How Vista will own us all

Subject: Vista

£180 for basic and £380 for ultimate; how exactly does Microsoft propose to shift any copies of this? Especially when the Merkins are paying so much less ....

Owen Clipsham

Subject: Vista Hardware Status

To the Editor:

So Vista is now here. After all the hype I thought perhaps I would pick up a copy and install it on a second machine this weekend. That was until I started looking for drivers. My hardware is not ancient but not brand new. Here is what I found:

Scanner: Epson Perfection 1260 - will not be supported.
Keyboard: Logitech G15 - not supported
Webcam: Logitech QuickCam Orbit - not compatible
Printer: Epson Photostylus R800 - No drivers available now (perhaps someday).
Soundcard: Creative X-Fi Platinum - limited functionality with unsupported beta drivers only (and with Creative's stellar driver history...).

These days Linux has better hardware support than Microsoft. I didn't mention the current lack of an Nvidia driver because I do believe one will be available soon. It is very obvious (at least to me) that Microsoft is only interested in selling OEM licenses to computer manufacturers. My hardware is not that old but it will cost me US$800 in peripheral hardware alone to 'upgrade' to Vista. Plus US$260 for Vista itself. That is not going to happen.

Richard

Subject: wikirati twatis

Hello In my opinion, the world needs a lot less of self appointed elitist twomps deciding what is best for plebians.

I see that thickipedia contains quotes of "history is written by the victors" - let's see.

Cheers
Snedger

Subject: Good for you, after the pub time

figure out how to take over Wikipedia.

I was one of those people who registered (1.5 years before this EG debacle) at Wikipedia because I thought I would contribute.

I did contribute a few times.

But, now the [asshole know-it-alls] people who "run" Wikipedia have ruined the whole experience. These are troglodytes who live in their parents' basement and have nothing better to do than belittle a very cool meme.

dave

Subject: VISTA SUCKS

I coúld not even play solitaire with my celeron 2.66 ghz.cpu and 64 mb video card. So i gave up and went back to xp.

Leven

Subject: Everywhere girl, wikedpedia

A possibly more apt headline would be: "Everywhere Girl deleted by Nowhere Man".

Nhinkle

Subject: Polysilicon Pressure

Doesn't Intel's new Hafnium process take the lid off the pressure vessel? Or is that simply wishful thinking...The Hafniums and the HafNoteums.

We can Hafe our cake, and Poly it too.

RobertB

Subject: Gates Vision (VISTA)

If Microsoft gets away with DRM and EULA this time around it will be the biggest (and most pervasive) worldwide corporate coup in history, bar none.

As soom as you load MS VISTA OS, your computer, hardware and software, is GOVERNED and REGULATED by Microsoft policies. None of your precious (expensive) apps and DATA will run without it, specifically. If you think that this takeover hasn't been a longterm goal of MS, your sadly mistaken. They have chipped away users rights, a little at a time, with each sucessive OS upgrade, with planned obsolecence as a catalyst for the entire industry as a whole. VENDORS don't care what Microsoft does as long as thet can sell their wares. They sold out years ago with WIN95. SO DID YOU!

Federal, State, and local Governments have LESS to say on ANYTHING you own. Can you imagine re-purchasing your land because you added a two new bedrooms? Re-purchase, and re-register, and re-insure a car because of new tires, brakes, or transmission changes?. Think I'm being extreme? How's about building a $350 bare bone machine running an OS's that cost more than the entire machine itself. And, it's only good for that machine, even if its' a DOG! MS has made more money than ALL the hardware vendors COMBINED! Give it away to a school? THEY PAY MS AGAIN ON THE SAME DOG WITH THEIR MULTI USER AGREEMENT. THEY MADE TWICE WHAT THE MACHINE IS WORTH WHEN NEW!!!!

