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Re:HP laptops covertly log users’ every keystroke, researche... by jimrandomh on Thursday May 11, 2017 @04:33PM (#14319251)
This sort of thing is a big problem throughout the Windows ecosystem, and it's mostly caused by Microsoft leaving holes in Windows' functionality to be filled by incompetent third parties. The purpose of this program was supposedly to handle hotkeys such as mute/unmute. But that's not something a third-party program should be doing at all! A typical OEM windows system will have a half-dozen pieces of crap in its system tray written by third-party hardware vendors, implementing features that a decent operating system would already have built in.
Re:HP laptops covertly log users’ every keystroke, researche... by qb45 on Thursday May 11, 2017 @05:13PM (#14319575)
> A typical OEM windows system will have a half-dozen pieces of crap in its system tray written by third-party hardware vendors, implementing features that a decent operating system would already have built in.

Actually, my OEM Windows laptop came with a half dozen pieces of crap in systray implementing features that Windows already has. A battery monitor, volume icon, WiFi applet, shit like that.

So it's not only Microsoft to blame but also the all-pervasive fu&*( "differentiation", like you just have to crap the system with something others don't have to make TV ads and PowerPoint presentations about it.

Also, just few days ago we had a great example of how "competently" Microsoft plugged the former functionality hole which was antivirus software so it's not like they are perfect or something.

Re:HP laptops covertly log users’ every keystroke, researche... by hadrien01 on Thursday May 11, 2017 @05:05PM (#14319517)
Except that Windows recognizes the mute/unmute key, so that explanation doesn't work.