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As Microsoft AstroTurfing/PR Budget Runs Dry, Vista 10 Truths Come Out

This is rapidly becoming an Internet meme (source)

Vista 10 bugs



Summary: The media manipulation by Microsoft (to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars spent on 'marketing') grows thin as a growing number of growingly angry early adopters of Vista 10 publicly rant

MAKE NO mistake about it. Microsoft has been gaming the press this past week, as it often does but more so when there is a new release of Windows. Budget usually stands at hundreds of millions of dollars, based on past releases. That's just for "marketing". Microsoft has already trashed Twitter with "sponsored" links and content, but that's not a surprise given past observations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Microsoft is a big source of income for Twitter. Vista 10 enjoys a great deal of fake 'reports' from Microsoft boosters. Take for example this Microsoft puff piece which is like Vista 10 advertising, masqueraded as "history". Over at Ars Technica, Microsoft Peter was chosen to do a ‘review’ of Microsoft's Vista 10. That’s like Chrysler reviewing a car from Chrysler. It's clear that Condé Nast isn't interested in objective reviews. That's just typical Condé Nast [1, 2, 3]. It now acts more like a "media partner" of Microsoft, not a news site/network. There is a lot of money to be grabbed (hundreds of millions of dollars) in Vista 10 advertising. '"This versions is the $superlative yet" formula' is what iopkh called this pattern of covering Vista 10. We saw it in past years. That's such a meaningless yardstick. The only positive 'reviews' we've seen so far of Vista 10 were not reviews. They were advertisements published by longtime Microsoft boosters (with a long track record). Remember that when Vista and Vista 8 were released they too initially received positive 'reviews' ('prepared' puff pieces, or "marketing"). When Microsoft released Vista 8 it planted some ‘reviews’ (posted by Microsoft boosters), then some other boosters (or Microsoft-funded media) claimed that “people like it”. Staged hype is what it was, as we showed at the time. A lot of the 'excitement' over Vista 10 is totally manufactured and staged. The same thing happened with Vista and Vista 8. Some people make a living off these tricks. In Twitter, all I got from Microsoft employees for writing what I have about Vista 10 is ad hominem attacks and insults. They just cannot refute with facts.



“Like all proprietary software, Windows 10 puts those that use it under the thumb of its owner.”
      --Free Software Foundation
The good thing is that a day or two after the release Microsoft runs out of steam. the Techrights IRC channel helps show just how much of a mess Vista 10 really is (once the ‘prepared’ puff pieces have ‘run out’). The Register is registering negative feedback from readers and goes with the headline "'Fix these Windows 10 Horrors': Readers turn their guns on Redmond". There are many severe bugs, as we warned weeks ago. Vista 10 is a train wreck with driver issues, as we were told by insiders weeks before the launch. The Register critiques the updates of death ("Unstoppable auto-updates? More like auto-borkage") and says that one "issue stems from a push-me-pull-you conflict between Windows Update and Nvidia’s own driver and software management tool, Nvidia GeForce Experience. Forbes reports that the latest driver version, 353.54, is only available through Windows Update, it isn't very stable, and yet Windows 10 installs it anyway automatically."

What a way to brick an operating system... without even a warning.

Vista 10 "hijacks your internet connection to serve other PCs updates," DaemonFC wrote. He is a former Microsoft MVP, who is now a regular at various Techrights IRC channels. He is already trying Vista 10 and reporting issues. He complains about "features that are bordering on malware."

“I don’t think this is “bordering” anymore," responded MinceR, "earlier versions were perhaps “bordering” on malware. vista10 is clearly malware” (as per definition). Vista 10, explains MinceR, “helps circumvent corporate firewalls that were set up to prevent Microsoft from ***ing up their configurations” (forced updates are also means for back doors).

“Windows 10 Hangover is still unfolding. The new error message from the installer is making the rounds as a new internet meme.”
      --DaemonFC
But talking about software bugs isn't perhaps the main point. Vista 10 does not just have many bugs. It is a bug. It's a bugging device masquerading as an operating system. Nadella's team created a monster and no sane government is ever going to adopt Vista 10 unless they make some magical "edition" for privacy. Detailed images that show privacy violations in Vista 10 have gone viral and there are new articles too. Lauren Weinstein's Blog calls it a "Privacy Mess".

"Windows 10 includes keylogging spyware," wrote DaemonFC, "on by default."

“Send typing and inking data to Microsoft to improve the recognition and suggestion platform” is just one example of several.

"Apparently," wrote DaemonFC, "the Windows 10 Hangover is still unfolding. The new error message from the installer is making the rounds as a new internet meme."

