From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

From the sightings-of-bigfoot-file, the charm offensive puts on a
weird one-act play. Just when you thought the "we care about customers
and we will put back features" speech wasn't enough, this shows up.

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/microsoft-cto-confesses-that-30-year-old-code-from-the-mid-90s-still-forms-the-bedrock-of-windows-11-ancient-win32-api-still-the-backbone-but-cto-says-its-more-relevant-than-ever-in-2026

"Instead of 'flying cars and moon stations' in 2026, we still have Windows 11 using '90s code, admits Mark Russinovich."

This is noteworthy, because this speech would be approved by the
Public Relations department. This isn't like the retired D.Plumber
doing one of his Youtube videos :-)

So someone at Microsoft believes that we sop this up, like a piece
of bread sops up gravy after a good meal.

I'm having trouble triangulating what imaginary audience these speeches
are intended for. Maybe the speeches are for some visiting Martian dignitaries ?

Next, I want to see them bring back Sinovsky, and make him tap dance.
Come on, Sinovsky, dust off your tap shoes man, and sing us a tune.

"Gene Kelly, Singing In The Rain"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swloMVFALXw

Microsoft has depth. There are a few more players who could make speeches.
"I'm feeling particularly Clipulent, and am ready to spring out of
that box of paper clips" said Clippy for no particular reason.

https://res.cloudinary.com/sagacity/image/upload/c_crop,h_1403,w_2048,x_0,y_0/c_limit,dpr_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_80,w_1080/Clippy_REUTERS_Alamy-Stock-Photo_2D41R1C_ey6rb8.jpg

*******

By the way, one of the reasons Chrome has a 4GB LLM.AI file downloaded
now, has to do with Google actually rents tokens at their data center
for $20 a month, to do odd jobs in the browser. The paid version of
such a service can "book opera tickets for you", but when someone
tested that, he and his partner were seated in two different rows,
and when you go out for evening entertainment, isn't that where
you want your partner ? And the service is only $20 a month, to be
doing things like that.

The free 4GB version that runs on Chrome, "messes around
your tabs or something". It's some kind of subliminal functionality.
(It reads like the feature set of an Antivirus product that begins with
the letter "A".) There is a setting in the //flags section
to turn that off by the way. And if the installer "notices"
your C: drive is full, it is supposed to avoid downloading the
4GB file. Clever!

What a time to be alive.

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

From the sightings-of-bigfoot-file, the charm offensive puts on a
weird one-act play. Just when you thought the "we care about customers
and we will put back features" speech wasn't enough, this shows up.

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/microsoft-cto-confesses-that-30-year-old-code-from-the-mid-90s-still-forms-the-bedrock-of-windows-11-ancient-win32-api-still-the-backbone-but-cto-says-its-more-relevant-than-ever-in-2026

"Instead of 'flying cars and moon stations' in 2026, we still have Windows 11 using '90s code, admits Mark Russinovich."

FWIW, I find the Win32 API and the 'legacy' compatibility it offers,
very important, never mind what people might think of the presentation
of the message.

[...]

By the way, one of the reasons Chrome has a 4GB LLM.AI file downloaded
now, has to do with Google actually rents tokens at their data center
for $20 a month, to do odd jobs in the browser. The paid version of
such a service can "book opera tickets for you", but when someone
tested that, he and his partner were seated in two different rows,
and when you go out for evening entertainment, isn't that where
you want your partner ? And the service is only $20 a month, to be
doing things like that.

The opera tickets example might be somewhat funny, but there have
already been reports of some 'helpful' AI agent destroying all copies of
a customer database, including all the data of those customers.

The free 4GB version that runs on Chrome, "messes around
your tabs or something". It's some kind of subliminal functionality.
(It reads like the feature set of an Antivirus product that begins with
the letter "A".) There is a setting in the //flags section
to turn that off by the way. And if the installer "notices"
your C: drive is full, it is supposed to avoid downloading the
4GB file. Clever!

Here's an article with more details on the 4GB file. With the name of
the folder and the file and the name of the flag.

On my system I could not find the folder, nor the file, but the flag
was set to 'Default', whatever that means. I changed it to 'Disabled' to
be safe.

'Google Chrome May Have Quietly Installed a 4GB AI Model Onto Your
Device
Here's how to determine if you have the 4GB AI model -- and how to get
rid of it.' <https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/chrome-installing-4gb-ai-model-gemini-nano/>

What a time to be alive.

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