[stevebrot]

Anyone else notice that the latest security vulnerability discovered by NSA only affects Windows 10?

This is all a mess. My Win 7 box dates to Summer of 2014. Along with Win 8, it was current product at the time with Win 7 and residual XP being the common flavors for business (Win 8 being poorly received). Given that surveys indicate that 25% of Windows users (>200,000,000 of us) are still on Win 7, one would think there might be a reason that should not be ignored. For me, the reason is software and driver compatibility that evaporated with Win 10. Beyond that, my Win 10 laptop has not been the paragon of stability and of course, there is the ongoing removal/addition/modification of features that keeps me guessing every time I want to do something.

I really feel for businesses who have Win 7 dependent POS or remote client appliances.


Steve

(...thinking I should have ghosted my XP box after the last build...)

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Last edited by stevebrot; 01-17-2020 at 02:29 PM.

[nicolpa47]

I really feel for businesses who have Win 7 dependent POS or remote client appliances.

Steve

I'm really pleased I retired at the end of 2015. Running my business with the way Win10, particularly the updates, has behaved, would have been nerve wracking. The updates are now better and some of the other issues have been addressed, but there are still occasional unpredictable issues usually based around the lack of suitable drivers.

After the November 2019 block of postings on here, I upgraded a third laptop to Win 10. This was the easiest upgrade of the three I've done, and my antivirus software did not need to be uninstalled and later re-installed. Still had to do that with 2 encryption programs that work fine but Win10 will not do upgrades or feature updates with them in place.

I have kept one laptop on Win7, and two on XP in case I have to go back to old business data which I have to keep into 2021.

Colin

[Reality_Check]

I'm really pleased I retired at the end of 2015. Running my business with the way Win10, particularly the updates, has behaved, would have been nerve wracking. The updates are now better and some of the other issues have been addressed, but there are still occasional unpredictable issues usually based around the lack of suitable drivers.

After the November 2019 block of postings on here, I upgraded a third laptop to Win 10. This was the easiest upgrade of the three I've done, and my antivirus software did not need to be uninstalled and later re-installed. Still had to do that with 2 encryption programs that work fine but Win10 will not do upgrades or feature updates with them in place.

I have kept one laptop on Win7, and two on XP in case I have to go back to old business data which I have to keep into 2021.

Colin

Windows 10 has been a PITA for most small business people due to the extreme arrogance (in my humble opinion) of Microsoft essentially forcing whether you like it or not. I didn't realize how bad this was until I built a crypto mining rig just for fun. Man, what a pain! They're continuing with the same behavior with O365 and Teams as well. Updates will come down on their schedule whether you like it or not. Crazy business model, but it must be working!

[stevebrot]

Crazy business model, but it must be working!

What works for Microsoft is that the Apple product is too much money and Linux options still require too much technical expertise for most users particularly in regards to peripherals, network/wifi, and security.


Steve

[MarkJerling]

I've just installed new Edge. It's a huge improvement over old Edge. I may finally be able to uninstall Chrome which is a Ram hog.

[beachgardener]

Linux options still require too much technical expertise for most users particularly in regards to peripherals, network/wifi,

maybe 10 years ago, with modern distros like LinuxMint all of this stuff is easy these days.

One option I have showcased this week for someone is LinuxMint with Win7 in virtualbox, they loved the idea that they can use both at once.

[fs999]

I had three important updates since January 14th...

[WorksAsIntended]

Why ? Is your antivirus not working from that date on ?

If your PC with Windows 7 works fine, continue to use it. If you need the new features of Windows 10, you can still upgrade, if you have enough memory (4 GB minimum, 8 or 16 prefered for 64 bit version).

AV software does not help against major bugs.

[WorksAsIntended]

Windows 10 has been a PITA for most small business people due to the extreme arrogance (in my humble opinion) of Microsoft essentially forcing whether you like it or not. I didn't realize how bad this was until I built a crypto mining rig just for fun. Man, what a pain! They're continuing with the same behavior with O365 and Teams as well. Updates will come down on their schedule whether you like it or not. Crazy business model, but it must be working!

