Microsoft is checking everyone's bags for unsupported Office installs Microsoft wants to know how many out-of-support copies of Office are installed on Windows PCs, and it intends to find out by pushing a patch through Microsoft Update that it swears is safe, not that you asked. Quietly mentioned in a support post this week, update KB5021751 is targeting versions of Office "including" 2007 and …
Maybe - just maybe - they will discover that people are sick of subscriptions. And maybe they will learn that we want something that will run stabily and not subject to constant change. Like, for example, Outlook 365 seems to have UI changes on a daily basis: the calendar button is at the bottom of the Accounts / mailbox tree - nope; it's now taking up room in it's own column on the LH side - wait a minute, it's back at the bottom of the screen. Etc.
Maybe they could spend some time having Outlook to show appointments notifications using the Windows notification mechanism, instead of using its own - which if you use multiple desktops won't show on a different one. That's something you never understand through telemetry - although the very reason for telemetry is not improving products.
Not to mention doesn't cope with monitor changes (e.g. switching between home and office where the monitors are different), so it's easy for it to "appear" underneath the windows you're working in and then you completely miss a mtg ...
As to using the windows notifications, I don't think that would work well as (AFAIK) that doesn't have the options for joining a mtg, or sleeping the alert (I tend to set up events for things like mandatory training with a 4 week reminder, so sleeping for a week if it's not convenient now).
Apart from all the above, the thing that really pees me off is that while I'm struggling to cope with different keyboard shortcuts between Mac (home use) and Windows (work) - Outlook has it's own shortcuts that bear no resemblance to those Windows ones I've managed to learn.
I don't really know how much the notification windows is customizable - but if there is someone who could make that more customizable is exactly the company that writes the OS <G>. But under Nadella I'm afraid the orders are to make Windows dumber and dumber so dumber (and cheaper) developers can work on it.
Still the notification message could be clicked to bring you to the full notification window - instead of seeing nothing especially if you're somewhere where you can't keep audio notification on and don't wear headphones.
I'm with you but "there's gold in them there hills" and we can moan all we like but the greedy sods have seen the subs are the real money makers once they have you on a treadmill, squeezed from all sides. Avoid the treadmill as all costs but sooner or later it'll get most of us.
>Maybe - just maybe - they will discover that people are sick of subscriptions.
I know they know that already. Office was pretty much the last past the post in that regard and, indeed, Microsoft as a whole (such as it isn't) was last past the post in many things that are hateful, like abandoning customer service in favor of social media.
What's most likely to happen is that they will find out that hardly anyone has out-of-date subscriptions that work and so the whole hateful charade will be reinforced. Subscriptions make more money and not paying for customer support does so too.
I guess it's a vindication for GPL; that's the whole point of subscriptions. With GPL you don't pay for the software, you pay for the support, and the subscription is that payment. So Microsoft quite reasonably ask whether people actually pay for the support. This is a test of GPL; if the number of unsupported Office installations (ones where the subscription has expired) is small then GPL is vindicated and Microsoft can stop fictionalizing that its software is proprietary. Not that I believe Microsoft does that; Libre Office does exactly the same thing, right? And how many people pay for Microsoft Office support (via the subscription) compared to how many people pay for Libre Office support?
Would it not be obvious that it also seeks to find any (unauthorized) copy of LibreOffice in the same process?
Then they can bombard you with more boilerplate how much you are jeopardizing your computer with programs that are not designed for and not authorized by Microsoft. It will also direct you to the Microsoft solution to all your needs and will ensure future adworks directed at your convenience to convince you that you misbehaved by preventing Microsoft from providing you with the proper Solutions to all your problems.
I was also thinking they might be fishing for openoffice/libreoffice installs as well. This would be for me a gross invasion of my privacy (if I used Windows.)
If it were discovered that 30% of Windows installs had libreoffice as the default office suite one could fairly easy see how MS marketing could sow FUD around security etc and that running office365 in their cloud is much safer.
If they were pinnochio their collective nose would be prodding them in their backside by now.
I'm really confused. They want to know how many people are using old versions of Office, so they want people to go to their website to download an utility that will scan their computer for Office. Why not just ask them what version they're using?
