When I was a graduate student back at the University of Texas, there was a kerfuffle about the local student newspaper wanting to tack on a subscription fee to student fees. Austin at that time was more of a quality-of-life college town with the economy largely driven by college student businesses. These businesses were happy to pay the ads that fully sustained the paper's operating expenses. Why then pay extra for a free paper? The newspaper thought the fact that it was free devalued the service they were providing, that the students would appreciate them more if they were more personally vested in the paper. I don't think that they succeeded, at least while I was there.
I also have an interest since the little money I made during my high school years was running an afternoon/Sunday morning paper route, about 90 customers, mostly enlisted families and airman barracks at the Air Force base. I cleared maybe $1/day biking miles under a broiling south Texas sun. I half-apologized one day to a customer; the newspaper was bulkier than usual, stuffed with ad inserts. I told her "Not a lot of news: just ads." And she smiled and said, "We buy it for the ads."
I think during my salad days I loved newspapers, including the Gray Lady (New York Times). Local news would bore me--the latest high profile crimes, accidents, etc. I eventually got hooked on the Wall Street Journal; I'm not sure when it started, maybe seeing copies in the waiting rooms for a business appointment or job interview. It wasn't the daily stock market results but compelling news stories and editorials. There was a time I had subscribed for what turned out to be a teaser rate for print and/or digital; to be honest, I did so much road warrior work at the time, the papers would pile up unread and then a regular, much higher rate kicked in, leading to a quick cancellation.
When the Wall Street Journal started its paywall (I had to Google to verify the cost), it was $49 a year (with discounts to print subscribers). I quickly signed up; it was a bargain compared to print newspaper subscriptions. But for whatever reason, the subscription price jumped to a double or more, and I wasn't using it enough to justify the higher cost. I think if they shifted to more of a metered model of micropayments, it would make more sense (like rechargeable store or phone minute cards).
So if you don't know, typically a paywall might offer a blurb on a news story or whatever and then require you to log in or subscribe to get access to the rest of the story. Now given the fact I can usually search for a substitute story at no cost, this really only has an appeal if WSJ has an exclusive story.
But what really annoyed me was when WSJ started including op-eds in its paywall. I don't know of anybody else doing that. I don't mind ad-supported op-eds, but I'm not about to pay for the privilege of promoting WSJ content on my free political blog. I'm not sure when I became first aware of it; it may have been when George Mason economist Donald Boudreaux linked to one of his published opinions there. Whether my and/or other complaints, Boudreaux now tends to warn readers about paywalls; in some cases, authors would provide workarounds, like a draft copy on a personal website, although WSJ probably isn't happy with authors doing that and I've seen less of it lately.
Some news portals allow you a monthly quota of free views, e.g., WashPo recently messaged I had exhausted my quota when I nibbled on the clickbait on the side (a hiker in Maine who got lost off the trail and had died). But when I get dinged for looking at a Karl Rove or Peggy Noonan rant making news at WSJ, it's annoying.
There's one workaround (at the time of this post) that seems to work. WSJ had a piece trending on Twitter about GOP IL Gov. Rauner facing a supermajority Dem legislature in an epic budget battle; state unions reject Rauner's wage freeze and merit pay proposals, and the legislature is trying to give the unions an arbitration workaround to Rauner. (In addition, they want to hike taxes without any concessions on spending, pensions, etc.) I follow Illinois Policy Institute and already knew the story but I was interested to see any new twist or late developments. And I was stopped by the paywall.
What worked in this case was to copy the headline and do a Google search in a separate window. Near the top of the search page you should see an indented webpage link leading to the full webpage. Now WSJ seems to know you're a visitor and has a link at the top of the page for the latest teaser subscription rate plus maybe a pop-up ad to click out of. I dislike games, though. I almost never cite WSJ content on my blog anymore.
