There are some things that I like about Win 10.
It has a nice snappy interface, that is easy to learn.
The updates keep coming, so exploits that can let others in, are quickly plugged.
My upgrade went very well, and I am a clean install guy. This is the first time I haven't done a clean install, even though it was my intention, and everything works.

I altered the .CL file, replacing every instance of bool2 with bool_2, so I should have no more problems with newer Nvidia drivers. (I will post results when a new AP unit appears.)

This is certainly better than Win 8, and is a combination of 7 and 8.1.
I am far from the beginner computer user, and I have control over what I was afraid of in the beginning.

So far, other than the privacy, which I already gave up by carrying a smart phone, I think Microsoft might be onto something. Cortana is still turned off, as there is a huge fan noise in my bedroom where Piggy is located. (63 dB) Even with water cooling, it is like sleeping on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It is when the sound stops, that I wake up and see what happened......

Steve

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Warning, addicted to SETI crunching!
Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group.
GPUUG Website

Mantle was announced first, and put into use before DX12, and it seems that DX12 is trying to be a cross-vendor version of the same thing, but as to my original thought.. I think that still stands. If DX12 works great, then why continue developing and trying to push Mantle? Especially if DX12 works better on AMD cards than nVidia? That gives AMD the performance advantage, and they didn't even have to do any of the development or programming.

If DX12 works so great, then there isn't any incentive or reason to continue with Mantle or similar concepts which would allow a game to be cross-platform, and further locks gamers to needing Windows. Yes, Wine works most of the time, but it doesn't always work, and then requires all that fiddly command-line and nerdy confusing Linux things to get it to work when it doesn't. The vast majority of people want something that just.. works and shouldn't require a computer programming degree to get it to work.

Ah, OK. I see what you're saying now I think. You're saying that Mantle, not being exclusive to Microsoft, could have been cross-platform, at least for AMD cards. With the introduction of DirectX 12, and with DX12 taking on many of the features of Mantle, and finally since DX is the dominant gaming standard, it further locks gaming companies into the Windows world. Because of this, AMD may as well divert development resources on other projects, thus throwing all that work and the possibility of cross-platform APIs along with what could have been a dominant standard is down the drain.

That's a fair assessment and I don't disagree. I'd probably have switched to Linux a while ago if there was a reliable and easy to use emulator allowing all my programs and games to work. But of course, Windows APIs are proprietary and difficult to develop clean-room implementations of them while maintaining full compatibility (which can sometimes mean quirks as well). Which goes back to: the best way to run software is on the platform for which it was originally intended... but that's bad news for anyone wishing to break away from Microsoft's proprietary, closed source world.

The only answer, of course, is to make a clean break and find alternatives to your favorite applications that are designed to run on the new platform, thus forgoing any emulation layer. But then that goes back to the fact that there just aren't alternatives for some applications, especially for gamers.

It is indeed a sad state of affairs. I say forget it all, let's go back to MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.11. Play some Doom II and frag a bunch of demons! :-P

Sounds very much like VHS vs. Betamax, or Blu-ray vs. whatever the other one was - I've forgotten.

HD-DVD. ;-)

Sounds very much like VHS vs. Betamax, or Blu-ray vs. whatever the other one was - I've forgotten.

HD-DVD. ;-)

The funny thing here, is that even though Blu-Ray is a better technology, with greater storage, it was the name that won out, as Blu-Ray just sounded better than HD-DVD.

Steve

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Warning, addicted to SETI crunching!
Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group.
GPUUG Website

I was personally pulling for HD-DVD because I dislike Sony as a company. :-) When the entire porn industry announced their support for HD-DVD, as they did for VHS despite Betamax being the better technology, I thought it was game over. Then suddenly HD-DVD threw in the towel a few months later and Blu-Ray won.

My next-door neighbor bought the 11-part series for Planet Earth on HD-DVD. It is still cellophaned, because he doesn't have a player for it. He was one of those people that started stocking up on movies and stuff and was waiting for the price on the players to come down and be reasonable, but HD-DVD threw in the towel before that happened.

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Linux laptop:
record uptime: 1511d 20h 19m (ended due to the power brick giving-up)

Ouch! Fortunately, I held off entirely until a clear winner was declared. :-)

Hi,

My next-door neighbor bought the 11-part series for Planet Earth on HD-DVD. It is still cellophaned, because he doesn't have a player for it. He was one of those people that started stocking up on movies and stuff and was waiting for the price on the players to come down and be reasonable, but HD-DVD threw in the towel before that happened.

Its possible there's a few HD-DVD burners around I have one made by LG that does both HD-DVD and BD.. So its possible there may be the odd one in the 2nd hand market.. If he was interested enough to look for it:-)

Mine still works ok, there aint any optical HD-DVD discs about, but since it also does BD its not a problem. I've got it to load software on my other rig:-)
And since it does HD-DVD it can play stuff in that format as well as burn it.

Regards,

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Cliff,
Been there, Done that, Still no damm T shirt!

I was personally pulling for HD-DVD because I dislike Sony as a company. :-) When the entire porn industry announced their support for HD-DVD, as they did for VHS despite Betamax being the better technology, I thought it was game over. Then suddenly HD-DVD threw in the towel a few months later and Blu-Ray won.

In addition Sony paid Warner not to release any more movies on HD-DVD.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

... Then suddenly HD-DVD threw in the towel a few months later and Blu-Ray won.

In addition Sony paid Warner not to release any more movies on HD-DVD.