This is like Jehovah's Witnesses coming to your house and asking to install webcams in your house to see if you pray.
Yep. Ed Miliband sniffing Laura Tenison...
The proper video seems to have been removed - but some kind soul has left us a GIF,
> Ultimately, it's expected to phone home to Microsoft to let the mothership know if you're running an old Office.
While this may not fall under MS's definition of "malware" it is undoubtedly spyware.
We should also expect that there will be consequences!
Once this has detected old - and legitimate - versions of Office, that will not be the end of it. I can reasonably expect that it will be followed by more probes for other legal but old software. Maybe MS will even sell the ability to detect out of date software to third parties, so (for example) my old version of Photoshop might get flagged, if Adobe pays for a similar payload to be installed.
And after that, will come the inevitable nags, telling me I *have* to upgrade. Maybe getting more urgent and annoying as time goes on.
My only hope is that the biggest benefit of running out-of-support versions of Windows: no more unwelcome updates, means that my VM's W7 and earlier instances will not fall foul of this surveillance.
> While this may not fall under MS's definition of "malware" it is undoubtedly spyware.
Not for Microsoft. For them it's certainly considered totally legal and justifiable self-defense: Hard times are coming, you have to crack down on those potentially criminal egoists who don't give you as much money as they should.
Those of us still using Windows 7 won't escape this nagware. W7 still gets updates to the "Malicious Software Removal Tool," though it gets no other updates. Anyone want to bet that this tool won't be weaponized to disable old Office versions under the guise of malware removal?
I'm running Windows 10 and *will* escape this.
That's because several months ago, after my PC "helpfully" rebooted overnight to install updates - despite me repeatedly telling it not to, and losing me a ton of open documents and hours of work - a red mist descended in front of my eyes and I f*cking nuked the Windows Update subsystem with extreme prejudice (hence ---> icon). Can't even remember what I did now (like I said - red mist), but it involved removing all file ownership/read/execute permissions to the WU stack, obliterating chunks of the Registry, and probably threatening the PC with a baseball bat too. Probably an over-reaction but I was not in a mood to ask nicely.
Now I'm sure some of the holier-than-thou types reading this will tut-tut "but your PC is now vulnerable and out-of-date!" and probably downvote me, as if I care. But I will say that my Windows 10 install has been trouble-free ever since, rock-solid, and still gets Defender definition updates anyway. It stays out of my way and doesn't pester me at all. Almost like Windows 7 of fond recollection.
I am totally with you on this. I had my "red mist" moments, too, especially after some arbitrary post-update reboots.
But with all the other "enhancements" it does not feel like my computer anymore. Instead, it feels more like some propietary Microsoft device which I am "allowed" to use...
I have started to do most of my stuff in a VirtualBox Ubuntu VM. Once I get rid of my few remaining Windows OS dependencies, Windows will go into the a VM and Linux will move into prime, bare metal position. On ALL my Windows devices. Gawd, that company knows how to suck...
No downvote from me.
Some of us have to support customers that are Microsoft shops and the best way to stay up on the changes and damage they do is to run our desktops on the latest and buggiest product.
Some days I can't get anything done.
I have not heard Microsoft tout "Cost of Ownership" for a long time now. I guess even the marketing department could not stomach that lie anymore.
I am totally with you on this. I had my "red mist" moments, too, especially after some arbitrary post-update reboots.
But those are important! Those are supplied by MS, a well known OS expert, and for your own safety!
Strangely, they're so important it seems virtually impossible to ignore them, only attempt to delay the inevitable. Which then means putting your computer to sleep, going to sleep, then waking up to discover your PC has awoken, updated, and is merrily chugging away doing nothing other than wasting electricity.
But such is Microsoft. Ok, being able to schedule updates to a time where it's not just going to suddenly shut down and reboot while you're in the middle of something is a slight improvement. Doiing an update and then not returning your PC to the state it was in before is just fecking annoying. But that's MS for you. Every improvement to their (not your) OS isn't usually an improvement at all.
> Every improvement to their (not your) OS isn't usually an improvement at all.
Hey, don't be ungrateful, after all they allow you to play with their OS as long as daddy Microsoft doesn't need it himself. As for why he needs it right now, on the spot, that's grown-up stuff you wouldn't understand anyway so there is no point in explaining. Just wait till he's finished and you might get it back...
