Win 10, is it spyware?

RumRat

capital0ne wrote: »

Of course its 'spyware' the entire internet is spyware, it's all being recorder and analysed somewhere by someone.
If you don't like it just go dark and get rid of your internet access and mobile phone.

Don't know how some people manage to get up in the morning and live their lives. Must be a burden looking over your shoulder all day and jumping at the shadows.

Frozen_up_north

epitome wrote: »

Is there anything nefarious about Windows 10?

Should I stick with Windows 7?

Windows 7, 8 and 10 all potentially “phone home” to Microsoft with details of your computer and your use of it. It’s nothing new, Netscape Navigator (an early web browser) was found to report back on which web sites you visited... Spying on your activities is becoming more common, “smart” TVs report which channels you watch and for how long, even putting adverts on your home screen - thanks Samsung... not to mention your ISP recording every web site you visit, every email you send. A VPN stops the latter, hopefully they don’t store the same.

You can “fix” Windows 7, 8 and 10 yourself, there is also an easy to use free tool to do the job for you:
https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/

As others have mentioned, Win 10, especially the latest Creators Edition, is quite a bit more secure than earlier versions and seems faster than the earlier Windows 10.

GDB2222

I’m not sure what people think Microsoft do with this information? There’s nobody sitting there and chortling.

[Deleted User]

Illegal or not, it's all underhand and I still prefer to use Windows 7 which I do across 2 PCs and a Netbook.

Microsoft have even done a shady deal with Intel to stop Windows 7 working on the latest processors. There is no real technical reason why Windows 7 can't run on newer processors, other than Microsoft wanting to shift everyone onto Win 10.

unforeseen

They must have done a deal with the other major supplier as well. The latest AMD Zen chips will only work on Windows 10. Although you can still use Linux etc as well.

It's called developing Chipsets for the current and expected future systems.

You are aware that support for Windows 7 has ceased and it is only security fixes that are being produced now? Why develop for an OS that is no longer supported?

[Deleted User]

unforeseen wrote: »

You are aware that support for Windows 7 has ceased and it is only security fixes that are being produced now? Why develop for an OS that is no longer supported?

Because half the population still use it.

GDB2222

If half the population truly do still use W7, that's a shame. MS offered a free upgrade to W10, which I used. It was obvious which way the wind was blowing. There is limited support for W7 right the way through to 2020, IIRC.

System

Deleted_User wrote: »

Because half the population still use it.

Windows 7 will be phased out regardless of how much of the population use it currently.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet

it could well be that windows 10 will always be called windows 10 going forward and just be a service and get updates like google chrome.

https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/7/8568473/windows-10-last-version-of-windows

So either Microsoft have to better inform users who use extreme terms like "spyware" to describe their service that they do not spy on them or those users switch to other platforms or put tin foil hats on and hide underground :rotfl:

unforeseen

GDB2222 wrote: »

If half the population truly do still use W7, that's a shame. MS offered a free upgrade to W10, which I used. It was obvious which way the wind was blowing. There is limited support for W7 right the way through to 2020, IIRC.

The extended support is only for businesses that pay MS for it. For the home user there is no support whatsoever apart from security fixes.

Even older Win10 versions have had their support ceased
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet

Uxb

unforeseen wrote: »

You are aware that support for Windows 7 has ceased and it is only security fixes that are being produced now? Why develop for an OS that is no longer supported?

Excellent
this means we will no longer have to install a pointless patches for the changing daylight saving time in places like Outer Mongolia: I never did and blocked the totally irelevant ones (plus the famous ...2664 KB which sought to install the sypware onto existing Win7 machines).

My laptop is still running XP, with the desktop on Win 7