421
Avast fined $16.5 million for ‘privacy’ software that actually sold users’ browsing data
(www.theverge.com)
this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2024
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Privacy Guides
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Windows is the only OS listed where you almost need to break those rules. You can't easily keep software updated and basically need to install software from outside the store. Only winget and choco are promising in this regard, but these are power user tools. MacOS, and even many Linux distros, ship with a graphical app store that keeps packages updated.
On Android and iOS, most users can get away with never installing an app outside the Play Store or App Store. The app store keeps the apps updated.
Unless all you're doing is web browsing, the Windows Store doesn't contain nearly enough software. Users of Windows need to be used to installing software outside of the store. How many Windows PC's have never run an exe or msi?
Perfect example. I need to find, download, and run an exe from a website to install Steam. Having this be a normal procedure that a user is used to doing is horrible for security.
I mean, basic users really wouldn't need anything outside the Microsoft store. And modern users tend to use their browser more than anything else (fortunately or unfortunately).
It's got pretty much everything covered, barring some very specialized software. Heck, even stuff like Firefox and OpenOffice are there, but obvious M$ would prefer you use their own browser and office suit.
Certainly games are probably easier through the Xbox app in windows (or the store directly), and the play pass Microsoft offers makes it really easy to play without having to install a third party game store.
If someone wants a Linux experice on Windows, I'm saying that it's quite possible.
Now, I won't for a second defend all the telemetry, ads, bloat, and forced Microsoft crap. For that, Windows is indeed worse.