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0 pointsPavlovsCat6y ago0 comments

Things get pushed on people, and most are not even aware enough for the question "do they care?" to even become meaningful.

We're moving from sofware you run without any interference to subscription and surveillance models, and that's not because users want that, that's not "what they like", they don't have an easy way to get what they do like while also being treated ethically.

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jevgeni6y ago· 2 in thread

They have enough alternatives. Free alternatives at that! If they don’t switch, then that’s their choice and they are obviously fine with it.

The whole “Windows telemetry bad” meme is mostly just an excuse for a flame war.

PavlovsCatOP6y ago

No, being aware of something is the prerequisite of being fine with something. And for people who just walk into to a store and buy a computer with preinstalled OS, telemetry is pretty much the default, as you said previously.

I guess you could say companies are obviously afraid of offering the choice, of offering the same product with and without telemetry, clearly labeled.

> The whole “Windows telemetry bad” meme is mostly just an excuse for a flame war.

Why are you putting such mocking words into my mouth? I'm not saying "Windows telemetry bad", I'm saying what I'm saying.

jevgeni6y ago

Sorry, I didn’t mean to say you were mocking. But the whole narrative on HN does feel like that and is essentially a tribal, condescending thing.

I would think differently if I saw the same amount of criticism towards other products which commit similar if not worse “offenses”. MacOS does a comparable amount of telemetry. Ubuntu does telemetry (albeit presumably less).

If telemetry as done by OS providers is an offense, then half the tech industry is built on top of even more severe privacy offenses. Can you imagine any serious digital product NOT doing what is essentially telemetry? Imagine online ad companies NOT spying on you? I mean, if it offends you, then sure, voice your discontents. But if a collective in aggregate constantly criticizes minor offenses by one player but lets other players off the leash for way more, it’s not about privacy, sorry.

Also, I don’t agree that people are ignorant. Most of media coverage about Windows 10 revolved around its telemetry. It’s asked when you install it. It’s in the settings. I mean, if you don’t care about it after that then you don’t care.

Personally, I think telemetry is OK. So I’m not bothered, as long as it’s not outright spying. I’m also OK with paying more for Windows 10 Pro to not have the stupid ads.

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