Windows 10 opts for forced automatic updates

The launch of the much-awaited Microsoft Windows 10 is shy of just 10 days but the latest news from the Microsoft camp may send many Windows users into concern. The latest iteration of the operating system will have the mandatory feature of having automatic updates installed into the system without any choice of turning it off.  . According to its latest release 10240 distributed to testers, there is a clause in the end user license agreement (EULA) that says “By accepting this agreement, you agree to receive these types of automatic updates without any additional notice.”

According to this addition to the clause, you will no longer get options such as ‘choose when to reboot’, ‘choose when to download and install’ and ‘never check for updates’, which you were familiar with in Windows 8.1. Windows 10 updates will be downloaded and installed automatically. As an end user, you will only get the option to choose when to reboot the machine once the updates have downloaded and installed.

For those on a limited data bandwidth, forced updates from Windows can be a matter of concern, as you do not get the option to decide when to download updates. Apart from security patches, some updates come with feature updates and the size of downloads can go into several 100s of megabytes.

While there are concerns, the advantages far outweigh any of the negatives. If you’re used to family members calling you for technical support because they’ve failed to upgrade to the latest Windows service pack or some malware disabled Windows Update then those days will hopefully be over. Windows 10 updates will be automatic and mandatory, so the OS should act more like Google’s Chrome browser. Google updates Chrome regularly, and everyone gets the latest version once they close the browser or restart their machine. It keeps everyone up-to-date and secure, and now all Windows 10 users will benefit from the same approach.

(With inputs from The Verge)