microsoft-can-disable-your-pirated-games-and-illegal-hardware.aspx?
Updated EULA terms let Microsoft invade your Windows 10 computer in search of counterfeit software.
Microsoft’s updated European Licence Agreement terms and conditions let it disable any counterfeit software or hardware and, if you’re running a Windows 10 computer, you’ve just agreed to them.
Section 7b – or “Updates to the Services or Software, and Changes to These Terms” – of Microsoft’s Services EULA stipulates that it “may automatically check your version of the software and download software update or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorised hardware peripheral devices.”
This means that, if you use Windows 10, a Windows phone, or any of Microsoft’s other services, Redmond can disable any games you’ve pirated or devices you’ve unlawfully hacked.
While it’s incredibly clear what Microsoft means by “counterfeit games”, the wording “unauthorised hardware peripheral devices” is a little hazy.
Read more: http://www.alphr.com/microsoft/microsoft-windows-10/1001360/microsoft-can-disable-your-pirated-games-and-illegal-hardware#ixzz3in8VTifl
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Services Agreement
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 keeps Microsoft’s odd desktop-as-a-service rules
Rent a whole server and you’re golden. Rent part of a server and you’re in exile
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/18/windows_10_keeps_microsofts_odd_desktopasaservice_rules/
Microsoft won’t change its licensing options to permit services providers to offer Windows 10 desktops-as-a-service (DaaS) on shared infrastructure.
Redmond’s rules divide the DaaS word into two categories. In the first, a service provider runs “dedicated” infrastructure that delivers DaaS for only one client customer and is therefore allowed to offer Windows-as-a-service. In the second a service provider shares DaaS infrastructure among several clients customers, so is not allowed to offer Windows-as-a-service. Instead it is only permitted to provide Windows Server with a desktop GUI. Services like Amazon Web Services Workspaces therefore offer Windows Server desktops but are marketed as Windows desktops.
Redmond did loosen up its virtual desktop licensing last year, by moving to per-user licences, which made it rather cheaper to adopt desktop virtualisation. But Microsoft has, as the comment above shows, shut the door on service providers keen on a broad DaaS product.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Edge browser fails to win over Windows 10 users
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2971957/web-browsers/edge-browser-fails-to-win-over-windows-10-users.html
Even with aggressive setup switching, Edge has been adopted by a minority of those running Windows 10, according to two metrics vendors
Microsoft’s new Edge browser is being used by a minority of those running Windows 10 — between one-sixth and one-third — according to data from a pair of analytics vendors.
The early returns on Edge not only hint at Microsoft’s failure to get the earliest adopters to rely on the new browser, but also question Mozilla’s contention that Windows 10′s setup will result in defections from its own Firefox, or by association, other non-Microsoft browsers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DirectX 12 tested: An early win for AMD and disappointment for Nvidia
First DX12 gaming benchmark shows R9 290X going toe-to-toe with a GTX 980 Ti.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/08/directx-12-tested-an-early-win-for-amd-and-disappointment-for-nvidia/
Windows 10 brings a slew of features to the table—the return of the Start menu, Cortana, the Xbox App—but the most interesting for gamers is obvious: DirectX 12 (DX12). The promise of a graphics API that allows console-like low-level access to the GPU and CPU, as well as improved performance for existing graphics cards, is tremendously exciting. Yet for all the Windows 10 information to trickle out in the three weeks since the OS launched, DX12 has remained the platform’s most mysterious aspect. There’s literally been no way to test these touted features and see just what kind of performance uplift (if any) there is. Until now, that is.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft has no plans to tell us what’s in Windows patches
Each update is a black box, and it’s going to stay that way.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/microsoft-has-no-plans-to-tell-us-whats-in-windows-patches/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Breakdown of the Windows 10 Privacy Policy
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/08/24/1853251/a-breakdown-of-the-windows-10-privacy-policy?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
The Verge has a piece on Windows 10 privacy that presents actual passages from the EULA and privacy policy that suggest what the OS is capturing and sending back to Microsoft. The piece takes a Microsoft-friendly point of view, arguing that all Microsoft is doing is either helpful or already being done either by Google or older releases of Windows, and also touches on how to shut things off
Windows, Privacy, and You
http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/23/9191989/windows-privacy-and-you
So you got Windows 10, but now you’re worried that Microsoft is stealing your data, even when you turn most the new features off. Let me explain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Brett Howse / AnandTech:
Windows 10 review: worthy upgrade for both Windows 7 and 8/8.1 users, better for desktops as well as tablets
The Windows 10 Review: The Old & New Face of Windows
by Brett Howse on August 25, 2015 8:00 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9543/the-windows-10-review
Tomi Engdahl says:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Windows 10 grabs 5.21% market share, passing Windows Vista and Windows 8 in just one month
http://venturebeat.com/2015/09/01/windows-10-grabs-5-21-market-share-passing-windows-vista-and-windows-8-in-just-one-month/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Telemetry Rolls Out
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/15/09/07/1845214/windows-telemetry-rolls-out
Last week came the warning, now comes the roll out. One of the most most controversial aspects of Windows 10 is coming to Windows 7 and 8. Microsoft has released upgrades which enable the company to track what a user is doing. The updates – KB3075249, KB3080149 and KB3068708 – all add “customer experience and diagnostic telemetry” to the older versions
Windows 10 Worst Feature Now Installing On Windows 7 And Windows 8
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/09/06/windows-10-worst-feature-now-installing-on-windows-7-and-windows-8/
Last week came the warning, now comes the roll out. The most criticised aspect of Windows 10 is coming to Windows 7 and Windows 8 after Microsoft released upgrades which enable the company to extensively track what users are doing. The releases bring good and bad news…
The Bad News
The three updates in question – KB3075249, KB3080149 and KB3068708 (which replaces KB3022345) – all add “customer experience and diagnostic telemetry” to Windows 7 and Windows 8. This is shorthand for monitoring how you use Windows and sending that data back to Microsoft HQ for evaluation.