In my opinion, as a Gnu/Linux user since the 90s and regulary submitter to codes from multiple distros and not the biggest fan of MS products, switching to the forced rolling release modell is the only way to get Windows into a save and working state.
The issue Microsoft got is simple: the users are all trying to hold back to their old systems.
This forces every software dev to build his software on legacy mechanisms and opens doors for security issues. They are forced to maintain very old legacy code and solutions to problems must fit both old a new systems. Therefore the code quality suffers and it is really hard to get enhance the system.
Win 7 had an extra ordenary long lifespan, on paar with CentOS, still people complain about them not putting even more manpower into it.
The reason the software quality in general is that bad is because of all the people that force all the old systems to be still important. People that think av software is enough to protect any OS out of his lifecycle are one of the main reason why we got plenty of bot networks alive.
What you expect MS to do is not done by any Gnu/Linux distro out there. If you get a Mint version, it is ool pretty quickly.


Most of my employes, although most of them with technical backgrounds, are not used to work on Gnu/Linux as their desktop system. Our customers demand Windows as client OS. If properly administrated there is no issue in using it what so ever.

Please do us all a favour: update your pc to the newest OS version or remove it from the net completly and do not expect any modern software to work on it and maybe we can leave those archaic times behind us.

[stevebrot]

maybe 10 years ago, with modern distros like LinuxMint all of this stuff is easy these days.

One option I have showcased this week for someone is LinuxMint with Win7 in virtualbox, they loved the idea that they can use both at once.

Everything is easy until it gets hard. I have no experience with LinuxMint, but do run CentOS. Last time I looked, there are no Linux drivers for my Pixma Pro-100 or either of my scanners for Linux 64. That is where things start getting hard. How much tech knowledge is needed to figure out that one can use a Spyder5 to do monitor calibration on LinuxMint? DisplayCal might work, but I don't see LinuxMint on the distribution list. Linux noob be sooo very confused!

How is vulnerability of Win 7 on virtualbox different from vulnerability of Win 7 native? How is the hardware abstraction for things like monitor calibration and dual monitors?

Sorry for being so cranky, but I have some pretty tech naive photo friends and the last thing I would do is to point any of them at either of those solutions. That is unless they were paying me professional rate by the hour, 1/2 hour minimum.


Steve

[fs999]

AV software does not help against major bugs.

Major bugs ? Do you think there are no major bugs in Windows 10 ?!

[stevebrot]

Please do us all a favour: update your pc to the newest OS version or remove it from the net completly and do not expect any modern software to work on it and maybe we can leave those archaic times behind us.

There is this issue of poor support in Win 10 for long-standing hardware and software in use by both photographers in business and serious amateurs. I run Win 10 on my laptop and the reason why I did not migrate my main desktop box from Win 7 is the lack of support on Win 10 for stable legacy productivity and accounting software as well as poor support for my printers and scanners. I might add that my Win 10 laptop (business-class Lenovo) has an alarming tendency to present BSOD, at least a dozen times in as many months, whereas the Win 7 box is alarmingly stable and has been for years. There is also the issue of the UI and OS conventions changing every few months.

For many of us, doing the Win 10 upgrade simply does not WorkAsIntended.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Major bugs ? Do you think there are no major bugs in Windows 10 ?!

How many times per month, eh?


Steve

[WorksAsIntended]

Major bugs ? Do you think there are no major bugs in Windows 10 ?!

Less wellknown ones that are security relevant in a few months at least.

Just download metasploit and choose any system that did not recieve updates the last 6 months and you will find a breach. Fully automted without any knowledge necessary.

I know plenty of ways to attack a win xp system out of my head, and I am far from an expert at this matter.

[Serkevan]

I might add that my Win 10 laptop (business-class Lenovo) has an alarming tendency to present BSOD, at least a dozen times in as many months, whereas the Win 7 box is alarmingly stable and has been for years.

If it's a Thinkpad, that's the root cause. All the University-issued Thinkpads I've seen get sluggish when you look at them and freeze if you demand too much of them*. I had 2012 Asus laptop that I upgraded to Win10 in 2016 or early 2017, which keeps working perfectly fine whenever my dad remembers to use it. My new, late 2017 Asus RoG laptop has had... two BSODs in a bit over two years? It's less than the BSOD rate I had on Win7.



*Apparently, 10 Chrome tabs counts as "too much" sometimes...