Vista comes in for some abuse

Subject: Vista updates

I've had Vista x64 Ultimate for a good few weeks now (we have an MSDN Premium subscription) and already there are eight updates for the core operating system (not Windows Mail, Windows Defender, MSXML or any of the other stuff that's sort of optional) installed: KB928089, KB929427, KB929685, KB929735, KB929761, KB930163, KB930857 and KB931573. Of these, only KB930857 is described as Critical. KB925528, KB929615, KB929762 and KB929777 only apply in certain circumstances (certain USB controllers, Windows Media being installed and a storport.sys crash in certain hardware configurations) and the update related to KB929735 is duplicated. All this is exposed through Windows Server Update Services, and all the updates have been released for both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista.

rob moss

Subject: Ghosh

Wendy, I think Ghosh's work is simply one more in a long line of signs that traditional economics is very limited in value. It's not an empirical science, yet its a priori assumptions are rotten too. It has more in common with pure mathematics than anything in the real world.

Even as a 16 year old grappling with Samuelson, it seemed to me that the axioms of economics were unfounded. The one that amuses me most these days is economists' answer to critical shortages of key materials or energy. Whatever the shortage, the economists have a ready answer:

"technology" will find a substitute. What's the thinking behind this? Well, it often did in the past! Very scientific.

welsh

Subject: Locked out of G-Mail

Well, ain't that a coincidence!

I got locked out of my Express Mail on my ISP's site by Google too. Seems they hid the Site Advisor I was using, and claimed my login prompt was a phishing attack. The error message told me to adjust Site Advisor, which was no longer in the I.E. toolbar, replaced instead by Google's login button. Hmmm... took a few days to sort it out reading a lot of stuff online to find out I had to re-enable it in the toolbar. Had me fooled (the Google Settings Button) in the toolbar as it looked just like what I needed to fix the problem, but it was not.

Thanks Google... I really needed that.

RobertB

Subject: Action Pack Subs

Vista was released on the 30th of January and the action pack subscription updates were delivered the same day.

What we got were upgrade installs of Microsoft XP Business.

The way to get an action pack subscription is to be a systems integrator. That means that we are making and reselling computers and that we are using those to help us work and learn Vista. So, Microsoft in their infinite stinginess decided to saddle us with an el-cheapo version of the OS. On top of that they are trying to ensure that we don't keep using XP so we are limited to doing an upgrade.

They also delivered Office 2007.

Needless to say I have no idea of using the Vista Business Edition. I see no benefit in updating to Office 2007 since I'm a systems integrator and have little to no need for it. Even tho I have the licenses for Office 2003 I never use it. Instead I tend to use my Linux box and Open office 2.0.4.

I just feel my security and privacy is better taken care of with Linux and that I get to control my computer instead of Microsoft controlling it.

JDB

Subject: Little annoyances still bug ATI?!?

Mr Cassia,

You are too kind! I installed SuSE 10.1 + ATI drivers three times in a row on the same PC... formatted the hard drive too. Each time I had a completely different promlem with the video: (1st time) it refused to change resolution, stuck at 1024x768; (2nd time) drivers would not recognise the card except as VESA, not R515; (3) mouse cursor is corrupt - though this morning after two weeks the cursor is missing altogether.

My previous card was Saphire R350 based, and had similar problems.

I think ATI's Linux drivers could be described with much more color, mostly with words that begin with the letter 'f'.

Or perhaps I could be, for being dumb enough to buy a second ATI card!

Love the Inq', cheers!

Eric M

Subject: Want latest firmware, then upgrade

My philosophy is that if a company is an unscrupulous dirtbag, slimeball, scum sucking Pig, then don't buy from them any more.

So I don't buy from MICROSUCKS, ASSus, CDW, Tiger Reject, RottenEgg and similar bottom feeder operations. If other folks adopted a similar value system the SCUM would go out of Biz and the reputable companies would be here to serve customers. Patronizing dishonest, lowlife companies just motivates them to increase their consumer exploitation.

Jorge

Subject: Nerdy FAGS

You are just a bunch of nerdy faggots.

Inquirer nerds, weak and pathetic think it funny to mock the death of a human being. Bet you wouldn't see those same wannabe comedians translate their article into russian and send it to the local newspaper of the families involved to read their funny jokes made from behind their computer screens joking at someone's death.

Berk

Subject: Vista

I played no games on the beta 2 that I tested but did try a few browsers and found that although I got a message telling me that it was not listed as a sertified browser Netscape 7.2 ran with out a hitch, which is more than I can say for IE which would not display my netscape web page correctly. I see no reason to upgrade from the XP Pro and 2 XP homes I have installed on my present computers, they do anything I require.

Od

Subject: Intel Sues Over Intel Name

Intel should be sued for slandering the term 'intelligence'. People could associate Intel, as a prefix to the oft used term Intelligence. The word Intelligence has been used for over 2000 years and defines the "ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations".

Obviously Intel the company has very little to do with Intelligence the word.

As denoted Intel has been using it's name on products now for less then 50 years, and has "tarnished, blurred, or diluted, or likely tarnished, blurred or diluted the distinctive quality of the famous Intelligence word."

