5 ms·

> Its truly amazing to me that installing windows software is still like this It doesn't have to be that way, since there is a Windows/Microsoft Store since pl

> Its truly amazing to me that installing windows software is still like this It doesn't have to be that way, since there is a Windows/Microsoft Store since plenty of years now. But then you have gamers and game devs spreading FUD about UWP and the the MS Store, while they praise 3rd party platforms like Steam and GoG that actively refuse UWP apps in their store, while allowing Spyware like this. https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/8pud8b/psa_red_shell_spyware_holy_potatoes_were_in_space/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/8pud8b/psa_red_shell... Yet, nobody dares to hold those platforms responsible. https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/8sg294/16_studios_removing_alleged_spyware_from_pc_games/e0zcl5y/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/8sg294/16_studios_re... > The long term solution is to get off the platform. No, the long term solution is to embrace the MS Store, or at the very least modern platforms like WinRT/UWP that would prevent most types of malware attacks. Why do we still accept the violation of the principle of least privilege in this day and age?

codedokode 8y ago
Microsoft itself is collecting a lot of telemetry even in Basic configuration [1], for example, if you use UAC (privileges elevation popup) they collect "the full command line arguments being used to elevate.". Also they collect a lot of hardware identifiers (including IMEI - unique phone identifier that allows to track it) so later they can reliably prove that some user was using this computer at this time. What a nice feature. They also collect information on files that are " part of an app and either have a block in the compatibility database or are part of an anti-virus program.". How can we trust Microsoft after this? [1] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/basic-level-windows-diagnostic-events-and-fields https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/basic-level...
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- NiveaGeForce 8y ago
  Do you rather trust arbitrary 3rd party Win32 apps, that have free reign to crawl your whole user profile and mess with the integrity of your system? If you're already on Windows 10, at the very least embrace UWP to get some control over your privacy.
  - smichel17 8y ago
    > If you're already on Windows 10, at the very least embrace UWP to get some control over your privacy. This is reasonable. And, at this point it's important to note that the first comment in the chain advocated for moving off the platform.
michaelmrose 8y ago
The long term solution CAN'T be the MS store. It requires asking Microsoft for permission to compete with them. It gives MS permission to bar entire categories of software globally or in your particular market. Giving the party running the store 30% of all revenue is a hard sale to start with. More importantly it gives MS the position to impose whatever dictates it or even more likely every government in existence the right to impose whatever restrictions they like on any app maker in existence with the threat of instant non existence. Want a social media platform to ban anyone who disagrees with the king no problem do it or you can't do business. Want your browser to censor whatever your locality wants? No problem if it doesn't it doesn't get distributed. Want your OS to refuse to install apps that don't follow the store rules? No problem its in the governments interests and the companies. Linux package management works like an app store with an official source and the ability to add whichever sources you choose. A search of available packages shows results giving sources the priority set by the user. Updating the system updates packages from 3rd party sources same as others. The major limitation is the labour required to create packages for all the different platforms users prefer not artificial limits or money paid to the platform "owner". On windows nothing much is on the store mostly because people don't want to give Microsoft 30% on Linux charging 30% is downright impossible because people would trivially publish an alternative source instead. Basically your cure is worse than the disease and since Microsoft wont fix the situation in a reasonable fashion so the only solution is to move off their platform.
