"Tablet view is showing saved porn images," wrote
Reddit user "FalloutBos."
"Woke up to wife asking why I set it to rotate all my
porn images right on the desktop view. I have no idea [how] to shut that
feature off and that computer is staying shut down until I do."
FalloutBos had started downloading Windows 10 onto his
computer the night before, and it seems the new OS reached down into his
"My Pictures" folder and created a slideshow.
That incident raised howls of laughter, but it points to one
of the problems early users of Microsoft's new OS have reported.
Complaints began surfacing with the release of Windows 10
Preview, but many suspended judgment on the grounds that the OS was still in
testing, and the kinks were being worked out.
Their continuation after Microsoft began rolling out the
production release is grounds for concern, suggested Mike Jude, a research
manager with Frost & Sullivan.
"This is Microsoft's last chance to remain relevant in
the desktop space," he told TechNewsWorld. "If Microsoft wants to
become a niche player, screwing around with this operating system is a good way
to do it."
Glass Half
Full?
Glitches are commonplace in the early days of a massive
general software release.
"I think Windows 10, like any major new product, is
having some teething problems, which I believe will be sorted out
quickly," said Al Hilwa, a program director at IDC.
"In many ways, this is a test of the new, agile
Microsoft, which has successfully externalized much of its beta testing
processes through the Insider program," he told TechNewsWorld.
Microsoft's
All-Seeing Eye
However, the criticisms aren't limited to angst over
technical issues.
Privacy-minded users have complained about the huge amount
of personal data the OS gathers and sends to Microsoft.
Users who click "Express Settings" during
installation apparently give Windows 10 permission to access their contacts,
calendar details, text and touch input, location data and other information, which
it sends to Microsoft.
The company uses the information for personalization and
targeted ads.
Sharing such data, especially keystroke logs, is a potential
hazard, according to Jude, and it raises the question of whether it will be
safe to conduct online banking on a Windows 10 PC, for instance.
"Many of the things I do on my desktop must be
secure," Jude said. "I don't want somebody to look over my shoulder
as I use my PC, or as I write something, which is what Google's doing with
Google Docs -- you write a story on donuts and you get served up donut ads
while you're writing."
Privacy "is going to be a major differentiator,"
Jude said. "People get really tense about it."
No More
Playing DVDs
Microsoft has removed the DVD player in Windows 10, and it
requires users to pay US$15 to download its DVD app.
That has aroused some anger -- but to be fair, Macs haven't
had a CD or DVD drive for some time, and its users don't seem particularly put
out.
Further, "now a lot of stuff is cloud-based, so do you
really care what's on your desktop, so long as your browser works?" Jude
asked. Streaming content seems the way to go these days.
The Browser
Issue
Mozilla is hot under the collar about Windows 10 not playing
nicely with the Firefox browser, and CEO Chris Beard sent Microsoft CEO Satya
Nadella an open letter complaining about it.
However, setting Microsoft's new Edge as the default browser
really isn't a departure from what Microsoft has done in the past with Internet
Explorer, which nevertheless fell out of favor and lost its dominant position.
Installing Windows 10 doesn't uninstall third-party apps,
including browsers, so for users who want to keep using Firefox, Chrome or any
other browser, it's just a matter of manually selecting a preference.
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