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I don't think systems should not be connected to the Internet. I did find it surprising however that so many systems shown on TV run Windows. Digital signage

I don't think systems should not be connected to the Internet. I did find it surprising however that so many systems shown on TV run Windows. Digital signage screens, shopping registers all sorts of stuff that I assumed would be running Linux. It is surprising to me that systems with functions like a cash register would be doing automatic updates at all.

willi59549879 2y ago
It surprised me too. Maybe it is because people are just more used to windows. Or it might be because of more software geared to roll out software updates.
cqqxo4zV46cp 2y ago
Because desktop Linux is an absolute bloody mess and most IT departments are completely justified in not wanting to deal with it? I’m not saying that Windows is great. I haven’t willingly used it in 15 years. But you can’t keep your head in the sand about the sad state of Linux and anything graphical, especially on esoteric hardware. POS systems are often effectively Internet-connected, because they need to report stock levels, connect to financial networks, process BNPL applications, etc. it’s completely warranted to treat them like ‘endpoints’, because they are.
- andrewstuart 2y ago
  I have alot of experience with Linux running Custom builds with chrome. I can say it’s not easy to configure but once done it’s very stable and simple.
- bregma 2y ago
  POS terminals and electronic billboards are not desktops, though, so arguments about desktop software is irrelevant. These are all dedicated application appliances with known, controlled hardware and software constraints. Using a general-purpose desktop designed for corporate executives running Excel and PowerPoint is just the wrong technology choice for such an application. Some kind of specialized Linux-based system, on the other hand, is an excellent choice.
  - heraldgeezer 2y ago
    I have seen digital signage just be a PPT file running in full screen though. Good? No, but that's the reality of things.
  - duckmysick 2y ago
    Most of the point of sale systems I've seen run Windows, which means most of the off-the-shelf apps are written for Windows. Even if they are written in Java, they have hard dependencies on Windows. > Using a general-purpose desktop designed for corporate executives running Excel and PowerPoint is just the wrong technology choice for such an application. Agree, which is why most of the time you use Windows Embedded for Point of Service or Windows IoT Enterprise. Which again, is Windows.
mrweasel 2y ago
> It is surprising to me that systems with functions like a cash register would be doing automatic updates at all. Yeah that's weird, at least do it via some on-premise "proxy". Windows has WSUS and I'd assume that Crowdstrike has something similar. I know that TrendMicro provides, or have provide an update service, allowing customers to rollout patches at their own pace. Sadly very few things seems to run correctly without internet access these days. I get the complaint about management and updates for something like things in people homes, but if you're an airport, would it be so bad to have critical infrastructure not on the internet? I don't really care if the digital signs run Windows, there are plenty of reasons why you'd choose that, but why run Crowdstrike on those devices? Shouldn't they be read-only anyway?
forinti 2y ago
A long time ago I built a multimedia kiosk for a retail chain. I used Linux and X without a Window Manager, so my worst case scenario was that the clients would see a gray screen. I agree that it does not make sense to use Windows for this sort of thing.
hnthrow289570 2y ago
I don't think many developers are going to be really excited about building signs or kiosks, so they will not be bringing their A-game. Since MS has a kiosk mode officially, they probably assume either choice is good enough.
heraldgeezer 2y ago
Because software is bought from vendors that require Windows. This is often the case with Point of Sale software. OR the solution is a powerpoint or mp4 file running on a TV for signage. If every office computer is already Windows, IT has management applications like GPO, SCCM/Intune, or RMMs like Datto/Ninjaone to deploy policy and manage Windows computers remotely. It then makes sense to just keep using those, rather than making a whole new system just for the digital signage computers.
ahoka 2y ago
It wouldn't be much better if they ran Fedora 14.

willi59549879 2y ago

It surprised me too. Maybe it is because people are just more used to windows. Or it might be because of more software geared to roll out software updates.

cqqxo4zV46cp 2y ago

Because desktop Linux is an absolute bloody mess and most IT departments are completely justified in not wanting to deal with it? I’m not saying that Windows is great. I haven’t willingly used it in 15 years. But you can’t keep your head in the sand about the sad state of Linux and anything graphical, especially on esoteric hardware. POS systems are often effectively Internet-connected, because they need to report stock levels, connect to financial networks, process BNPL applications, etc. it’s completely warranted to treat them like ‘endpoints’, because they are.

andrewstuart 2y ago
I have alot of experience with Linux running Custom builds with chrome. I can say it’s not easy to configure but once done it’s very stable and simple.
bregma 2y ago
POS terminals and electronic billboards are not desktops, though, so arguments about desktop software is irrelevant. These are all dedicated application appliances with known, controlled hardware and software constraints. Using a general-purpose desktop designed for corporate executives running Excel and PowerPoint is just the wrong technology choice for such an application. Some kind of specialized Linux-based system, on the other hand, is an excellent choice.
- heraldgeezer 2y ago
  I have seen digital signage just be a PPT file running in full screen though. Good? No, but that's the reality of things.
- duckmysick 2y ago
  Most of the point of sale systems I've seen run Windows, which means most of the off-the-shelf apps are written for Windows. Even if they are written in Java, they have hard dependencies on Windows. > Using a general-purpose desktop designed for corporate executives running Excel and PowerPoint is just the wrong technology choice for such an application. Agree, which is why most of the time you use Windows Embedded for Point of Service or Windows IoT Enterprise. Which again, is Windows.

mrweasel 2y ago

> It is surprising to me that systems with functions like a cash register would be doing automatic updates at all. Yeah that's weird, at least do it via some on-premise "proxy". Windows has WSUS and I'd assume that Crowdstrike has something similar. I know that TrendMicro provides, or have provide an update service, allowing customers to rollout patches at their own pace. Sadly very few things seems to run correctly without internet access these days. I get the complaint about management and updates for something like things in people homes, but if you're an airport, would it be so bad to have critical infrastructure not on the internet? I don't really care if the digital signs run Windows, there are plenty of reasons why you'd choose that, but why run Crowdstrike on those devices? Shouldn't they be read-only anyway?

forinti 2y ago

A long time ago I built a multimedia kiosk for a retail chain. I used Linux and X without a Window Manager, so my worst case scenario was that the clients would see a gray screen. I agree that it does not make sense to use Windows for this sort of thing.

hnthrow289570 2y ago

I don't think many developers are going to be really excited about building signs or kiosks, so they will not be bringing their A-game. Since MS has a kiosk mode officially, they probably assume either choice is good enough.

heraldgeezer 2y ago

Because software is bought from vendors that require Windows. This is often the case with Point of Sale software. OR the solution is a powerpoint or mp4 file running on a TV for signage. If every office computer is already Windows, IT has management applications like GPO, SCCM/Intune, or RMMs like Datto/Ninjaone to deploy policy and manage Windows computers remotely. It then makes sense to just keep using those, rather than making a whole new system just for the digital signage computers.

ahoka 2y ago

It wouldn't be much better if they ran Fedora 14.