What software do you use on your computer?

[Mr Allen]

Google Chrome for browsing
Play Canvas for game design

Not that spoilt for choice on a Chromebook, I'd go back to Windows but my IT Expert Brother thinks Windows is too open to viruses and Malware and thinks the safety of a Chromebook, none of the viruses and stuff, is safer so he won't let me upgrade even if I had the loot for a Windows PC, which I currently don't.

 

[wyverary]

Google Chrome for browsing
Play Canvas for game design

Not that spoilt for choice on a Chromebook, I'd go back to Windows but my IT Expert Brother thinks Windows is too open to viruses and Malware and thinks the safety of a Chromebook, none of the viruses and stuff, is safer so he won't let me upgrade even if I had the loot for a Windows PC, which I currently don't.

Chrome OS is probably the most stable operating system that I can think of, as every other OS is quite prone to malware and Google is VERY hip to all the nasty stuff that's out there, although that can be avoided on other platforms as long as you utilize safe browsing habits (run a malware scanner like adwcleaner or McAfee Stinger on a regular basis, use an ad blocker to avoid compromised ad servers, avoid phishing emails, etc.).

 

[Xenocity]

Chrome OS is probably the most stable operating system that I can think of, as every other OS is quite prone to malware and Google is VERY hip to all the nasty stuff that's out there, although that can be avoided on other platforms as long as you utilize safe browsing habits (run a malware scanner like adwcleaner or McAfee Stinger on a regular basis, use an ad blocker to avoid compromised ad servers, avoid phishing emails, etc.).

Chrome OS is very restrictive and Google controls it quite tightly. devices that use it need regular connection to Google's servers.

Windows issue even in 10, is that Microsoft doesn't care to go the length to make it resistant to malware and virus.
Microsoft makes money working with the main antivirus software makers.

I've never had any problem with OS X though...

Android OS is also riddled with Malware even through the Google Play Store and Google is trying to lockdown Android to put an end to it.
It's believed up to 80%+ of the Android userbase has malware and viruses on devices.
Though for some reason they don't bother to use Android antivirus software that are available (Google is not going to fix it anytime soon).

In the case of Windows and Linux, it's user error/stupidity that leads most viruses.
More and more are becoming sophisticated by finding ways to get passed user permissions, this is due to vulnerabilities not yet patched.

iOS, Tizen, and another mobile OS are more stable and virus free than the competition.
Windows is still the most vulnerable PC OS in part because Microsoft refuses to do what is necessary out of costs and profits.
But you need Windows at some point to use a program for something.

 

[wyverary]

Chrome OS is very restrictive and Google controls it quite tightly. devices that use it need regular connection to Google's servers.

Windows issue even in 10, is that Microsoft doesn't care to go the length to make it resistant to malware and virus.
Microsoft makes money working with the main antivirus software makers.

I've never had any problem with OS X though...

Android OS is also riddled with Malware even through the Google Play Store and Google is trying to lockdown Android to put an end to it.
It's believed up to 80%+ of the Android userbase has malware and viruses on devices.
Though for some reason they don't bother to use Android antivirus software that are available (Google is not going to fix it anytime soon).

In the case of Windows and Linux, it's user error/stupidity that leads most viruses.
More and more are becoming sophisticated by finding ways to get passed user permissions, this is due to vulnerabilities not yet patched.

iOS, Tizen, and another mobile OS are more stable and virus free than the competition.
Windows is still the most vulnerable PC OS in part because Microsoft refuses to do what is necessary out of costs and profits.
But you need Windows at some point to use a program for something.

Honestly, I think Microsoft has made some pretty egregious errors when it comes to delivering products to the average home user. You are right, it is far more prone to malware than other OS's. Having worked with it in an enterprise environment, however, at the end of the day, it's much easier to harden a Windows network than any other solution I can think of (that doesn't otherwise have any specialized needs for some sort of UNIX or Linux systems)...alas, Microsoft itself isn't entirely responsible for that in many things...most if it falls to third party vendors, firewalls, managed security systems, etc.

But if someone is "new" to computers, or has sufficient lack of knowledge to wonder which OS to pick, I tend to steer them away from Windows...I've sometimes felt like I need to put on latex gloves when removing a ridiculous amount of malware from someone's system!