Always keep in mind, daddy Microsoft knows better!
> ...MS, a well known OS expert...
You owe me a new keyboard.
If they're so much of an expert, why do we get a new version every year? The only thing they appear to be expert at is planned obsolescence...by design, of course.
My preferences lie elsewhere.
The behaviour that particularly annoys me about Windows these days, in keeping with the theme of this article, is the utterly ludicrous way Office 365 deals with updates - namely the way it seems to think that, just because you've stopped interacting with an Office app for a split second, that's enough of an indication that you'll be happy to then see it suddenly and without any warning disappear from view, with no indications as to *why* it's disappeared, no helpful messages to let you know why trying to manually reload it isn't working, and no post-restart apology for completely derailing your earlier train of thought as you try to resume working again.
Seriously MS, would it really be too much to give us even a "hey, we need to update your copy of Word/Outlook/etc, so we're gonna close it down in 60 seconds" warning that can't be overridden but at least lets us know what's about to happen rather than hitting us with it totally out of the blue, let alone a "hey, we need to update your copy of Word/Outlook/etc, please shut it down at your earliest possible convenience so this can be done" prompt that leaves US in control of OUR systems?
That's useful to know, cheers. Although, having now done it (and being pleasantly surprised that our IT policy actually allowed me to do so), I note with dismay that it doesn't merely disable the annoying *automatic* updates, but the *entire* update mechanism - i.e. there's no way to prod it manually to do an update check at a time that's more amenable to my work schedule, without re-enabling the whole shebang, hoping it picks up any updates there and then, and then remembering to disable it all again afterwards... Still, given how much control the Nadella-era Microsoft has taken away from its users, I'll take this small victory
>> it does not feel like my computer anymore. Instead, it feels more like some proprietary Microsoft device
That's why windows 7 will be only taken away from my cold dead hands, yeah I have windows 10 VM's for where I need to but that is the only place it exists
"That's because several months ago, after my PC "helpfully" rebooted overnight to install updates - despite me repeatedly telling it not to, and losing me a ton of open documents and hours of work"
To be honest, I can't understand why anyone would have hours of unsaved work on a computer, especially one running Windows. It's only a matter of time before it crashes / reboots / does something else annoying. Always best to assume the worst will happen with Windows, then when it does (when, not if!) you won't get caught out.
"It's only a matter of time before it crashes"
I have a ups on my computer. It is also a solid device with mirrored drives. It is a damm shame the weak point is intentional sabotage of the use of it.
How about the hidden EDGE update? I still use IE on control systems that will only respond to it. A stealth update forced IE to open any tab in EDGE, even when you called IE via the command line with the page url. (Firefox, chrome will not work with this piece of equipment, only IE). Oh, by the way updates were turned off.
That took me an hour to find and implement the fix. Who at Micro$ft do I send the bill to? They sure bill me for everything they can.
Micro$ft has always stolen ideas from Apple and usually implement it in the worst way possible. This is no exception.
My wife complained that here IPhone app no longer worked after an update. Being the "tech guy" it was apparently my fault. It was difficult to make her understand that she may have paid for it, but she did not own it. When I gave it to her, I told her it was an expensive piece of jewelry and should be considered as such.
"To be honest, I can't understand why anyone would have hours of unsaved work on a computer, especially one running Windows. It's only a matter of time before it crashes / reboots / does something else annoying. Always best to assume the worst will happen with Windows, then when it does (when, not if!) you won't get caught out."
I run Linux in a VM, where I do most of my work TBH. I often leave stuff open in code editors etc, but occasionally Windows reboots itself for updates, doesn't check there is a VM running, so that get splatted without saving first. It's a PIT fecking A with no obvious way to turn it off
Windows itself, not had a crash in that for years. However, when I no longer need Windows (that day must be quite soon), I'll go bare metal Linux. Maybe run Windows in a VM...hmmm...
You might want to check what you've done to your VM software or your VMs because Hyper-V, VirtualBox etc will all either pause the VM or save the state by default when the host OS is shutting down for any reason.
Might save you some headache in future.