From my observations of various aspects of the "Microsoft Embrace, E, E..."

Just as well that "Linux" cannot be similarly paid off or bought out...


IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

From my observations of various aspects of the "Microsoft Embrace, E, E..."...

Looks like that has just happened to a once large proud world leading Finnish company and employees:


Microsoft Confirms Finnish Phone Site Closure and Job Cuts

Microsoft Corp on Friday confirmed it will close Nokia Oyj's former handset product development unit in Salo, Finland, and will cut a total of up to 2,300 jobs in the Nordic country...


In other news amongst the amazing amount of Win10 "PR" material gushing forth:


Microsoft will explain only 'significant' Windows 10 updates

... In a statement sent by a spokesperson to us, Microsoft said: “As we have done in the past, we post KB articles relevant to most updates which we’ll deliver with Windows as a service. Depending on the significance of the update and if it is bringing new functionality to Windows customers, we may choose to do additional promotion of new features as we deploy them.”

The Register asked Microsoft for clarification on the policy after the company issued a new cumulative update for Windows 10 and refused to say what it does other than to say it offered “improvements to enhance the functionality of Windows 10.”...

... suspicion of Microsoft is justified because Windows 10 is a data-slurper par excellence. An “enhancement” to Windows 10 that benefits Microsoft might therefore be to the detriment of your privacy. If Microsoft had nothing to hide, surely it would let us know what it's up to with each update? Or is it hiding behind the fig leaf of the permissions assigned when Windows 10 was installed?

... Redmond has form charging more when it thinks it's done enough to deserve it, as it did for Office 365. If hiking prices because of enhanced functionality is Microsoft's policy, surely it owes users an explanation about just what enhancements it has bestowed upon them...


Senior Russian lawmaker seeks ban on Windows 10 in state agencies

The State Duma’s vice speaker has asked the Russian government to ban the use of the Windows 10 OS among Russian civil servants over fears the American software may give access to classified information and Russian officials’ personal data...


And we seem to have recent generations growing up to 'expect' no privacy and to carelessly default to accept all intrusions. Until Marketing or worse bites them with extortion or worse?...


IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

The State Duma’s vice speaker has asked the Russian government to ban the use of the Windows 10 OS among Russian civil servants over fears the American software may give access to classified information and Russian officials’ personal data...

In other words they are worried that all their senior people will be outed as gays or having mistresses.

Great comment, Chris. But I'm sure your fantasy can more.

For others with less extended fantasy it's quite apparent why such spy system should not be used in government environment.

I wonder if Merkel will run 10?
It should interface well with her phone.

;-)

For others with less extended fantasy it's quite apparent why such spy system should not be used in government environment.

New Micro$oft Slogan:

"Window$ 10, it's more secure than Hillary's email server........"

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

IT is the new trend, our devices "phone home" not only Win10 also some "smart" TV's

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/11/smart-tv-from-lg-phones-home-with-users-viewing-habits-usb-file-names/

http://fusion.net/story/49352/all-the-smart-gadgets-are-spying-on-you/

// Lazydude

More fuel to the fire on Win 10:

http://betanews.com/2015/08/21/microsoft-will-only-provide-information-about-windows-10-updates-when-it-wants-to/

Highlights:

"Microsoft will only provide information about Windows 10 updates when it wants to"

"It's less than a month since the launch of Windows 10, and there have already been three cumulative updates released."

"Considering Windows 10's forced installation of updates...."

"While it is possible to use software to postpone the installation of individual updates, this is not something that the average user is going to do."

"So you might get told what an update does, you might not."

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River Song (aka Linda Latte on planet Earth)
"Happy I-Phone girl on the GO GO GO"

Now, that's what I call a cutting comment.....and a rather good one at that. I've ordered 2 X Win 7 Pro 64 bit packages for my new builds after 'confirming' that Win 10 is not for me. It is all well and good talking about gaming, but I've got shelves of stuff that is no longer supported by anything after XP! Stuff with the Microsoft name on it. Foolish of me to think that the 'Game Port' would always be supported, maybe - more foolish to think that a USB (MS) 'stick' would also continue to be supported! I think I'll stay with an OS that does what I tell it. Having said that, my ancient P3/500 with a Riva TNT128 and 2 X Diamond Monster (3dFX) cards still runs fine and reliably on Win Millennium.

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Don't take life too seriously, as you'll never come out of it alive!

I wish that I'd had the money and bought a few Win7 Home Prem & Pro OEM disks a few months ago as they've gone up here by almost 95% recently (Win10 versions are very comparable in price ranges also). :-(

Cheers.

HP is still selling Win 7 Pro 64 bit PC's for roughly $500 to $650.

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River Song (aka Linda Latte on planet Earth)
"Happy I-Phone girl on the GO GO GO"

Last year I bought a HP Pavilion 500-152ea PC for 509 euros. It had Windows 8 installed on it, soon updated to 8.1. This year I received a copy of Windows 10 Home edition, which was immediately updated too. I am using it mainly as a Virtual Box platforom to run CERN programs written in Scientific Linux. The problem is that some of them require a working Remote Dekstop Protocol, which worked out of the box on Windows 8.1 but I am unable to make it work on Windows 10.
Since I am a Linux user on two other PCs I don't have enough knowledge to tinker with Windows. The only thing I did was to put off all the various options allowing Microsoft to read my data, and I asked to be notified when an aupdate requires a reboot, allowing me tu suspend all running BOINC projects.
Tullio

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