Driven by Chinese PUBG Players, Windows 7 Now Most Popular OS on Steam

[Fx]

How again MS is invading your privacy? By gathering logs about wheter OS setup was successful? xD
Upgrades =/= updates. I am pretty sure we were talking about OS upgrades, not monthly patches. So no, W10 upgrades stopped year ago, unless you use (or abuse) assistive technologies upgrade option.

And again, Credential Guard, Device Guard, Defender Advanced Threat Protection and so on.

With a little more effort placed into the results of a search about what Microsoft collects, you would have a better understanding. It is well beyond what you believe.

Privacy is a very big deal. It is as important as fundamental rights. The problem is that populations have been socially engineered to be unaware of its significant importance in our lives. If you don't believe that fine, but surely you can recognize the lack of emphasis and education on the matter.

Yes, there needs to be a compromise between individuals and companies when interacting with each over online mediums, but this needs to be a discussion that ends in an understanding for all parties involved.

 

[Keullo-e]

Upgraded to W10 right after it was released, and I don't miss 7 at all. It was fine back in the day, but I can't understand why bother getting modern hardware and then using it with such an ancient OS.

Tablet running with 8.1 and for it, it's fine. But 7... meh.

 

[Boosnie]

With a little more effort placed into the results of a search about what Microsoft collects, you would have a better understanding. It is well beyond what you believe.

Privacy is a very big deal. It is as important as fundamental rights. The problem is that populations have been socially engineered to be unaware of its significant importance in our lives. If you don't believe that fine, but surely you can recognize the lack of emphasis and education on the matter.

Yes, there needs to be a compromise between individuals and companies when interacting with each over online mediums, but this needs to be a discussion that ends in an understanding for all parties involved.

You can disable cortana completely and choose the telemetry level.
Switch off windows recognition of Cameras, microphones and the likes and turn off location awarness.
There is control over your personal data.
The rest is telemetry data used to track global e regional threats.

 

[lexluthermiester]

My IP? The same one which is identical for few blocks of buildings? Good luck. Or are you going to break into my ISP?

How did you post this message? Right, so if you can get out onto the net, someone on the net can potentially get into your system. That is a physical and mathematical fact.

Device Guard, Credential Guard, improved memory protection and so on.

So you're saying you trust Microsoft?

How again MS is invading your privacy?

And again, Credential Guard, Device Guard, Defender Advanced Threat Protection and so on.

Oh now you're just being silly.. Keystroke logging. It started out with a service known as "diagtrack" and after that was discovered, they built that functionality into "Windows Defender", Cortana and Edge. Keystroke logging is as unlawful as it is objectionable in most places in the world. Microsoft is actively keystroke, mouse click and voice input logging and doing so WITHOUT due process, IE without a court order, which blatantly illegal in most[but not all] places in the world. It is most certainly illegal here where I live and work. Microsoft gets away with it because if a loophole in a certain law. It doesn't change the fact that they are blatantly breaking the law. That makes them criminals by most standards. What was that about trusting Microsoft?

Upgraded to W10 right after it was released, and I don't miss 7 at all. It was fine back in the day, but I can't understand why bother getting modern hardware and then using it with such an ancient OS.

Your choice and preference is respectable. However, ancient? Windows 1, 2, 3.x, 9x, NT and 2k are ancient. Windows XP is still being actively supported, even if only to a specific market sector. And a solid 12 % of CONSUMER systems are still running it. Old certainly, but not ancient. And Windows 7 is still in active support as well. Considering that Windows 7 and 10 drivers are almost completely interchangeable, to call 7 ancient would be to call 10 similarly ancient. So one has to ask; What OS is modern to you?

You can disable Cortana completely and choose the telemetry level.

That does not turn off the deeper user input tracking. It's an untrustworthy facade.

There is control over your personal data.

Only if you physically delete the offending code. This debate is exactly why the Chinese have gone back to Windows 7. It is far more easily securable than 10.