Depends which hypervisor you are using, but so far as I recall Hyper-V has an option in the settings for each VM allowing you to specicy what to do with it on a host reboot - and one of the options is to save the state and then load it again after the host has rebooted.
> "To be honest, I can't understand why anyone would have hours of unsaved work on a computer, ..."
It happens. Never pulled an all-nighter to meet a deadline, stretched out for just a wee while to clear the fog, only to pass out for a few hours? Meanwhile, Windows was happily updating and rebooting itself... :-(
If there are unsaved files and there happens to be a crash, that's just bad luck and can happen anytime. But there is a HUGE difference when the "crash" (reboot) is initiated willy-nilly - and on purpose - by a third party, in this case Microsoft.
I had much the same experience with overnight updates and then midday reboots and...
I ended up nuking Windows once and for all. The forced application of updates was the last straw for me and Microsoft.
I have been 100% MS free ever since and do not regret it one little bit.
For those who are running 'life expired' versions of Office... they should tell MS to F-off and that this detection tool could be regarded as illegal tampering with their system.
I wonder if all the other invasive Microsoft actions (forced reboots, telemetry, unable to disable/remove MS software, unwanted advertising etc.) could be construed as illegal tampering, too?
We need brave lawyers willing to take on Mr Clippy's Army of Darkness. I keep thinking there's potential under the UK's Computer Misuse Act 1990 (Remember Robert Schifreen?), which makes these offensive. I mean offences-
unauthorised modification of computer material, punishable by twelve months/maximum fine (or six months in Scotland) on summary conviction and/or ten years/fine on indictment
And then amended in the Police and Justice Act 2006 to include-
Section 36. Unauthorised acts with intent to impair operation of computer, etc. punishable by up to ten years in prison or a fine or both.
Section 37. Making, supplying or obtaining articles for use in computer misuse offences, punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine or both.
and Serious Crime Act 2015 to include-
Section 41 (new Section 3ZA of the Computer Misuse Act 1990). Unauthorised acts causing, or creating risk of, serious damage – punishable by up to 14 years in prison or a fine or both, possible life imprisonment where human welfare or national security were endangered.
And seeing as the government's currently mindful of locking up tech execs, there's possibly some scope for creative lawyering, fame, fees and if successful, the gratitude of millions of software sufferers. Challeng I suspect would the dear'ol agreements we click on when we install stuff. Software is supplied as is/as was/as might be so good luck sucker, all your bits are belong to us! But Computer Misuse is now a serious crime, so there's perhaps some scope for unfair contracts.
I'm thinking potentially simple things. So we install software, configure it the way we want (and the OS/application permits) and then an update resets those changes. We then have to waste time and energy* recovering from those unauthorised modifications. It should be possible to find examples where bad software caused serious damage and/or risk to human welfare, especially as that includes mental health. Anyone unfortunate enough to have to wrangle NHS IT systems should be able to provide copious evidence. Or there's perhaps more mundane annoyances that could get fixed. Back in the good'ol days, clicking on that X in the top right of a window used to close the application. Now, it just closes the window, and the app ends up lurking in the tray. Then sometimes hitting 'exit' in the tray closes some of the app, but leaves stray processes running. Strangely, those often tend to be rather chatty, telemetry-type processes, and that change in behaviour was intentional to support personal data harvesting.
There's also scope to de-cruft Windows by accepting that carp like 'MyPhone' or XBone stuff really doesn't need to be re-installed and re-enabled every update. Especiall when we have to jump through hoops to try and kill them in the first place. MS is remarkably chatty and insecure, so constantly tries to discover new friends on your networks, clogging up bit pipes with fat turds. A useful remedy would be to order an 'Anti-Social' install or config mode that stops all that junk from wasting memory, CPU and energy. And while they're at it, an anti-Alzheimer's mode that doesn't constantly search your drives and network. Then if/when you do actually want to find something, it defaults to trying to find it online..
*On energy, I dread to think how many Watts could be saved if apps minimised all the junk they install & run. Or just 'requiring' a new PC with a 500W+ PSU, mobo, memory, storage etc just to run what should be a simple OS, that launches an app that we want to use.
