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Published 8 years ago by rataerix with 37 Comments

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Conversation 12 comments by 11 users
  • picklefingers
    +16

    Ouch. Automatic updates? I generally hold on updates to see if there are any problems with them first. Good thing I'm migrating away from Windows for pretty much everything besides gaming.

    • redalastor
      +12

      Windows user : Oh no, updates...

      Linux user : Yeah, updates!

      Mac user : Only $79 for the update!

      • picklefingers
        +7

        I'm a Linux user and I love Linux updates. I also love Windows updates. I like updates in general. But I like knowing that my update doesn't break anything.

      • KempfCreative
        +6

        I get the joke, but Mac updates have been free for a very long time (3+ years), where as Windows just started giving out free updates. Linux updates have been free for forever, but they consistently break everything.

        • BarnyardOwl
          +11

          Linux updates have been free for forever, but they consistently break everything.

          Really? I've never had an update break anything on any of my (several) Linux systems.

          I recently updated to 17.2 (Linux MInt) as well as upgrading my kernel to 3.16, too. Still no problems, and it fixed a couple of things that were really bugging me.

          • ColonBowel (edited 8 years ago)
            +2

            How many systems do you have and why?

            • BarnyardOwl
              +2

              Desktop, laptop, a couple servers, and a raspberry pi.

              So 5 in total, all running various distros of Linux.

        • hereorthere
          +9

          I've been a Linux user since 2006 and 99% of the updates do not break anything.

        • looknclick
          +4

          maq update gave my friend a grey screen once, something to to with thunderbolt driver....

        • Gozzin (edited 8 years ago)
          +2

          I've used Linux for 11 years and I've never had updates break anything except 10 10 broke Compiz once... Nor do I know anyone who has had problems with Linux updates and I've been on a lot of Linux forums and talked with a lot of users for a very long time. Linux on both my computers.

    • utesred
      +3

      They did announce that there will be a 'fast' and a 'slow' track for updates, specifically for those worried about buggy updates. While I would definitely prefer the choice of controlling windows updates entirely, this does help a little bit.

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  • FistfulOfStars (edited 8 years ago)
    +6

    I find the "at home" vs "at work" dichotomy a farce, as increasingly people are doing both from the same location/device. I play games and surf the web on the same PC as I do CAD work.

    And auto-updates are great idea, but when it has the potential to break something that is relied upon for income, it's absurd not to even have the option of stopping or even delaying it.

    To be completely honest, I'm rather disappointed in the direction the software industry has been heading for the past 5 years. Perhaps I'm just a curmudgeon.

  • jmcs
    +5

    Did Microsoft just called all their home users idiots?

    • Brandon816 (edited 8 years ago)
      +2

      Seems like it's 50% trying to limit virus viability by preventing already patched viruses from remaining effective (e.g. users are idiots) and 50% messing over people who try to pirate non-enterprise versions of Windows 10 with stealth windows genuine advantage DRM patches.

      • jmcs
        +3

        So 50% users are idiots other 50% users are even bigger idiots, and the percentage of windows users that actually knows how to use a computer is insignificant enough to not even warrant a hidden checkbox to disable the automatic updates.

    • ttubravesrock
      +2

      no

      • jmcs
        +4

        They effectively just said there is not a single Home user that can be trusted with deciding when to update.

  • Mtat
    +5

    It is a big issue for people that doesn't have their computers on all the time. You might turn it on because you need to do something in a hurry and then you have to wait for some update to take all your bandwidth. Then you might have to turn off your computer in order to get rid of that pesky "restart" screen that flips up, preventing you from doing certain stuff and watching movies, and the reset might take a very long time. Very upsetting if it takes more than a few minutes, which it often does. If you are working on a limited bandwidth it is also a big issue to let windows choose when to suck up your bandwidth.

    The choice of when to do your updates is a BIG issue for me.

    • OldTallGuy (edited 8 years ago)
      0

      I happen to live in an area where we don't have any option but DSL quality connectivity, it's a great place to live except for the internet. If Microsoft holds true to its history then I assume we will see updates several times larger than what they are currently for Windows 7 and 8. I usually stay current with updates but at least I choose when to install them, I don't want Microsoft deciding when to download updates because I don't want my usage time to be competing with their updates.

