Microsoft is in a different league with Windows 10, however. This was what they dreamed of 15 years ago. Once you install Windows 10, it's no longer your PC, it is Microsoft's.
You can't choose to avoid an update.
Think about that. This means Microsoft can do anything it wants to with your computer:
* change your settings
* farm your compute cycles
* put in advertising
* install a pay gate to charge you per logon
* read your files
* add key loggers
* change your settings at their whim
They'll be able to do any of this whenever they want because YOU, the former owner of the machine, will not be allowed to circumvent or opt-out of "updates."
You haven't upgraded to the latest version of Office? Too bad, we're turning the one you have off.
We just signed a deal with a third party, so that video editing software that used to come with Windows... gone, but feel free to pay for that third party package in the app store.
We noticed you have some MP3 files that we didn't put on your machine. They'll have to go, or you can license them through us.
We're enhancing your security by removing Google Chrome... you see they didn't comply with our updated code signing policies. Sorry.
The last few hiccups with Mozilla are them being the Diet Coke of Evil in comparison.
No, they can't legally do any of the negative things you've listed, and they aren't an organization with a history of criminal action against customers. This brings the OS in line with the behavior of many applications (Chrome for example) in keeping things always up-to-date & secured, and it's done because most users are incredibly lazy and ignorant.
Until recently, Microsoft wasn't really dealing with their users' data. This requires that you trust them. Personally I trust them just enough to use their OS (or rather, I rely on the fact that they know people watch closely what Windows does), but I definitely don't trust them to keep my data.
More precisely I don't trust them (or any other company) when they say they won't sell my data, or spy on me, or use my data against me. Because, when you think about it, there is absolutely no way to verify that they keep their word.
> it's done because most users are incredibly lazy and ignorant.
I don't know why it's acceptable for software to treat all of its users as lazy and ignorant, even if most actually are. All that's going to do is encourage them to find ever new and amazing ways to be even more lazy and ignorant.
Sure, botnets suck, but it's not worth giving up control over our desktops to stop them.
> All that's going to do is encourage them to find ever new and amazing ways to be even more lazy and ignorant.
A lazy person won't do anything more difficult or time consuming than the easiest choice available, and an ignorant person might not even realize there are other choices. So make the easiest and default choice do the thing that is "best" for everyone.
> Sure, botnets suck, but it's not worth giving up control over our desktops to stop them.
I used to agree, but am no longer convinced of this, at least personally. I use Windows and OSX daily, and feel a hell of a lot more secure about my OSX machine. I'd give up some control of my Windows machine to not always assume everything is or will likely be infected at some point, by a known or unknown cause, detected or not detected.
Not to say that OSX cannot be attacked, it definitely can, but overall.. there's little comparison. the relative ease of updates & upgrades, high adoption rates, a very nice app store full of sandboxed apps; it's just a much safer place.
Microsoft is in a different league with Windows 10, however. This was what they dreamed of 15 years ago. Once you install Windows 10, it's no longer your PC, it is Microsoft's.
Think about that. This means Microsoft can do anything it wants to with your computer:* change your settings
* farm your compute cycles
* put in advertising
* install a pay gate to charge you per logon
* read your files
* add key loggers
* change your settings at their whim
They'll be able to do any of this whenever they want because YOU, the former owner of the machine, will not be allowed to circumvent or opt-out of "updates."
You haven't upgraded to the latest version of Office? Too bad, we're turning the one you have off.
We just signed a deal with a third party, so that video editing software that used to come with Windows... gone, but feel free to pay for that third party package in the app store.
We noticed you have some MP3 files that we didn't put on your machine. They'll have to go, or you can license them through us.
We're enhancing your security by removing Google Chrome... you see they didn't comply with our updated code signing policies. Sorry.
The last few hiccups with Mozilla are them being the Diet Coke of Evil in comparison.