Worse still software specialist site gHacks, which first discovered the tracking, notes these updates will ignore any previous user preferences:
“These four updates ignore existing user preferences stored in Windows 7 and Windows 8 (including any edits made to the Hosts file) and immediately starts exchanging user data with vortex-win.data.microsoft.com and settings-win.data.microsoft.com.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nuke all your computer passwords, says Intel exec
http://uk.businessinsider.com/intel-wants-to-nuke-all-your-passwords-2015-9?r=US&IR=T
Let’s face it: no one likes passwords.
With all the different websites and devices you log into, it’s become almost impossible to keep track of all the passwords you have.
But what if you could forget about passwords and log in instantly using something else, like your face or finger prints?
Intel thinks that’s a real possibility — and something you can do right away.
“We want to eliminate all passwords from computing,” Kirk Skaugen, Senior VP and general manager of Intel’s Client Computing Group said at the Citi Global Technology Conference held on Tuesday. “I can confidently say today, you can eliminate all your passwords today, if you buy a 6th Generation Core system.”
Skaugen was referring to the new 6th Generation Core chips Intel released last week, which powers some of the latest Windows 10 devices that come with some of the new facial recognition software, like Windows Hello. To enjoy the full functionality of Windows Hello, you also need Intel’s RealSense 3D Camera, which looks at multiple angles to detect the photo’s depth and heat to determine the user’s identity.
Windows Hello: can identical twins fool Microsoft and Intel?
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/in-depth/windows-hello-can-identical-twins-fool-microsoft-and-intel/story-fnw66tov-1227490164701
Windows 10, released last month by Microsoft, replaces the hackable password system with biometric recognition. You log in using your fingerprints, and with eye and face recognition.
The new feature is called Windows Hello. If you have an iPhone or recent Samsung smartphone, you will know how convenient fingerprint recognition is, and it has proved consistent and reliable.
But a large number of notebooks coming on to the market with Windows 10 offer face recognition as an alternative to passwords for accessing your account.
The face recognition process involves a RealSense camera made by Intel, which sits embedded above the display. Three cameras — featuring an infra-red lens, a regular lens and a 3-D lens — use photographic analysis, heat detection and depth detection to decide who is at your computer display.
Personally I found face recognition worked a treat. The Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14 we used quickly identified who I was among several account holders, and in a flash logged me in.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft is downloading Windows 10 to your machine ‘just in case’
Exclusive Got the idea from Bono
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2425381/microsoft-is-downloading-windows-10-to-your-machine-just-in-case
MICROSOFT HAS CONFIRMED that Windows 10 is being downloaded to computers whether or not users have opted in.
An INQUIRER reader pointed out to us that, despite not having ‘reserved’ a copy of Windows 10, he had found that the ~BT folder, which has been the home of images of the new operating system since before rollout began, had appeared on his system. He had no plans to upgrade and had not put in a reservation request.
He told us: “The symptoms are repeated failed ‘Upgrade to Windows 10′ in the WU update history and a huge 3.5GB to 6GB hidden folder labelled ‘$Windows.~BT’. I thought Microsoft [said] this ‘upgrade’ was optional. If so, why is it being pushed out to so many computers where it wasn’t reserved, and why does it try to install over and over again?
“I know of two instances where people on metered connections went over their data cap for August because of this unwanted download. My own internet (slow DSL) was crawling for a week or so until I discovered this problem. In fact, that’s what led me to it. Not only does it download, it tries to install every time the computer is booted.”
We asked Microsoft to comment on whether it was downloading Windows 10 anyway as the company rushes to build on the 75 million machines with the new OS installed in its first month, putting it in fourth place behind Window 7, 8.1 and the erstwhile XP.
Microsoft has confirmed that they are downloading Windows 10 to users machines without their consent (theinquirer.net)
https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/3keoau/microsoft_has_confirmed_that_they_are_downloading/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s ‘anti-malware Device Guard’ in Windows 10: How it works, what you need
Redmond unbuttons shirt to reveal more detail on hypervisor-based tech
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/16/microsoft_windows_10_device_guard/
Microsoft has published a technical guide to its new Device Guard features in Windows 10 – including how to configure the anti-malware technology, and what hardware you’ll need to use it.
That zone is guarded by the IOMMU and other mechanisms in the computer’s processor that ensures kernel-level drivers and other privileged code, as well as devices plugged into the machine, cannot interfere with these vital parts of the OS
Microsoft has confirmed, or rather, gone into length about how Device Guard is supposed to work. “The same type-1 hypervisor technology that is used to run virtual machines in Microsoft Hyper-V is used to isolate core Windows services into a virtualization-based, protected container,” the TechNet article, quietly published at the end of last week, explained.
“This isolation removes the vulnerability of these services from both the user and kernel modes and acts as an impenetrable barrier for most malware used today.”
In other words, Microsoft has moved the bits of Windows that check whether or not drivers and kernel-level code are legit into a container that malware (in theory) cannot reach. That means even if (or when) a software nasty manages to get into the Windows operating system, it shouldn’t be able to crack this final layer of protection. With that in mind, all the other features of Device Guard can be built on this foundation, we’re told.
