Lets see if we can get some Linux followers to start getting close to the edge. After MS Visual Studio becomes the dominant piece of software on Linux machines, what's next?
The introduction of MS Office for Linux, should be become dominant in no time, plus add in IE/Edge, that should also become dominant. So, what's left, an MS 10 desktop for your Linux. That way MS could keep on the "free" message, for the masses, and then still have the "real thing" available under the MS kernel. Now, they have the masses with MS 10 Linux, and the business sector with there usual quality software. They could probably start with Debian, and go from there.
Excel is pretty spiffy for running up a few figures. You are right, Excel arrived on the Mac first, took over two years to come to Windows. That is telling me something deep about the merits of the two systems at the time. Mind you they had not arrived at even Windows 3.1 by then.
Yep, I still waiting to hear back on that MS innovated thing that anyone actually needs now a days.
Don't assume Linux fans don't know the "joys" of Visual Studio. I have had to use it for a number of years. I used it for developing embedded Linux applications
I have heard rumours of VS on Linux. What's all that about? I guess you know more about it than I do today. Seems I can download a thing called "Visual Studio Code" for Linux already, from here: https://code.visualstudio.com/ What is that? It says something about developing ASP .NET and node.js apps "without the need for a full IDE". Looks awfully like the Atom editor I'm using now. I might even be tempted to give it a spin.
Edit: Wait up a minute: "By installing Visual Studio Code, you agree to the terms and data collection described here".....
"The software may collect information about you and your use of the software, and send that to Microsoft. Microsoft may use this information to provide services and improve our products and services. For this pre-release version, users cannot opt out of data collection."
Visual Studio Code (https://code.visualstudio.com) is a new cross-platform editor from Microsoft that is in the same family as Atom, Brackets, Sublime, etc. (In fact, it builds on the open source Atom components, but adds some features and removes others...)
There's also Python Tools for Visual Studio - very nice IDE for Pythoning but STILL under the MS license umbrella, I imagine.
But we digress (as usual) from the Yay/Nay discussion. I'm going to fire up my little HP tablet and see if it wants to upgrade to Win10. If it does, I'll let it...if it doesn't, I may force it!!
Edit: Wait up a minute: "By installing Visual Studio Code, you agree to the terms and data collection described here".....
"The software may collect information about you and your use of the software, and send that to Microsoft. Microsoft may use this information to provide services and improve our products and services. For this pre-release version, users cannot opt out of data collection."
OK, forget it.
I will never, ever, consider installing anything from Microsoft again.
I haven't taken the Win10 plunge on either of my machines yet. I'll wade in gently, since I have an extra hard drive with Win8 that the wife rebelled against. It's a cheap experiment since that was the $35 "upgrade" to Win 8 from XP.
It's actually laughable how every time Microsoft releases a new Windows, there's flurry of activity among users as they madly try and fix all the stuff Microsoft has stupidly included or changed.
Windows 8 had the lack of Start menu and the annoying "Metro" interface. Windows 10 has forced updates, the ability for Microsoft to access and use your personal data, and who knows what else that hasn't been discovered yet.
I have updated two out of four Win 7 computers including an old Pentium D laptop. Pluses:
Old laptop boots faster and runs fine and the wife hasn't noticed the difference between Win7 and Win10 so I guess it passed a major consumer test there.
No issues with any software so far on any of the upgraded computers.
All drivers work fine. Minuses:
Having to trawl through the privacy settings to reduce or remove MS access to stuff.
Not too fussed on the 'look' but that is minor.
I'm not sure if I will upgrade the remaining two computers
The ongoing problem for me is MS abuses its relationship with me. I can't get the quality of support that I desire without endless pay outs for new hardware or new software.... often wirh MS failing to follow up on their promises.
If I must pay for everything, Apple offers a much better experience. If I must use Windows for development support, i expect a lot of frustration, disappointment, and slop... and expense.
So I have ended up refusing to pay any more to MS. I have Windows 7 Starter, just because I could not buy that notebook without it.
But, I dual booted that computer and predominately use Debian Linux.
Currently, the W7 has demanded updating and now has a new offer for free W10. But the W7 Starter has never run quite right. So what am I to expect from FREE Windows 10...... I suspect more of the same abuses.
