Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sun 11th Nov 2012 15:49 UTC
"Yesterday my desktop died, and so I went ahead and got a brand new Windows 8 laptop. It's always been my feeling that as years go on, user experience has been going down for people who use a computer and the Internet, because of decisions all companies make that are clearly anti-user, either because they think they know best, or in many cases, for financial gains. But from spending all night reinstalling everything and customizing the laptop, I realized just how bad it has become." Probably the biggest reason to go Mac or Linux. Such a shame Microsoft found it more important to pressure OEMs into silly Secure Boot nonsense instead of doing something about the anti-user crapware disaster. Goes to show who Microsoft cares about. Hint: it ain't you.
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RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by cdude on Mon 12th Nov 2012 04:28
in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
Member since:2008-09-21
It indeed seems as the rules Microsoft defines are not focused on the best end-user experience. It makes sense to deny for example changing bing to google in IE but cluttering IE with all kind of crapware icons and toolbars is even more worse. From the end-user perspective. From the Microsoft pov it's maybe irrelevant cause those crap doesn't compete with own products/services. And that is short minded. They, Microsoft, should have a focus on the best end-user experience possible. They don't cause they do not need to. Monopolists, pff.
Edited 2012-11-12 04:29 UTC
RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by ilovebeer on Mon 12th Nov 2012 16:29
in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
Member since:2011-08-08
Once you've got the OS running, you still need a lot more: drivers and hardware-related software, some office suite, some e-mail program, some antivirus/security software, a better web browser, a better video player, and even basic tools such as a PDF reader.
That's definitely a lot of work, and very time consuming.
That's definitely a lot of work, and very time consuming.
I install Windows 7 boxes frequently along with all or most of what you've listed. It never takes several hours, much less all night. That's completely ridiculous. If it's taking that long, you're doing something wrong.
Yes, MS are in a large part responsible for this.
That's their OS, they get to decide what goes with it.
They define the rules, and OEMs can only comply.
Obviously, the current rules do not benefit the end-user.
That's their OS, they get to decide what goes with it.
They define the rules, and OEMs can only comply.
Obviously, the current rules do not benefit the end-user.
Microsoft is not responsible for the crap OEMs install. It's the OEMs decision to load your new system with a bunch of garbage toolbars and stupid trial apps. Microsoft does not force any of this, it's 100% OEM decision to do so.
RE[3]: Comment by ilovebeer
by zlynx on Mon 12th Nov 2012 20:53
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer"
Member since:2005-07-20
It takes me at least four hours to get my Windows system back where I like it.
Windows install. Video card driver update. Windows updates. Restore user files from backup. Install Steam, start game downloads or a restore. Install LibreOffice, VS2010 C# and C++, Thunderbird, Firefox, Foxit, Pidgin, Java JDK, Eclipse, VirtualBox. More Windows updates for the VS2010 stuff. Remember that I wanted Doom 3, dig around in the closet until I find the box. Install that. Realize that I need special software for the surround sound headphones and the mouse. Dig through Logitech's website to find it.
Etc, etc.
Easily a full night after work and dinner, and I always seem to forget things that I need later on, so really it drags on for weeks.
Features
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OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/16/13 9:29 UTC
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.More Features »
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2006-12-18
Once you've got the OS running, you still need a lot more: drivers and hardware-related software, some office suite, some e-mail program, some antivirus/security software, a better web browser, a better video player, and even basic tools such as a PDF reader.
That's definitely a lot of work, and very time consuming.
This kind of tools indeed ARE pre-installed by your OEM, because that's what the average user expects from a brand new computer, only in unlicensed crap-loaded obsolete or otherwise broken versions.
Yes, MS are in a large part responsible for this.
That's their OS, they get to decide what goes with it.
They define the rules, and OEMs can only comply.
Obviously, the current rules do not benefit the end-user.