Microsoft updates support policy: New CPUs will require Windows 10

Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 1 month ago to Technology
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Boy, they just do not give up. If people do not want to voluntarily buy their buggy, privacy holed OS, then they will force you to. I am thinking this is just going to add strength to the "other OS" world. I might just have to learn how to use Linux, although the next step will be to force vendors to change their software so it will only install and run right on Windows...Is it anti trust time yet?

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  • Posted by Temlakos 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    The original poster really wants to know how to deal with rent-seeking behavior. I haven't seen any Objectivistic analysis that even recognizes rent-seeking as an evil.
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  • Posted by $ TomB666 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    There is a local computer store near me that will build any thing you want. No need to buy either Windows or Apple. If you look, that may well be a similar store near you. It advertises itself as a repair shop, and repair means anything from starting with an empty case to fixing your old windows machine :-)
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  • Posted by Temlakos 10 years, 1 month ago
    What it might be time for, is a Free Hardware Movement and License, to parallel those for software. If Benjamin Franklin were alive today, he'd found it, for the same reasons Richard Stallman founded GNU.
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  • Posted by $ jdg 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    You can still save in .doc and .xls, both from Microsoft Office and OpenOffice. And I've always preferred this, because it allows people using old versions of Office to read your files, too.

    There is no reason to save anything as .docx or .xlsx unless you are using features added to Office since 2007 -- and I don't even know of any, so I must not be using them.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Clever of MS.
    But, they can only do it with the compliance of the computer manufacturers. They must be getting big bucks out of it. I could picture a start-up company building machines with optional operating systems. I wonder if there's any American spirit left?
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  • Posted by davidmcnab 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    It's ironic we're discussing open source software here in a positive light. Especially since this is an Objectivist group, and for so many years, Microsoft and similar companies have been denigrating open source as "creeping socialism" :O
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  • Posted by davidmcnab 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    One of the main entry barriers is Microsoft's control over certain file formats, especially .docx, .xlsx, .pptx. In undergraduate degree, numerous lecturers made it mandatory to submit assignments in .docx format. People say "yeah, no problem, do it in OpenOffice and save it in .docx format". But Microsoft deliberately withhold key information about that file format, and make it very difficult to reverse engineer. I saved and submitted assignments in .docx, but when my marker opened them in Word, they looked terrible - strange paragraph spacings, distorted layout etc - and cost me a lot of marks.
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  • Posted by davidmcnab 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Microsoft have been putting heavy pressure on manufacturers to build their machines to only ever be able to run Windows. Try an install Ubuntu, or OSX, and the machine will either simply refuse, or it will allow the installation but only run at a fraction of its top speed.
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  • Posted by davidmcnab 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    With apologies for being pedantic, Ubuntu is a form of Linux, so that sentence would more correctly read: "Two options: switch to Ubuntu or similar distribution of Linux; migrate to Apple,..."
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 10 years, 1 month ago
    Two options: switch to Ubuntu or Linux; migrate to Apple, where OS-X is designed to operate with a Windows OS in concert (makes the transition to Apple easier). The latter is trading one "overlord" for another, but as one who's used all of the above since the first DOS machines, Apple seems to have its act together better than Microsoft.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years, 1 month ago
    What an opportunity for a computer manufacturer to build machines that give you a choice of operating systems. Think any of them have the cojones to do it? Probably not.
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  • Posted by $ jdg 10 years, 1 month ago
    Microsoft's management seems to believe that they've reached their "ComCast moment" (as I call it) -- meaning their customer base is so bereft of alternatives that they can do whatever they like and still continue to make money. When this happens with any product, it screams to me that we need to create new competition with them.

    I wonder what new barriers to entry MS has gotten enacted. If there aren't any, then where are the better competitors?
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  • Posted by blackswan 10 years, 1 month ago
    This makes you wonder why open source OSs, like Ubuntu (linux based) hasn't gained traction. It's less buggy, has an office suite that does the same thing as office, and it's free (at least thus far). It suggests that there actually is first mover advantage.
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  • Posted by DavidRawe 10 years, 1 month ago
    There are options, but MS has made them much more difficult for people to access. Open Source is the primary option, but people are lazy and resit change. People complain but continue to use it. NO complaining unless you are willing to change my dear techno-sheeple (LOL).
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  • Posted by paris1 10 years, 1 month ago
    Anti trust, eh? And this on a web site that celebrates the ideal of Ayn Rand?!
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  • Posted by ProfChuck 10 years, 1 month ago
    I tried W10 and switched back to W7 after finding out that half my programs would not run because of driver issues. I have several computers running Ubuntu and never have any problems with that OS. MS is a company whose time has come and gone.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    It will be the first time since the predecessors of Mozilla lost that bet. They are not antitrust which is why they bailed out Apple. All they are saying now is we won't support anything but Version Ten if a hardware manufacturer wants a license. Europe is perfectly free to use Linus or it's derivatives.

    So no anti trust is involved asnd Europe has no control over them. It's that same world court crap and meaningless.

    What they will continue is the get it on the market and fix it later business model. Same one used for 30 years. With billions to spend how far do you think they will be hassled this time.

    They are dealing from a position of strength to a weak paid for government that Trump only wishes he could afford to buy in the time honored way instead of buying votes as he is doing now.

    Welcome to fascist America where Constitutution is but a fast dimming memory.

    Obama will soon collect h is share of the deal. And the next one after that be it Comrade Cruz,Comrade Hillary Comrade Bernie or whoever. Most of the country is too f'n stupid and will hand them more nails to secure the coffin. Socialst Left or Socialist right is still a left wing Government Party.

    You will lose that bet ...better off buying lotto tickets.
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  • Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Well, I am not so sure that that will fly too far, seems that may have some anti trust issues with it, and I am also betting the EU hauls their asses in and fines them a billion or so for unfair trade practices.
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  • Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    It is now spreading pretty far, I think there may be a bigger backlash coming. MS seems bent on making bad choices with customers, just as CBS and Axanar have done.
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  • Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Maybe, they are missing the boat on the fact their OS needs to both work and not violate privacy. If people knew how much Google grabs from your use they might think twice. As in movies, one success leads to a bunch of bad copies.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 10 years, 1 month ago
    of course it's worked so far why change a trillion dollar business plan in midstream.
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