 

[Xenocity]

Honestly, I think Microsoft has made some pretty egregious errors when it comes to delivering products to the average home user. You are right, it is far more prone to malware than other OS's. Having worked with it in an enterprise environment, however, at the end of the day, it's much easier to harden a Windows network than any other solution I can think of (that doesn't otherwise have any specialized needs for some sort of UNIX or Linux systems)...alas, Microsoft itself isn't entirely responsible for that in many things...most if it falls to third party vendors, firewalls, managed security systems, etc.

But if someone is "new" to computers, or has sufficient lack of knowledge to wonder which OS to pick, I tend to steer them away from Windows...I've sometimes felt like I need to put on latex gloves when removing a ridiculous amount of malware from someone's system!

Microsoft has literally no incentive to make Windows more secure, as I have mentioned.
They have everything to gain by allowing 3rd parties and OEMs to do as they are doing, due to all the profits.
If Microsoft wanted to, they could crack down and make the changes to Windows.
Same as Google for Android.

 

[Judge]

Microsoft's vi$ion is elsewhere....in the cloud and patent portfolio licensing, tablet hardware and social networking (Linkedin).

And they won't even be producing any more new versions of Windows any more. Ten is the end of the line. One OS intended for all devices. Which conveniently sidesteps all the past marketing headaches and overhead concerns of trying to wean users off older versions and on to new ones.

Yeah. I can see them working on and improving cloud security...but not so much the OS itself. Follow the money....you just won't find it revolving so much around a PC any more.

 

[WereBear]

My mother was gifted a PC but found the constant requests for updates confusing and frightening (she is afraid of viruses) and the operating system totally unfriendly. We gifted it on to someone else and I got her a Chromebook.

That is the Everyperson computer. It's not a computer Everything is browser based, and built in, and inexpensive. It updates itself automatically, free, and has virus protection built in.

She is so happy with it.

 

[Xenocity]

Microsoft's vi$ion is elsewhere....in the cloud and patent portfolio licensing, tablet hardware and social networking (Linkedin).

And they won't even be producing any more new versions of Windows any more. Ten is the end of the line. One OS intended for all devices. Which conveniently sidesteps all the past marketing headaches and overhead concerns of trying to wean users off older versions and on to new ones.

Yeah. I can see them working on and improving cloud security...but not so much the OS itself. Follow the money....you just won't find it revolving so much around a PC any more.

10 is not last the Windows, even Microsoft has said that.

Windows 10 is the software platform/framework that Micosoft is doing for the foreseeable future.
Windows 10 is going the OS X route, where every major update will be Windows 10.x like OS X until Sierra (this Fall) was OS X 10.x
In two years Microsoft will follow Apple's naming convention and issue a major update to Windows 10, changing it to Windows: [something here]
OS X is Mac OS: [name] starting this Fall when Mac OS: Sierra drops, it's ditching the numbering form.

Future will literally be Windows: [insert name] and Mac OS: [insert name]
The day of numbers and massive new OSs built from the ground up every few years are done.
There is just no reason to waste the resources on it with today's technology.

Each PC OS now just receives a major update built on the existing platform.
This is good for users, business and the tech companies.
So yeah OS cycle is changing not ending as we go forward.

Social networking isn't that profitable, Twitter and Facebook yearly profits are normally below $1 Billion.
LinkedIn was never all the profitable recording a few hundred million in a good year.

The only reason why Microsoft bought LinkedIn (and overpaying for it) was to get the users and user data.
They don't care about the "social network", they want to integrate it into the Windows 10 ecosystem and convert the users into Windows 10.

Now for Microsoft and others:

1. Cloud computing is profitable, but not as profitable as selling OSes and software
2. Tablet market has been contracting faster than the PC market since 2013 for all makers
   
   1. Only Apple and Samsung sell tablets for profit
   2. Microsoft loses money selling Surface tablets and won't even report on the money spent on Surface tablets
3. Smartphone Market is also shrinking as total global smartphone sales are down from last year (iPhone made up the difference last year)
   1. Microsoft made a profit selling the Nokia phone hardware division, exiting the business.
4. PC sales are still shrinking each passing quarter

The majority of Microsoft's revenue and profits by far still come from Windows and MS Office (like 75%)

 

[Judge]

10 is not last the Windows, even Microsoft has said that.

