This windows behavior is bullshit, yes, but you actually do have control over it. The controls you need to customize Windows update are in Windows group policy.
And yeah, if you're like me you'll find that first few links describing how to apply group policy changes don't work very well. If your reaction to that is to skip it and instead install some version of Windows that Microsoft won't even let you purchase because somebody's blog is positioning it as the cure to all that ails the world...
I've been using computer for 20 years, programming for the better part of that, and I feel completely powerless. I googled, I spent more time than I cared to, and I know that I could probably prevent this behaviour if I spend more time and do more research and so on but the point is, what on earth is a random guy who doesn't carry the experience of the average HN user going to do?
Put yourself in these peoples' skins. You're paying a pretty penny for devices that don't obey you.
Of course people have control over it. Wading through a little blogspam to get to a page explaining how to configure Windows Update is fairly simple compared to the struggles one used to face to make either a Windows or Mac system function well. (when was the last time you had to use regedit?)
We have a Windows today where blue screens are extremely rare, PCs can be made secure, name brand stuff generally just works when you plug it in, and basic setup doesn't require much thought (Windows update notwithstanding). People are looking at the past with rose colored glasses and would get just as mad today if they had to install a NIC or internal modem or something in Windows 95 as they did back then. That doesn't excuse all the blatant stupidity of Windows 10's design, but still.
I feel like you're mistaking my dislike of the lack of control in the current system for an "it was better before!".
We had more control before, but I'm not dismissing that the same "before" carried less features, less security etc. I don't disagree with you there. But you're making it sound like disabling problematic behaviour is as easy as "wading through a little blogspam"; it's not. I've waded through a lot of blogspam and still haven't been able to fully disable unattended upgrades on my W10 box. I have a "Compatibility telemetry" program which is supposedly disabled systemwide yet regularly caps out my bandwidth.
This PC is just a gaming PC and it's barely usable as one. I certainly wouldn't be able to make it my workstation. I'm not complaining because, hey, I got a good alternative in Linux but I think you shouldn't be dismissing what is causing people to seek out things like this Kiosk edition.
I was trying to make sense of your comment "I've been using computer for 20 years, programming for the better part of that, and I feel completely powerless." I regret that I don't have the pages I used to figure out the group policy settings for this at hand, of course I'd be happy to share them.
> you shouldn't be dismissing what is causing people to seek out things like this Kiosk edition.
That's fair, seeking out various solutions to the problem makes sense.
I'm not sure what point this supports: that the process was easy because all this stuff was in one place (with a nice index); or that all OSs suck and Windows 10 (while an improvement) isn't an exception.
And yeah, if you're like me you'll find that first few links describing how to apply group policy changes don't work very well. If your reaction to that is to skip it and instead install some version of Windows that Microsoft won't even let you purchase because somebody's blog is positioning it as the cure to all that ails the world...