No downvote from me. Had one of those forced updates reboot my system and corrupt windows hello in the process - so it locked me completely out of my own system. The only solution was to nuke the whole system and start again. Had all my docs backed up so no problem there, but all my settings and app preferences etc were toast.
Set my connection to metered and now WU wont download any updates unless I say so...
That's hilarious.
My Win10 box is a constant source of update-borne grief. A colleague observed, "I never had any problems. You must be doing something wrong." Then he discovered why: his company had never sent any patch updates to his computer.
What I did wrong? Allowing patch updates.
Makes sense, sort of.
You could start using programs that run on Linux and Windows. Once you are happy with those then you can switch to Linux. Simple programs and older XP programs generally work fine on Linux if you install WINE. MS has obviously put some effort into to making sure newer versions of Office don't work on Linux, but the older ones do. The ones this update is trying to stop you using. Everything else will have to go in a VM until you can stop using it. If it requires hardware access then you have a bit more work to do.
MS might be screwing more money out of people but ultimately all their wokeness will make them go broke one day. Already the majority of PC games run on Linux. Not all but the majority.
theres a couple of things here
1. its looking for old copies of office with the idea of spamming you with "Subscribe to 363&3/4 office" ads
2. Its looking for old copies of office licence keys that are invalid/duplicates/not paid for............. and then it will disable office on that machine.
Looking for libre office or versions thereof so to spam you with office 362&5/8 ads.... you never know but I doubt it
Wonder what happens when its run on a Linux box?
I would not be surprised in the least if, having detected an out-of-support version of Office, it subsequently, discreetly disrupts or disables it.
Or is this perhaps actually designed and stated publicly to be looking for out-of-support versions as a smoke screen, and is actually to detect and disable all the copies of Office Plus currently infesting eBay listings (as well as many other online outlets) which are being sold to and run by people who don't realise it is a volume licence subscription version, and not the standalone lifetime licence that they are being conned into thinking it is?
Or helpfully installs 365 and sets it to be the default for .doc/.xls/.ppt files, in the same way that they keep inveigling Edge back onto systems of people who've had the temerity to install an alternative browser.
"We'll be delighted to allow you to edit your document! But first, let's take you through the product purchase and activation wizard..."
Exactly.
Want to enable autosave in word? Then login to your MS account first.
That way, they get a copy of your document on their servers.
I wonder how many government sites are aware of that little security hole. Top Secret docs on MS servers located where exactly?
MS is climbing new heights with their recent levels of scumbaggery.
I use an old MS Office version and it works fine for me. It's at least 10 years ago, legally acquired and does everything+more that I have ever needed to do with Office.
For basic user the Office kit was perfected already 15 years ago. Thus I don't see what value I'd get by paying $80/year for Office 365 subscription.
There is something more to this. That Windows update does *not* just check office software. Afterall, the office software already phones home, including during the mandatory activation; Microsoft already has access to this inventory information.
I would take precautions to block this update (and all other automatic ones frankly), use the cumulative enterprise rollups if you want to be responsible.
My guess this is either adware to recommend you to install Office 365 instead; or is an anti piracy measure (as most Windows updates are), in the hope to push a few more mugs into their DRM cloud rental system.
Why do so many people that hate Microsoft use their software?
I get at work you have no option but for home use?
Please jump ship to Mac (then you can complain about Apple) or Linux so you gloat about how you made the change and never looked back/FOSS is just as good as that MS BS software etc or just do the rest of us a favour and never read any post on The Register about MS or its software. (feel free to complain about Oracle, Google, BT/Openreach etc even if you never use thier services)
I made the switch to Apple in 2006, and my last gripe with LibreOffice is in the process of being resolved as we speak, nearly 12 full years after it was filed.
Meanwhile, I tried starting an old iPhone 6 I had lying around which is now 8 years old and it immediately picked up a security update. Yes, eight years old and it still gets security updated from Apple, even though it can't run iOS 13 - instead, it now runs 12.5.6.
So no complaint from me, especially noteworthy because in the office we have been running beta versions of both iOS and MacOS on some phones and machines for at least 5 years now and literally none of those betas have been as low on quality as what Microsoft deigns to push out as a production update.