- NiveaGeForce 8y ago
  > Giving the party running the store 30% of all revenue is a hard sale to start with. Very soon it won't be 30% anymore. https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2018/05/07/a-new-microsoft-store-revenue-share-is-coming/ https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2018/05/07/a-new-micr... > Linux package management works like an app store with an official source and the ability to add whichever sources you choose. A search of available packages shows results giving sources the priority set by the user. Updating the system updates packages from 3rd party sources same as others. There exist 3rd party package repositories on Windows too. > On windows nothing much is on the store mostly because people don't want to give Microsoft 30% There is plenty of stuff in the MS Store. https://youtu.be/GCVhmKVRkk0 https://youtu.be/GCVhmKVRkk0 All my software, except for some dev tools and some games are from the MS Store. > on Linux charging 30% is downright impossible because people would trivially publish an alternative source instead. Steam is on Linux and charges 30%. > Basically your cure is worse than the disease and since Microsoft wont fix the situation in a reasonable fashion so the only solution is to move off their platform. Microsoft already provided a fix, called UWP.
adrianmalacoda 8y ago
There is also e.g. Chocolatey[0], which IIRC is the closest thing to a GNU/Linux package manager for Windows. I install and update from Chocolatey whenever possible. [0] https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/
dang 8y ago
This account has been using HN exclusively to promote a pro-Microsoft agenda for a long time. That's a serious abuse of this site and I've banned it. All: Agenda-driven and single-purpose accounts aren't allowed on Hacker News because they're incompatible with the intellectual curiosity this site exists for. Double that when the agenda or single purpose is advancing corporate interests. It doesn't matter what corp it is, btw; the last time we banned an account for doing this it was a different one.
- NiveaGeForce 8y ago
  This is a serious false accusation. Am I not allowed to prefer Windows? All I did was correct the rampant misinformation and bias against Windows that rarely gets challenged. And do you really think someone working for Microsoft would post something like this? https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/7of68m/surface_pro_intermittent_pen_inaccuracy_when_hand/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/7of68m/surface_pro...
  - dang 8y ago
    I didn't say you work for Microsoft. I have no way of knowing that, and it doesn't seem likely. But you can't use HN exclusively to promote one company over others. The reasons ought to be obvious.
    - NiveaGeForce 8y ago
      But I'm not promoting any company. Most of my comments are just correcting misinformation and explaining why I use Windows. And as you can see on reddit, I heavily criticized MS and the media regarding the Surface Pen issues that they keep ignoring. That thread even got stickied on the Surface subreddit. I also regularly criticize Windows 10 there, and praise iPads and ChromeOS. So please reconsider this ban.
    - NiveaGeForce 8y ago
      Here is more proof that I'm not promoting for MS https://www.google.com/search?q=niveageforge+pen+issue+site:www.reddit.com https://www.google.com/search?q=niveageforge+pen+issue+site:... I'm the most vocal about this pen issue, that could potentially cost MS billions of dollars if they need to recall those devices. I once posted a pen issue thread that got banned from /r/Microsoft once. https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoft/comments/82ilso/the_workanywhere_surface_pro_with_lte_can_now_be/ https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoft/comments/82ilso/the_worka...