      There are plans for our area to upgrade to cable but I cringe at the thought of dealing with Comcast, Time-Warner, and Charter, I haven't had much fun with them in the past.

  • ttubravesrock
    +3

    I'm fine with this under one condition. If it is going to run in the background, I want to be able to set a bandwidth cap that it uses like I used to be able to do with torrents. I have very slow internet AND I have a household monthly data limit of 30 gb (~1 gb/day).

  • eilyra
    +2

    Hmm, I wonder how this will react if a user completely disables the Windows update service (as in, going to Services, finding Windows update, and setting startup type to disabled)? Or will that be blocked on home versions of Windows 10?

  • ballpointcarrot
    +2

    I can forsee some issues with hardware compatibility (I had that problems with Win7 SP1 when it came out), but otherwise this doesn't really seem like a bad policy to me.

    • achensherd
      +4

      Oh, if this applies to driver updates, too, I'm totally not down for that. Windows Update and my Brother multi-function printer don't get along as it is, and I'm glad I can keep the former from bothering the latter right now.

      • trails
        +2

        I chuckled upon reading this, largely due to the whirlwind of f-bombs I unleashed earlier today while dealing with a Win10 preview update that absolutely crippled the previously working (albeit precarious) connection with my Brother MF printer. Got it working after a handful of power cycles and driver refreshes, but the pain still haunts me this evening!

        • achensherd
          +2

          Ah yes, I remember the last time I had Windows Update locate the drivers for my Brother HL-2280DW. To WU's credit, it got the "printer" part of the driver right, but the "multi-function" part... not so much. There was a time in my youth when I didn't mind spending hours upon hours messing around with my computer, diagnosing problems, etc., but nowadays... nowadays I just want the fraggin' thing and everything connected to it to work and stay working, a desire you and most working adults probably share. Ugh... I'm not looking forward to July 29th anymore. -_-

  • NotWearingPants
    +2

    It's a good thing Microsoft has never released an update that caused problems on some people's (or everyone's) systems.

    /s

    "Hello, Tech support, why does my machine constantly reboot?"

  • hitthee (edited 8 years ago)
    +2

    they really want to kill windows don't they. So who thinks windows 10 will be a clusterfuck and who can't wait for the free windows 11 back peddle and update? because you know not listening to your client base is a great business model.

    • ekyris
      +2

      Have you been following anything going on with Windows 10? They've had an opt-in technical preview program for about a year with constant feedback from IT and developer users of it. With the current build I'm on, Win10 is incredibly stable and a marked improvement from Windows 8(.1).

      • hitthee (edited 8 years ago)
        +2

        Yes I have. My comment reflects how little faith I have in Microsoft anymore.

  • PeopleShelf
    +1

    I am steering away from windows. I am planning on running windows via a virtual just for gaming. Then using linux as my main box.

  • Nerdeiro
    +1

    What bothers me is the feeling that my computer doesn't belong to me anymore, but to Microsoft.

    Hell, I paid for this thing. It's mine, I decide how I use it.

    If they're worried with security, educate the less savy users, but don't punish the advanced ones..

    • Gozzin
      +2

      What bothers me is the feeling that my computer doesn't belong to me anymore, but to Microsoft.

      I felt the same way,which is why I moved to Linux 11 years ago. I just reached a breaking point over XP and decided i was not going to take it anymore.

      • Nerdeiro
        +3

        I only use windows as a gigantic device driver to run a few games that don't yet run on linux.

        I installed windows 10 on my notebook to test it out on real hardware, but since the new menu is still from from what I liie, classic shel is till a must. Since there's not much of a difference between win 10 and 8.1 in this case, I'll stick with 8.1 for as long as it takes.

  • achensherd
    +1

    I'm mixed on this. I already apply all critical updates as they come, have never personally had a problem as a result, and can see how this would prevent some of my less tech-savvy family and friends from not updating and getting screwed by malware, but at the same time I can see how if there's a dodgy update the same people would be screwed unless Microsoft catches it quickly. Having updates be automatic by default with the ability to opt-out would be better, IMO.

  • Celtore (edited 8 years ago)
    +1

    Hopefully they keep that policy in place that prevents the computer automatically restarting upon receiving an update. This is enough to make me reconsider upgrading, I've been fighting with the update system since vista. Heaven forbid you go to the bathroom while windows updates, least it restart itself and you lose everything.

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