Yes, there needs to be a compromise between individuals and companies when interacting with each over online mediums

Absolutely not! And before you ask why this is so important, Equifax[or any other major data breach of the last decade] anyone? While not direct related to this story, it is an excellent example of people falsely trusting without actually doing their research and due diligence where digital security is concerned. And Microsoft themselves have been victim of data breaches, by their own employees! How long will it be before someone grabs a bunch of the keystroke logs which contain the same kind of data as the Equifax breach. This can catasrophic not just to individual users, but also to governments, business' and other such entities that need and require complete data security. One can not be secure when being keystroke, mouse-click, tap-click and voice logged.

The strong stance of privacy and digital security shared by myself and others is not paranoia. It is practical prudence and wisdom based on experience and knowledge.

 

[Boosnie]

NOT paranoia?
You are implying that the typing and inking data is correlated in some ways to the context on the user screen to produce a breach in user security.
So MS somewhere has a big text file that reads: "user A visiting site B typed "user" in username field and "password" in password field"
That's what you really think it's doing.
Even if, IF, MS detains some kind of correlation between the specific user (as in physical persona) and is typed data, that has to be proven that that data is of some use to an attacker.

As before with iOS and ANDROID you drift completely out of context getting EQUIFAX into the discussion. That is a completely different scope int terms of motivations, data correlation, and data collection modality. It has nothing in common other than the word "breach".

 

[Easo]

How did you post this message? Right, so if you can get out onto the net, someone on the net can potentially get into your system. That is a physical and mathematical fact.

So you're saying you trust Microsoft?


Oh now you're just being silly.. Keystroke logging. It started out with a service known as "diagtrack" and after that was discovered, they built that functionality into "Windows Defender", Cortana and Edge. Keystroke logging is as unlawful as it is objectionable in most places in the world. Microsoft is actively keystroke, mouse click and voice input logging and doing so WITHOUT due process, IE without a court order, which blatantly illegal in most[but not all] places in the world. It is most certainly illegal here where I live and work. Microsoft gets away with it because if a loophole in a certain law. It doesn't change the fact that they are blatantly breaking the law. That makes them criminals by most standards. What was that about trusting Microsoft?

Yeaaaahhhh, good luck with that. Doxing would be way more successful than ISP assigned address for multiple building blocks. Would be different if I had bought a static IP from them, but since I haven't...

Yes, I trust Microsoft. So does millions of companies around the world, companies bigger than Microsoft, with people as smart and experienced as those working in MS. Yet nothing has been found.
Do you have any proof that I shouldn't? Real proof, from courts with facts?

Illegal, yet nothing is done? Oh, tell me more about this crime for which MS hasn't been brought to justice! /s

You said to the other poster that this is not about paranoia. I am not so sure.

With a little more effort placed into the results of a search about what Microsoft collects, you would have a better understanding. It is well beyond what you believe.

Privacy is a very big deal. It is as important as fundamental rights. The problem is that populations have been socially engineered to be unaware of its significant importance in our lives. If you don't believe that fine, but surely you can recognize the lack of emphasis and education on the matter.

Yes, there needs to be a compromise between individuals and companies when interacting with each over online mediums, but this needs to be a discussion that ends in an understanding for all parties involved.

Search? For what? Here is publicly available document from Microsoft about telemetry and what data does it collect at various setting levels:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/

It's not exactly beyond what I "believe".

P.S.
I do wonder how people expect bugfixes to happen without MS not knowing about errors or things like personal assistants to work without data collection. Probably with magic.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yeaaaahhhh, good luck with that. Doxing would be way more successful than ISP assigned address for multiple building blocks. Would be different if I had bought a static IP from them, but since I haven't...

I'm not saying it's just possible, it happens. Every day. Hackers/crackers do it, governments do it. If you think you can't be hacked from the internet, I would pay real money to see the look on your face when it happens!

Yes, I trust Microsoft. So does millions of companies around the world, companies bigger than Microsoft, with people as smart and experienced as those working in MS.

As I work for a large entity that demands complete security, I can tell you that the higher ups do not trust Microsoft or any other software vendor unless they prove up or allow inspection of the source code. We are locked on Windows 7 and will not be transitioning to 10 until Microsoft meets our very strict data security SOP standards. We are FAR from alone in that stance..