Read this article some time ago. Unless they've since changed course....but then that's my impression of Microsoft. Changing course with the times.

http://www.eweek.com/pc-hardware/mi...l-be-the-last-os-upgrade-youll-ever-need.html

I don't see them truly relying as much on the Windows OS pertinent to the PC in the distant future as they did in the past. As for software licensing, that remains a profit center presently. Should be interesting to see just how much they ultimately divest from more traditional operations. Especially seeing how lucrative the cloud has been for them. Though they can't seriously rely on PC-centric products forever. No matter who the players are, these days none of them can sit on their laurels over "flagship" products of the past.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/microso...uarterly-profit-beats-expectations-1468960330

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...profit-exceed-estimates-on-cloud-revenue-jump

As an investor I've done rather well with the tech sector over the years...making money on Apple, Microsoft, J2 Global, Cadence Design Systems and even IBM (some time ago). Gave some thought to Fitbit, but passed on it. Lucky for me! But timing is everything with such investments. It remains a complex sector, bouncing between what some consider to be cyclical and/or secular. Still, for me it's been more lucrative than other more traditional investments involving inelastic demand. Go figure.

 

[Xenocity]

Read this article some time ago. Unless they've since changed course....but then that's my impression of Microsoft. Changing course with the times.

http://www.eweek.com/pc-hardware/mi...l-be-the-last-os-upgrade-youll-ever-need.html

I don't see them truly relying as much on the Windows OS pertinent to the PC in the distant future as they did in the past. As for software licensing, that remains a profit center. Should be interesting to see just how much they ultimately divest from more traditional operations. Especially seeing how lucrative the cloud has been for them.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/microso...uarterly-profit-beats-expectations-1468960330

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...profit-exceed-estimates-on-cloud-revenue-jump

I'm well aware of their revenues and divisions.

Microsoft's CEO states they are using their new software and products to drive people into Windows 10 ecosystem

They just announced Universal App Platform a few months ago.

you can use Xbox, Surface, HoloLens, and Mobile to develop for Windows 10.
All these devices are Windows 10 devices and use the Windows 10 kernel to power their OSs which are off shoot.
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-universal-app-platform-could-be-a-game-changer/
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/layout/design-and-ui-intro

Todd Sweeny co-founder of Epic Games states Microsoft is in the process of "locking Windows 10 down" and claims Microsoft plans to render Steam and other digital platforms and stores useless of Windows 10, forcing everything through the Windows Store for software while crushing all competing software.
This has been echoed by Valve and other PC developers.

Windows 10 is required to the full experience and the full features of Microsoft's new software and Azure Cloud platform.
Microsoft has been very forceful with this at every turn.

There is talk of Microsoft planning to wipe out mobile to ensure Windows dominance.

Right now the only 4 products making Microsoft any money are:

1. Windows
2. MS Office
3. Business software (not MS Office)
4. Azure Cloud Platform

That is in order of ranking of revenue and profit

They did for a time make money on mobile patents, but Samsung and the other Android OEMs quit paying and are now fighting Microsoft in court in attempts to invalidate the mobile patents.
Microsoft claims Google is the silent backer of Samsung and other Android OEMs in this massive lawsuit, supposedly eating the costs.
It's a multi-billion dollar suit.

Windows 10 is a return to old at Microsoft and Microsoft isn't ready to give up Windows.

P.S. Bill Gates said XP was the only OS upgrade you'd need (that was in 2003).
Steve Ballmer said Windows 8 was the future and that it was the upgrade you needed for the future.

Companies always say stuff about their current product and refuse to comment on future product development, because it would kill sales of the new current product.

 

[Judge]

Windows 10 is a return to old at Microsoft and Microsoft isn't ready to give up Windows.

Not yet. But expect their grip on that product to lessen with time. Just as I expect Apple to move past the IPhone. Even the biggest most capitalized players can't sit on their laurels forever. I don't think the market, let alone technology will stand for it.