Why should I tolerate such poor support while Linux offers more stability and informed contol for free?
Microsoft just has gone too far in thinking it can push naive customer into buying more nonsense.
"Curses to those pinko subversive communist hippies with their Free and Open source software. It's a cancer that will bring down civilization as we know it"
Right now, I am NOT having a good experience with either Linux or Windows.
I just recently up-graded my Debian from 32bit to 64bit and did something wrong that obviously requires me to do another reinstall. I suspect I retained legacy hidden files in the /home directory that have confused the OS in Debian 64bit.
And the Windows7 Update process is unpredictable, often it just takes forever before one can use their computer. I strongly suspect that Windows 10 is not much better -- who ever got the idea of blocking the user while doing updates?
(And it seems that Windows7 update policy has just tried to copy Windows10 and prevent users from turning off the auto-update feature. I no longer can find where to shut it down.)
In the interim, I decided to use my Windows7 for Lattice Diamond IDE. That led to a merry 24 hours of horror with my notebook 32bit computer cycling up and down through Windows Update procedures that failed at least 4 times before finally settling into an OS that stopped complaining.
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What is my point that I am trying to make?
A. I can use Windows7, if I must -- so I guess I could use Windows 10 as well, but prefer not to have MicroSoft insult and annoy me more than it already has.
B. I have installed Libre Office on it and free anti-virus -- so I can use Windows without buying anything.
C. The only way I ever learned to make Windows run right, was to learn how an OS is supposed to work properly by learning Linux.
D. The whole MicroSoft Windows UPDATE Process is Horrible. You attempt to turn off your computer and it tells you No you cannot and then runs on and on for hours before shut down. And then, when you turn your computer back on, it hijacks your computer for a Stage 3 Update and won't let you in.
And then, IF you are unfortunate (as I was), the Update fails and you go into a reversion mode for an hour or two before Windows Update will let you have the computer back.
After than, you start the whole process all over again and again until sometime in the distant future, the Updates get fixed and you get your computer back.
On the other hand, Linux Updates work in the background and never ever shuts you out of using your computer for actual work.
After all these years, I can only wonder and guess why MicroSoft insists on such an absurd update process for a machine that is suppose to be the mainstay of office workers.
Plain and simple, Linux allows me to get more productive work done and far less time waiting for the machine to run an Update or Virus Scan or whatever. And the Unix/Linux design scheme of an OS demonstrates how an OS should be. And, the new learner can actually learn more and learn faster with free reading materials and FREE software on Linux.... then apply that knowledge to proprietary OSes.
Before you start on yet another install of 64 bit Debian there is a simple way to test if you have imported any old hidden configs into that home directory are messing you up.
Simply create a new user, "Loopy2" say, and log in as that. "Loopy2" will have a fresh home directory so you can play in there and see what works and what does not.
I can't help feeling, from reading all this, that you have too many balls in the air at the same time. Debian 32 and 64 bit, Windows, Quartus, Lattice, Forth in verilog, Propeller in verilog...anything else?
I'd be happy if I could write some VHDL to flash a LED on my nano board without any hand holding
Thanks Heater....
Forth in VHDL while Propeller in Verilog.
Yes, it is all a bit much at this point... but one does have to explore at times to learn anything new.
Why not just flash that LED in Verilog? It is suppose to be easier than VHDL.
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Now that my Windows7 is back to stable, I may only use it to verify that Lattice Diamond IDE installs properly on the Debian 8.1 Jessie amd64.
The W7 remains available for old BS2 and SXchip programing and all the Hydra support created by Andre LaMothe.
Same problem really. All new and alien (to me) FPGA chips, dev systems, and languages.
There is enough to worry about in bootstrapping oneself from flashing a LED, the "hello world" of hardware design, to building more complex logic, to actually getting your own CPU concept working on an FPGA. Never mind juggling multiple versions of OS, dev system, language, hardware, design goal at the same time.
Steve Balmer's slam of Linux is all too simple-minded. The reality is the Linux is based on Bell Laboratory's Unix which really is one of the best researched OSes ever developed.