DaemonFC refers to "Something happened. Something happened." We covered this yesterday.

The Free Software Foundation has meanwhile come out with this press release that seemingly targets existing Windows users and is thus quite gently-worded. To quote the opening paragraph: "The Free Software Foundation urges everyone to reject Windows 10 and join us in the world of free software. Like all proprietary software, Windows 10 puts those that use it under the thumb of its owner. Free software like the GNU/Linux operating system treats users as equals and gives them control over their digital lives."

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft: Our "Goodwill" Gained Over 51 Billion Dollars in the Past Nine Months Alone, Now "Worth" as Much as All Our Physical Assets (Property and Equipment)
The makeup of a Ponzi scheme where the balance sheet has immaterial nonsense
FSFE (Ja, Das Gulag Deutschland) Has Lost Its Tongue
Articles/month
Ian Jackson & Debian reject mediation
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
How to get selected for Outreachy internships
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Red Hat Corporate Communications is "Red" Now
Also notice they offer just two options: MICROSOFT or... MICROSOFT!
 
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Gemini Links 27/04/2024: Sunrise Photos and Slow Productivity
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Over at Tux Machines...
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IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 26, 2024
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Overpaid lawyer & Debian miss WIPO deadline
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Brian Gupta & Debian: WIPO claim botched, suspended
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Microsoft's XBox is Dying (For Second Year in a Row Over 30% Drop in Hardware Sales)
they boast about fake numbers or very deliberately misleading numbers that represent two companies, not one
[Meme] Granting a Million Monopolies in Europe (to Non-European Companies) at Europe's Expense
Financialization of the EPO
Salary Adjustment Procedure at the EPO Challenged
the EPO must properly compensate staff in order to attract and retain suitably skilled examiners
Links 26/04/2024: Surveillance Abundant, Restoring Net Neutrality Rules (US)
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Gemini Links 26/04/2024: uConsole and EXWM and stdu 1.0.0
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Links 26/04/2024: XBox Sales Have Collapsed, Facebook's Shares Collapse Too
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Albanian women, Brazilian women & Debian Outreachy racism under Chris Lamb
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Microsoft-Funded 'News' Site: XBox Hardware Revenue Declined by 31%
Ignore the ludicrous media spin
Mark Shuttleworth, Elio Qoshi & Debian/Ubuntu underage girls
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Karen Sandler, Outreachy & Debian Money in Albania
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Over at Tux Machines...
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IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 25, 2024
IRC logs for Thursday, April 25, 2024
Links 26/04/2024: Facebook Collapses, Kangaroo Courts for Patents, BlizzCon Canceled Under Microsoft
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/04/2024: Music, Philosophy, and Socialising
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Microsoft Claims "Goodwill" Is an Asset Valued at $119,163,000,000, Cash Decreased From $34,704,000,000 to $19,634,000,000 and Total Liabilities Grew to $231,123,000,000
Earnings Release FY24 Q3
More Microsoft Cuts: Events Canceled, Real Sales Down Sharply
So they will call (or rebrand) everything "AI" or "Azure" or "cloud" while adding revenues from Blizzard to pretend something is growing
CISA Has a Microsoft Conflict of Interest Problem (CISA Cannot Achieve Its Goals, It Protects the Worst Culprit)
people from Microsoft "speaking for" "Open Source" and for "security"
Links 25/04/2024: South Korean Military to Ban iPhone, Armenian Remembrance Day
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Gemini Links 25/04/2024: SFTP, VoIP, Streaming, Full-Content Web Feeds, and Gemini Thoughts
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Audiocasts/Shows: FLOSS Weekly and mintCast
the latest pair of episodes
[Meme] Arvind Krishna's Business Machines
He is harming Red Hat in a number of ways (he doesn't understand it) and Fedora users are running out of patience (many volunteers quit years ago)
[Video] Debian's Newfound Love of Censorship Has Become a Threat to the Entire Internet
SPI/Debian might end up with rotten tomatoes in the face
Joerg (Ganneff) Jaspert, Dalbergschule Fulda & Debian Death threats
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Amber Heard, Junior Female Developers & Debian Embezzlement
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it would make sense to try to resolve conflicts and issues, not exacerbate these
Daniel Pocock elected on ANZAC Day and anniversary of Easter Rising (FSFE Fellowship)
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
[Video] IBM's Poor Results Reinforce the Idea of Mass Layoffs on the Way (Just Like at Microsoft)
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Ulrike Uhlig & Debian, the $200,000 woman who quit
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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