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My take is that the real purpose of Windows 10 is those spying/data collecting features. But MS has to market it with something good sounding, so they add some superficial features such as appointment reminders, calculators, etc. People go for the latter, but are trapped in the former.
People don't have to be trapped. There are wonderful Linux options nowadays, some that are so "Windows like" that the conversion would be a piece of cake. Honestly, I believe what keeps a lot of people on Windows is compatibility of production tools, such as MS Office or Webex. While Webex is supported on Linux, there are a lot of features that are not. Older versions of Office can be installed using WINE, but I'm not sure how successful people have been installing the latest and greatest version of MS Office. This is still something that is a bit advanced for your average user, so not having MS Office natively ported over to Linux is a big road block for users wanting to make the switch.
But honestly, when it comes to your average user, Linux is more than good enough and easy enough to support everything needed to make a wonderful desktop computing experience. Most of your essential apps are already installed out of the box, and installing new apps is pretty much "Windows like" nowadays.
But, aside from all of that, Microsoft has been collecting data off of its users for years. It isn't something that just all got started with Windows 10. Maybe it's a bit more intrusive with Windows 10, I dunno? The idea of forcing Cortana on people is pretty lousy, but they're just trying to keep up with the Joneses with Siri.
My take is that the real purpose of Windows 10 is those spying/data collecting features. But MS has to market it with something good sounding, so they add some superficial features such as appointment reminders, calculators, etc. People go for the latter, but are trapped in the former.
That really is such a small tiny little piece of it. Microsoft is going for the ecosystem approach here that has worked so brilliantly for both Google and Apple.
Microsoft wants 10 on everything because:
A developer can "write once, run many" which means he can write an app for the Xbox and it will work on your Windows Phone (ok, that's dying, but that was the plan), and it will run on your computer. A part of MS's strategy to not get left behind in the app/mobile/connected world that they are getting beaten in.
And yes, to compete with what Google is already doing: making billions in ad revenue.
Honestly, I believe what keeps a lot of people on Windows is compatibility of production tools, such as MS Office or Webex.
There used to be quite a number of word processors (still are, e.g. LibreOffice, Corel), and I suppose they are not hard to develop. Spreadsheets? not sure if there are competitive ones. It's a shame so many things todays are monopolized. Heck, no one is campaigning for diversity in this arena.
There used to be quite a number of word processors (still are, e.g. LibreOffice, Corel), and I suppose they are not hard to develop. Spreadsheets? not sure if there are competitive ones. It's a shame so many things todays are monopolized. Heck, no one is campaigning for diversity in this arena.
Well. I've used Calc before and it's a pretty good spreadsheet system. It's not as "attractive" as Excel, and actually had an advantage over Excel at one point with being able to hold, virtually, unlimited data. I think Excel has since corrected that issue, but Calc is a pretty good alternative to Excel if you don't have access to excel.
That really is such a small tiny little piece of it. Microsoft is going for the ecosystem approach here that has worked so brilliantly for both Google and Apple.
Microsoft wants 10 on everything because:
A developer can "write once, run many" which means he can write an app for the Xbox and it will work on your Windows Phone (ok, that's dying, but that was the plan), and it will run on your computer. A part of MS's strategy to not get left behind in the app/mobile/connected world that they are getting beaten in.
And yes, to compete with what Google is already doing: making billions in ad revenue.
No doubt that on the manufacturing end in terms of both software and hardware, the advantage comes to the developers. The thing to fear, on the consumer side, is if Microsoft mimics Apple with their version of the "walled garden", will they also start mimicking a "premium" price structure similar to what Apple does with their products.
Well. I've used Calc before and it's a pretty good spreadsheet system. It's not as "attractive" as Excel, and actually had an advantage over Excel at one point with being able to hold, virtually, unlimited data. I think Excel has since corrected that issue, but Calc is a pretty good alternative to Excel if you don't have access to excel.
Thanks. I've never heard of it. Was going to ask you about the spreadsheet in LibreOffice which seemed to be pretty good (never used, but had a look at it), but upon search, turned out that's none other than Calc! Once I can't get my MS Office 2000 (yep) past a new Windows, I'm going to switch to LibreOffice for spreadsheet and word processing.
Gee, Bill Gates should make a little donation to LibreOffice if he truly cares about humanity.
Thanks. I've never heard of it. Was going to ask you about the spreadsheet in LibreOffice which seemed to be pretty good (never used, but had a look at it), but upon search, turned out that's none other than Calc! Once I can't get my MS Office 2000 (yep) past a new Windows, I'm going to switch to LibreOffice for spreadsheet and word processing.
Gee, Bill Gates should make a little donation to LibreOffice if he truly cares about humanity.
Oh yeah. Compared to Office 2000 Excel, LibreOffice Calc is way, way ahead of the game. First rule of thumb that I always have done when I ran OpenOffice or LibreOffice is to change the default file format to the default MS formats for the various office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) Just in case you had to send a spreadsheet created from Calc to someone running Excel, there won't be any issues with opening the file.
First rule of thumb that I always have done when I ran OpenOffice or LibreOffice is to change the default file format to the default MS formats for the various office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) Just in case you had to send a spreadsheet created from Calc to someone running Excel, there won't be any issues with opening the file.
Are you referring to the file extension (the name part after the dot)?
So you've been mainly using it instead of MS Office?
Should start a new thread about these...
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