I suspect all my Windows Update troubles and waiting are due to Windows not using a Mount/Unmount feature that Unix file systems provide. And so, one has to get into the 'unmounted' Windows either after the computer user exits or before the computer user logs on. It is simply a poorer scheme that makes workstations unusable or has people leaving their abandoned machines on over-night and hoping everything will work in the morning.
When you adding the the awful waiting for Windows Defender and whatever Anti-Virus scan one prefers -- any boss begins to get dismayed with having to pay office staff to sit around and drink tea while the computer muddles through what it must.
If I needed a business computer that I could depend on and was willing to pay for proprietary software, it would have to be Apple's OSX or what was once Sun's Solaris. But it is quite obvious that the USA is more concerned with GDP growth figures rather than the productivity of actual small offices. So the solution for the Windows user is to buy a second computer to use while the first one is no available. Economic growth is not the same thing as economy and wasting less.
D. The whole MicroSoft Windows UPDATE Process is Horrible. You attempt to turn off your computer and it tells you No you cannot and then runs on and on for hours before shut down. And then, when you turn your computer back on, it hijacks your computer for a Stage 3 Update and won't let you in.
Go into the Windows Update settings and change it to:
"Check for updates but allow me to choose whether to download and install them."
Only install "Important" (security) updates, most systems can do without the rest of the junk. At least read about the non-security updates before installing. I have 65 "optional" updates listed that have never been installed and the computer has run fine for years. Optional updates were how Microsoft installed the Windows 10 upgrade spam/nagware (though the liars listed at least one as an important security update).
I have not had any problems with Windows Update in over 3 years, but I frequently use the "System Restore" feature and it rarely takes more than 5 minutes to finish, so I'm not sure why it would take an hour or two for you.
I repeat... the whole Microsoft Windows UPDATE process is horrible.
Even if I can get it under control for awhile, Microsoft will try to slip something else in. A lot of the descriptions are complete nonsense, so one must go to the internet and seek out others outside Microsoft to explain. More time wasted.
For years now, I have pretty much accepted all the Linux updates that are suggested and have had no trouble whatsoever. Good quality control, simple service.
Upgraded 8.1 pro to 10. At first it displayed some silly 0x8000xxxx error. It was caused by Linux installation on the same disk. So I had to hide linux partition and set boot partition from GRUB to win 8.1 boot.
Then the upgrade went ok and all is up and running.
I didn't run this hidden linux yet and I think the 8.0/8.1 bug is still here. - do not use win8 and lin with access to the same partition without switching out win 8/10 fast boot option or you will lose the data. You have to switch fast boot off or do not let linux to acces windows partitions.
Lets see if we can get some Linux followers to start getting close to the edge. After MS Visual Studio becomes the dominant piece of software on Linux machines, what's next?
Sorry I missed you post earlier.
Your "nightmare scenario" is not going to cause me any lost sleep. Didn't you know, mslinux has been out for years: http://www.mslinux.org/
All the young developers are using Mac now a days anyway.
Word is basically obsolete. Word processors are for printing documents on paper. Who does that now a days?
The desktop - hmm...judging by all the complaints I hear about recent Windows desktops I can't help thinking MS has nowhere to go with that.
If one has a tax preparation practice, everything still is being printed on paper and should be. Nothing better than a a few hundred pages of printed documentation and backup to present at a tax audit.
If the stuff is in digital media, you just give the auditor a chance to automate searching for flaws in your work. Never do that. Make then worry that their boss is going to complain that they are wasting hours looking for something that may not be there.
Search machines are the enemy of the little guy. The U.S. government says you must keep tax records for government audit, but the Supreme Court says the government has no right to tell you how to keep those records. Think about it.
++++++++
And for many years, Microsoft provided a perfect defense for lack of proper tax records.
"I got a virus and lost everything on the computer. This is the best I can provide with what was left."
Or, "I upgraded my Windows and everything disappeared."
Excellent points all, Loopy! I wonder if the IRS would accept a pile of paper printouts of BSOD screenshots in lieu of "lost" tax records.
They may just come back with "We'd like to discuss your claim but we appear to be having trouble with our servers." - That's why it is good that Windows spans hardware from tablets (phones) to large servers now! Consistent deployment and operational expectations!!!