Yet nothing has been found. Do you have any proof that I shouldn't? Real proof, from courts with facts?

Oh yes they have, and the proof is out there, go do your own research. And by making the "from court" statement, you're effectively saying the nothing I or anyone else can offer would be good enough for you without actual standing case law, thus rendering your response a mute point.

Illegal, yet nothing is done? Oh, tell me more about this crime for which MS hasn't been brought to justice! /s

You missed the legal loop-hole part of the previous comment.

You said to the other poster that this is not about paranoia. I am not so sure.

Ok, call me paranoid. Don't care. I'd rather be ultra careful that get digitally boned.

Search? For what? Here is publicly available document from Microsoft about telemetry and what data does it collect at various setting levels: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/

Have you actually read that statement? Try reading it, seriously.

P.S. I do wonder how people expect bugfixes to happen without MS not knowing about errors or things like personal assistants to work without data collection. Probably with magic.

It's called focus group beta testing. It's the way software use to be created before the internet, because back then once you release a product there's no fixing it without REALLY expensive efforts. So proper testing was absolutely required. It's also the correct way to test for bugs and glitches. Apple and Google both have beta testing divisions to make sure that their software actually works before releasing it to the public. Microsoft now uses only a limited group for testing before releasing major updates. The general public is being used as a second stage beta group. Unacceptable.

 

[Easo]

No, I do not have to go and search for anything. You are saying that Microsoft is the evuuuuul spying company. Facts. Provide them. You, not me. The accuser has to do that...
And I did read that statement. Or are you telling me that MS put up those documents and expected no one to do that? xD
P.S.
Beta testing for millions upon millions of hardware/software combinations? Do you even grasp the scope? Apple has very limited hardware set in comparision, Google has mostly it's own software, while Microsoft has everything. This has been discussed to death. Yes, I know MS QA has sucked lately, but it never has been perfect.

 

[TheOne]

In contrast to Steam, StatCounter could have Windows 10 as the most used OS by the end of the year.

 

[lexluthermiester]

No, I do not have to go and search for anything. You are saying that Microsoft is the evuuuuul spying company. Facts. Provide them. You, not me. The accuser has to do that...

I don't personally need to prove anything. The evidence is commonly available. Your sense of entitlement and pride is what prevents you from looking for some of it yourself.

And I did read that statement. Or are you telling me that MS put up those documents and expected no one to do that? xD

Then perhaps you need to re-read it.

Beta testing for millions upon millions of hardware/software combinations? Do you even grasp the scope?

Hmm..
We've gotten off topic a little bit. Whether you choose to accept Microsoft's flawed scope and focus is unacceptable and even unlawful is up to you. But the facts remain that Windows 7 is far less offensive to one's privacy and easy to configure in the ways that it is. The Chinese people aren't stupid, they know what they are doing. You clearly don't understand it.

 

[Easo]

I don't personally need to prove anything. The evidence is commonly available. Your sense of entitlement and pride is what prevents you from looking for some of it yourself.

Then perhaps you need to re-read it.

Hmm..
We've gotten off topic a little bit. Whether you choose to accept Microsoft's flawed scope and focus is unacceptable and even unlawful is up to you. But the facts remain that Windows 7 is far less offensive to one's privacy and easy to configure in the ways that it is. The Chinese people aren't stupid, they know what they are doing. You clearly don't understand it.

Yes, you do, since you are the one saying that MS is spying, for whatever the reason, on us. As I said, it is the common accepted practice that the accuser provides proof, not the defendant.
Why would I need to reread that?

Chinese are controlled by their goverment, which is saying what they should actually know or believe or think. Not the best example.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yes, you do, since you are the one saying that MS is spying, for whatever the reason, on us. As I said, it is the common accepted practice that the accuser provides proof, not the defendant

Ok. Sure.

Why would I need to reread that?

You seem to have missed a few things.

Chinese are controlled by their government, which is saying what they should actually know or believe or think. Not the best example.

And if you REALLY believe that nonsense, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you..