[Steven W]

Quite a few years ago I sent Microsoft Some feedback/suggestions. All of them were actually implemented. I was kinda shocked, but hey, they were good ideas. I've mentioned in a previous post that I purchased a Windows 10 tablet for a relative. I've also stated my overall disappoint with Windows 10 on the thing. Well, yesterday we were talking and she mentioned one thing that she's been using it for that not only is she pleased with, but actually saves her a bit of money. It involves a third-party (non-Microsoft) application, but that application relies heavily on a Microsoft technology that is built-in to Windows 10. While overall she is pleased with the application, there are some minor annoyances. I was about to send Microsoft some advice regarding her comments and a few items that I noted when helping her get the device set up and I noticed, you can't do it the way you used to, now you need the Feedback Hub app!

I've done a little bit of looking and basically, Microsoft has implemented Youtube Community level dumbassery in a feedback system. Your feedback gets dumped out an a public website for others to comment on and upvote (I'm guessing downvote too) and you can even 'earn' 'achievements'. Yeah, that's it. Never again will I purchase any device with Windows installed on it. Never again will I offer those retards advice.

FYI, I'm being vague about the 'issues' because I don't even want the advice available here.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Now you see Win 7 is the end of the line for me. Linux and Win 7 is all I need, when they stop working its time to leave technology alone. Windows 10 could be good without the spying.

[!]

You can turn off and disable everything "bad" in Windows. (Windows Server 2019 light / lite edition) Kill them with fire and stop the Windows updates and everything will work just fine like Windows 7. Thing is, there won't be any new security updates for Windows 7 soon so if you don't update your Windows 10, it's same situation but better operating system, faster, leaner.

The ONLY thing I miss from Windows 7 which doesn't existy in Windows 10 is "Aero Glass", it was amazing and I always loved it but the bastards took it away.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Steve, are you running Win98 in VM and do you use Linux?

[Steven W]

I'm running it on real hardware. I purchased a new PC that will be running Linux and am re-purposing my old main to strictly Windows 98SE and XP. Then, there's the *true* legacy machine, an original Pentium (Pentium 1, if you will) running MS-DOS 6.22/Windows 3.11 for Workgroups. The true legacy one ***might*** eventually get NT 3.51.

[techtalk.cc]

Moved this topic from "Operating systems" to "The lounge".

[Steven W]

Oh, fuck it! I'll put it out here. Not using the damned MS Feedback hub. The one saving grace of that tablet ended up being Amazon's Kindle software. I installed the full 'PC' version. She likes it because it can read out loud to her and unlike the Android version, she doesn't have to pay to an extra audio file for it to do it.

The Amazon reader relies heavily on Microsoft text-to-speech api (accessibility tech). That said, it has some annoyances for her (they would be for me too), such as reading out the letters M, R, S when it sees 'Mrs.', reading out the Letters S and T when it sees ST Louis. Microsoft could take a big chunk of Amazon's book market by simple providing a reader mode for that stuff and putting out their own product. I hate to say it, but simply embedding info in the downloadable book, stuff where the speech API would fuck up would be a good start.

Much of that could be somewhat automated too (at least the searching for it):

Here's ST or ST. or St. - Does this mean Saint, Street....
Here's MRS or MRS. or Mrs. - let's just say Missus.
Same thing for MR. MR Mr., MS MS. ms.
State abbreviations, BLVD, AVE,

You get the idea. - Allowing customers to submit correction and updating...informing customers of updates to book... Having the reader check for revision the next time the book is opened... Again, you get the idea.

[Steven W]

Speaking of needing revisions, I pounded that out a little too quickly.

[Steven W]

Oh yeah, I forgot the other annoyance. Kindle will be reading along and all of a sudden, it just stops and she has to fire it back up again. Don't know whether this is something 'stealing the focus' or what. I would suggest an that as part of an API something that would allow some applications (AKA the noise makers, the skype-esques, et cetera) to interrupt, but also allow folks the option of changing the settings.