codedokode 8y ago

Microsoft itself is collecting a lot of telemetry even in Basic configuration [1], for example, if you use UAC (privileges elevation popup) they collect "the full command line arguments being used to elevate.". Also they collect a lot of hardware identifiers (including IMEI - unique phone identifier that allows to track it) so later they can reliably prove that some user was using this computer at this time. What a nice feature. They also collect information on files that are " part of an app and either have a block in the compatibility database or are part of an anti-virus program.". How can we trust Microsoft after this? [1] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/basic-level-windows-diagnostic-events-and-fields https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/basic-level...

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
NiveaGeForce 8y ago
Do you rather trust arbitrary 3rd party Win32 apps, that have free reign to crawl your whole user profile and mess with the integrity of your system? If you're already on Windows 10, at the very least embrace UWP to get some control over your privacy.
- smichel17 8y ago
  > If you're already on Windows 10, at the very least embrace UWP to get some control over your privacy. This is reasonable. And, at this point it's important to note that the first comment in the chain advocated for moving off the platform.

michaelmrose 8y ago

The long term solution CAN'T be the MS store. It requires asking Microsoft for permission to compete with them. It gives MS permission to bar entire categories of software globally or in your particular market. Giving the party running the store 30% of all revenue is a hard sale to start with. More importantly it gives MS the position to impose whatever dictates it or even more likely every government in existence the right to impose whatever restrictions they like on any app maker in existence with the threat of instant non existence. Want a social media platform to ban anyone who disagrees with the king no problem do it or you can't do business. Want your browser to censor whatever your locality wants? No problem if it doesn't it doesn't get distributed. Want your OS to refuse to install apps that don't follow the store rules? No problem its in the governments interests and the companies. Linux package management works like an app store with an official source and the ability to add whichever sources you choose. A search of available packages shows results giving sources the priority set by the user. Updating the system updates packages from 3rd party sources same as others. The major limitation is the labour required to create packages for all the different platforms users prefer not artificial limits or money paid to the platform "owner". On windows nothing much is on the store mostly because people don't want to give Microsoft 30% on Linux charging 30% is downright impossible because people would trivially publish an alternative source instead. Basically your cure is worse than the disease and since Microsoft wont fix the situation in a reasonable fashion so the only solution is to move off their platform.

NiveaGeForce 8y ago
> Giving the party running the store 30% of all revenue is a hard sale to start with. Very soon it won't be 30% anymore. https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2018/05/07/a-new-microsoft-store-revenue-share-is-coming/ https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2018/05/07/a-new-micr... > Linux package management works like an app store with an official source and the ability to add whichever sources you choose. A search of available packages shows results giving sources the priority set by the user. Updating the system updates packages from 3rd party sources same as others. There exist 3rd party package repositories on Windows too. > On windows nothing much is on the store mostly because people don't want to give Microsoft 30% There is plenty of stuff in the MS Store. https://youtu.be/GCVhmKVRkk0 https://youtu.be/GCVhmKVRkk0 All my software, except for some dev tools and some games are from the MS Store. > on Linux charging 30% is downright impossible because people would trivially publish an alternative source instead. Steam is on Linux and charges 30%. > Basically your cure is worse than the disease and since Microsoft wont fix the situation in a reasonable fashion so the only solution is to move off their platform. Microsoft already provided a fix, called UWP.

adrianmalacoda 8y ago

There is also e.g. Chocolatey[0], which IIRC is the closest thing to a GNU/Linux package manager for Windows. I install and update from Chocolatey whenever possible. [0] https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/

dang 8y ago

This account has been using HN exclusively to promote a pro-Microsoft agenda for a long time. That's a serious abuse of this site and I've banned it. All: Agenda-driven and single-purpose accounts aren't allowed on Hacker News because they're incompatible with the intellectual curiosity this site exists for. Double that when the agenda or single purpose is advancing corporate interests. It doesn't matter what corp it is, btw; the last time we banned an account for doing this it was a different one.

NiveaGeForce 8y ago
This is a serious false accusation. Am I not allowed to prefer Windows? All I did was correct the rampant misinformation and bias against Windows that rarely gets challenged. And do you really think someone working for Microsoft would post something like this? https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/7of68m/surface_pro_intermittent_pen_inaccuracy_when_hand/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/7of68m/surface_pro...
- dang 8y ago
  I didn't say you work for Microsoft. I have no way of knowing that, and it doesn't seem likely. But you can't use HN exclusively to promote one company over others. The reasons ought to be obvious.
  - NiveaGeForce 8y ago
    But I'm not promoting any company. Most of my comments are just correcting misinformation and explaining why I use Windows. And as you can see on reddit, I heavily criticized MS and the media regarding the Surface Pen issues that they keep ignoring. That thread even got stickied on the Surface subreddit. I also regularly criticize Windows 10 there, and praise iPads and ChromeOS. So please reconsider this ban.
  - NiveaGeForce 8y ago
    Here is more proof that I'm not promoting for MS https://www.google.com/search?q=niveageforge+pen+issue+site:www.reddit.com https://www.google.com/search?q=niveageforge+pen+issue+site:... I'm the most vocal about this pen issue, that could potentially cost MS billions of dollars if they need to recall those devices. I once posted a pen issue thread that got banned from /r/Microsoft once. https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoft/comments/82ilso/the_workanywhere_surface_pro_with_lte_can_now_be/ https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoft/comments/82ilso/the_worka...