I was audited recently when I applied for my Social Security benefits at 66.
I presented them with all my bookkeeping records on an annual basis. Each year is in a 3"x5" calendar dairy where I scribble everything in ink and never erase corrections.
Perfectly acceptable, and obviously kept concurrent with the business - not created from fiction in Excel.
When supported by my 1040 filings, they quickly accepted it all. It wasn't pretty. In fact, most of it was nasty ugly and messy. Works for me.
Steve Balmer's slam of Linux is all too simple-minded. The reality is the Linux is based on Bell Laboratory's Unix which really is one of the best researched OSes ever developed.
I suspect all my Windows Update troubles and waiting are due to Windows not using a Mount/Unmount feature that Unix file systems provide.
Hmm, I'm wondering what exactly you are doing to have so many problems.
Win7 has been fantastic for me, using Ultimate on the work laptop and the Volume Licensed copy on my home machine.
I hate to support Ballmer, however from any company who's business is producing software, Linux is a cancer.
Personally, I'm tired of the multi-Gigabyte OS's required nowadays by Everyone.
Why exactly do I need multi-user at home?
I tried getting TinyCore and DSL running from a USB3 thumbdrive on my T430, and both failed. Though I think thats because neither of them expect to run that way.
Unfortunately, the world is either Windows, OS X, or Linux.
All of them are gargantuan piles of Server crud, layering cruft over cruft.
Other alternatives like Menuet and Haiku are simply to limited in resources to be of much use now, or ever most likely.
I'd like to get TinyCore or DSL running, and simply build from that 20-50MB base upwards with only that which I need. Give me basic PC functionality, network and web access, serial, USB, wifi, in 100-200MB and I should be fine.
Being able to have the entire freakin OS in RAM sure would be nice, and give me 8-16 GB multi-core multi-Ghz speed back.
/rant
Well, If you bought Windows 7 Ultimate, you certainly should have a good experience.
Microsoft may actually treat you better because you are part of their upgrade cash flow. You are the kind of cash rich customer that they desire. They can create problems and shake a few more bucks out of you for their next fix.
Americans in the USA do get much better pricing deals and support than those of us that live abroad. I have to pay at least top dollar for a Windows7 up-grade while you can shop for all sorts of bargain basement deals for a North America only license.
I was given a 64bit Windows 7 Professional disk licensed for North America (won't install in Taiwan) that only cost $50 USD, but to buy the same for an Asia license would cost me about $200USD plus shipping from the USA.
In my case, I am using Windows 7 Starter as it came with my netbook (no choice of buying one without or with Linux installed).
I think I have clearly explained how and why I decided to not support any Microsoft product. If they have finally happened to grow beyond gross mismanagement, I still am not interested.
After all, I paid out a lot for English XP Professional and English Office 2003 because I needed a reliable system in Taiwan, but MS would only provide support in Chinese because I live in Taiwan.
And when I moved on to an Intel Quad 64 bit machine, I was provided ONLY Chinese Vista and ONLY the 32bit version with an upgrade path that demanded I pay over $1000US to get English versions of 64bit Vista and a copy of MS Office.
At the time, I needed the support and it wasn't there. Viruses were caught, the system crashed, lots of important data lost. And no one at MS willing to acknowledge anything was out of line. Just took the money and ran.
I learned I could not rely on MS. History tells us that seem to only about 50% of their release right, and their update process is used to exploit customers via (a) slowing down computer performance to drive people to buy new hardware, and (b) to insert messages to sell product to a captive audience (my Windows7 now is trying to get me to migrate to Windows10).
Microsoft treats me as if I am a complete chump. So it is good-bye..... I won't buy anything Microsoft attempts to foist on me.
Personally, I'm tired of the multi-Gigabyte OS's required nowadays by Everyone.
I too have been amazed and depressed by the, ever increasing, huge size of operating systems and software over the years. This is a feeling brought about by starting out programming on machines whose memory sizes were measured in kilobytes. Remembering that we used to dream of getting a full up 64K for our CP/M systems for example. Or lusting over a 10 megabyte hard drive for our Atari STs that was impossibly expensive at the time.
Recently I decided I was being silly.