It appears we're saving quite a lot on downtime and wasted stafftime, it's easier to keep safe too and we now apparently also avoid a massive mandatory intelligence grab or privacy invasion, take your pick, yet still have commercial grade desktops on nice machines with a more sane approach to license management. What's not to like?
Because its the best and they're unable to admit that their buggy free software on minority (and becoming more minority) platforms isn't quite there and probably never will be - because M$ lol wtf bbq (insert random made up problem with ms software here)
Every year has been 'the year of the Linux desktop' or the 'year of the mac' - it's never happened. And it never will.
We're OK with it never being the year of the Mac - by their own admission, Microsoft being more "popular" (in quotes because it more feels like Stockholm syndrome from where I sit) means they get far more attention of the criminals of this world than Macs. Which is, of course, another argument to for Macs but the geniuses in Microsoft marketing haven't worked that out yet :)
Get it right, please. People are not complaining/hating Microsoft's software here. Some of their products (e.g. Excel, Visual Studio, etc) are very good. Only some, though...
But (speaking at least for myself) we do hate the arrogant, invasive, disrespectful and aggressive way that Microsoft handles customer relationships (e.g. forced upgrades, ignoring users, etc), marketing (forced adverts, push to 365, etc) and of course the total SNAFUs called Windows.
Anyway, do tell - what are you using that makes you think that you are so superior? And what makes you think that YOU are entitled to YOUR trolling post, let alone qualified?
P.S.: No downvote from me as you are not hiding your post behind the AC handle.
Why do so many people that hate Microsoft use their software?
Well using their software is a necessary precondition for developing a deep and justified loathing for them. The question you should ask is why they continue to use their software.
I dumped them for any personal use in 2004 and haven't looked back. Every now and then to earn a crust I'm forced to use Microsoft software on someone else's behalf and every time the experience gets worse than it was back in 2004 when I jumped ship.
Why keep using MS.
Because there is always one or two obscure apps which are essential to your work/hobbies which are only avalable on MS.
In my case it’s a best of breed enterprise architecture suite and Visio.
There is literally nothing comes close to Visio for diagraming short of a full fat CAD/CAM suite, the current version is eye watering lay expensive - so I run a ten year old version on a twelve year old laptop. All of which is years out of support but does the job.
I used Visio before Microsoft got its hands on it (and when I still used Windows) and it was a fantastic bit of software. And then Microsoft happened and turned into something abysmal (read: applied Microsoft UX principles to it which appear to mainly mandate stuffing it so much with unneeded "features" that it becomes pretty much as unusable as the rest of their software).
That said, providers of much better alternatives for Mac also occasionally need to be wistled back for giving in to featuritis.
As for Excel, we're in the process of taking on a new CFO and he or she (haven't decided yet) will have to be pretty convincing about "needing" Excel. If what they want to do is easy they can use Caldera's verion of LibreOffice, if it's difficult they'll have to explain how a complicated spreadsheet will pass review cycles and audit as we have a couple of extremely competent people there. Only if the business case stacks up (which will include network segretation, changes to the firewalls and network analysers and tha accompanying labour to keep all of that maintained) would we stick a copy on an isolated Mac with no other data on and no access to any of the other infrastructure. If we can make it work it will only even be operating in guest mode.
What we have seen by clients we secured over the years has pretty much confirmed we will never allow Microsoft code anywhere near our systems again if we can help it and yes, we're aggressive about it.
> "In my case it’s a best of breed enterprise architecture suite ..."
If your EA suite happens to be from Sparx, they do say that "Mac/Linux users can install Enterprise Architect under WINE.", just FYI.
> "... and Visio."
Visio is great! Love the programmability and SmartSheets. Plus you can have one shape link to various targets. Just try and link a Draw.io shape to a local file - that's a no-no (due to sandbox security). It's obvious that Visio is not an original Microsoft product. Same story with FoxPro - take a good product, buy the company, and then turn it into a complete pigs' breakfast...
> "... I run a ten year old version ..."
Just watch out for the Microsoft update scanning old Office apps - as per this very article... :-)
their software/updates are cack
I've used windows all the way back to win95 (.dll hell anyone? been there, done that, wasted a day re-installing windows)
By managing to get themselves on 90%+ of PCs (by fair means and foul) their attitude to quality is "Who cares? its not like they have a choice now is it" after all its now got to the situation where no one gets sacked for buying m$.