When I was a professor, textbook publishers often sent me complimentary copies (in fact, I got paid a nominal amount to review a few). Now granted my blogs and Twitter accounts don't attract thousands of followers or viewers that might interest vendors into providing complimentary or professional discounted paywall subscriptions, but it might motivate me into promoting their content more than the status quo.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Dropped Mobile Calls vs. Google Voice Calls Over the Internet
For a long time I had always had wired service, even for years with mobile service. Much of that had to do with very expensive cellphone minute plans; I've often had to do things like hour-long tech interviews for my next gig. My primary use of the cellphone was for emergency purposes or for short calls away from home. Eventually, digital calls on cable Triple Play plans were very price competitive to maintaining a landline for the purpose of longer at home calls. When I moved in 2014 to West Virginia, I maintained Triple Play but I found cheaper cell minute plans and rarely used my digital voice prior to moving. Shortly after I rented my current apartment, I didn't upgrade to a high-priced Triple Play plan, especially when I discovered I found a mobile plan that basically provided unlimited calls, texting, and data for a modest premium over my old plan with a few hundred minutes.
There's only one major problem with that solution: mobile calls can be notoriously unreliable. For a number of prospective clients or employers, that's not a major issue because they set up web conferencing, which operates over the Internet, like digital calling. But just to give an example, a few weeks back, my cell call dropped 3 or 4 times over the call. What made it worse, they had a configuration issue at their end and sometimes didn't even realize I was no longer on the call.
There were 2 or 3 times over the past week where recruiters were complaining they couldn't hear me and asked me to use another phone. Finally, yesterday, a recruiter was calling to schedule an interview; for some odd reason, she didn't have voice mail and she didn't email me. She finally gave up after my return call got dropped 2 or 3 times.
So then I had to scramble. I know there are VOIP consumer vendors like Vonage and Magic Jack; certain plans require hardware, and I had put my phone in storage. Skype allows calls among fellow users, and there are certain extra-cost options for other calls, e.g., to landlines.
I had flirted with Google Voice while in WV; I intuitively felt this was the direction to go, although I had not really tested it as a substitute for digital voice calling; among other things, I didn't keep my laptop online at all hours (which is necessary for realtime phone functionality), while my cellphone and digital phone were always on. I wanted to test out Google's innovative free voicemail transcript (with its generally superlative speech to text functionality) and its use as an alternative for professional contacts. I liked the idea of having a permanent number, e.g., I wasn't sure about number portability options for my mobile or digital cable services.
I'm not sure what had happened to my earlier Google Voice setups when I went to my account for the first time in several months--I could still see obsolete messages stored. Recall one of the things I like to do is take the opportunity to study how intuitive the interface is from my experience). Part of the issue here was a number of integrated products. There is a Google Voice email-like interface, but the phone functionality operates through Gmail. Particularly relevant is the phone gadget (located with the calendar gadget along the lower left margin below the email folders). You may need to ensure your Hangout status is active. [I will say there is a call button for configured GV that enables you to search by (partial) matches of names or numbers in your Google Contacts via Hangouts; or you can simply type a number, like my recruiter's number, ad hoc. I could add the recruiter and her number in Google Contacts before making the call, of course].
You're setting up your Google Voice (GV) account (google.com/voice) in conjunction of your cellphone account. Google Voice number selection itself can be unintuitive. Initially I thought one could propose a number and see if it was available, like usernames to a website. It's better thought of as a picklist of available numbers subject to parameters you specify, like area code.
There is Google Voice integration with certain cellphone providers (but mine is not included, so I won't discuss cross-functionality between phones). A key point is that your registered cellphone number can be figured as a target for GV text messages and voicemail notifications/transcripts. And this is something which isn't necessarily obvious: Google configures things so when you dial into Google Voice via your cellphone. you go into voicemail (which you have configured with a relevant password). You can otherwise access voicemail through an asterisk when GV answers your call. The reason this was quirky to me was that I was trying to trying to emulate an outside call to be received in Gmail and my cellphone is the only phone I had; in brief, if you drill into your cellphone edit and then click on advanced settings; select voicemail access No. I think this is somewhat misleading; it really means voicemail connection by default (for mobile), asterisk for other phones to access voicemail. I personally am used to an asterisk default for all phones and prefer consistency. (I had initially inferred that I had configured something wrong, e.g., from hangout settings, and it was throwing me into voicemail.)
