10 ms·

> Also my corporate windows 10 laptop has the entire window store and modern app infrastructure disabled Wow that's... What? For all its warts, the Windows St

> Also my corporate windows 10 laptop has the entire window store and modern app infrastructure disabled Wow that's... What? For all its warts, the Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform. Doesn't disabling it merely encourage downloading zipped executables from sleazy unencrypted websites?

tonyedgecombe 9y ago
"Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform" Ha ha ...
- starquake 9y ago
  Some motivation for your reaction would be great!
  - AstralStorm 9y ago
    It is not vetted properly nor delivers apps people need. Other than the stupid forced ones that is. Additionally it does not work properly without a Microsoft account (could've changed) forcing it to be off if Active Domain is used.
    - WorldMaker 9y ago
      Since Windows 8.1 a couple years back, you can sign into a Microsoft account in the Store on top of an Active Domain account without confusing/combining them. Since Windows 8.1 you can even sign into a Microsoft account on an individual app basis, signing in for specific app purchases only. Since early Windows 10 that individual app basis has been expanded so that most free apps don't require a Microsoft account to sign in at all, if you so desire. Furthermore, the Windows Store for Business uses Active Domain accounts entirely and allows you to connect Windows Store licenses to corporate licensing policies, if you want to control corporate application requisitions centrally but still give users some individual control in Store installed apps. (Not to mention carrying private internal apps for an enterprise.) WSB has been around in various capacities since Windows 8.1 as well, but also fully came into its own very early in Windows 10. As for application vetting and "apps people need", that's entirely a subjective judgment, but there is an application vetting process in place which is more than you can say about the traditional google for an MSI/EXE and hope its correct install process.
  - a_imho 9y ago
    Well, people said Updates were a trusted channel until Microsoft started rounding up Win 7/8 installations. I can certainly see the once bitten twice shy sentiment from many.
flukus 9y ago
This is pretty normal, users who have this enabled would not have the admin permissions to install apps from sleazy websites. The store also includes things like games and social media apps which corporate love to block. IT support is another issue, if users can install random apps from the store then they will expect IT to support random apps. We also had a look at the enterprise store recently to publish our own apps too, but the reliance on azure cloud means that we'll be publishing through other means for the foreseeable future. It's amazing to see how MS destroying it's own platform.
morrbo 9y ago
I don't understand the shock here? Large corporations don't want users installing random apps. I don't see why an NHS laptop, for example, should have Bejewelled installed, or some dodgy app which gives permissions to the user's drives, and uploads files. Similarly, though admittedly not a problem in the same way with Windows store apps, to Chrome extensions. Those working in secretive environments with naive users shouldn't have something like "Youtube auto-hd" installed, which will feedback every single website they visit to some shady third party analytics company. IMO this is why having even the concept of these apps inside a "secure" (re. enterprise) version of Windows is a massive oversight. I will admit that this is not a problem in the LTSB branch of Windows 10 Enterprise; I had the disabled apps magically re-enable themselves 3 times after "updates" on non-LTSB before switching back over. Sorry to rant, but in summation, don't be shocked when corporate users want their laptops to be as restricted and purely for work as possible.
- skrebbel 9y ago
  I understand, but what happens is that people will unzip programs from their Downloads folder and just run them from there.
  - chipperyman573 9y ago
    I think the argument is that nothing good can come from the store.
  - simonh 9y ago
    I work in finance. Most web sites you could download an exe from are blocked, downloading exes is disabled and running installers is restricted to admin accounts by group policy. If you do get round all that and do it anyway and you're caught, theres a good chance you'll be fired. One issue is that some classes of users and locations (e.g. Trading floors) are restricted by law concerning the communications systems they can use for work because all communications regarding financial transactions has to be auditable. On the other hand most of the banks have their own internal software libraries you can install stuff from and you get a bunch of useful utilities by default such as Irfanview, notepad++, Greenshot or similar. Machines for devs are often less locked down.
wolfgke 9y ago
> For all its warts, the Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform. Doesn't disabling it merely encourage downloading zipped executables from sleazy unencrypted websites? In a corporate environment in many cases it is undesired that users install applications. So of course one disables Windows Store. Additionally one prohibits downloading zips etc. I have read of a way how in Windows one can set that files created/downloaded by users cannot be executed, which is also a desired configuration in many corporate environments.
- _ikke_ 9y ago
  In our environment, they have enabled Software Restriction Policy to block any executable to be run, except in trusted (and read-only) locations. That is a pretty effective way to prevent unwanted software to be installed / run.
slackingoff2017 9y ago
You shouldn't be running binaries you don't trust no matter where they come from :) . And honestly I would probably use the MS store if it didn't suck balls. Seriously whoever designed their "modern" UI needs to get booted. It's terrible and the main reason nobody uses the windows app store. Ubuntu, MacOS, and even Steam on Windows all have a good app store interface. MS designed the OS and their version is a UI nightmare. I'm hoping in some way there's some MS employees watching this thread. Please fix the damn app store by just extending the functionality of "add/remove programs" which everyone knows how to use and works fine.
- seanp2k2 9y ago
  I agree that the Windows App Store is a bad experience. I don't agree that they should extend add/remove programs to encompass this functionality. It's from literally 1995 and should be removed from Windows. It's actually really funny to me how some dialogue boxes and options modals have been unchanged for 20 years.
  - throwasehasdwi 9y ago
    add/remove is a better UX than the Windows Store even though it's barely been touched for 20 years :)
iuguy 9y ago
> For all its warts, the Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform. For some value of $secure, yes. It's has package integrity checks, sure, but there's plenty of PUPs, adware and spyware in apps that for some corporate networks are considered a no-no.
daemin 9y ago
For what it's worth at work we had the same thing when moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Though they got rid of the restriction when people bitched about not being able to run the default Windows calculator. Since a lot of us are programmers we were effectively allowed to install anything else normal that we wanted, but for some reason metro applications were disabled.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago

"Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform" Ha ha ...

starquake 9y ago
Some motivation for your reaction would be great!
- AstralStorm 9y ago
  It is not vetted properly nor delivers apps people need. Other than the stupid forced ones that is. Additionally it does not work properly without a Microsoft account (could've changed) forcing it to be off if Active Domain is used.
  - WorldMaker 9y ago
    Since Windows 8.1 a couple years back, you can sign into a Microsoft account in the Store on top of an Active Domain account without confusing/combining them. Since Windows 8.1 you can even sign into a Microsoft account on an individual app basis, signing in for specific app purchases only. Since early Windows 10 that individual app basis has been expanded so that most free apps don't require a Microsoft account to sign in at all, if you so desire. Furthermore, the Windows Store for Business uses Active Domain accounts entirely and allows you to connect Windows Store licenses to corporate licensing policies, if you want to control corporate application requisitions centrally but still give users some individual control in Store installed apps. (Not to mention carrying private internal apps for an enterprise.) WSB has been around in various capacities since Windows 8.1 as well, but also fully came into its own very early in Windows 10. As for application vetting and "apps people need", that's entirely a subjective judgment, but there is an application vetting process in place which is more than you can say about the traditional google for an MSI/EXE and hope its correct install process.
- a_imho 9y ago
  Well, people said Updates were a trusted channel until Microsoft started rounding up Win 7/8 installations. I can certainly see the once bitten twice shy sentiment from many.

flukus 9y ago

This is pretty normal, users who have this enabled would not have the admin permissions to install apps from sleazy websites. The store also includes things like games and social media apps which corporate love to block. IT support is another issue, if users can install random apps from the store then they will expect IT to support random apps. We also had a look at the enterprise store recently to publish our own apps too, but the reliance on azure cloud means that we'll be publishing through other means for the foreseeable future. It's amazing to see how MS destroying it's own platform.

morrbo 9y ago

I don't understand the shock here? Large corporations don't want users installing random apps. I don't see why an NHS laptop, for example, should have Bejewelled installed, or some dodgy app which gives permissions to the user's drives, and uploads files. Similarly, though admittedly not a problem in the same way with Windows store apps, to Chrome extensions. Those working in secretive environments with naive users shouldn't have something like "Youtube auto-hd" installed, which will feedback every single website they visit to some shady third party analytics company. IMO this is why having even the concept of these apps inside a "secure" (re. enterprise) version of Windows is a massive oversight. I will admit that this is not a problem in the LTSB branch of Windows 10 Enterprise; I had the disabled apps magically re-enable themselves 3 times after "updates" on non-LTSB before switching back over. Sorry to rant, but in summation, don't be shocked when corporate users want their laptops to be as restricted and purely for work as possible.

skrebbel 9y ago
I understand, but what happens is that people will unzip programs from their Downloads folder and just run them from there.
- chipperyman573 9y ago
  I think the argument is that nothing good can come from the store.
- simonh 9y ago
  I work in finance. Most web sites you could download an exe from are blocked, downloading exes is disabled and running installers is restricted to admin accounts by group policy. If you do get round all that and do it anyway and you're caught, theres a good chance you'll be fired. One issue is that some classes of users and locations (e.g. Trading floors) are restricted by law concerning the communications systems they can use for work because all communications regarding financial transactions has to be auditable. On the other hand most of the banks have their own internal software libraries you can install stuff from and you get a bunch of useful utilities by default such as Irfanview, notepad++, Greenshot or similar. Machines for devs are often less locked down.

wolfgke 9y ago

> For all its warts, the Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform. Doesn't disabling it merely encourage downloading zipped executables from sleazy unencrypted websites? In a corporate environment in many cases it is undesired that users install applications. So of course one disables Windows Store. Additionally one prohibits downloading zips etc. I have read of a way how in Windows one can set that files created/downloaded by users cannot be executed, which is also a desired configuration in many corporate environments.

_ikke_ 9y ago
In our environment, they have enabled Software Restriction Policy to block any executable to be run, except in trusted (and read-only) locations. That is a pretty effective way to prevent unwanted software to be installed / run.

slackingoff2017 9y ago

You shouldn't be running binaries you don't trust no matter where they come from :) . And honestly I would probably use the MS store if it didn't suck balls. Seriously whoever designed their "modern" UI needs to get booted. It's terrible and the main reason nobody uses the windows app store. Ubuntu, MacOS, and even Steam on Windows all have a good app store interface. MS designed the OS and their version is a UI nightmare. I'm hoping in some way there's some MS employees watching this thread. Please fix the damn app store by just extending the functionality of "add/remove programs" which everyone knows how to use and works fine.

seanp2k2 9y ago
I agree that the Windows App Store is a bad experience. I don't agree that they should extend add/remove programs to encompass this functionality. It's from literally 1995 and should be removed from Windows. It's actually really funny to me how some dialogue boxes and options modals have been unchanged for 20 years.
- throwasehasdwi 9y ago
  add/remove is a better UX than the Windows Store even though it's barely been touched for 20 years :)

iuguy 9y ago

> For all its warts, the Windows Store is a secure app delivery platform. For some value of $secure, yes. It's has package integrity checks, sure, but there's plenty of PUPs, adware and spyware in apps that for some corporate networks are considered a no-no.

daemin 9y ago

For what it's worth at work we had the same thing when moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Though they got rid of the restriction when people bitched about not being able to run the default Windows calculator. Since a lot of us are programmers we were effectively allowed to install anything else normal that we wanted, but for some reason metro applications were disabled.