Fed-up sysadmins beg Microsoft to improve pisspoor Windows 10 update notes

What the hell do you want us to install now?

Microsoft has been criticised for dumbing down the information on updates to Windows 10 it provides to IT pros.

Thousands of corporate tech admins have vented their frustration at a lack of communication from Redmond on Windows 10 updates in an online peition.

A growing lack of clarity means pros must rely on word of mouth to find out if security issues have been fixed, thereby delaying Windows 10 deployments on PCs and Surfaces.

The petition's author is Susan Bradley, who asked Microsoft on the Windows Uservoice in late August:

Can we get coherent KB [Knowledge Base] articles for Windows 10 updates and not rambling lists of files that were changed?

Her call has, so far, attracted 2,174 votes from peers.

She spoke up following Microsoft’s response to criticism of the Windows 10 Cumulative Updates in August, where it refused to say precisely what the update fixed other than “improvements to enhance the functionality of Windows 10.”

Microsoft’s two-short-planks response was reported here by The Register.

Responding to Microsoft, Bradley said:

The Knowledge Base articles that document the contents of the cumulative Windows 10 updates are not complete enough and we cannot determine if a released update has fixed a bug that we noted. Instead, we have to rely on the community word of mouth. "Gee, did that fix that issue for you?" Which is not a good way to handle communication or patch management.

Bradley said details are vital to ascertain what security bugs have been fixed and to give sysadmins the confidence to push the button on roll-outs.

“If we have to rely on word of mouth reports of included fixes in patches and then wait for sufficient community affirmation of these resolutions, it will delay our installation of updates,” she wrote.

Those backing Bradley reckoned Microsoft has shot itself in the foot by not releasing more detailed information. Many are disabling Windows Update Services until they’ve ascertained what’s changed. ®