Code signing
Device Guard is aimed at enterprises and other large organizations, and parts of it looks like the protection mechanisms in Windows RT and Windows Phone with the serial numbers filed off. Tablets and smartphones running Windows RT and Phone are locked down in that only code cryptographically signed by Microsoft or your IT department is allowed to run. Now that’s been popped into Windows 10.
“Historically, UMCI [user mode code integrity] has been available only in Windows RT and on Windows Phone devices, which has made it difficult for these devices to be infected with viruses and malware,” the TechNet piece claims.
“In Windows 10, these same successful UMCI standards are available. Historically, most malware has been unsigned. By simply deploying code integrity policies, organizations will immediately protect themselves against unsigned malware, which is estimated to be responsible for more than 95 percent of current attacks.”
Crucially, it optionally turns your work PC into an Apple-like mobile phone, which can only run vetted software
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ed Bott / ZDNet:
Microsoft explains data collection practices, says Windows 10 doesn’t infringe on user privacy
Microsoft tries to clear the air on Windows 10 privacy furor
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-tries-to-clear-the-air-on-windows-10-privacy-furor/
Executives in Redmond were caught flat-footed after this summer’s Windows 10 launch by charges that the new operating system is spying on customers. Several new statements for consumers and IT pros today aim to explain why those accusations are unfounded.
Microsoft has a privacy problem.
It’s not the one you’ve read about lately, though. Instead, Microsoft’s biggest problem is that its customers don’t understand its privacy policies, and a sensational press is all too eager to manufacture outrage over policies that don’t exist.
In reality, Microsoft has been building privacy protections into its software products for years.
Given the long awareness of privacy in Redmond, then, the virulent attacks against Windows 10 this summer came as an unwelcome surprise. Critics have accused Windows 10 of spying on customers and collecting data for nefarious purposes, and those criticisms, despite a lack of supporting evidence, have persisted.
The trouble for Microsoft is that its only communication on Windows 10 privacy features so far has been its privacy policy, a long document written by lawyers and designed to cover a broad range of legal situations across hundreds of jurisdictions worldwide.
Today, the company published a series of detailed technical articles designed to explain how its actual practices align with its privacy policies across the board. The explanation starts with two clear principles:
1. Windows 10 collects information so the product will work better for you.
2. You are in control with the ability to determine what information is collected.
Most of the criticisms I’ve seen were based on misreading of the privacy policies for Windows 10 and for Microsoft’s online services.
Telemetry data
“We collect a limited amount of information to help us provide a secure and reliable experience,” the company says. “This includes data like an anonymous device ID and device type. … This doesn’t include any of your content or files, and we take several steps to avoid collecting any information that directly identifies you, such as your name, email address or account ID.”
In Windows 10, telemetry data is stored on dedicated servers that are used exclusively for reliability purposes. I’ve seen several online analyses using network packet sniffers that point a suspicious finger at the unique ID included with each packet. But as Microsoft engineers have explained in the past, the point of those identifiers isn’t to tag an individual person; rather, that ID is essential to tell whether 100 identical problem reports are from a single device or from 100 different devices.
Windows 10 has three telemetry settings: Basic, Full, and Enhanced.
Basic. This information includes information about security settings, quality-related info (such as crashes and hangs), and application compatibility.
Enhanced. This level includes the Basic information and adds details about how Windows and Windows apps are used, how they perform, and advanced reliability info.
Full. This setting, which is the default for Windows 10, includes all information from the previous levels, plus additional details necessary to identify and help to fix problems.
In earlier Windows versions, telemetry (Windows Error Reporting) was an opt-in feature. In Windows 10, it’s on by default. Individuals and small businesses can change telemetry collection to the Basic level with the flip of a switch in Settings. Organizations running Windows 10 Enterprise or Education have the option to disable telemetry completely, although Microsoft recommends against it.
Personalization and services
In a world where software and cloud-based services are increasingly intertwined, software companies have to “collect” your information to carry out your wishes.
As the company explains, “Windows sends and gets info … to give you access to online services like Outlook, OneDrive, Cortana, Skype, Bing and the Microsoft Store, to personalize your experiences on Windows, to help you keep your preferences and files in sync on all your devices, to help keep your device up to date, and so that we can make the next features of Windows ones that you’ll enjoy.”
As usually happens, the Internet echo chamber turned the complex technical details of Windows 10 privacy into a series of gross oversimplifications. Even normally sober publications like PC World succumbed to the hysteria, offering advice on “how to turn off Windows 10′s keylogger,” adding parenthetically, “Yes, it still has one.”
No, it doesn’t.
Privacy and Windows 10
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/09/28/privacy-and-windows-10/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft now awfully pushy with Windows 10 on Win 7, 8 PCs – Reg readers hit back
Torch and pitchfork time after Redmond force-feeds update
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/15/pushy_windows_10/
Have you noticed Microsoft being a little too eager in pushing its Windows 10 upgrade lately?
You’re not alone.
The Reg news tip inbox has been awash the past few days with readers reporting that the newest version of Windows has been forcing itself onto computers amid other operating system updates, and sometimes even downloading itself after users thought they had opted out.
“In the latest raft of MS updates, the “optional” Windows 10 option on this Windows 7 PC was pre-ticked. Can that be right?”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Updategate: Microsoft is now installing Windows 10 by default in Windows Update
‘Whoops. Our bad. Sorry,’ it quoths
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2430786/updategate-microsoft-is-now-installing-windows-10-by-default-in-windows-update
MICROSOFT HAS taken another enthusiastic turn in its desire to get people to upgrade to the new Windows 10 operating system.