And its a time consuming PITA to have to keep updating windows, especially when it locks you out of your PC because the update is taking 6 hrs to complete and you turned your PC on at 9am to get a day's work done (been there done that one too and had to fend off a screaming boss at the same time) and just how much time is wasted by everyone because of a m$ foul up(bet they'd change their tune if we all billed them for the time)
The best thing that should have happened to m$ is that the OS and application divisions should have been split off from each other and made individual companies... that way we could have had office that ran on linux.. with the result that people would buy the best OS rather than whatever shitpile m$ has forced on us.
And I'm dreaming of the day our CAD software gets a linux version.... we're be off m$ faster than you'd expect
As for home.... I use win10 at home....but only for playing games.. work is done on the Linux dual boot which hardly ever gets put into win10 because IT TAKES TOO F'ING LONG TO UPDATE EVERY TIME I BOOT IT<thinks about that baseball bat>
"and its a time consuming PITA to have to keep updating windows, especially when it locks you out of your PC because the update is taking 6 hrs to complete"
That's why I moved to Gentoo Linux... 6 hours is so unambitious, before I had 8GB of memory and an SSD I could make a big update to Gentoo take over 24 hours... :-)
for the most part YOU can fix this! Start an anti-M$ movement at your company. Bring up spyware updates like this one. Make it clear that the software phones home repeatedly. Add in that the information phoned home includes web caches showing browser histories, both private and regular, from all MS machines. Point out that proprietary information is regularly accessed by these machines, and push a Linux alternative. It can't be THAT hard to switch, can it?
ONLY YOU can make this happen. Reduce the power of Redmond by reducing their reach and scope! I can't do it at my job, as I'm not in the IT department but if I were I'd be pushing this hard! I will be doing what I can though, as soon the only M$ under my roof will be the work supplied machine. Just waiting on a new hard drive to replace a corrupted one.
We're in the process of spinning up something rather large, and MS doesn't get to play. That comes straight from the founders and investors too, so there's no budging, no gladhanding, no expensive lunches or dinners, no golf course talk and no WSL excuse that can change that.
That said, I'll probably let it slip that I can be talked to because I want to see those MS sales people desperately try, not for any other reason that that it will entertain me.
Those BOFH genes cannot be denied..
There's an ancient anecdote about Bill Gates telling a student that the reason he won't autograph a Windows CD is because the student doesn't own it, he [Bill Gates] does.
Anyone who doesn't understand this has been asleep longer than Rip Van Winkle.
Something about anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither and will lose both would spring to mind but for the security bit.
This isn't news it's business as usual.
Last time when I reiterated on my mobile phone the importance of IT security to an officer serving in IT department of Taiwan military and defense ministry and mentioned that rumor circulates that "Windowz 10 is a spyware or malware", he replied, "We purchased special edition of Windows."
If someone other than Microsoft decided to install a program to collect specific user data on their device and send it back to themselves, that would probably be illegal ?
So what gives Microsoft the right to, without the users consent, to install a program onto their PC and do the same ?
Using software to monitor a person without their consent is definitely a computer misuse action. What programs a user uses is nothing to do with Microsoft. Maybe Microsoft thinks it owns you or your machine.
You will find that somewhere in the terabytes that is the Microsoft License you will have agreed to supply wife, children and your dog if Microsoft demands it.
The fact that it is in principle in breach of, for instance, the UK Computer Misuse Act is therefore neatly sidestepped, and if it isn't you will find that whoever gets to decide that is suddenly lunching/dining/golfing a lot with the Microsoft people in Bracknell, or even in Redmond after being shipped with VistaJet or similar luxury operation.
Yes, I'm cynical. I've seen them get away with quite a lot since the days of MS DOS, and as far as I can tell the company hasn't changed its MO one bit. That's also why I am extremely wary of WSL. Not happening here.
I'm not arguing against your viewpoint, but if is not possible to put a clause in a contract or license that runs contrary to legislation, and expect it to survive examination by the courts. This is a fundamental aspect of almost all mature legal systems. Legislation trumps contract law every time.
