Extra, Extra, read all about it! Microsoft forces millions users to download Windows 10 even if they have no intention of upgrading!
Is Microsoft mendacious? In other words, can we really trust with the big whigs in Redmond are up to when it comes to honoring our privacy?
Last Thursday, Microsoft told TheInquirer:
For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade.
Allow me to translate the bull-shittish statement:
Microsoft will push a “patch” to your computer that just happens to tip the scales at 6.5GB and won’t bother to ask you if it’s okay to take up space on your hard drive for something you might never use. And Microsoft doesn’t seem to care if you’re using a metered connection with capped bandwidth usage: you’re getting Windows 10 even if you have to pay overage fees.
To me this is completely uncalled for. The suits in Redmond don’t seem to care about what you really want. This latest move by Microsoft will cause many people to lose trust in the company. Message boards all over the internet, blogosphere and social media are teeming with angry customers poised to switch to Linux and even boycott Microsoft for good.
Even the fidelity of windows administrators is being tested as many discovered this hefty update sitting on domain joined workstations too.
The problem here is Microsoft didn’t consult with use before shoveling one of the most corpulent “patches” it’s ever pushed through Windows Updates. Despite the low cost of hard drives and SSDs, most people are running short on storage these days and really can’t afford to give up 7 gigs for something they may never use.
The other thing that really bothers me here is that I don’t remember Microsoft explicitly communicating that everyone would get Windows 10 regardless of whether they signed up for the update. I can only extrapolate that Microsoft is more interested in it’s own agenda then the millions of customers who pay to keep it in business.
I mean, even a blog post or FAQ update would have been nice but I haven’t found anything from an official online Microsoft source that mentions this debacle.
On the flip side, I see Microsoft’s point: the company seems to be positioning itself to handle updates better. For one, by pre-loading the OS on everyone’s operating system it makes it easier for those who are interested to update. The process should go a lot smoother. In addition, making all Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 machines automatically fetch the download at different times can alleviate the burden typically placed on Microsoft’s update servers.
That being said, it would have been prudent for Microsoft to only download the bits for users who opted in. This is a major misstep for Microsoft.
Can you imagine going to order take out and declining a promotional dish and then discovering the restaurant “smuggled” it in your bag anyway? If you liked the dish, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad but if you had no concern for it then I doubt you would trust the restaurant again.
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