It now appears that some users of Windows 7 and 8 are being updated without even asking.
We reported a month ago that Microsoft is downloading images of Windows 10 to computers whose owners hadn’t opted for the upgrade, in some cases taking up 6GB of the hard drive.
Microsoft has yet to fully answer our concerns surrounding Updategate, but we had a note yesterday from our original tipster, Mike Wallace, observing that a number of patches for Windows have been reissued.
Then this morning, in Ars Technica, our worst fears were realised: Windows 10 is manifesting automatically.
Windows 10 upgrade installing automatically on some Windows 7, 8 systems
Microsoft says that the optional update was enabled by mistake.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/10/windows-10-upgrade-installing-automatically-on-some-windows-7-8-systems/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft now uses Windows 10′s Start menu to display ads
http://betanews.com/2015/10/15/microsoft-now-uses-windows-10s-start-menu-to-display-ads/
We’ve all become used to the idea of ads online — it’s something that has become part and parcel of using the internet — but in Windows? If you’ve updated to build 10565 of Windows 10, you’re in for something of a surprise: the Start menu is now being used to display ads.
We’re not talking about ads for Viagra, porn, or anything like that, but ads for apps. Of course, Microsoft is not describing them as ads; ‘Suggested apps’ has a much more approachable and fluffy feel to it. Maybe. This is a ‘feature’ that’s currently only being shown to Windows Insiders, but it could spread to everyone else. Will it be well-received?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Updategate: Developer creates app to block unwanted Windows 10 updates
Exclusive But you can change your mind
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2425381/microsoft-is-downloading-windows-10-to-your-machine-just-in-case
A FORMER HP employee has designed an app to give users of Windows 7 and 8 control over if and when they wish to upgrade to Windows 10.
Win10WiWi (Windows 10, When I Want It) reclaims storage taken up with unwanted upgrade files, removes and hides the Windows Updates causing the actions to be triggered and ensures that no telemetry data is being recorded, all with a few button clicks.
What’s particularly neat, however, is that designer Yves Gattegno has also ensured that the process is reversible, allowing users to update to Windows 10 in the same few clicks.
Gattegno, founder of French consulting company SysStreaming, told The INQUIRER: “I think that it is really great from Microsoft to offer the possibility of a free upgrade to their latest operating system, but users should have the choice not to do so.
“There are many reasons why a particular user would not want to upgrade to Windows 10, including not wanting to take the risk to break something that is working. If it is working, don’t fix it!”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Work from home when the next big Windows 10 installation arrives
Xbox gets Win 10 on November 12th. You have the skills to handle it and the office, right?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/27/work_from_home_when_the_next_big_windows_10_installation_arrives/
Microsoft has named the day for the next wave of Windows 10 upgrades: on November 12th, Redmond’s latest creation will land on Xbox.
Owners of the PC-disguised-as-a-console are promised “The fastest, most social Xbox experience ever” thanks to “a completely re-imagined Xbox One experience that integrates the speed and versatility of Windows 10.”
Should you care? If you own one, of course: you may want the new shiny and who can blame you. You might even decide to work from home. All in the name of flexible working, of course.
The 12th is a Thursday, so if there’s a Xbox in your lunch room, you probably want to make sure it’s behaving by the time Friday afternoon drinks roll along. If your workplace does that kind of thing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finally, with W10, Microsoft’s device strategy makes sense
It’s not about the hardware… it’s about a ‘unified experience’
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/28/finally_with_w10_microsofts_device_strategy_makes_some_sense/
Microsoft stubbornly refuses to let go of making hardware, but now the reasons why CEO Satya Nadella has not followed his clear instinct to ditch devices (except Xbox) are becoming clearer.
We have analysed many times why Microsoft should not make smartphones and tablets, mainly because of conflicts of interest with the OEM partners which have always been the basis of its model. However, there is the defensive reason that without the former Nokia products, there would be very few Windows handsets at all. The software giant is ill-equipped, in terms of its business model and its capabilities, to be a vendor of mass market hardware.
Yet it does need Windows 10 to live up to its promises of spanning every kind of device and screen, which means continuing to provide users, especially in the business sector, with the option of a Windows smartphone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Annoying User Account Control pop-ups can be turned off in Windows 10, but you shouldn’t do it
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-run-everything-in-administrator-mode-and-why-you-shouldnt-do-it/#ftag=CADf328eec
If you disable the User Account Control in Windows 10, all programs will have same security clearance as the account you’re logged in with. However, disabling that feature is a terrible idea.
If you frequently run programs in administrator mode, dealing with the User Account Control (UAC) – the pop-up window that asks you if you’re sure you want to let this program make changes to your computer – can get annoying. While you can set up specific programs to always run in administrator mode (thereby bypassing this pop-up), there’s no easy, secure way to set up your computer so that all programs run in administrator mode.
Well, there is one way, but it’s not secure. You can disable the User Account Control pop-ups altogether, but this is not recommended – not even for veteran PC tinkerers. The reason this is not recommended is because the UAC actually does serve an important purpose: It alerts you to any programs that might be trying to change your computer, including viruses and malware links you may have accidentally clicked on. If you disable the UAC completely and you’re using an administrator account, any program that runs on your computer, including viruses and malware, will automatically have access to make changes to your PC.