But unfortunately, it's not that easy to get a legal review of these things without spending a lot of money. And having strong sounding clauses, even if they are ineffective, will increase the FUD for those people who bother to read it, and will act as a misleading backstop for those who only read the license after the fact.
Just because MS wrote something a so called licence doesn't make it a legal contract. In fact a licence you only see at install time after purchase is probably illegal in many countries. Also in most countries a contract can't remove legal rights.
This action may break Computer Misuse laws in many countries.
Oh, I agree with you, but until someone is willing to invest both the time and the money to fight this it will remain a threat, exactly because most do NOT have the time or money for lawsuits.
Also, don't expect any government in the world to touch this. Ain't gonna happen.
I now use Linux for email/web etc. For work, I have a Windows machine which now stays offline to avoid this nonsense of forced updates, spyware, and constant surveillance.
I also decided to have a separate machine for games as the anti-cheat in games is quite intrusive. Scans contents of RAM and basically the entire file system to make sure you aren't cheating...but also to see what else you have there. :)
I have an archive of Word 2.0 on goldish CD, copied of MY floppies. Has a printed manual too.
You need old versions of MS programs to read old Word, Word Pad and MS Works. However I have them on a "just in case" basis. I changed to Libre Office a few years before mostly abandoning windows (I used MS Disk2VHD to convert my old Windows laptop into an image for VBox on Linux).
Four versions of Word doc file. Current MS Word can't read older ones.
Word for DOS
Word for Windows 1 and 2; Word 3 and 4 for Mac OS
Word 6 and Word 95 for Windows; Word 6 for Mac OS
Word 97 and later for Windows; Word 98 and later for Mac OS
It's none of MS right to know what old MS Software anyone runs.
I always said to myself when I purchased Office 2013 Pro Plus on a HUP almost 10 years ago it would be the last copy I would ever pay for.
Still holding true to that.
Microsoft set a dangerous precedent giving windows 10 free to anyone who wanted it. And still does. They tried to stop that with the sudden about face with artificial raised hardware and security requirements on windows 11, with comically low uptake results.
The result: windows 10 will likely be the last windows version I use on any PC hardware. Too many matured IOT devices now with full blown PC replacement capabilities to make Windows and Office relevant anymore.
And Microsofts market share is only going to shrink further from this point.
Windows 95, windows XP and Windows 10 were the 3 pinnacles for Microsoft users. It's all downhill from here.
I've said it several times in comments here: Microsoft have a clear strategy that the future of their business is web-based apps.
They have prepared for the eventual disappearance of the desktop Windows licence (completely for consumers, and largely for enterprises) by adopting Chromium as the basis for their browser so that they can just ship that, running on anything (Windows, Linux, IOS, Android, ...).
Their business will eventually be enterprise and personal software. Of course, it won't be a software business: it will be a services business. Tiered to target several different types of users. Consumers will have no upfront charge - they will make their money from ads and from upselling additional features on a pay-as-you-use basis. Businesses will have various different business models available - but all of them will involve remote use of an MS-provided service, not locally installed software.
Devices which need local storage and real keyboards and screens will eventually all be Linux PCs. Consumers and executives will use phones and tablets. Nothing of importance will be running locally. All will be using Microsoft SaaS apps.
This seems accurate, but are subscription services what people want?
I certainly do not want that trash anywhere near my business. Then again, if ChatGPT gets it's way it's probably not going to be that long before turning over human glue to robots is a thing.
I'm almost curious to see what such an engine makes of our policy suite. Can it spot the inconsistencies that arise from different elements of policy being issued on different dates? Or even pick up on the organisational sentiment and shifting corporate objectives driving certain policies?
The answer, perhaps worryingly, is not yet.
And in a world where such things CAN be turned over to machines, what do we do then? Turn everyone into consumers not working while AI labours? Insert Sci-fi robots gone wrong trope here.
This grubby company is already deleting office 365 from PC's
I tried to use mine on an old operating system in which they are still taking a subscription for,
One used to be able to run a repair with a few work arounds but instead this time they just deleted it from my system just grubby behaviour.
went and installed LIBRA OFFICE life is grand and no more issue with controlling my like by grubs
Word works, Excel throws a few messages but works, Powerpoint works. Access nope, Outlook nope.
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