From within Gmail and activated Hangouts, there's a bubble/quote icon for Hangouts conversation and a phone icon: you want to choose the latter. This allows a search (as described above) from Google Contacts via name or phone number--or to specify an ad hoc number (which to me is not obvious). I was easily able to call the recruiter in question and continue the conversation with no call fidelity issues.
I've somewhat simplified the conversation; some calls (e.g., international) may require a fee/deposit. The topics of Hangout conversations (including video calls), Hangout contacts, Google+, and circles are beyond the scope of this post. It was not intended to be a step-by-step newbie introduction; my hope is that a reasonably knowledgeable PC user could learn from the general description of my configuration experience and more practical description.
There's only one major problem with that solution: mobile calls can be notoriously unreliable. For a number of prospective clients or employers, that's not a major issue because they set up web conferencing, which operates over the Internet, like digital calling. But just to give an example, a few weeks back, my cell call dropped 3 or 4 times over the call. What made it worse, they had a configuration issue at their end and sometimes didn't even realize I was no longer on the call.
There were 2 or 3 times over the past week where recruiters were complaining they couldn't hear me and asked me to use another phone. Finally, yesterday, a recruiter was calling to schedule an interview; for some odd reason, she didn't have voice mail and she didn't email me. She finally gave up after my return call got dropped 2 or 3 times.
So then I had to scramble. I know there are VOIP consumer vendors like Vonage and Magic Jack; certain plans require hardware, and I had put my phone in storage. Skype allows calls among fellow users, and there are certain extra-cost options for other calls, e.g., to landlines.
I had flirted with Google Voice while in WV; I intuitively felt this was the direction to go, although I had not really tested it as a substitute for digital voice calling; among other things, I didn't keep my laptop online at all hours (which is necessary for realtime phone functionality), while my cellphone and digital phone were always on. I wanted to test out Google's innovative free voicemail transcript (with its generally superlative speech to text functionality) and its use as an alternative for professional contacts. I liked the idea of having a permanent number, e.g., I wasn't sure about number portability options for my mobile or digital cable services.
I'm not sure what had happened to my earlier Google Voice setups when I went to my account for the first time in several months--I could still see obsolete messages stored. Recall one of the things I like to do is take the opportunity to study how intuitive the interface is from my experience). Part of the issue here was a number of integrated products. There is a Google Voice email-like interface, but the phone functionality operates through Gmail. Particularly relevant is the phone gadget (located with the calendar gadget along the lower left margin below the email folders). You may need to ensure your Hangout status is active. [I will say there is a call button for configured GV that enables you to search by (partial) matches of names or numbers in your Google Contacts via Hangouts; or you can simply type a number, like my recruiter's number, ad hoc. I could add the recruiter and her number in Google Contacts before making the call, of course].
You're setting up your Google Voice (GV) account (google.com/voice) in conjunction of your cellphone account. Google Voice number selection itself can be unintuitive. Initially I thought one could propose a number and see if it was available, like usernames to a website. It's better thought of as a picklist of available numbers subject to parameters you specify, like area code.
From within Gmail and activated Hangouts, there's a bubble/quote icon for Hangouts conversation and a phone icon: you want to choose the latter. This allows a search (as described above) from Google Contacts via name or phone number--or to specify an ad hoc number (which to me is not obvious). I was easily able to call the recruiter in question and continue the conversation with no call fidelity issues.
I've somewhat simplified the conversation; some calls (e.g., international) may require a fee/deposit. The topics of Hangout conversations (including video calls), Hangout contacts, Google+, and circles are beyond the scope of this post. It was not intended to be a step-by-step newbie introduction; my hope is that a reasonably knowledgeable PC user could learn from the general description of my configuration experience and more practical description.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Tech Support Chat Sessions, Norton and Windows Defender
[* last updated 5/18/16]
As someone with a PhD in MIS, not to mention over 20 years of professional IT experience, I have a pet peeve against the frequently patronizing, incompetent help desk personnel I've had to deal with. They usually can't cope with anything that doesn't fit in their solution scripts and want direct access to one's PC.