Make no MISTAKE, Microsoft has implimented a carefully planned, well executed, TAKE OVER of the PLANETS computers(and information) with NON EXISTANT competition. EXTREME? Anything you do with a computer is with approval of Microsoft agreements. This includes buying a new machine, how and what you load, and now, what you copy on it. Further, the applications' authors have paid MS for the "rights", too! Everybody pays MICROSOFT!

This is a wake up call for the Feds to bust up Microsoft fot the huge, inherently pervasive, monopoly it HAS become. Why? They have more control over your machine and whats in it than the FEDS. Hell, they have contol over the FEDs computers! Trillions of dollars of hardware rendered obsolete by MS's marketing push for more and more revenue, and we give hardware control to them in the process! The Worlds' computing changes at the will of MICROSOFT. Wonderful! The EU is Not going to tolerate this, neither should we.

The time when you bought an OS and it was YOURS will DIE with XP. The next step for MS? Timed Licensed Agreements. OS monthly/Yearly billing; just like your electric bill or cable where you don't have a choice. BUT THIS WILL BE WORLDWIDE!!!!!! READ: BIG STEADY INCOME FOR MICROSOFT. Jesus, sweet, Jesus, this is only an OPERATING SYSTEM!

THE NEW WORLD ORDER/TAKEOVER ACCORDING TO BILL GATES. NOW YOU KNOW WHY THEY CALL IT VISTA. IT OPENS NEW VISTAS FOR MICROSOFT.

UNCLE SAM, HELP US, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! CALLING STEVE JOBS: I'M COMIN' OVER BABY!

Joseph M. Santamaria

Subject: Everywhere Girl Axed?

Oh, come on! There is a wikipedia article on the Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII! This is clearly plain old, everyday spite. She is a real cultural phenomenon and ought to have a page just for that and for the controversy caused on wikipedia and in the media (a fancy way of saying l'Inq).

How do I get on board deleting the entry for Latvia? Latvians do NOT love their crepes! It's a sham!

matt

Subject: M$ don't know portuguese

Dear Inquirer editor.

I wonder if you'd like to know that Microsoft do not know how to write portuguese correctly.

The game Shadowrun (to be launched Abril 2) take place in Santo (São Paulo state, Brasil) in a near future...

But one image took my attention.

It says "Seu potencial est nosso paixão", where the correct phrase must be "Seu potencial é a nossa paixão".

For more information: http://www.forumpcs.com.br/noticia.php?b=198796

Sorry for my bad english...

My best regards,
Alexandre

Subject: Andrews High K explanation.

Andy, one problem, you are wrong. Smaller size gates would operate at lower voltage, as simply smaller wire. Yet, memory must be compatible with existing systems, so voltage is somewhat set.To overcome higher potential to leak voltage thru smaller wire HIGH K reduces voltage leakage & allows transistor to run at same voltage as older larger nm tranistors in same environment.

Eventually, High K material will slip to lower resistance levels as quality & materials permit, including incorporating 45 nm thruout system, so lower voltages can be used in OEM situations, that is in increased hardware compatible situations where instead of HIGH K, lower voltage, less heat & final realization of increase quality due to smaller gates.

Andrew only thing I cann't unfderstand is no GATES at all. If I where William, I'd go open source & write that first super consumer desktop package, just for fun & as add on item, for concerned or low cost user.

High K is temporary stop gap & will evolve to lower voltages & resistances as hardware improvements permits smaller size gates to all operate at that smaller & better level.Also much faster, to fill less heat area back to full potential.

thomasxstewart

Subject: Vista makes me sad.

Ah, Charlie, Intel is party that gave you your blunk on noggin', not Vista.

Your reporter, go out there & find machine that is Vista Capable in all its' GLORY. VISTA may be colored like "turd", yet thats just COPPER PLANT BLOOD leaking thru. Actually DATA has no known color, except X RAY.

Its BEST we've got & now job is to make machine that runs it.LITERALLY.

My suggestion is simple. Wander out on BARCELONA Racetrack & see AMD from underside, give tham all equal chance.

