Microsoft draws fire for stealth test program

Cnet News ^ | 06/13/2006 | Joris Evers

[Brilliant]

Small potatoes compared to the massive onslaught of spyware we've already got.

[Sundog]

Stinkers.

Love My Mac.

[King Moonracer]

You don't like that Sony rootkit??? They're all ba$tards!

[antiRepublicrat]

Excellent analysis over at Groklaw. She pours over Microsoft's statements, the WGA license, and what the users are actually informed of when they install.

Microsoft got caught in a lie.

[Panerai]

[John Lenin]

Windows XP should cost no more than $60. Than people might buy it. I think MS should be taken over by the government and made into open source.

[Spktyr]

Why is anyone surprised? Microsoft products are *ALWAYS* stealth test programs - especially x.0 versions!

[HarmlessLovableFuzzball]

"Windows XP should cost no more than $60. Than people might buy it. I think MS should be taken over by the government and made into open source."

I agree with the first part.

As for the second, I think the US govt should threaten to turn over microsoft to the Chinese . Then maybe they will write some good software price it right.

[ShadowAce]

[Brilliant]

What they should do is alter the copyright laws so that operating software has a copyright limited to say 15 years. That would put Windows 3.1 in the public domain, with Windows 95 only a few years out.

[John Lenin]

Windows XP Pro is $200. The latest version of Mac Tiger is $89. There is something very greedy in MS's pricing policy.

[baltoga]

Big brother Microsoft is watching.

[HarmlessLovableFuzzball]

Microsoft has bloated into one gigantic and inefficient bureaucracy where very little actual work is done. I personally know people who work there saying that.
$299 for win xp professional ? Give me a f*** break !

[SengirV]

And if he doesn't like what he sees while scanning your computer, he'll make it such that you can't even turn it on.

Thanks Bill, That's some "Genuine Advantage" for me alright.

[John Lenin]

When you consider how many copies of XP are out there, anything over $100 is highway robbery.

[trebb]

Windows XP Pro is $200. The latest version of Mac Tiger is $89. There is something very greedy in MS's pricing policy.P>What do you suppose MAC Tiger would cost if MAC had the lion's share of the market and Microsoft had the share that MAC currently has?

[Niteranger68]

"Windows XP should cost no more than $60"

If every copy was purchased legally and none stolen, maybe it would be $60.

[ExDemSince92]

I think MS should be taken over by the government and made into open source.

That would be the *last* thing anyone needs. The government puts its' fingers in too many pots as it is.

Just let time play out. Operating systems will eventually become commodities like the hardware they power. The only real thing forestalling it is the DMCA and I don't see that lasting over the long haul. Its' abuse will be its' end, I suspect.

[John Lenin]

China forced MS to lower the price in China and he did. I would gladly pay $60.