One experience was when I worked at an IBM business unit. I had to install some software which had to be downloaded from a server. I couldn't access the source file and reported the issue. The help desk person assumed it was due to something like a misspecified scp/sftp command. I repeatedly asked him, "Are you sure the source file is available on the server?", and he sidestepped the question. I was getting nowhere as he basically threatened to end the call if I didn't give him access to my PC. It was more trouble than it was worth to fight the issue, so I finally let him take the session, when, of course, he discovered I was right; he couldn't find the source file, even with a privileged session connection. He laughed nervously, annoyingly, "I guess it's not there. Ha, ha. Let me go find out where I can find a copy." This is just unprofessional; as a DBA, I've always tried to replicate a user's reported problem, not through a privileged session but a test user account. In this case, I had to work unpaid overtime for 2 hours (I had a good hour's drive commute home) over something he should have checked from the get-go.
A second fond memory involved a software publisher employer just over a year later. I had gone to Malvern, PA for new employee training (the job allowed me to work from home or at client sites depending on account preferences). We had VPN connections to our company's servers. In any event, I ran into an issue at home after bringing my work notebook home, finding on my first time use of the corporate licensed Microsoft Office product that I was getting timeouts trying to get the product registered. I suspected an issue with the standard VPN connection. Basically the desktop help desk people were in a typical state of denial (e.g., nobody else has experienced the problem; maybe it's an issue with your ISP). He wanted to remaster my PC; I refused, because I needed the PC for training in Memphis the following Monday. Long story short, there were a couple of other VPN options, and after the phone call, I discovered I could get the software to register in an alternate mode. I reported back to the help desk how I got the problem resolved; they were in a state of denial insisting I should have been able to register through standard mode and changing the mode wouldn't have a difference. Facts are stubborn things. The help desk analyst complained to his boss I was difficult to work with (he was still trying to remaster my PC even though the issue was resolved), and his boss escalated to my non-supportive boss.
In the particular scenario for this post, I have Norton software protecting a backup notebook PC. I use the PC on an irregular basis, and so usually I need to update my security software, various applications, and check Microsoft Update for any interim patches. (Yes, I know it eventually checks on default but at an unspecified interval.) In this case, it found Windows Defender needed an update and seemed to stall about 6% of the way through a download.
An important relevant note: Defender is freeware security, and Norton's software provides similar functionality. Moreover, there's usually a performance hit running redundant functional security software, and Norton basically transparently shuts down Windows Firewall and Defender.
Now just a side note here; at least in Windows 10, there's a Windows Defender setup under tab Settings for Windows Update. In my case, there are toggle switches basically greyed out and stuck on, presumably an artifact of the Norton software install. My inference is that whatever Norton does to micromanage Defender is impacting Defender updates, but Microsoft will attempt to update Defender if it thinks Defender is in use. It's not immediately clear why the Norton install would have effectively frozen Defender toggle switches in an on position.
I did some searching on issues of Norton with Defender and saw on a user thread a relevant discussion, that it's a known issue between Norton and Microsoft that will be resolved any day now. One tip I saw in response to an issue like mine was to the effect that one needs to uninstall Norton which should release the toggle switches, turn the Defender switches off, and then reinstall Norton.
I think the original discussion involved running the Norton removal software to deinstall Norton, and there's when I ran into an issue, because the links to download the removal tool didn't seem to work.
