Quickies: Heads Up, Gentle Readers!

     Because if you haven’t yet heard about this, it’s time that you did:

     For months now, Microsoft has done everything in its power to shove Windows 10 down your throat. The free update is mandatory at this point, and we’ve heard from many Windows users who discovered their computers updated to the newest version automatically, without their knowledge or explicit permission. Microsoft kept offering excuses for these annoying occurrences, and even said it will stop pushing upgrades to Windows users who refuse to hop aboard the Windows 10 train.

     Now, the company has come up with its most evil trick yet to get you to update your PC to Windows 10, and it’s based on the same methodology hackers use to trick people into installing malware.

     Pop-ups often appear when you visit malicious websites and when you click the “X” to close them, malware is installed on your computer. Well, Microsoft just tweaked its Windows 10 upgrade alert pop-up so that the update is triggered when clicking the X, PC World explains.

     I’ve used, and mostly approved of, Microsoft products since 1978: thirty-eight years. I’ve also defended the company against some of the specious criticism it’s received. But this is a step too far. Should this “upgrade” be forced on me, and should it prove incompatible with any of the programs I rely on, I intend to wipe Windows from all my computers and install something else – something that doesn’t allow anyone to override my decisions about what I want or don’t want installed on them.

     Had this been an openly announced policy, I would never have done business with Microsoft. As it is, I feel that my trust has been violated. Such behavior must be punished, lest it become commonplace.