The court should force 'Intel' to change it's name to 'Imitel', from the Latin, 'imitatus'.

Ryan Mahood

Subject: Getting to the root of open source

Hello

I just read this interesting article on FLOSS. There's just one thing I think should be taken care when thinking of moving to FLOSS:

- "Based on analysing six European organisations, the study concludes that long-term open-source software [...] saves money, despite the "temporary" costs and difficulties of migration.":

This argument is often used, by either proponents and opponents to FLOSS, although this is very strange: By nature, moving to a new product incurs temporary costs, mostly rewriting code, converting files, and training users.

Therefore, studies on this subject should compare what it costs to move from a proprietary product to a FLOSS product, vs. moving from a proprietary product to another proprietary product.

- Besides, remaining with a proprietary tool also has its costs, since, due to vendor lock-in, the provider can raise its prices and/not introduce features knowing that customers can't easily move to the competition. Which makes the $500 million that MS intends to spend on launching Vista even more ridiculous: Starting now, all new computers will have Vista installed, like it or not, and we don't have a realistic alternative anyway.

I think a very sharp analogy is to tell people that we have little difficulty reading the 3,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls (because they were written with open tools), while we can't even read files that are barely a few years old (I happen to have written my Master's thesis twenty years ago on a long-gone word processor for MS-DOS, which means I can no longer read those files.)

It's all very simple: The goal of each and every company is to become a monopoly. To achieve this goal, they'll use all the tricks in the books, legal and otherwise. MS happens to be a master at this game, but all companies do this... until they meet resistance.

Cheers
VD

Subject: Neal "Oblivious" Butterfield

You gotta love a network administrator who says "Anti-virus software? Who needs anti-virus software?" It's even better when it comes from a network administrator in charge of sensitive medical data.

It is oblivious fools like Neal Butterfield that gives Mac OS users a bad image, thinking they're immune to the often malicious nature of online predators. It is not just 14-year old girls who should be careful; middle-aged network administrator should step wisely as well. I think Neil needs a responsible adult to monitor his web habits.

Perhaps it is time for Neil's forgetful, myopic gaze to fall here:

tp://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=29753

It wasn't that long ago, surely he couldn't have forgotten. OK, it actually needed you to run an attached file, but I'm certain someone like Neil with his feeling of omnipotent invulnerability (so like a network administrator!) wouldn't think twice.

Yours (up to my neck in imposed Windows poo),
Incredulus Odi.

Subject: Nicce

That's classic.... give us MORE!

I was on call at a newspaper years ago. I was paged while in the middle of a date with a girl I had JUST met. Nonetheless, it had to be postponed and I drove 45 minutes back to the building where the issue was happening. In their words, "We can't save.. we can't move the mouse... we can't do anything right now and I have so much that's due for the deadline! It's an emergency!"

Nonetheless, I walked in to find their keyboard was unplugged from the Mac. I never had a second date and 'twas a lonely night.

Bill

Subject: Vista upgrade issue

For Dave;

Your response to Jeff Dranetz about Vista clean installs with upgrade disks was as useful as milking machines on chicken farms. Do a little reading before you correct others.

You can't just install clean with an upgrade disk because the upgrade disk does will NOT look for it. It will only look for an INSTALLED version and without one your SOL. Try reading this knowledge base article from M$.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/930985/en-us

If you had read this BEFORE posting, you wouldn't look so foolish. Remember, it's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt

nECrO

Subject: 'Neal Butterfield'

'Neal Butterfield' or for another definition of a numpty; (Yes Seamonkey it is a word, now feck off)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_words_not_widely_used_in_the_United_States

or if your looking for a definition of numptys try;

http://en.wikipedia.org

Morgan

Subject: Jargon Buster

According to PC WORLD's Jargon Buster, "Ethernet is a coaxial cable used to connect computers, hubs, switches, routers, and other computer peripherals." What millennium are we in indeed.

Subject: Vista updates

Why would any one in the World want to install Vista? Bandy

Subject: Gates Vision

Hi,

In regards to Joseph M. Santamaria's article feedback titled: "Gates Vision (VISTA)"

I think he has just realised what many folks have been saying for a long time. (Hence the reason why some of them don't like, respect, or accept Microsoft...They chose their own path, their own way).

Joseph says: "If Microsoft gets away..."

Microsoft has gotten away with just about everything for over 20yrs now. Why have people been blinded for so long?

They are in the dominate position, not because they make great products, far from it. Their Windows have created the image that the PC is an unreliable solution. Its gained this reputation and emphasized on TV. From an episode in the Gilmore Girls to Apple's humourous ads poking at PC's reputation.

I've been keeping an eye on Microsoft for over 5 yrs now, and I've clearly identified some major "factors" they have that keeps them in the dominate position.

(1) Controlling or Leveraging standards over others.
MS didn't gain the reputation of the quote "Embrace, extend and extinguish" for fun.

Even in 2007, their behaviour has not changed. The control of standards is important to MS's strategy. Read the spec of their OOXML, XAML, etc and try to implement it into a third party solution of your own. I guarantee you that they have delibrately left key things out to make your solution working flawlessly with theirs. The talk of interoperability...But actually doing it is a very different story.