So this is the context for my doing a Norton chat session where I got connected (surprise, surprise) to an Indian agent. This isn't intended to be a rant about Indian help desk people; the previous two examples were both Americans. I've also had my share of issues with non-Indian Oracle tech support in an operational setting. Senior analysts could resolve my issues within 5 minutes, but rookies were very difficult to work with. Oracle maintains a knowledge base of reported problems and possible resolutions. It's difficult to explain it except to note that I typically didn't have access to this knowledge base (Oracle would claim I did--maybe when I used to work for Oracle). So what would happen is the junior analyst might draw a list of say 15 possible solutions--and inevitably decide to make me jump through hoops in their process of elimination; I could usually tell from context almost immediately that the proposed solution wasn't relevant and want him or her to skip down to the next scenario. The analyst would be inflexible and argue that if I didn't comply to his satisfaction with his prescribed sequence, he would close the TAR (problem ticket). I would then escalate the TAR to a senior analyst, which of course duty managers hated but I didn't care. Maintenance costs are nontrivial, and I was a customer: time is money, and my time was important to my employer or client. I didn't exist for convenience of Oracle's training purposes. It was the responsibility of the senior analysts to mentor junior colleagues.
So one of my pet peeves is dealing with what I call scripts or protocols, and Indian help desk personnel are heavily scripted. They don't respond well from deviations from their script. (I'm not going to transcribe the script, but first they will take down parameters for filling out their ticket--your phone number, etc., ask you to remember their ticket number, and so forth. There's typically a gratuitous "I'm sorry you're experiencing this problem", "I can surely fix your problem", etc.) More or less, I discussed the Window update issue, the frozen Defender switches, the user thread solution I summarized above. At no time did he even acknowledge any Defender issues with Norton. He seemed to pick up on my reported issue with the removal tool download. He sends me a URL link. There's a DNS issue (no such webpage). I report back to him. He says try another browser; I'm saying, "Dude, do you understand what I mean by a DNS issue?" (I did pull up Firefox just to humor him.) He eventually sent me a couple of other links, one of which seemed to connect, but no download. I'm asking "Are you sure that FTP services are up on the server?" Again, no response. He's trying to get me to allow access to my machine; that's not going to happen. I'm irritated that his scripts include invalid URLs and such; he's not even trying to explain why the download isn't happening. At that point, I was done with the call.
I knew that I could uninstall Norton from Control Panel/Programs. As I hypothesized, the Defender toggle switches were released. I toggled them off and then reinstalled Norton. At that point, I went to Windows Update and manually checked for updates. This time there were no hanging Defender downloads, and Update reported no new patches to download. [Of course, if and when Norton isn't available, I'll need to update Defender or install other security software.] At some point in the future, I'll try testing again whether I can download the Norton removal tool.
[* updated 5/18/16]
A similar problem occurred today on my backup notebook PC. It had a different nuance, because in fact Defender settings were off. In this case, a Defender patch seemed to lead a handful of other, major updates, like a cumulative Windows 10 patch, and the update process seems to stall with Defender. Whatever Norton is doing to micromanage Defender does not seem to be controllable (earlier I had tried turning off the firewall and/or antivirus, but that didn't restore Defender functionality). So I uninstalled Norton and was able to update Defender and complete the other updates. I rebooted and reinstalled Norton.
I tried to do a trouble ticket with Norton, because this is getting to be ridiculous. I shouldn't have to uninstall and reinstall Norton every time I have a queue of Window Updates. Once again, I had to deal with one of their Indian helpdesk analysts, and two times during a chat session where I told him I had resolved my issue, he wanted to remote session my PC. Idiot! He told me Defender was a Windows 10 default security application. DUH! Just do a Google search, and you'll find posts of Norton users reporting Defender issues. As I recall, one post was from 2013, where Norton and/or Microsoft were expected to have a solution "any day now". Now you don't get nice functionality of the type as MS saying "we're having problems with Defender, so let's put it aside for the time being, and work on your other patches." I know it started with Defender and 2-3 hours later it was still apparently at ground zero. I thought perhaps the software distribution folder was corrupted; but that didn't fix the issue. Finally, I uninstalled Norton, manually updated Defender, finished my patching, and then reinstalled Norton after the patch reboot and checking Windows Update to ensure it was current. The Indian helpdesk guy had zero to say about known Defender issues and/or workarounds; he was totally useless.
