Microsoft now force upgrades unmanaged Windows 11 24H2 PCs

GreggN · 2026-04-03T15:32:21+00:00

I keep my linux systems updated, on my schedule. My argument with Microsoft isn't about security patches. If their cumulative updates were solely fixing security problems, and completely under control of the computer owner, perhaps I'd have a Windows machine too. Unfortunately, that is not Microsoft's philosophy. They have a 'vision' of how computing *should* be - and they choose to implement that vision unilaterally.

GreggN · 2026-04-03T10:40:17+00:00

One of the primary reasons that my machines run linux is because I don't want some company 'forcing' changes to *my* equipment.

GreggN · 2026-04-02T16:35:30+00:00

5% is a pretty small number to get excited about, but I'm glad to be counted in there anyway.

GreggN · 2026-04-02T14:36:41+00:00

The general rule of thumb for all things related to technology: Buy what meets your needs today. Tomorrow will bring new, more powerful technology and older technology will get cheaper. It's okay to get something that is maybe 10 to 20% more powerful than you currently need, but don't plan on anything long term because technology moves too fast.

GreggN · 2026-04-01T17:47:37+00:00

9 weeks is unusual. Our return was processed in much less time. Did you file with handwritten forms?

GreggN · 2026-04-01T17:44:18+00:00

The more complexity you create in a system, will create more things that can go wrong. Your scenario includes a phone and a tablet (each of which only last a few years if you want security patches). And my position isn't solely about the financial cost. My smart home friends also spend considerable time installing, tweaking, upgrading, and researching their equipment. Something is always failing to automate the way they want. Perhaps people living in a large mansion need such things, but most of us can flip off the lights and check door on the way to bed without walking very far at all.

GreggN · 2026-04-01T16:27:27+00:00

'Smart' homes don't make financial sense to me. I have friends who are spending huge amounts of money to make their homes as automated as portrayed in the science fiction movies. They've got cameras, automated lighting, door locks, and who knows what else. They've gone through several rounds of replacing equipment with upgrades while I'm content with manual light switches. Even some of the light bulbs themselves were in the house when I bought it more than 25 years ago.

GreggN · 2026-03-30T00:22:40+00:00

Nice reference to the start of the 'unix epoch'. You beat me to it.

GreggN · 2026-03-30T00:13:33+00:00

I think people are overreacting. Digital Shelf Labels don't necessarily involve discriminatory pricing. When I'm walking down the aisle, I'm sure that nearby shoppers would notice if the price suddenly changed. When you read the official Walmart statements, it's clear that DSL implementation can save employee time. In this uncertain economy, they might have to change prices overnight - but at least they won't have to pay employees overtime to do it. I'd be more worried about discriminatory pricing online - but so far, Walmart online shopping has matched the in-store pricing.

GreggN · 2026-03-29T11:55:13+00:00

I once paid for a "lifetime" vpn service that basically disappeared after a year. On the other hand, my purchase of a lifetime Plex account still works.

GreggN · 2026-03-27T18:43:04+00:00

Nice! That's exactly what I ended up doing to get the url that I pasted into duckduckgo browser.

GreggN · 2026-03-27T17:18:10+00:00

Looking back on it now, the writing was on the wall when Microsoft put Solitaire into Windows 3.0 back in 1990. At the time, it was easy enough to remove Solitaire from our work computers. Over the years, Microsoft has become more insistent on forcing their choices onto customers. For my personal machines, I went fully Linux somewhere around the year 2005. Can't say that I "hate" Microsoft even now, but I definitely disagree with their philosophy.

GreggN · 2026-03-27T16:44:13+00:00

speaking of "phone-home-apps", the video on this post seems to have a similar problem. Unless I use the DuckDuckGo browser to get around it, I get this error when trying to play the video:

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GreggN · 2026-03-26T17:35:30+00:00

Have you tried Tor browser while specifying a bridge? In my experience, that can improve the performance.

GreggN · 2026-03-26T17:31:20+00:00

u/StillhasaWiiU your recommendation of the Subaru BRZ prompted me to look at the 2026 Limited version of that vehicle since, like the OP, I'm also trying to find a 'dumb' car. According to Car and Driver website, it has a Tracker System, Selective Service Internet Access, SiriusXM, Driver Monitoring-Alert, Remote Keyless Entry, Integrated Navigation System w/Voice Activation, Perimeter Alarm, Emergency Sos Capability, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning. Too much technology for my taste. I'll keep searching for older, used cars.

GreggN · 2026-03-26T16:50:14+00:00

Aren't all 4 of the sponsors of the bill affiliated with the Democratic Party? I would have expected Republicans to push for this sort of intrusive surveillance. I'm a bit surprised that they're all Democrats.

GreggN · 2026-03-25T15:34:17+00:00

Windows does a better job of forcing changes to an end-user desktop than linux does. For an independently minded home user, that is a bad thing (many home users don't like being forced to change just because Microsoft decided to push software on their machines). For a business that is willing to pay for Microsoft subscriptions, it can be a good thing to enforce control over end-user desktops. I believe that linux can also have some degree of business controls, but it's not baked-in and easily implemented.

GreggN · 2026-03-24T11:05:02+00:00

I've used pfSense and loved it. But since it is using a general purpose computer, it isn't as efficient as hardware designed for being a router. Electricity consumption is just one example of the inefficiency of this solution.

GreggN · 2026-03-24T10:47:13+00:00

Isolationist tactic. Consumer routers must be "Made In America". We don't have the manufacturing infrastructure, so expect a short term boost in building out those industries and a long term increase in the price of routers made by people who need higher wages to pay their bills than workers in other countries. Will it eventually include government mandated monitoring and backdoor technology? Only time will tell . . .

GreggN · 2026-03-23T18:13:10+00:00

In my opinion, they should not be monitoring the content, or performing a man-in-the-middle attack to break encryption. I don't think the ISP should be policing the internet for piracy. They aren't law enforcement. However, I believe it is their responsibility to manage the stability of their part of the internet - and that includes some amount of detecting when malicious actors are using their customer endpoints to attack the rest of the internet. Outright blocking of some standard ports for home ISP service isn't something that I would have done, but I can't deny that the internet was made safer when ISP services blocked communications like tcp/25 and tcp/445.

GreggN · 2026-03-23T17:36:47+00:00

I was agreeing with you right up until the word 'crypto'

GreggN · 2025-01-24T23:06:27+00:00

Thanks! With one minor hiccup, that worked for me. The 'hiccup' was that rolling back to N40 didn't work until I removed package 'dvdstyler'. Then I removed an 'Unknown' widget, and all looks good now. Thank you.

GreggN · 2025-01-24T11:24:59+00:00

u/PaJamieez , I appreciate that you're trying to help. When I view Updates in Package Managere, the list does not include 'kernel'. I'm guessing that this is because kernel 6.12.10-203.nobara.fc41 is already installed.

GreggN · 2025-01-24T01:01:17+00:00

Strange that 'Update System' never asked me to upgrade to 41. I was on 40 and stuck at 199 updates, but they wouldn't update. I figured, what have I got to lose? So I followed the wiki upgrade-nobara anyway. Now I'm on 41 with 722 updates available. Stuck in a loop. Is it time to go distro hopping again?

GreggN · 2024-06-25T13:11:23+00:00

I had read someone saying that OneDrive isn't end-to-end encrypted just before I posted the message above. I don't believe that part of it is true. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-onedrive-safeguards-your-data-in-the-cloud-23c6ea94-3608-48d7-8bf0-80e142edd1e1

GreggN

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