That's the beauty of all that capital. They can continue to divest at will and hedge their bets when some of them don't pay off. And wage all kinds of lawsuits...win or lose.

 

[Xenocity]

Not yet. But expect their grip on that product to lessen with time. Just as I expect Apple to move past the IPhone. Even the biggest most capitalized players can't sit on their laurels forever. I don't think the market, let alone technology will stand for it.

Windows is so entrenched in technology, development, business, education, and home computing, it will take something special to shift everyone from it.

Microsoft has the PC OS market cornered that literally no one has been able to make a dent outside of Apple.
OS X only holds ~6% of the PC OS market with Linux at 1% or less (if the analytics are correct)

Apple is far more diversified than Microsoft, though Apple has been getting a lot of hell for moving too far away from Mac, iPod and iTunes.

Samsung is far more dependent on Android than Apple is on iPhone/iOS
Google is far more dependent on Android than Apple is on iOS

Though Samsung is expected to fully move away from Android next year to their own mobile OS Tizen (which has been gradually rolling out on other products).
If Samsung succeeds at ditching Android, Google can kiss half of the mobile market good bye over night (Samsung is the biggest cell phone and tablet producer worldwide)

Until Processors, GPUs, APUs, and batteries finally all see a massive next generation breakthrough, we won't see another huge technology paradigm like Smartphones for a long while.

Intel, ARM, and AMD are stuck unable to do a massive next gen advancement in CPUs
AMD, Nvidia, and others are unable to force the next generation breakthrough in GPUs and APUs
RAM technology is stuck running on 40 year old technology, with no end in sight.
The world is literally stuck using 40 year old battery technology and we aren't any closer in solving the physics issues with next gen batteries than we were in 1980.

So yeah technology progression is slowing down (Despite what some say) for the next decade or so unless a massive breakthrough occurs in one of the above technologies.

Anything can happen, but don't expect anything for a long while on that scale.

 

[Judge]

Anything can happen, but don't expect anything for a long while on that scale.

Yep. Nothing but baby steps for the market at large with the present state of the global economy. Although some might not call multi-billion dollar acquisitions "baby steps".

 

[Xenocity]

Yep. Nothing but baby steps for the market at large with the present state of the global economy.

That has more to do with the needed technology that powers everything.
We are literally reaching the limitation of the current generation of technology.

The global economic won't stabilize for a few more years and has a good chance of double dipping into recession.
Businesses and consumers are literally waiting for the world governments to intervene to stimulate the global economy.

But that's another topic for another thread.

 

[Judge]

That has more to do with the needed technology that powers everything.
We are literally reaching the limitation of the current generation of technology.

The global economic won't stabilize for a few more years and has a good chance of double dipping into recession.
Businesses and consumers are literally waiting for the world governments to intervene to stimulate the global economy.

But that's another topic for another thread.

LOL...yeah if anyone is planning on investing in such things they better at least wait until the end of the election cycle. Things could potentially get pretty hairy for Fortune 500 companies if there's significant change in both houses of Congress.

 

[Xenocity]

LOL...yeah if anyone is planning on investing in such things they better at least wait until the end of the election cycle. Things could potentially get pretty hairy for Fortune 500 companies if there's significant change in both houses of Congress.

I wasn't talking just about the U.S.

Businesses are purposely not investing for the most part anywhere in the world due to a lack of consumer demand and economic growth.
Business are waiting for consumers to start spending again to grow the economy.
Consumers are waiting for businesses to hire and stop laying off, before spending money

This going to continue to stagnate the global and individual economies.
One side will either have to make first move or government will have to intervene to stimulate both sides.

Right now, the Fortune 500 CEOs and major banks say they aren't going to make first move unless government is willing financially back them.

but this is getting way too off topic.

 

[Judge]

Right now, the Fortune 500 CEOs and major banks say they aren't going to make first move unless government is willing financially back them.

I don't see government financially backing any of them in the near future. Too much sentiment against "too big to fail". But then most Fortune 500 companies probably won't have to do much of anything if the mix in Congress remains relatively the same. But the banks...ouch. That could get potentially ugly in all sorts of ways. And carried interest for hedge fund managers as well.

But yeah, we're a bit off kilter from software! Any ways it's going to be a bumpy ride!