As someone with a PhD in MIS, not to mention over 20 years of professional IT experience, I have a pet peeve against the frequently patronizing, incompetent help desk personnel I've had to deal with. They usually can't cope with anything that doesn't fit in their solution scripts and want direct access to one's PC.
One experience was when I worked at an IBM business unit. I had to install some software which had to be downloaded from a server. I couldn't access the source file and reported the issue. The help desk person assumed it was due to something like a misspecified scp/sftp command. I repeatedly asked him, "Are you sure the source file is available on the server?", and he sidestepped the question. I was getting nowhere as he basically threatened to end the call if I didn't give him access to my PC. It was more trouble than it was worth to fight the issue, so I finally let him take the session, when, of course, he discovered I was right; he couldn't find the source file, even with a privileged session connection. He laughed nervously, annoyingly, "I guess it's not there. Ha, ha. Let me go find out where I can find a copy." This is just unprofessional; as a DBA, I've always tried to replicate a user's reported problem, not through a privileged session but a test user account. In this case, I had to work unpaid overtime for 2 hours (I had a good hour's drive commute home) over something he should have checked from the get-go.
A second fond memory involved a software publisher employer just over a year later. I had gone to Malvern, PA for new employee training (the job allowed me to work from home or at client sites depending on account preferences). We had VPN connections to our company's servers. In any event, I ran into an issue at home after bringing my work notebook home, finding on my first time use of the corporate licensed Microsoft Office product that I was getting timeouts trying to get the product registered. I suspected an issue with the standard VPN connection. Basically the desktop help desk people were in a typical state of denial (e.g., nobody else has experienced the problem; maybe it's an issue with your ISP). He wanted to remaster my PC; I refused, because I needed the PC for training in Memphis the following Monday. Long story short, there were a couple of other VPN options, and after the phone call, I discovered I could get the software to register in an alternate mode. I reported back to the help desk how I got the problem resolved; they were in a state of denial insisting I should have been able to register through standard mode and changing the mode wouldn't have a difference. Facts are stubborn things. The help desk analyst complained to his boss I was difficult to work with (he was still trying to remaster my PC even though the issue was resolved), and his boss escalated to my non-supportive boss.
In the particular scenario for this post, I have Norton software protecting a backup notebook PC. I use the PC on an irregular basis, and so usually I need to update my security software, various applications, and check Microsoft Update for any interim patches. (Yes, I know it eventually checks on default but at an unspecified interval.) In this case, it found Windows Defender needed an update and seemed to stall about 6% of the way through a download.
An important relevant note: Defender is freeware security, and Norton's software provides similar functionality. Moreover, there's usually a performance hit running redundant functional security software, and Norton basically transparently shuts down Windows Firewall and Defender.
Now just a side note here; at least in Windows 10, there's a Windows Defender setup under tab Settings for Windows Update. In my case, there are toggle switches basically greyed out and stuck on, presumably an artifact of the Norton software install. My inference is that whatever Norton does to micromanage Defender is impacting Defender updates, but Microsoft will attempt to update Defender if it thinks Defender is in use. It's not immediately clear why the Norton install would have effectively frozen Defender toggle switches in an on position.
I did some searching on issues of Norton with Defender and saw on a user thread a relevant discussion, that it's a known issue between Norton and Microsoft that will be resolved any day now. One tip I saw in response to an issue like mine was to the effect that one needs to uninstall Norton which should release the toggle switches, turn the Defender switches off, and then reinstall Norton.
I think the original discussion involved running the Norton removal software to deinstall Norton, and there's when I ran into an issue, because the links to download the removal tool didn't seem to work.
