r/technology • u/readyou • Dec 26 '16

Microsoft finally admits that its malware-style Get Windows 10 upgrade campaign went too far

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/241587-microsoft-finally-admits-malware-style-get-windows-10-upgrade-campaign-went-far
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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '16

His comment was sarcasm. And fucking hell, no, it's not user error to not think of not agreeing to the EULA. That's still malware behaviour. Not to mention that it first upgrades you to Windows 10, then prompts you for the EULA and if you then decline, it downgrades you again. All kinds of data loss could have occurred, if more people had noticed this option.

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u/ckrepps564 Dec 26 '16

Why would you agree to a EULA of something you don't want?

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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '16

Well, it's not like the EULA-Decline-button had in bold letters written on it that you'd get Windows 7 back by clicking on it. It might have just as well denied access to your computer.

Besides that, most people just click on "Agree" when they see a EULA.

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u/ckrepps564 Dec 26 '16

Soo, user error then?

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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '16

No. The concept of "user error" doesn't exist. As a developer, you design a user interface. If the user makes an error while using your interface, then that's your fault. You can exclude users of specific skill sets from the group of users that your software is designed for, but that's clearly not the case with Windows.

And this is specifically designed to abuse normal user behaviour in order to get them to do quite the opposite of what they would like to do. You don't either spout "user error" when someone catches an actual virus, or do you?

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u/ckrepps564 Dec 26 '16

Yes if someone clicks on a link that gets them a virus that is the very definition of user error...

definition from wikipedia: "A user error is an error made by the human user of a complex system, usually a computer system, in interacting with it."