I read this stuff as a Linux user and grin. (I made the graphic above with GIMP which is also free.
Posted on 02/12/2010 7:25:28 AM PST by hripka
Just run Linux and forget Micro$oft
Pretty happy with Ubuntu, also.
I still have Windows machines in the house, but the majority of my computer time is on the Ubuntu systems. It’s just less hassle to use.
Microsoft can go to hell. They have an overpriced, under-performing product.
The problem isn’t solved by having a legal version of Windows. The problem is one of false positives. If WAT or WGA decides your previously valid copy of Windows is no longer valid, you’re screwed. This can happen if, for example, your installation of Windows was done with a volume license that later gets stolen. MS will, no doubt, simply shut down any OS that used that key, and wait for the valid owner to get in touch. In a situation like that, MS would probably issue a new key, and require every system to be re-validated manually. This can also happen, as it did with WGA, if MS’s validation system has an error, and shuts your machine down. You then have to jump through all the hoops to correct their error, and in the meantime your computer is crippled.
Hopefully MS will decide that this was a bad idea after all, and work out a better solution. ALternatively, we the consumers should hope that MS doesn’t decide to get sneaky and keep re-releasing the update under new KB listings, so that excluding it by KB number won’t work unless you can keep up with each new release. In the meantime, it is likely that there are people out there figuring out how WAT works, and coming up with a way to short-circuit it so that it either never actually gets to the internet to check in, or that if it does, that it can never actually modify the OS.
I had this happen on a netbook with XP installed. I bought it used so for all I know it could really have been a pirated copy. Anyway, it was annoying enough that I just wiped it and installed Ubuntu NBR instead.
I had this happen with Microsoft Word. Changed some stuff in my Bios, and then couldn't get Office Update to work because it says Word hasn't been registered. But then when you try to register, it says it HAS been registered. So you end up having to uninstall and reinstall. It's a hassle, and you would think they could come up with something that would work better.
That’s right, because Microsoft is 100% perfect in making such determinations, and I shouldn’t mind strangers poking around my computer if I haven’t been doing anything bad, right?
How'd that work out? I installed Win7 in a Parallels VM and hated it - the mouse doesn't seamlessly move between OS X and Win7 like it does with XP.
Using Ubuntu 9.10 here.
I control my PC.
Best part is, right now, I am running Ubuntu from a 32GB USB drive. So, I can move from place to place with no worries of Microsoft spying on me. Plus, with 32GB of space, I have plenty of room to store documents and files. It is truly like carrying my computer in my pocket.
I can even run Ubuntu at work without leaving a trace on the machine I’m using. Then, when I get home, I can boot up to the exact same desktop at home that I do at work and all my files are there. I can use the same USB drive on my work PC, my laptop at home, and my netbook.
And, once it boots, it is indistinguishable from a full HD install. Runs at full speed (maybe even a bit faster) and works just the same.
I’ll stick with Vista
I’ve been thinking of trying ubuntu on a usb drive...glad your experience was a good one! :)
I read this stuff as a Linux user and grin. (I made the graphic above with GIMP which is also free.
The same thing is happening with my laptop (company issued and all legit) with Office 2003 software. I had to do a complete reinstall a few months ago and suddenly last week whenever I open Excel I get a not genuine - will expire in XX days message. Since the unit is about three years old and we have many laptops out there, no one can find the disks; they may have been installed by the people who do our IT work. This isn’t really a great idea, I don’t have the time to have everyting reinstalled again because of Microsoft’s inane checking system.
I liked the way XP worked better, but with each new build of Parallels, Windows 7 gets better and better. Somehow Windows 7 looks like it has started up completely well before it actually has. After a few minutes the mouse behavior become more normal.
The problem is the "guilty until proven innocent" paradigm.
I paid for my copy of WinXP - yet for no apparent reason, it suddenly insists on installing (and often updating) something which makes me PROVE I'm not a thief, and prove it often. As others have recounted from their experiences, this puts me at risk of WinXP refusing to operate should a "false positive" ("could not validate") occur. One little statistically "acceptable" error rate turns into a major disruption of my life.
Kinda like submitting to a drug test when you know you're clean: there's a non-trivial chance you'll suffer a false positive, which can screw up your life pretty bad because some lab test goofed.
This attitude permeates society until it grows (read your Holocaust history) into "papieren, bitte" ("papers, please") = you're not a viable person unless you can show your government license to exist.
I'm offended when a company treats customers (me) as a possible, even probable, thief to the degree that they keep checking on the legality of something I _purchased_ (supposedly a one-time transaction).
I'm offended when I pay $25 for movie tickets or a DVD, only to have a "don't pirate!" message rubbed in my face.
I'm offended when society accepts that I must prove my innocence despite no hint of legal transgression.
I'm offended when simple airline travel requires examination just this side of a strip-search (and they're working on including that via "mm-wave scanners").
I'm offended when my government commandeers a simple driver's license into what is, for most practical purposes, a license to exist.
I paid M$ for their product, yet years later they're still checking on me - not because I show any sign of thievery, but because it's easy to check for me.
My upgrade path is to OS X as a result.
Do people still use windows?? If so, Why?? Ubuntu is FREE and FAR SUPERIOR, and yes it is very portable when you install to a USB drive. Been feeling the love from Ubuntu for quite some time now.
Do people still use windows?? If so, Why??
Do people still use windows?? If so, Why??
I still don't like it, though.
The authors hyperbole makes him sound ridiculous.
Other folks should not be able to snoop on you, even with your permission.
I believe in property rights. However, I recently bought the Star Trek blu ray dvd specifically for the 'bonus digital copy' included. I loaded the copy on my notebook, running windows 7 and Windows Media Player 12. After half a day of trying to get MP12 to 'upgrade its security software', I finally got it to load into MP 12. Now it won't play because MP 12 doesn't play DMP stuff. I copied it to my Droid, which also won't play because that doesn't play dmp. The so called digital copy can only be loaded on one computer and one other device, so I am hozed. From the internet, I have learned that if you roll your computer, it will no longer play these, forget about putting it on a replacemnt computer or cell phone. I just want my legal copy to play.
ping
Can you say Linux or Mac OS X ?
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