So this is the context for my doing a Norton chat session where I got connected (surprise, surprise) to an Indian agent. This isn't intended to be a rant about Indian help desk people; the previous two examples were both Americans. I've also had my share of issues with non-Indian Oracle tech support in an operational setting. Senior analysts could resolve my issues within 5 minutes, but rookies were very difficult to work with. Oracle maintains a knowledge base of reported problems and possible resolutions. It's difficult to explain it except to note that I typically didn't have access to this knowledge base (Oracle would claim I did--maybe when I used to work for Oracle). So what would happen is the junior analyst might draw a list of say 15 possible solutions--and inevitably decide to make me jump through hoops in their process of elimination; I could usually tell from context almost immediately that the proposed solution wasn't relevant and want him or her to skip down to the next scenario. The analyst would be inflexible and argue that if I didn't comply to his satisfaction with his prescribed sequence, he would close the TAR (problem ticket). I would then escalate the TAR to a senior analyst, which of course duty managers hated but I didn't care. Maintenance costs are nontrivial, and I was a customer: time is money, and my time was important to my employer or client. I didn't exist for convenience of Oracle's training purposes. It was the responsibility of the senior analysts to mentor junior colleagues.
So one of my pet peeves is dealing with what I call scripts or protocols, and Indian help desk personnel are heavily scripted. They don't respond well from deviations from their script. (I'm not going to transcribe the script, but first they will take down parameters for filling out their ticket--your phone number, etc., ask you to remember their ticket number, and so forth. There's typically a gratuitous "I'm sorry you're experiencing this problem", "I can surely fix your problem", etc.) More or less, I discussed the Window update issue, the frozen Defender switches, the user thread solution I summarized above. At no time did he even acknowledge any Defender issues with Norton. He seemed to pick up on my reported issue with the removal tool download. He sends me a URL link. There's a DNS issue (no such webpage). I report back to him. He says try another browser; I'm saying, "Dude, do you understand what I mean by a DNS issue?" (I did pull up Firefox just to humor him.) He eventually sent me a couple of other links, one of which seemed to connect, but no download. I'm asking "Are you sure that FTP services are up on the server?" Again, no response. He's trying to get me to allow access to my machine; that's not going to happen. I'm irritated that his scripts include invalid URLs and such; he's not even trying to explain why the download isn't happening. At that point, I was done with the call.
I knew that I could uninstall Norton from Control Panel/Programs. As I hypothesized, the Defender toggle switches were released. I toggled them off and then reinstalled Norton. At that point, I went to Windows Update and manually checked for updates. This time there were no hanging Defender downloads, and Update reported no new patches to download. [Of course, if and when Norton isn't available, I'll need to update Defender or install other security software.] At some point in the future, I'll try testing again whether I can download the Norton removal tool.
[* updated 5/18/16]
A similar problem occurred today on my backup notebook PC. It had a different nuance, because in fact Defender settings were off. In this case, a Defender patch seemed to lead a handful of other, major updates, like a cumulative Windows 10 patch, and the update process seems to stall with Defender. Whatever Norton is doing to micromanage Defender does not seem to be controllable (earlier I had tried turning off the firewall and/or antivirus, but that didn't restore Defender functionality). So I uninstalled Norton and was able to update Defender and complete the other updates. I rebooted and reinstalled Norton.
I tried to do a trouble ticket with Norton, because this is getting to be ridiculous. I shouldn't have to uninstall and reinstall Norton every time I have a queue of Window Updates. Once again, I had to deal with one of their Indian helpdesk analysts, and two times during a chat session where I told him I had resolved my issue, he wanted to remote session my PC. Idiot! He told me Defender was a Windows 10 default security application. DUH! Just do a Google search, and you'll find posts of Norton users reporting Defender issues. As I recall, one post was from 2013, where Norton and/or Microsoft were expected to have a solution "any day now". Now you don't get nice functionality of the type as MS saying "we're having problems with Defender, so let's put it aside for the time being, and work on your other patches." I know it started with Defender and 2-3 hours later it was still apparently at ground zero. I thought perhaps the software distribution folder was corrupted; but that didn't fix the issue. Finally, I uninstalled Norton, manually updated Defender, finished my patching, and then reinstalled Norton after the patch reboot and checking Windows Update to ensure it was current. The Indian helpdesk guy had zero to say about known Defender issues and/or workarounds; he was totally useless.
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