RAM and disk storage space is mind boggling huge and fantastically cheap. I have 32 gigabytes of storage on a key chain in my pocket! This PC with it's full up Debian install and all the apps I need only takes half of the smallest SSD could find. The install image still comes off less than half a CD. Generally it only uses less than 10 percent of the 4G bytes of memory that I fished out a dumpster!
So, to complain about software "bloat" is akin to someone who has been short of food and hungry all their lives complaining that they can now go to the supermarket and buy all they can eat for a small fraction of their income.
I do still feel that smaller is better, even if you have lots of RAM and disk access speed to both can be an issue. For small embedded systems and such we can always use OpenWRT or build a small Linux to fit. Did I mention LFS already.
If space and performance are not bugging you, why worry? Just luxuriate and swim around in the ocean of cheap space we have today
This humble PC does actually have multiple users at home. It's also running a web server, I'd rather my web visitors did not have the same access rights as I do!
I at least want two users. Me and root or admin. That way at least I help prevent myself from accidentally hosing the whole system
Having a multi-user system is just a bit of cream on having a multi-processing system that can run many things at the same time. It does not cost you anything to not use it so why worry?
from any company who's business is producing software, Linux is a cancer.
Say again? I've been a software developer for 33 years, for a company who's business is producing software. We've used many platforms over the years, but MS Windows was never a serious part. Now all our customers want everything on Linux. In fact, after Linux became a player the customers can afford many more servers and processing setups and the whole market has exploded with opportunities for software developers.
Comments
The introduction of MS Office for Linux, should be become dominant in no time, plus add in IE/Edge, that should also become dominant. So, what's left, an MS 10 desktop for your Linux. That way MS could keep on the "free" message, for the masses, and then still have the "real thing" available under the MS kernel. Now, they have the masses with MS 10 Linux, and the business sector with there usual quality software. They could probably start with Debian, and go from there.
Ray
Excel is pretty spiffy for running up a few figures. You are right, Excel arrived on the Mac first, took over two years to come to Windows. That is telling me something deep about the merits of the two systems at the time. Mind you they had not arrived at even Windows 3.1 by then.
Yep, I still waiting to hear back on that MS innovated thing that anyone actually needs now a days.
Don't assume Linux fans don't know the "joys" of Visual Studio. I have had to use it for a number of years. I used it for developing embedded Linux applications
I have heard rumours of VS on Linux. What's all that about? I guess you know more about it than I do today. Seems I can download a thing called "Visual Studio Code" for Linux already, from here: https://code.visualstudio.com/ What is that? It says something about developing ASP .NET and node.js apps "without the need for a full IDE". Looks awfully like the Atom editor I'm using now. I might even be tempted to give it a spin.
Edit: Wait up a minute: "By installing Visual Studio Code, you agree to the terms and data collection described here".....
"The software may collect information about you and your use of the software, and send that to Microsoft. Microsoft may use this information to provide services and improve our products and services. For this pre-release version, users cannot opt out of data collection."
OK, forget it.
There's also Python Tools for Visual Studio - very nice IDE for Pythoning but STILL under the MS license umbrella, I imagine.
But we digress (as usual) from the Yay/Nay discussion. I'm going to fire up my little HP tablet and see if it wants to upgrade to Win10. If it does, I'll let it...if it doesn't, I may force it!!
"in the same family as Atom, Brackets, Sublime," So I made a good guess about the Atom rip off. How low is MS getting now a days?
I'm curious about this "family" idea. As far as I know Atom, Brackets and Sublime are not related.
I will never, ever, consider installing anything from Microsoft again.
I haven't taken the Win10 plunge on either of my machines yet. I'll wade in gently, since I have an extra hard drive with Win8 that the wife rebelled against. It's a cheap experiment since that was the $35 "upgrade" to Win 8 from XP.
Wonder how long the weekly Win10 upgrades will continue: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/microsoft-delivers-second-cumulative-update-for-126516230374.html
Windows 8 had the lack of Start menu and the annoying "Metro" interface. Windows 10 has forced updates, the ability for Microsoft to access and use your personal data, and who knows what else that hasn't been discovered yet.
