Windows 10

[ThinkPad]

@elwing,

First of all,

Windows 95 was a very good windows. Thanks to Windows 95, "The Internet" have the form that we know today.

98 was good but it used a MS DOS as a core (just like 95), and when the new hardware came in, the 98 became buggy and unreliable - something like the 64 bit version of Windows XP but on different scale.

The Milenium was absolutley crap because some "genius" from Microsoft decided to use MS DOS as a core again.

Second,

Windows 2000 (which is basicly ME with the core from NT instead of MS DOS) was flawless, and in some ways even better than XP (back in the day, Win 2000 with service pack 4 was waaaaaay smoother than XP on my machine [Athlon XP 1G DDR 400, Radeon 9800 pro] - FACT)  

Third, 

Release of the Vista was a disaster but even so, Vista 64 was way more reliable than XP 64.

Today the Vista with the latest service packs is basically Windows 7, and I prefer to install Vista on laptop/PC which have OEM License for Vista, instead of pirated 7 with crappy loader activator.

Final,

Do not expect Windows 10 to be good. With Windows 10 be prepared for the pure form of GOOGLE STYLE BIG BROTHER.

Edit: Nija post from ekianjo

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

 

[_wb_]

I hate it when people assume that the word "PC" implies "Windows". It's just a personal computer, and I have been using GNU/Linux on my PCs since 1998.

 

[TrashyMG]

^This

And MACs are PCs too.. and my PCs run Linux, not Windows..

 

[Null]

http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2373838/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-permission-to-watch-your-every-move

 

[ThinkPad]

http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2373838/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-permission-to-watch-your-every-move

As I said...

 

[WizardStan]

Windows can collect your voice and anything you say

which is bog standard when you use a voice recognition engine, especially pre-release. Similar wording is in Nuance, Vestec, and Google's terms of use. They're talking about using recorded audio to improve the recognition. This isn't just with respect to voice recognition and isn't even Windows specific, Android is full of "anonymous statistics to improve performance" features. I don't know about Mac but I'd bet many dollars that Apple is in on the usage stats game as well.That entire article is screaming of FUD. The insider program is a pre-release, getting something early full of a lot of new features in exchange for usage stats of those features in order to make the features better. If you don't like it, don't sign up for the insider program, continue to use the existing version. It's not like they try to hide these things, buried in a bunch of legalese, they spell it out at the top of the terms of use in plain English

Thank you for choosing to participate in the Program! The purpose of the Program is to:

1. provide participants with access to experimental and prerelease software and services (collectively the “Program Services”) to try out on their devices; and

2. provide Microsoft with feedback and detailed usage data about all activities occurring on those devices so that Microsoft and its partners can improve their products and services.

Yeah, the data they collect is intrusive, but it's what they need to test and improve their systems, especially a pre-release system. It's an entirely optional program, if you don't want to provide them the information they need to improve their system then don't, it is seriously that easy.If the final product had these with no opt-out clause then you can start worrying, but so far even in production systems where such usage stats are normal there's usually an opt-out so not really a problem.

There are a lot of reasons to dislike Microsoft. This is not one of them.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

So my prediction is that, in the next few years, the population of Linux home users will grow drastically. 

Linux is already a pretty good system right now, but we don't see any drastic user base increase, because there's no hardware sold with Linux by default (or very little). As long as this does not change, Linux will remain a niche market. 

The companies will continue to use Windows 7 Pro (and Enterprise) and never will give any fucks about Windows 8, 8.1, 10, 15, or 500 - It will be the new XP for them. because they was already forced to upgrade (spend money on new licenses) to 7 from XP.

you don't get it I think... think of what happenned back in the days...

we had a crappy windows 95,

a better windows 98,

a crappy windows ME,

a good windows XP,

a crappy Vista,

a great seven,

a crappy windows 8 (with a somewhat better 8.1)

chances are the next one might actually be good... Microsoft tend to alternate good with crappy OS... 

That cycle is a myth. It does not even contain Windows 2000 which was a pretty good OS at the time. 

Windows 2000 was meant for businesses, that's why it's not on that list.

As for me, I used Windows 3.1 until 2009 because I couldn't afford a new computer, and my old one was still working. Going from 3.1 to 7 was a big shock, and I still hate the new interface. That's why I use CDE on Gentoo now. It reminds one of Windows 3.1's interface.

 

[TrashyMG]

As for me, I used Windows 3.1 until 2009 because I couldn't afford a new computer, and my old one was still working.

Seriously? what type of work could you do on this relic today.. I mean I could upgrade my 386 to windows 95 and get a little more use out of it.. But there are very much a ton of limitations sticking with windows 3.1.. like running any program worth while.

And you couldn't afford a new computer from 1992 to 2009?

