Avoid Some Government Spying and a Slow Computer

Excerpt:

Never 10 is an easy to use utility which gives users control over whether their Windows 7 or 8.1 will upgrade itself to Windows 10.

The name “Never 10” is a bit of an overstatement, since this utility may also be used to easily re-enable Windows operating system automatic upgrading. But the primary reason for using this is to disable Windows’ pestering insistence upon upgrading Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10.

Many users of Windows 7 and 8.1 are happy with their current version of Windows, and have no wish to upgrade to Windows 10. There are many reasons for this, but among them is the fact that Windows 10 has become controversial due to Microsoft’s evolution of their Windows operating system platform into a service which, among other things, aggressively monitors and reports on its users activities. This alone makes many users uncomfortable enough to cause them to choose to wait. In line with this, a few months into 2016, Windows 10 started displaying unsolicited advertisements on its users’ desktops. Others dislike the changes Microsoft made by merging their failed “tiled” smartphone user-interface into the Windows UI. And, finally, some object to being force-fed whatever Microsoft wants and simply wish to choose for themselves.

In July of 2015, responding to the significant user backlash, Microsoft added features to its Windows Update facility which allow it to be configured, on a machine-by-machine basis, to not forcibly upgrade qualifying Windows 7 and 8.1 operating systems to Windows 10. However, Microsoft did not make this configuration simple. It requires the use of the group policy editor (which is not present in some qualifying systems) and/or the system registry. In other words, they created some deep internal configuration options but chose not to provide a simple user-interface to give their users the choice. “Never10” provides that choice.

The elegance of this “Never 10” utility, is that it does not install ANY software of its own. It simply and quickly performs the required system editing for its user.

From GRC, here.

News on the Latest Jewish Kidnappees

Thursday, April 7, 2016, 15:15 The wife of one of the detainees said that no-one has any information about her husband’s status: “Based on the [ISA] torture a few months ago there is concern that the ISA is using all sorts of horrific methods also now. I have no information about what is happening with my husband – not about what he has been accused of and not about where he is.”

Dozens of the detainees’ relatives and friends protested opposite the residence of the head of the ISA, Yoram Cohen, in Jerusalem on Wednesday, April 6. The protesters called on the head of the ISA to allow the detainees to meet with an attorney and demanded that the ISA refrain from torturing the detainees held in the ISA facilities.

Several months ago a number of Jewish youths were detained and served with orders prohibiting them from meeting with an attorney. Then also a gag order was placed on publicizing details of the investigation. After the youths were interrogated in ISA facilities, without meeting with an attorney, it was revealed that during their interrogations, unusual means including torture, were used on them. Some of the youths were released after it turned out that they had no connection to the incident for which they were interrogated.

See also Administrative detainee to be released, not involved with incident attributed to him and Two Kfar Duma case detainees to be released.

Excerpts from Honenu, here.