Just Who Is In Control Of Our Computers, Tablets And Phones?

[LewPaper]

Years ago when checking I found the settings of my computer allowed Windows to download and install anything the liked. Thinking I'd made a mistake the last time I amended it I changed it to what I thought it had always been - 'download but let me choose whether to install'. However I continually find this makes little difference as I've just checked it again looking for important downloads and again I find it's reverted back to the 'Download and install everything' setting.
I'm no lover of tablets or phones but when I bought one just to try it out I loaded a few apps, tried it but couldn't get on with it so I left it alone for a while. Months later I had another go and found I needed to upgrade its firmware and in doing so found most of my apps were no longer there.
Just WHO is in charge of our electronic equipment these days, them or us and what can we do about it?

[murraymints]

cripes ! Chris ??

[1ozzy]

Ab Editor ;-).

[alavahalf]

We would hope it was us .. but it's them .. and nothing !

[Hypognosis]

Lew paper. Very drôle.

:-)

[Noe-schitt]

It gets even better with Windows 10

[jno]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3198273/Is-Microsoft-snooping-computer-Analysts-claim-Windows-10-sends-identifiable-information-tech-giant-told-not-to.html

always the possibility that the Mail is overhyping everything, of course.

[Gromit]

I have none of those problems.

When there is any new system updates available, I get a notification telling me what it is, how big it is, and what it improves. I have a choice of whether to download it or ignore it. If I do download it, I have to give my system password to run the install package. There are no automatic downloads by default.

[1ozzy]

// There are no automatic downloads by default. //

Beg to differ here, depends what you have set your 'putor to do.

One needs to turn off "auto" and set the system the way you want it to operate.

[Gromit]

1ozzy,

Not with mine. The default is no auto updates.

[LewPaper]

Yep alava, 'fraid yer right! And what's so drole Hypo?

[Gromit]

// I loaded a few apps, tried it but couldn't get on with it so I left it alone for a while. Months later I had another go and found I needed to upgrade its firmware and in doing so found most of my apps were no longer there. //

The Old app software is not compatible with the new system software, so don't appear. You can reload the old apps which sould have been updated to run on the latest software.

[LewPaper]

Upgrading to the new firmware destroyed what few apps I had, which as it happens didn't cause a lot of damage but it could've. I mentioned it only because it highlights that we're just not in control, neither of what we have nor how we use it. They have us by the short and curlies and we've only just started the journey.

[woofgang]

Jno.....surely not :)

[Gromit]

Lewpaper,
Your apps are not destroyed, you can get them whenever you want them. They are not showing because the software is not compatible so they are broken. The intention is not to control your phone, but to keep it clean and optimised for best performance. Broken apps are a waste of space.

[LewPaper]

Oh, right. Thanks Gromit. I'll look into that.

[Old_Geezer]

Aren't hidden apps likely to remain on the phone wasting space for longer (permanently) ?

Control is getting beyond a joke though. Have a game on my PC and the creating company insists on trying to download what I've done and refusing to allow it to run if they have an update that they want loaded. None of which is anything of their business. Seems to think if you buy their product you sold privacy rights to them too.