Pluses:
Old laptop boots faster and runs fine and the wife hasn't noticed the difference between Win7 and Win10 so I guess it passed a major consumer test there.
No issues with any software so far on any of the upgraded computers.
All drivers work fine.
Minuses:
Having to trawl through the privacy settings to reduce or remove MS access to stuff.
Not too fussed on the 'look' but that is minor.
I'm not sure if I will upgrade the remaining two computers
Yeah, right.
But wait! It was free!
If I must pay for everything, Apple offers a much better experience. If I must use Windows for development support, i expect a lot of frustration, disappointment, and slop... and expense.
So I have ended up refusing to pay any more to MS. I have Windows 7 Starter, just because I could not buy that notebook without it.
But, I dual booted that computer and predominately use Debian Linux.
Currently, the W7 has demanded updating and now has a new offer for free W10. But the W7 Starter has never run quite right. So what am I to expect from FREE Windows 10...... I suspect more of the same abuses.
Why should I tolerate such poor support while Linux offers more stability and informed contol for free?
Microsoft just has gone too far in thinking it can push naive customer into buying more nonsense.
Why play their game? Boycott!
"Curses to those pinko subversive communist hippies with their Free and Open source software. It's a cancer that will bring down civilization as we know it"
http://linux.softpedia.com/blog/Steve-Ballmer-s-Legacy-Linux-Is-a-Cancer-378948.shtml
"Just use our nice shiny new OS, it's FREE!"
"We can also do you a deal on some used open source software - Visual Studio Code (Atom editor, Electron run time) or Node.js or Python"
https://code.visualstudio.com/
I just recently up-graded my Debian from 32bit to 64bit and did something wrong that obviously requires me to do another reinstall. I suspect I retained legacy hidden files in the /home directory that have confused the OS in Debian 64bit.
And the Windows7 Update process is unpredictable, often it just takes forever before one can use their computer. I strongly suspect that Windows 10 is not much better -- who ever got the idea of blocking the user while doing updates?
(And it seems that Windows7 update policy has just tried to copy Windows10 and prevent users from turning off the auto-update feature. I no longer can find where to shut it down.)
In the interim, I decided to use my Windows7 for Lattice Diamond IDE. That led to a merry 24 hours of horror with my notebook 32bit computer cycling up and down through Windows Update procedures that failed at least 4 times before finally settling into an OS that stopped complaining.
++++++++++++
What is my point that I am trying to make?
A. I can use Windows7, if I must -- so I guess I could use Windows 10 as well, but prefer not to have MicroSoft insult and annoy me more than it already has.
B. I have installed Libre Office on it and free anti-virus -- so I can use Windows without buying anything.
C. The only way I ever learned to make Windows run right, was to learn how an OS is supposed to work properly by learning Linux.
D. The whole MicroSoft Windows UPDATE Process is Horrible. You attempt to turn off your computer and it tells you No you cannot and then runs on and on for hours before shut down. And then, when you turn your computer back on, it hijacks your computer for a Stage 3 Update and won't let you in.
And then, IF you are unfortunate (as I was), the Update fails and you go into a reversion mode for an hour or two before Windows Update will let you have the computer back.
After than, you start the whole process all over again and again until sometime in the distant future, the Updates get fixed and you get your computer back.
On the other hand, Linux Updates work in the background and never ever shuts you out of using your computer for actual work.
After all these years, I can only wonder and guess why MicroSoft insists on such an absurd update process for a machine that is suppose to be the mainstay of office workers.
Plain and simple, Linux allows me to get more productive work done and far less time waiting for the machine to run an Update or Virus Scan or whatever. And the Unix/Linux design scheme of an OS demonstrates how an OS should be. And, the new learner can actually learn more and learn faster with free reading materials and FREE software on Linux.... then apply that knowledge to proprietary OSes.
Simply create a new user, "Loopy2" say, and log in as that. "Loopy2" will have a fresh home directory so you can play in there and see what works and what does not.
I can't help feeling, from reading all this, that you have too many balls in the air at the same time. Debian 32 and 64 bit, Windows, Quartus, Lattice, Forth in verilog, Propeller in verilog...anything else?
I'd be happy if I could write some VHDL to flash a LED on my nano board without any hand holding
Forth in VHDL while Propeller in Verilog.