 

[Björn]

A thought hit me, when i read this discussion. If Linux ever becomes mainstream, they will probably change the entire userspace, to make it "idiot-proof". And with these changes also comes nasty software (in terms of closed source software that will also collect data, or software that is very controversial because of it's architecture), that most of the Linux community won't like.
This would fork the community into mainstream users (former Windows users) and Linux community as it is now. And i think the differences between these systems will make the software, and maybe even drivers, incompatible.
This would pretty much leave us with the same situation, as we have now. So, i don't know if it is desirable to make Linux a mainstream system.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

I hate it when people assume that the word "PC" implies "Windows". It's just a personal computer, and I have been using GNU/Linux on my PCs since 1998.

Here, fix it!

 

[fusion_power]

Possible reason for naming it 10 instead of 9:

http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2hwlrk/new_windows_version_will_be_called_windows_10/ckwq83x

However, I'm more interested in DX12 and it's possibilities. I imagine a much more efficient game development, closer to the hardware like Console games are.

 

[WizardStan]

Possible reason for naming it 10 instead of 9:

I read the list of compromises made for Win95 in the name of "third party compatibility" and have no reason to believe it's improved any: specific version checks, hard coded file name dependencies, "decommissioned" features, I would not be surprised if there is still a known bug or two intentionally left in Windows 8 because some application depended on the incorrect behavior back in Windows 3. Internally Win95, which should have been version 4.0, was coded as 3.99 because some major app was checking to see if the version was >3.0 and < 4.0.That some other major apps might exist checking against a "Windows 9" string would not surprise me.

If I had to pick one difference between the culture of Windows vs Linux it would be this: Linux makes changes and is not afraid to destroy entire ecosystems to do something better, if it breaks app compatibility in the process the app developer needs to adapt to keep up and users will have no problem pointing fingers at the app or even helping to get that done; if Microsoft were to make an app breaking change, even if it is for the better of the system, people complain to Microsoft, they don't care whether the app developer was in the wrong, it worked before and Microsoft broke it, so they go to great lengths to maintain compatibility with an equivalent cost.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

As for me, I used Windows 3.1 until 2009 because I couldn't afford a new computer, and my old one was still working.

Seriously? what type of work could you do on this relic today.. I mean I could upgrade my 386 to windows 95 and get a little more use out of it.. But there are very much a ton of limitations sticking with windows 3.1.. like running any program worth while.


And you couldn't afford a new computer from 1992 to 2009?

Well, there is a nice browser for DOS called Arachne, and I had a WaveLAN WiFi card. But basically, that was when I was living with my parents, I had no job and no income. The computer came with Windows 98, but it ran like crap, so I put 3.1 on it and it ran much better. And I essentially only used it for text editing, games, and web browsing with the aforementioned Arachne.

MPlayer exists for DOS, so I could watch DVDs, and MPXPlay is nice for music. You would be surprised what people still work on for these old OSes.

 

[TrashyMG]

You would be surprised what people still work on for these old OSes.

Okay Granted it's impressive you got somethings working well on Windows 3.1.. I have heard of Arachne before, but never used it.. 


But you just happen to have never used another computer in a work or school situation from the release of Windows 3.1 to Windows 7 running one of the later Windows releases? There hasn't really been that much difference in UI design from Windows 95 to Windows 7 as they just added more polish added to it. I just don't think there was much to be shocked about.. 

 

[Silent-Hunter]

I had used it at school once or twice, Windows 98 I think. But I mean behind the scenes as well. I hate the registry and stuff. At school, I hadn't had the opportunity to see how much exactly changed 'under the hood'. I also was able to still use Program Manager on the school computer. When I got a new computer with Windows 7, I couldn't find it, nor could I find File Manager.

Either way, I find Linux far more usable.

 

[FBnil]

At my folks house I still run Windows 98SE. (unfortunately, the Diskdrive is dead due to dust and the CDROM only works when at a certain angle now... sigh... stupid dust.)

 

[Mr_Loon]

I think that the Great Microsoft era is finally coming to an end... Well at least at the home environment.

But maybe not in the Home desktop / laptop environment.

Sounds like Win 10 will be a good upgrade from Win 7, if it's reasonably priced I'll be in.

 

[ThinkPad]

Those charts represent only 2% Linux home users because it lacks game releases.

Here is the example:

If you build yourself a 1500-2000 Euro gaming rig will you put a Linux in it? Of course not!

The release of SteamOS (Debian) and multi platform engines like Unity and Unreal 4 will change that. Drastically!

And the percentage of the Linux home users on this charts will became a completely different number. 

Yes, this is not exactly the final punch that will destroy MS on the home user scene, But It is more like the first kick of a Mortal Kombat style - finishing combo.

Brutality!

 

[TrashyMG]

If you build yourself a 1500-2000 Euro gaming rig will you put a Linux in it? Of course not!

Well it would be silly to throw that much money at a gaming machine, but if I did I would totally throw just Linux on it.