PHYSICIAN THOMAS STEWART VON DRASHEK M.D.

Subject: Bloke Cracks Vista DRM

MS claims Vista cost how much to develop again? As much as the Apollo program? That's about $135 billion when adjusted. Apparently all that turned out to protect "premium content" for not very long at all. Even if we're conservative and take the time from the RTM release (Nov 6th), to the date when the crack is confirmed (Jan 28th), despite the fact the person working on it may have gotten the RTM a bit later and made the first announcement about the possible crack Jan 17th, it still looks bad. It's roughly 83 days. Which means if you want to prevent people from pirating movies by rebuilding the entire PC operating system ground up from scratch with security and DRM as the main focus, it costs approximately $1,626,506,024.096 per day of protection.

Of course even if he hadn't managed it, AACS has already fallen because oops, someone writing the specs forgot to mention you shouldn't leave the key decrypted in memory too long.

GLDM

Subject: Letters and rants

Dear Everyone,

I hope they publish this letter, hence why I start Dear Everyone. This letter is to you, all of you, yes you too.

Firstly a company will make a product and then wish to make a profit from said product. This is called Buisness. You would not work for free would you? If you had a shop and someone stole you would put in cameras, which people would understand. If you are a record label protects its product with DRM, unfortunatly they tend to be going over the top with it. If a Shop Keeper calls the police on a 12year old shoplifter for stealing a music CD you would think that this is aceptable, this is the same as a record lable taking a 12year old to court for stealing its music using the internet.

My Sony Erricson Mobile thats 2 years old does all the same things as the iPhone! AND I was not forced to have DRM rubbish on all my music. WOULD ALL THE CHILDREN OF JOBS WIZE UP!!! (this includes my dad!) The only reason that Macs are less Hacked and have less viruses is because there are less people using them so its not worth the time of the 14 year old computer experts to make them. IT IS NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE ANY MORE INTELIGENT THAN A PC USER!!!

SOME ONE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me a problem with Vista that is not caused by Drivers or the lack of them?

Finaly let me cover the life cycle of the Linux dude. Young Idealest finds linux, Gets involved and works in the comunity. Young Idealest finds woman/man and marrys needing money like the rest of man kind. Young Idealest becomes Corporate Whore selling his skills to the highest bidder using any code from the rest of the comunity he can to make him self money! Wife devorces him as he is no longer the man she married, takes Kids, house and large support cheque.

I mean no offence but I am saying what I see all the years I have worked in this industry I just had to let it all out so that the healing could begin!

Oliver

Subject: Vista upgrade issue

Despite his many years in IT, Jeff Dranetz has obviously never installed a Windows OS on a clean system using an upgrade disk before. No need for partitioning, clean copies of the previous qualifying OS to be installed or anything like that. All he has to do is to simply wipe the disk and go for a fresh installation using the upgrade disk and at some point during the installation, the installer will ask for proof of a qualifying upgradable OS. Bung the installation disk in for the previous OS (in this case XP), wait a few seconds for the installer to check the disk and go "Yep! That's OK", and you're on your way.

I agree that upgrading over a previous OS can be a potential mine field, but performing a clean installation using an upgrade disk is a straightforward process and only takes a few seconds longer than an installation using a bog standard OEM disk. Maybe Jeff would like to check this in future before dishing out suspect advice.

Regards,
Dave

Subject: Microsoft just ain't green enough

My guess would be, when a politician or political party makes a statement such as this, it REALLY means they haven't CONTRIBUTED enough GREEN to the party / induhvidual. Peering into my little crystal ball - OK its just a damn beer mug - I see lots of money changing hands, and a change of heart in the rhetoric on the horizon...

Jim

Subject: it's just easier???????

