Last Updated on November 30, 2019 by Christopher G Mendla
Howtogeek published an article detailing how Microsoft will FORCE updates on users of home versions.
It appears that Microsoft is forcing users of Home versions to be beta testers before the updates are rolled out to Business (Professional versions).
I see a number of issues with this
- Microsoft has a history of pushing out updates that break things or brick systems. For example, the “Malicious Software Update” never seems to complete on my system. The idiot ‘engineers’ seemed to ignore the fact that someone could have a couple of terabytes attached to a machine… DUhhh.. At least in Windows 7, I can hide that USELESS POS update.
- This could kill people who use their laptop on a tethered phone or 4G access point as far as sucking down data while on the road instead of at home.
- I despise the idea of a forced reboot. I’m not sure how much leeway you will have in avoiding the update. I’ve had numerous experiences where I was working under a deadline and had to wait for updates to install, especially that moronic “Malicious software checker
So, what can you do about this?
- Stay with Windows 8/8.1 – This isn’t the greatest idea in that obsolescence will eventually overtake you and there are features in Windows 10 that should enhance productivity (ie fix some of the stupid that went into the Win 8 design)
- Update to the Professional version – Keep in mind that the Pro versions of Windows will still allow you to choose updates and have a lot more control. I’m not sure about the pricing yet.
- Make sure that you update your laptop before traveling, working, visiting clients – I will probably go to Windows 10. I depend on my laptop while on weekend vacations, while at client sites and meetings and more. With Win 10 home, I will have to make sure that the laptop is updated ..
- Move to Linux, especially for laptops – When it comes time to purchase a new laptop I will definitely look into a linux machine. I need the laptop primarily for email, web design, internet browsing and presentations. Many of my business functions are ‘in the cloud’ and independent of Microsoft. It’s not like the old days where I would need to have outlook installed on my machine, especially with things such as OWA. Actually, with the right keyboard, a higher end Android tablet would meet most of my needs
What should Microsoft do?
- REALLY REALLY think long and hard about this.
- Get rid of the morons who came up with this idea.
- Be ready to change their stance if the populace rises up in indignation.
I can see a couple of possible effects from this.
- Does anyone remember the antitrust lawsuits because Internet Explore was too tightly integrated into the Windows Operating system, especially for updates? If there is a class action suit on this, sign me up.. I want my eventual check for $0.32 from Dewey Cheetum and Howe LLC.
- Some percentage of people will be turned off by the forced updates. I don’t think it will have an immediate impact on Microsoft’s market share but some people will turn to ipads, androids and linux based machines.
- Most likely, there will be a flood of hacks to get around the forced updates. I can see a huge market for the malware slimeballs in marketing “THIS will stop the forced updates”..aka Download our malware right now.