[harsh]

Scott, if Win 10 is the startup speed of 8.1 and the UI of windows 7, I'll be fairly happy.

That would be a decided (and very much welcome) departure for Microsoft. I'm not sure I would have chosen the Windows 7 UI though.

 

[harsh]

The point of Windows 10 is that new feature and functionality will be offered when they get around to them without the pressure of having to deliver with the next Windows version.

I still think it would be nifty to have WinFS.

I can't imagine how Cortana is going to expand my computer experience. Then again, I don't see the value of using a computer to run phone apps unless our goal is to do away with personal computers altogether.

The point of upgrading should be uniquely to get better performance. Microsoft clearly doesn't understand that.

 

[harsh]

I dont feel like reinstalling everything I have on here again cause its a lot.

As history has proven, reinstalling is the only true way to purge the demons from Windows. There are just too many places that settings get saved to (registry, Program Files, Program Data, AppData, etc.) and many of the uninstall scripts aren't all that diligent about whacking each and every one of them.

 

[harsh]

I am happier with Win 7 than 8.1 ... if Win 10 is a free upgrade forever (not a lease after the first year) and runs like Win 7 I'll go for it.

The likelihood of going to a lease model scares the bejesus out of me. Especially after mucking about with Office 365 for a while (and subsequently removing it).

 

[harsh]

There won't be a fee after the first year.

I'd feel much safer in making that statement if Microsoft hadn't trademarked "Windows 365" recently.

 

[harsh]

You must not be familiar with VLC Media Player.

VLC certainly isn't as finished as PowerDVD or WinDVD. The two things in its favor is that in runs on Windows 10 and it comes with no monetary cost.

 

[harsh]

Windows Media Center is not part of Windows 10.

WMC wasn't part of Windows 8. The important difference is that WMC won't run on Windows 10.

 

[harsh]

So...The only way to play your Music Library with 10, is with a 3rd party program? All my music is WMA......

It is a pretty safe bet that Windows Media Player will be in there in some form but it is unknown whether or not it will be able to play DVDs directly.

Rather than risking Microsoft eventually pulling the rug out from under your setup, a third party media player might meet your needs. VLC Media Player plays WMAs just fine (and the latest versions run under Windows 10). Foobar2000 is also a powerful music player with ripping, tagging and volume leveling features.

Unless you're still using Zunes, I'd suggest looking into FLAC (lossless) or Vorbis (lossy) as there aren't any nagging questions about their future and they're probably a little more broadly supported.

 

[harsh]

Every time I power up the laptop I bought off Craigslist for $85 and acquired in a parking lot rendezvous, Microsoft asks me to pay them $119 to make the Windows 7 upgrade software legal.

That's what happens when someone installs the software without an activation code. It is not a sign of certain doom as Jimmy57 asserts.

It will get worse as time goes on and you will not be eligible for the free Windows 10 deal unless you buy a version of Windows that qualifies.

 

[harsh]

That might be a virus / Trojan , etc. If I remember correctly Microsoft never asks you for money.

How did you get doom out of my posts ?

Sounds fraught with danger to me.

Who in their right mind would buy an authentic version of Windows 7 for a laptop they paid $85 for just to get the free upgrade to windows 10 ?

Someone who was planning on using said computer long term.

 

[harsh]

That will last for my lifetime.

Microsoft always figures out a way to make using old versions of Windows difficult. The assault on Vista started a couple of months ago with a change to the desktop preferences that, by default, prevents some applications from opening their windows. It can be worked around, but this was just the first recognizable volley.

 

[harsh]

I still have one XP machine running (I'd like to replace it with Windows 7). I use it for a specific automated task not browsing etc. It has not gotten any worse since it became unsupported (the biggest problem is with the power supply).

You're talking about servers and/or controllers and I'm talking about daily drivers. The theatre organ in my town is still running Windows 98se because there's no pressing need to keep up with what's going on outside the theatre. It is the machines that aren't dedicated to a particular task that stand the highest risk of not getting updates that are needed to remain functional. I had to give up Windows 2000 as my daily driver because Microsoft wouldn't install updated Internet certificates.

I did not have any problems with my Vista machine until the hardware died a few months ago.

The assault that I speak of came in June so you probably didn't encounter it. For me, the problem was running Putty (terminal program) as the configuration window would open but the actual terminal window would not. Changing the desktop scheme to something less fancy was a workaround. Microsoft has a plan for stinking Vista and it is just getting started.

 

[harsh]

As to the Rambler: It was considered to be the first American compact car. Ramblers were produced only from 1950 until 1958.

Ramblers were produced at the turn of the 20th century. Nash bought the company and changed the name to Nash Motors in 1916.

Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson combined in 1954 to create American Motors and the Nash and Hudson brands gave way to the new Rambler brand in 1958. American Motors dropped the Rambler brand and went with AMC in 1968 and AMC was scavenged by Chrysler 20 years later. An ignominious death for the company that brought us the Hornet, the "Bathtub Car" (Nash Statesman) and the Cosmopolitan.

 

[harsh]

You push the wall button and the light comes on. You don't have to wait.

Unless you have some of those particularly slow CFL or LED lamps where there is a noticeable delay.

 

[harsh]

Vista had a few wins over XP but UAC outweighed most or all of them.

Only now are we seeing mainstream software that can't be made to run under XP (not simply because of version checking).

 

[harsh]

Personally I don't think there's anything nefarious. Windows 10 is free for the machine if you upgrade in the first year, and they want as many people to upgrade as possible.

There may be something nefarious lurking beneath the icon if you opt in. It is my understanding that once you opt in, Windows 10 will be installed and updated when Microsoft decides and there's little to nothing that you can do about it short of cutting off your Internet connection. On the consumer versions, all updates will be installed automatically (when the machine is judged by Microsoft to be "idle") and without the option to postpone.

 

[harsh]

Then we will notify you when your device is ready to "install" the upgrade". That said, one can choose whether to "install" Windows 10 or not.

These promises coming from a company that considers patches that nag about upgrading or otherwise harm the user experience to be classed as important updates.

I stopped believing what Microsoft says about updates when they started pointing to non-existent web pages in lieu of making it clear what their Patch Tuesday patches did. It used to be that if you clicked on a patch in Windows Update, there was a description of what it was intended to accomplish expressed in a single paragraph. Now you get boilerplate and a 404 error.

But wait! If you subscribe to MSDN for an additional annual fee, they'll let you in on what's going on.

 

[harsh]

It must be hard to live as you and not like anything or anybody.

It would absolutely be easier to ignore reality and assume that everyone has your back but that's not the world that we live in.

 

[harsh]

Quite a few hated the changes from XP to 7. UAC, the change from Documents and Settings to Users etc. Others didn't like the UI change.

The UI change could be "fixed", for the most part, by changing some of the default behaviors. Sometimes this required editing the registry. UAC, introduced in Vista, could not easily be fixed but it is what you get when security is an evolving afterthought with associated hits and misses.

 

[harsh]

The only place I really hated the WIndows 8 UI was on a server.

True dat!

Someone asked me if I was going to update my 2003 servers to 2012 and I told them that it wasn't going to happen on my watch.

I hate Metro on pretty much all platforms.