My name is Neal Butterfield and I live in Washington State in the US. I was reading an article you wrote titled "Vista's pretty but we may as well stick with XP, thanks" from today and came across a paragraph where you mentioned a little bit about your computer using history and stated, "I've always been a Windows user, never having dabbled with Linux or Macs - and no, I'm not a Microsoft fan boy, it's just easier, okay?". I'm a long time Windows user who manages a 50 computer Windows network and electronic medical record for a 13 doctor family practice health clinic. I've also used Windows computers exclusively at home until about a year and a half ago when I switched to an Apple iMac. Now, I know what you're thinking. Another freakin' Mac fanatic who's going to go on some deluded diatribe about how much Windows sucks and how superior Macs are. Well, I'm not going to do that, but instead I'm going to focus on the "it's just easier" statement you made in your article and try to make some points based on my personal experience. I'm assuming that in most respects you meant "it's just easier" to use Windows instead of Linux or Mac machines. The bulk of my computing experience has been with Windows (12 years) while only having used the Mac OS for 1 1/2 years. However, I use my computers for hours at a time everyday and have become familiar enough with the Mac OS to know that it, and not Windows, is the easier one to use. The hassles that Windows users have to go through just to keep their machines up and running with some semblance of normalcy are just not things I'm willing to go through anymore (at home). When using Windows boxes I have to run antivirus software, anti-spyware software and anti-adware software. How is that "easy" when I don't have to run any of that stuff on my Mac? In some cases I have to pay for this software AND pay an annual fee to keep it up to date with the latest "crapware definitions". Like I said, with my Mac I don't have to do any of that stuff. Just the security and virus issues alone make the Mac a MUCH easier machine to use. Don't even get me started on "driver hell" and the BSOD, things Mac users don't have to deal with at all but with which I am intimately familiar with thanks to Windows. I've wasted, and yes I mean wasted, so much of my time dealing with all the myriad of unnecessary hassles Windows users go through I'm just unwilling to do them anymore. These Windows hassles make computing boring. They make computing arduous. And when there's an infinitely more secure and easy to use OS out there why would I want to use Windows? So can you please explain to me how on earth Windows is "just easier”? I'd really like to know. And if you can give me a decent explanation I'll admit I was wrong and see the error of my ways. Thanks in advance for your time and some kind of response would me greatly appreciated.

Sincerely Yours,
Neal Butterfield

Subject: Vista

Remember all the fuss about Vista costing more then going to the moon. In an interview Mr. Gates mentioned $8 billion to $9 billion in developing Vista and Office. For lack of better number, let's cut that half and half and say Vista cost 4 billions dollars to developed. Given what Vista seems to be when compare to XP, isn't that like money thrown out the windows. I wonder if Microsoft had been in a more competitive world how much they could have squeeze out of that 4 billions dollars. Or have I lost touch with what you can get with 4 billions dollars these days?

Jona

Subject: Wikipedia updated

Wikipedia redirected the Everywhere Girl search text to the INQ on Wiki. They haven't deleted the part about the scandal, and I like how there's a dictionary of INQ terms on there. Very good for us in the USA or for when I have to try and explain everytime what all of the words mean... I like how the Wiki gives good light to the INQ and also how it goes over more recent news articles or big scoops and explains them. I do wish someone would go and write about the older articles too or even some funny stuff like something I remember reading about a ski "accident" when trying to listen in on an ATi or nVIDIA rep.

Kevin Ghadyani

Subject: Vista Security

For now Vista will be much more secure than XP. Oh dear no they cry!

Why? Because almost no-one is running Vista.

If you are a bottom feeder who has/wants a bot army, or you like to clear out bank accounts with key loggers you want a huge number of broadband connected PCs to attack. For the next year or two XP will have a far larger installed base. Therefore there is no doubt XP will be less secure. As few will upgrade to Vista, (and even fewer who do not take adequate security precautions) Vista will not present much of an opportunity for real exploits in the wild. Only when enough OEM copies are sold to surpass XP will we start to see a true test of Vistas' security. Perhaps by then Vista may even have gone SP1….

Andrew