"Windows 10 Worst Feature Now Installing On Windows 7 And Windows 8"
For those of us who might have been avoiding Windows 10 for various reasons, it looks like some of those reasons are being installed onto Windows 7 and 8. I checked my installed updates and, indeed, all of those were installed on my system. No longer. So, essentially, in addition to updates that mention Windows 10 or "the next version of Windows" or "the next Windows operating system" or whatever, I now have to also be on the look out for updates that mention "telemetry" so that those don't get installed either.
(EDIT 2) Also, of note: that Forbes article is incorrect when it says that KB3075249 and KB3080149 are "Optional" updates. Similarly, Microsoft's own pages there about the updates also claim that they are "Optional." However, when I checked for updates again, it brought up all three of those, including KB3068708, as "Important Updates," i.e. separate from and higher priority than the "Optional" updates.
(EDIT 3) Actually, that's a mistake on my part, because I had the "Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates" setting checked in my WU settings, for whatever reason. This setting has now been disabled, and the updates now show up under the "Optional" section as appropriate. (And yet, even so, I still recall getting other "Optional" updates separate from the "Important Updates" sometimes, even with the setting checked. Go figure.) In any case, all three of those updates have now been hidden in WU on my machine, regardless of their supposed "importance." (/EDIT 3)
Well, to be frank, all updates on my machine are now "optional," by the actual, true definition of that word, regardless of whether Microsoft deems them to be "Important" or "Recommended" or whatever. (/EDIT 2)
Seriously, Microsoft, you might just want to ease up a bit on the thermite you're using on that bridge between yourself and me, before it burns away entirely.
(EDIT) I am now also opted out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program. I don't explicitly recall ever opting in to this program, but it's likely that I did, back in those halcyon days when I didn't think that Microsoft was increasingly full of shit. Those days are long past, though.
I also went into Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Task Scheduler and manually disabled all tasks associated with "Application Experience" and "Customer Experience" (some of which were still marked as "Ready" instead of "Disabled" even though I'd opted out of the CEIP).
Really, it's like Microsoft almost wants everyone to switch to Linux or something. Go figure. (/EDIT)
(EDIT 2) Also, of note: that Forbes article is incorrect when it says that KB3075249 and KB3080149 are "Optional" updates. Similarly, Microsoft's own pages there about the updates also claim that they are "Optional." However, when I checked for updates again, it brought up all three of those, including KB3068708, as "Important Updates," i.e. separate from and higher priority than the "Optional" updates.
(EDIT 3) Actually, that's a mistake on my part, because I had the "Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates" setting checked in my WU settings, for whatever reason. This setting has now been disabled, and the updates now show up under the "Optional" section as appropriate. (And yet, even so, I still recall getting other "Optional" updates separate from the "Important Updates" sometimes, even with the setting checked. Go figure.) In any case, all three of those updates have now been hidden in WU on my machine, regardless of their supposed "importance." (/EDIT 3)
Well, to be frank, all updates on my machine are now "optional," by the actual, true definition of that word, regardless of whether Microsoft deems them to be "Important" or "Recommended" or whatever. (/EDIT 2)
Seriously, Microsoft, you might just want to ease up a bit on the thermite you're using on that bridge between yourself and me, before it burns away entirely.
(EDIT) I am now also opted out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program. I don't explicitly recall ever opting in to this program, but it's likely that I did, back in those halcyon days when I didn't think that Microsoft was increasingly full of shit. Those days are long past, though.
I also went into Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Task Scheduler and manually disabled all tasks associated with "Application Experience" and "Customer Experience" (some of which were still marked as "Ready" instead of "Disabled" even though I'd opted out of the CEIP).
Really, it's like Microsoft almost wants everyone to switch to Linux or something. Go figure. (/EDIT)