(2) Bundling of software.
Whether it be apps to the OS OR the OS to pre-built systems. No one really asked for this, but they've accepted it simply because "its the path to least resistance". It is interesting however, that companies are starting to bundle systems that allows users to install whatever OS they want. eg: Like in the case of Dell.

(3) Get them while they're young.
Immerse kids and the young in schools/universities with Windows and other MS solutions now, and you can guarantee a future stream of income. This is easily done by extremely generous "educational discounts". Its a fact that courses don't teach about word processing or spreadsheets...They teach MS Word and Excel.

(4) Propaganda.
While other companies use hype to inform about their products, MS uses their marketing machine to go on the offensive. That is, to mock anyone who stands in their way, and "spin" any critcism anyone has on them.

For the last 6 years, Linux has been MS's target. Things like IDC's studies in regards to "Total Cost of Ownership" and MS's very own "Get the Facts" campaign...And even Steve Ballmer's initial comments after the Novell-MS deal. They know and have acknowledged Linux as a threat.

(5) Keep ALL users clueless.
If you keep your customers in the dark, they won't know what's really going on. And if they don't know, you can charge and regulate them as much as you want! (Such as DRM and "anti-piracy" measures). Since they don't know anything but your solutions, they have no choice but to pay you!

(6) Win by any means.
This includes making "campaign contributions" to selected politicians that can influence the outcome of a decision. I don't doubt that Microsoft has "influence" on such key people. In both the EC and South Korean anti-trust cases, MS got the US DoJ to tell the prosecuting party to "go easy on" or "lay off" Microsoft. You have to wonder how MS got away with a mere wrist slap in regards to the US anti-trust case. (where they were convicted of monopolistic practices).

Microsoft doesn't run a business like any other business, it doesn't compete. It fights to win wars and occupies the market like you capture territory. To publically mock and destroy rivals.

People may think Apple is different, but they aren't when you get down to the fundamental levels. Sure, they do it with elegance and style, but they still approach things with similar tactics to Microsoft. (Just far less aggressive). Take for example their Mac platform. Anyone who's seriously looked under the skirt of a current Mac knows its really nothing more than a PC with a modified version of a Unix-based OS and a pretty GUI. (Despite what Apple fans tell you)...Oh the case, I forgot about the stylish case!

But when you dig further, you realise they have done a few things to it in an effort to stop (at least make an attempt to prevent) regular PC users from running OSX on a regular Joe x86 box. (Such as the use of Intel's EFI in place of the good old BIOS). Then there's content, they also use DRM technologies. (Which some European countries are nagging them about).

The only difference (if you put it in layman's terms), between Apple and Microsoft, is that Apple has style, they prefer to compete in a relatively fair manner (far less aggressive than MS), and Steve Jobs. The thing about Mr Jobs is that he is good at public speaking and he has a way to convey information that gets people excited about his company's products. He really breaks it down to the average Jane/Joe computer user.

He doesn't BS the user with cunning marketing talk. (like he has something to hide). He speaks to you as if you're having a conversation with him. And that, I think, is why Apple fans see him as some "pragmatic leader" of their "cult". I think Jobs understands the technology market quicker than most business types. He will see an opportunity and make the necessary arrangements to sieze on it. Its why his company is ahead of Microsoft in the portable music market.

Sure they poke fun of Windows, but its like a slight poke for a laugh. They don't aggressively mock others or have the goal to publically destroy others. Here's a tip for anyone out there thinking about starting a business and realising Microsoft is on their butt.

Ignore them. That's right, ignore Microsoft. Ignore their PR, ignore Gates's "vision of the future", and ignore any of their representative's responses to your solutions.

Focus on your products, address the customer's concerns, and worry about achieving your best. Because its your product that does the talking. Not your PR. Marketing can only get you so far, if the product doesn't deliver, Marketing can't do anything about it.

One of Sony's mistakes with the PS3, aside from the price, complexity of the new technology, and "overhype", is that they became worried about Microsoft.

Feedback on one of the feedback
Anyway, while Joseph's feedback has portrayed something as an "end of the world" scenario, I don't think it is. What people should be seeing is not despair, but an opportunity to try new things. It doesn't matter if its Linux, BSD or a Mac. As long as one stays open minded and gives them a chance to see if these alternatives fit in the their requirements.

The goal you want to achieve is to open a door for yourself. Knowning Microsoft, they will become more aggressive and draconian in what they do. Its simply because they can get away with it. Its important to understand, as the end-user or customer, is its your choice to walk away. If you don't, you are merely submitting to greedy corporations. And in the end, its really no one's fault but your own.

Regards
Stmok.

Subject: MMORPG death

"Unfortunately for Ponamorenko, Blyoskin was not carrying any "phat l3wt" on his person. More unfortunately, Blyoskin didn't respawn.

May it be known that Moscow is a no PvP zone."

While I laughed hysterically, I couldn't help but feel that it was also in poor-ish taste. Thousands of people we don't know die daily, but I am not sure that it is responsible of us to make light of their tragedy.

Then again, perhaps comedy is most applicable with serious news.

alexi