Yes, it is all a bit much at this point... but one does have to explore at times to learn anything new.
Why not just flash that LED in Verilog? It is suppose to be easier than VHDL.
+++++++++
Now that my Windows7 is back to stable, I may only use it to verify that Lattice Diamond IDE installs properly on the Debian 8.1 Jessie amd64.
The W7 remains available for old BS2 and SXchip programing and all the Hydra support created by Andre LaMothe.
Same problem really. All new and alien (to me) FPGA chips, dev systems, and languages.
There is enough to worry about in bootstrapping oneself from flashing a LED, the "hello world" of hardware design, to building more complex logic, to actually getting your own CPU concept working on an FPGA. Never mind juggling multiple versions of OS, dev system, language, hardware, design goal at the same time.
All sounds too much for my simple mind.
Steve Balmer's slam of Linux is all too simple-minded. The reality is the Linux is based on Bell Laboratory's Unix which really is one of the best researched OSes ever developed.
I suspect all my Windows Update troubles and waiting are due to Windows not using a Mount/Unmount feature that Unix file systems provide. And so, one has to get into the 'unmounted' Windows either after the computer user exits or before the computer user logs on. It is simply a poorer scheme that makes workstations unusable or has people leaving their abandoned machines on over-night and hoping everything will work in the morning.
When you adding the the awful waiting for Windows Defender and whatever Anti-Virus scan one prefers -- any boss begins to get dismayed with having to pay office staff to sit around and drink tea while the computer muddles through what it must.
If I needed a business computer that I could depend on and was willing to pay for proprietary software, it would have to be Apple's OSX or what was once Sun's Solaris. But it is quite obvious that the USA is more concerned with GDP growth figures rather than the productivity of actual small offices. So the solution for the Windows user is to buy a second computer to use while the first one is no available. Economic growth is not the same thing as economy and wasting less.
Go into the Windows Update settings and change it to:
"Check for updates but allow me to choose whether to download and install them."
Only install "Important" (security) updates, most systems can do without the rest of the junk. At least read about the non-security updates before installing. I have 65 "optional" updates listed that have never been installed and the computer has run fine for years. Optional updates were how Microsoft installed the Windows 10 upgrade spam/nagware (though the liars listed at least one as an important security update).
I have not had any problems with Windows Update in over 3 years, but I frequently use the "System Restore" feature and it rarely takes more than 5 minutes to finish, so I'm not sure why it would take an hour or two for you.
Even if I can get it under control for awhile, Microsoft will try to slip something else in. A lot of the descriptions are complete nonsense, so one must go to the internet and seek out others outside Microsoft to explain. More time wasted.
For years now, I have pretty much accepted all the Linux updates that are suggested and have had no trouble whatsoever. Good quality control, simple service.
Then the upgrade went ok and all is up and running.
I didn't run this hidden linux yet
Your "nightmare scenario" is not going to cause me any lost sleep. Didn't you know, mslinux has been out for years: http://www.mslinux.org/
All the young developers are using Mac now a days anyway.
Word is basically obsolete. Word processors are for printing documents on paper. Who does that now a days?
The desktop - hmm...judging by all the complaints I hear about recent Windows desktops I can't help thinking MS has nowhere to go with that.
If the stuff is in digital media, you just give the auditor a chance to automate searching for flaws in your work. Never do that. Make then worry that their boss is going to complain that they are wasting hours looking for something that may not be there.
Search machines are the enemy of the little guy. The U.S. government says you must keep tax records for government audit, but the Supreme Court says the government has no right to tell you how to keep those records. Think about it.
++++++++
And for many years, Microsoft provided a perfect defense for lack of proper tax records.
"I got a virus and lost everything on the computer. This is the best I can provide with what was left."
Or, "I upgraded my Windows and everything disappeared."
They may just come back with "We'd like to discuss your claim but we appear to be having trouble with our servers." - That's why it is good that Windows spans hardware from tablets (phones) to large servers now! Consistent deployment and operational expectations!!!
I presented them with all my bookkeeping records on an annual basis. Each year is in a 3"x5" calendar dairy where I scribble everything in ink and never erase corrections.