Trust me, you don’t want that. But you can make the UAC pop-ups a little less annoying by asking them to not dim the screen whenever they pop-up. Here’s how
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 growth stalls during October
Windows XP market share declining less than Win 8.x or 7
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/02/windows_market_share_october_2015/
Next year’s Windows 10 auto-upgrade is MSFT’s worst idea since Vista
Do you want virus outbreaks? Because that’s how you get ‘em
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/31/windows_10_recommended_upgrade/
Microsoft’s decision to push out Windows 10 upgrades as automatic Windows Update downloads is one of those ideas that sounded great in a Redmond meeting room, but will cause more problems than it solves.
Right from the get-go Microsoft has made it clear that it is looking for a very fast rollout of Windows 10. The new operating system was offered as a free upgrade for some users – a first for Microsoft – and ever since the launch, Microsoft has been hustling people to upgrade, by fair means or foul.
Nowadays, if you boot up a Windows 7 or 8 system you’ll see a variety of popups encouraging you to upgrade – roughly every few days, based on Vulture West’s experience. These are annoying but perfectly legitimate advertising.
But deciding to make the upgrade part of the patching cycle is a grave mistake. True, it’s only going to be an optional upgrade at the moment, but by early next year the pressure is going to be raised, and anyone who automatically installs recommended security patches will find themselves with a new operating system waiting to start.
And just about everyone installs recommended updates automatically because Microsoft insists on it.
Getting a download from a bunch of fading rockers is one thing, but getting a new operating system is quite another. I’ve already had a call from an elderly relative asking about this and she’s not keen, as she’s only just learned how to use Windows 8 in the last few years and doesn’t fancy redoing all that.
It’s likely to be the same story for a lot of other Windows users. Update settings are going to be changed and, as a result, we’re going to see a lot more operating system and application software flaws going unpatched.
Malware writers and phishers are going to have a field day with this. It typically takes less than a week after Microsoft announces its Patch Tuesday fixes for the scummier side of the internet to reverse-engineer them and distribute to take advantage of the unpatched.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft now lets you create Windows 10 apps without knowing a line of code
Brings in untrained foot soldiers to bolster its app store
By Chris Merriman
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2433022/microsoft-app-studio-now-lets-you-create-apps-without-knowing-a-line-of-code
MICROSOFT HAS RELEASED a major update to the Windows App Studio which will allow users to become developers without a lick of code, and without going via Visual Studio.
The new release creates Windows Universal Apps, which can be run on any Windows device, using information and resources imported from elsewhere in what five or six years ago we would have called a ‘mashup’.
Even the shopfront is taken care of, as the Studio package will also create screenshots to populate your entry in the Windows Store.
Even the shopfront is taken care of, as the Studio package will also create screenshots to populate your entry in the Windows Store.
Also new is an ‘immersive simulator’ which will allow you to run your new app in full screen, without leaving the safety of the development environment.
Anyone who built an app in Windows 8.1 can convert it to a Universal app quickly and easily in App Studio with a single click of the ‘Convert’ button.
Your app in 4 steps
http://appstudio.windows.com/en-us
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft doesn’t see Windows 10′s mandatory data collection as a privacy risk
Exec says telemetry data is key to improving the operating system
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2997213/privacy/microsoft-doesnt-see-windows-10s-mandatory-data-collection-as-a-privacy-risk.html#tk.rss_windows
In the run-up to the launch of Windows 10 earlier this year, users noticed that Microsoft’s operating system would be collecting more data on them by default than it had in the past, including information about their location and what they’re typing, and sending it off to Microsoft.
Understandably, some folks were concerned about the privacy implications of such a move, especially given disclosures around government surveillance, and the fact that Microsoft previously hadn’t built this kind of data collection into its operating system.
Those concerns weren’t helped by Microsoft, which was slow to clarify exactly what it takes from users and how to disable much of that collection. It’s possible for users to opt out of things like the contact and calendar tracking through Microsoft that Cortana uses to provide its personal assistant services, but people who use Windows 10′s express settings will toggle them on immediately.
Business users have more controls:
Configure telemetry and other settings in your organization
https://technet.microsoft.com/library/mt577208%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft imposes deadline for manufacturers to sell Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs
Starting October 16, 2016, manufacturers may no longer sell PCs running Windows 7 or 8.1
http://www.winbeta.org/news/microsoft-imposes-deadline-manufacteres-sell-windows-7-8-1-pcs
Customers who own a Windows 7 or 8 PC, in need of a replacement PC, and aren’t ready to get familiar with Windows 10, have a deadline to buy a new PC running their familiar version of Windows. Microsoft has confirmed on its Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet web page that PC manufacturers have until October 31 of next year to sell off all their stocks of computers running Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: Microsoft rolls out first major update declaring it ‘ready for business’
Threshold 2 marks a watershed moment for software’s enterprise credentials
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2434524/windows-10-microsoft-rolls-out-first-major-update-declaring-it-ready-for-business
MICROSOFT IS ROLLING OUT its first major update to Windows 10 since the operating system was launched at the end of June.
The Windows 10 November Update, known internally as Threshold 2, will be delivered as part of the “Windows-as-a-Service” model, as a silent update in accordance with settings specified in Windows Update.
Unlike with previous versions of the operating system, where this would have constituted a Service Pack, under WaaS the update will “become” Windows 10 and the de facto version that new customers will receive, supplanting the launch version.
“There’s literally thousands of compatibility and driver updates that make it even more stable. Windows 10 is already running on 110 million devices but this will make it even better.”
A number of new features are also being rolled out today, demonstrating Microsoft’s commitment to Windows 10 as an ongoing development.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Threshold 2 Automatically Reinstalls All Previously Removed Apps
http://news.softpedia.com/news/windows-10-threshold-2-automatically-reinstalls-all-previously-removed-apps-496165.shtml
Microsoft rolled out Threshold 2 earlier this week as the first major update for Windows 10 that comes with significant improvements to both the operating system itself and the pre-installed apps.
But as far as the latter part is concerned, it turns out that Threshold 2 is actually making some changes to the app lineup that some people might not be aware of.
A post on reddit reveals that Threshold is resetting the default apps on Windows 10 computers that are installing the updates, although such a change isn’t mentioned during the setup process.
But at the same time, Threshold 2 also reinstalls the apps that you previously removed, such as Xbox and Edge, all of which come with the operating system. Windows 10 ships with a series of pre-installed apps, and users can remove them with PowerShell commands, but after installing Threshold 2, all of them are brought back on your PC
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Update for Business lets IT admins defer damaging patches
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3005345/operating-systems/windows-update-for-business-lets-it-admins-defer-damaging-patches.html
New group policy controls for Windows 10 give companies a way to postpone updates for up to four weeks
Microsoft last week gave businesses a way to delay potentially disruptive or even damaging Windows 10 security patches and bug fixes for up to four weeks.
New options for controlling the timing of Windows 10 upgrades and updates arrived as part of Windows 10 version 1511, the upgrade that began rolling out Thursday.
HOLD – CW November COVER – puzzle solution destiny collision course cooperation teamwork
Why IT and Operations are on a collision course
Long autonomous, IT and operations are now forced to work together, spurred by increasingly complex
Read Now
The settings are available to businesses and organizations running Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education, and managing those PCs with the Windows Update for Business (WUB) service that the Redmond, Wash. firm introduced in May.
“Windows Update for Business provides IT controls over the deployment of updates within their organizations, while ensuring their devices are kept current and their security needs are met, at reduced management cost,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 to companies over the next year
Companies transition to the Windows 10 operating system is not yet in practice even started, but Gartner believes Windows 10 to spread the fastest of Microsoft platforms.
Gartner believes that many companies will undertake pilot the Windows 10 as early as next spring. These projects are then exported to a wider use during the rest of the year.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3642:windows-10-yrityksiin-ensi-vuoden-aikana&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft reverses course, restores downloads of Windows 10 November Update
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-reverses-course-restores-downloads-of-windows-10-november-update/
Last weekend, Microsoft suddenly pulled its online tool for downloading the latest Windows 10 installation files. Today, the company explained the seemingly minor bug responsible for the decision, and has now made the tool available again.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: Enterprise adoption rate seems a bit optimistic
Analysis But all due respect to the PR teams
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/analysis/2437033/windows-10-enterprise-adoption-rate-seems-a-bit-optimistic
WHATEVER YOU THINK of Windows 10, there’s one thing on which everyone from the casual observer to the most long-toothed analyst can agree: Microsoft has to make it work for business. If it doesn’t, it’s to all intents and purposes game over for Windows as the predominant operating system.
It’s a heart-warming, Thanksgiving miracle, then, that we’ve been able to run exciting headlines like Windows 10: Enterprise migration set to be ‘fastest ever’ and Windows 10 enterprise adoption stands at over 11 percent just a few months after it arrived.
Contrary to popular belief, we’ve never had a problem with Windows 10 to the point where we want it to be a tragic failure.
So when we get a statistic, even from heavyweights like Gartner, Forrester and Spiceworks, suggesting that half of enterprise users plan to switch to Windows 10 next year, we have to raise our eyebrow ever so slightly.
You can make a statistic say anything you like and turn it into a nice juicy headline. We know that.
So here’s the bottom line. There’s no way that, with the best will in the world, Microsoft will have a 50 percent enterprise market share this time next year. Because that’s not what it is saying – it’s just implying it.
The devil is in the details. Microsoft is counting enterprises that have at least one machine that they’re using to test on.
Windows 10 is likely to be a success for the enterprise. We’ll buy that for a dollar. There’s way too much at stake and it’s too good a system (despite our niggles) for it not to be. But if you’re expecting it to dominate our lives by the end of 2016, we’re calling shenanigans. Life just doesn’t move that fast
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 On A Tiny Board
http://hackaday.com/2015/12/03/windows-10-on-a-tiny-board/
Over the past few months, a number of companies and designers have started picking up the newest Intel SoCs. Intel has to kill ARM somehow, right? The latest of these single board x86 computers is the Lattepanda. It’s a tiny board that can run everything a 5-year-old desktop computer can run, including a full version of Windows 10.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a tiny x86 board in recent months. Last October, an x86 board that takes design cues from the Raspberry Pi 2 hit Kickstarter. These are proper PCs, with the ability to run Windows 10, Linux, and just about every other environment under the sun.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/139108638/lattepanda-a-45-win10-computer-for-everything
LattePanda is featured with quad-core 1.8Ghz, 2/4G RAM, 32/64 GB eMMC, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB 3.0, plus onboard Arduino processor!
It includes everything a regular PC has and can do anything that a regular PC does, all at a low price of 69 USD.
LattePanda runs perfectly on the go. Creating documents with Microsoft Office, playing HD videos and running Windows apps on LattePanda is exactly the same experience as using a regular PC.
LattePanda comes pre-installed with a full edition of Windows 10, including powerful tools such as Visual Studio, NodeJS, Java, Processing, and more!
Tomi Engdahl says:
An update to our Windows 10 app
http://techblog.netflix.com/2015/12/an-update-to-our-windows-10-app.html
We have published a new version of our Windows 10 app to the Windows Store. This update features an updated user experience that is powered by an entirely new implementation on the Universal Windows Platform.