Perfectly acceptable, and obviously kept concurrent with the business - not created from fiction in Excel.
When supported by my 1040 filings, they quickly accepted it all. It wasn't pretty. In fact, most of it was nasty ugly and messy. Works for me.
Hmm, I'm wondering what exactly you are doing to have so many problems.
Win7 has been fantastic for me, using Ultimate on the work laptop and the Volume Licensed copy on my home machine.
I hate to support Ballmer, however from any company who's business is producing software, Linux is a cancer.
Personally, I'm tired of the multi-Gigabyte OS's required nowadays by Everyone.
Why exactly do I need multi-user at home?
I tried getting TinyCore and DSL running from a USB3 thumbdrive on my T430, and both failed. Though I think thats because neither of them expect to run that way.
Unfortunately, the world is either Windows, OS X, or Linux.
All of them are gargantuan piles of Server crud, layering cruft over cruft.
Other alternatives like Menuet and Haiku are simply to limited in resources to be of much use now, or ever most likely.
I'd like to get TinyCore or DSL running, and simply build from that 20-50MB base upwards with only that which I need. Give me basic PC functionality, network and web access, serial, USB, wifi, in 100-200MB and I should be fine.
Being able to have the entire freakin OS in RAM sure would be nice, and give me 8-16 GB multi-core multi-Ghz speed back.
/rant
Microsoft may actually treat you better because you are part of their upgrade cash flow. You are the kind of cash rich customer that they desire. They can create problems and shake a few more bucks out of you for their next fix.
Americans in the USA do get much better pricing deals and support than those of us that live abroad. I have to pay at least top dollar for a Windows7 up-grade while you can shop for all sorts of bargain basement deals for a North America only license.
I was given a 64bit Windows 7 Professional disk licensed for North America (won't install in Taiwan) that only cost $50 USD, but to buy the same for an Asia license would cost me about $200USD plus shipping from the USA.
In my case, I am using Windows 7 Starter as it came with my netbook (no choice of buying one without or with Linux installed).
I think I have clearly explained how and why I decided to not support any Microsoft product. If they have finally happened to grow beyond gross mismanagement, I still am not interested.
After all, I paid out a lot for English XP Professional and English Office 2003 because I needed a reliable system in Taiwan, but MS would only provide support in Chinese because I live in Taiwan.
And when I moved on to an Intel Quad 64 bit machine, I was provided ONLY Chinese Vista and ONLY the 32bit version with an upgrade path that demanded I pay over $1000US to get English versions of 64bit Vista and a copy of MS Office.
At the time, I needed the support and it wasn't there. Viruses were caught, the system crashed, lots of important data lost. And no one at MS willing to acknowledge anything was out of line. Just took the money and ran.
I learned I could not rely on MS. History tells us that seem to only about 50% of their release right, and their update process is used to exploit customers via (a) slowing down computer performance to drive people to buy new hardware, and (b) to insert messages to sell product to a captive audience (my Windows7 now is trying to get me to migrate to Windows10).
Microsoft treats me as if I am a complete chump. So it is good-bye..... I won't buy anything Microsoft attempts to foist on me.
Recently I decided I was being silly.
RAM and disk storage space is mind boggling huge and fantastically cheap. I have 32 gigabytes of storage on a key chain in my pocket! This PC with it's full up Debian install and all the apps I need only takes half of the smallest SSD could find. The install image still comes off less than half a CD. Generally it only uses less than 10 percent of the 4G bytes of memory that I fished out a dumpster!
So, to complain about software "bloat" is akin to someone who has been short of food and hungry all their lives complaining that they can now go to the supermarket and buy all they can eat for a small fraction of their income.
I do still feel that smaller is better, even if you have lots of RAM and disk access speed to both can be an issue. For small embedded systems and such we can always use OpenWRT or build a small Linux to fit. Did I mention LFS already.
If space and performance are not bugging you, why worry? Just luxuriate and swim around in the ocean of cheap space we have today
I at least want two users. Me and root or admin. That way at least I help prevent myself from accidentally hosing the whole system
Having a multi-user system is just a bit of cream on having a multi-processing system that can run many things at the same time. It does not cost you anything to not use it so why worry?