Using the Universal Windows Platform
Over the last few years we have launched several applications for Windows and Windows Phone. The applications were built from a few code bases that span several technologies including Silverlight, XAML, C#. Bringing new features to our members on Windows platforms has required us to make changes in several code bases and ship multiple application updates.
With the Universal Windows Platform, we’re able to build an application from a single code base and run on many Windows 10 devices. Although the initial release of this application supports desktops, laptops and tablets running Windows 10, we have run our application on other Windows 10 devices and we will be adding support for phones running Windows 10 in the near future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rich McCormick / The Verge:
Microsoft forms joint venture with Chinese government to deliver a custom version of Windows 10 for public sector agencies — Microsoft aims to supply Chinese government with customized Windows 10 — After signing a deal with China’s answer to Google in September, Microsoft is again strengthening …
Microsoft aims to supply Chinese government with customized Windows 10
http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/17/10362638/microsoft-windows-10-custom-china-government
After signing a deal with China’s answer to Google in September, Microsoft is again strengthening its position in the country, this time by providing Windows 10 directly to the Chinese government. The company today announced a new joint venture that will license, deploy, manage and optimize a custom version of the operating system for government agencies. The Beijing-based joint venture — provisionally called C&M Technologies — is still subject to regulatory approval, but Microsoft says in addition to government agencies, it will serve “state-owned enterprises in key infrastructure fields such as energy, telecommunications, and transportation.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Worst Secret Spins Out Of Control
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2016/02/09/windows-10-data-tracking-spying-levels/#1bbf2af7aa99
Back in November Microsoft confirmed Windows 10’s worst kept secret: its extensive telemetry (or ‘spying’ as it has been labelled) cannot be stopped. What no-one realised until now, however, is just how staggering the extent of this tracking really is…
Blowing the lid on it this week is Voat user CheesusCrust whose extensive investigation found Windows 10 contacts Microsoft to report data thousands of times per day. And the kicker? This happens after choosing a custom Windows 10 installation and disabling all three pages of tracking options which are all enabled by default.
The raw numbers come out as follows: in an eight hour period Windows 10 tried to send data back to 51 different Microsoft IP addresses over 5500 times. After 30 hours of use, Windows 10 expanded that data reporting to 113 non-private IP addresses. Being non-private means there is the potential for hackers to intercept this data. I’d argue this is the greatest cost to owning Windows 10.
Windows 10 telemetry network traffic analysis, part 1: (v/technology)
submitted 7 days ago by CheesusCrust
https://voat.co/v/technology/comments/835741
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft made a version of Windows 10 for the Chinese government
https://www.techinasia.com/microsoft-version-windows-10-chinese-government
f you’re looking to grab Windows 10, there are a lot of versions to choose from: Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Mobile, etc. Now it looks like we can add a new one to the list: Windows 10 Chinese Government Edition.
That’s not the real name – it’s called Windows 10 Zhuangongban, or “Windows 10 Specially-provided Edition” – but Microsoft really has made a version of Windows 10 for the Chinese government, according to a report in Chinese magazine Caixin.
This shouldn’t come as a major surprise, of course. Microsoft announced the deal and its intention to develop the China-specific software back in December.
So what’s different about the Chinese government version of Windows? Haupter told Caixin that it features fewer of Microsoft’s consumer-targeted apps and services, while including more management and security controls, in accordance with the needs of China’s government.
Microsoft’s new Chinese-government-specific Windows 10 isn’t the only Chinese-security-focused OS on the market. For years, China’s government has itself been funding and pushing the development of what is now called NeoKylin, a partially-Chinese-developed Linux fork.
Microsoft built a special government-approved version of Windows 10 for China
http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2016/03/28/microsoft-windows-10-china/
Being notoriously strict about censorship, China makes it difficult for companies to launch their products there. It’s a major stumbling block for businesses that want to take a stab at the largest market in the world.
Often, companies will have to bend to suit the requirements of China’s government and that’s exactly what Microsoft has done. Ralph Haupter, Microsoft’s CEO for the Greater China region has revealed that the company’s made a Chinese government-approved version of Windows 10.
Partnering with a state-run technology and defense company, CETC, Microsoft created its specialized version of Windows, officially called Zhuangongban, to comply with governmental standards.
What does that entail? Well, Microsoft isn’t giving away much.
Whether those controls will allow the users to control or at least see the level of surveillance they’re being subjected to or not isn’t confirmed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft rethinks the Windows application platform one more time
Plan to bring most Windows apps to the Store, never mind security
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/07/microsoft_rethinks_the_windows_application_platform_one_more_time/
Build 2016 “There are 16 million Win32 or .NET apps in the world. When we built the Universal Windows Platform, we left them behind. And that was dumb,” said Microsoft Distinguished Engineer John Sheehan, speaking at the Build conference last week in San Francisco.
Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is based on the Windows Runtime, the environment once known as Metro, which was introduced with Windows 8 in an attempt to reinvent the operating system.
The Windows Runtime had several goals. One was to bring Windows into the world of tablets, with a user interface designed with touch in mind. Another was to enable users to install and remove applications easily and cleanly, via the Windows Store or custom business portals. Thirdly, the Windows Runtime was intended to be secure, with each application sandboxed both from the operating system and from other applications. Only a safe subset of the Windows API was available, and access to the file system was restricted to an isolated app-specific area, or to standard locations for things like documents and pictures – subject to the user’s consent.
The long-term strategy seemed to be that users would gradually use more Store apps and fewer legacy desktop apps, until the moment came when most Windows apps used the new model and Microsoft would be able to lock down the operating system to be more like Apple’s iOS, which is less vulnerable to malware and to intrusive third-party software that damages the user experience.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andy Weir / Neowin:
Microsoft adds QR codes to Windows 10 ‘Blue Screen of Death’ to help troubleshoot crashes — It’s always annoying when your PC crashes, but it’s that little bit more frustrating when you have no idea why it’s done so. — Even the updated Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows 10 …
Microsoft adds QR codes to Windows 10 ‘Blue Screen of Death’ to help troubleshoot crashes
http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-adds-qr-codes-to-windows-10-blue-screen-of-death-to-help-troubleshoot-crashes
But of course, the most noticeable addition there is the QR code, which is ostensibly intended to offer users a fast-track solution to get the support they need on a secondary device like a smartphone or tablet.
In both of these examples, the QR code simply directs the user to the same windows.com/stopcode URL, which resolves to this page, a generic resource for ‘troubleshooting blue screen errors’.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Now on 300 Million Active Devices – Free Upgrade Offer to End Soon
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/05/05/windows-10-now-on-300-million-active-devices-free-upgrade-offer-to-end-soon/
We’re pleased to see Windows 10 become one of the largest online services in less than a year.
These Windows 10 services are getting better and better each month, with significant new innovations shipped in November, and many more coming in the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update this summer. Of course, as part of delivering Windows 10 as a service – any Windows 10 customer can enjoy these innovations – for free.
And, today, we want to remind you that if you haven’t taken advantage of the free upgrade offer, now is the time. The free upgrade offer to Windows 10 was a first for Microsoft, helping people upgrade faster than ever before. And time is running out. The free upgrade offer will end on July 29 and we want to make sure you don’t miss out. After July 29th, you’ll be able to continue to get Windows 10 on a new device, or purchase a full version of Windows 10 Home for $119.
Read more at https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/05/05/windows-10-now-on-300-million-active-devices-free-upgrade-offer-to-end-soon/#HkoLDFstCG7KV2gE.99
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Microsoft concedes that it won’t have Windows 10 installed on 1B devices by mid-2018, as previously projected — Microsoft isn’t going to make its self-imposed deadline of having Windows 10 installed on 1 billion devices by mid-2018, company officials have conceded.
Microsoft: Windows 10 won’t hit 1 billion devices by mid-2018
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-windows-10-wont-hit-1-billion-devices-by-mid-2018/
Microsoft isn’t going to make its self-imposed deadline of having Windows 10 installed on 1 billion devices by mid-2018, company officials have conceded.
A little over a year ago, with much fanfare, Microsoft execs drew a line in the sand, predicting that Windows 10 would be installed on 1 billion devices by mid-2018.
But Microsoft officials conceded today, July 15, that they likely won’t make that deadline.
My ZDNet colleague Ed Bott noted at the end of a blog post Friday that Microsoft officials still think they can hit the 1 billion Windows 10 market, but that “it’s unlikely to happen by 2018 as originally projected”.
“Windows 10 is off to the hottest start in history with over 350m monthly active devices, with record customer satisfaction and engagement.”
Microsoft Windows and Devices chief Terry Myerson made the original claim at Build 2015, noting the 1 billion would encompass all kinds of devices that would run Windows 10 in some variant, including desktops, PCs, laptops, tablets, Windows Phones, Xbox One gaming consoles, Surface Hub conferencing systems, HoloLens augmented reality glasses, and various Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Officials said at that time the majority of those 1 billion devices would be PCs and tablets.
But Windows Phones running Windows 10 Mobile were also expected to help Microsoft reach that total by mid-2018. Since April 2015, the bottom has fallen out of the Windows Phone market, with Microsoft officials conceding that Windows Phone isn’t much of a focus for Microsoft in calendar 2016.
After one year, 10 lessons learned for Windows 10
http://www.zdnet.com/article/after-one-year-10-lessons-learned-for-windows-10/
It’s been a busy year in Redmond, with Windows 10 delivering three major releases to 350 million active users. Here’s a look back at some major milestones and stumbles along the way, and new predictions about when Windows 10 will hit its ambitious goal of a billion devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Gains 14% Desktop Market Share in 2016, Edge Continues to Struggle
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/17/01/02/2023228/windows-10-gains-14-desktop-market-share-in-2016-edge-continues-to-struggle
With 2016 now behind us, we can take a look at how far Windows 10 has come thanks to usage-share with statistics from Net Marketshare. At the end of December for 2016, Windows 10 is installed on roughly 24.5% of devices
Windows 10 Gains 14% Desktop Market Share in 2016, Edge Continues to Struggle
https://www.petri.com/windows-10-gains-14-desktop-market-share-2016-edge-continues-struggle
Microsoft has been investing heavily in Windows 10, not only for a development point of view but also with marketing as well. The company is pushing the OS at every opportunity and occasionally crossed the boundary of forcing it on to machines even when a user does not want the OS.
With 2016 now behind us, we can take a look at how far the OS has come thanks to usage-share with statistics from Net Marketshare.
At the end of December for 2016, Windows 10 is installed on ~24.5% of devices whereas, at the end of 2015, the OS was only installed on around 10% of machines. During the same period, Windows 7 declined from 55.68% to 48.34%, Windows 8.1 usage dropped from 10.3% to 6.9% and XP dropped slightly from 11% to about 9%.
The last figure Microsoft publicly stated was that there are now 400 million devices running Windows 10 but this figure was released in late September.