Slashdot Mirror

It's gross.

It's horrible.

It's for dumb end users more focused on the look of something than the functionality (ie: not us)

I am so sick of applications and websites focusing on flat, shadeless, bullshit design.
They seem to use literally 3 colours only - white background, black text / lines and ONE shade of colour used sparingly. Most pages entirely white.
I'm extremely sick of pages and applications removing most 'dividing lines' too. The post I'm writing right now is in a box to the left of this box is another nice line which is separating the reply form to the list of topics on the right.

Here's a prime example of design I fucking detest.
https://jira.cyanogenmod.org/secure/attachment/12130/Calling..jpg
Now a lot of people hail the Cyanogenmod / Google stock stuff as 'clean and wonderful'
Bullshit, look at those icons at the bottom, no labels, no lines dividing them to define the size of each button, all cramped in one spot and RIGHT BELOW and directly touching THE HANG UP BUTTON - extremely easy to accidentally end the call but noooo that's 'clean'
Gotta love those icons, I can probably guess what the function of each one is but if they were labelled I'd know for sure, no ambiguity. Yes it's easier for translation purposes, that's not my problem though, sorry! - I just know - at a glance, with the text, I will identify the icons faster, every time.

Here's another example of shit design.
http://dri1.img.digitalrivercontent.net/Storefront/Company/msintl/images/English/en-INTL_Office_2013_Pro_ESD_AAA-02776/en-INTL_L_Office_2013_Pro_ESD_AAA-02776_RM2_mnco.jpg
Now I got used to those office tabs in the end, with 2010, it's not too bad to be honest but look at this up the top, the "active" tab is the home tab, you'll note the text is a different colour and there's a line defining the outline of the highlighted tab - but that's it? Seriously? Why can't there be more colour behind the word home or grey out the other tabs text like INSERT , PAGE LAYOUT etc?

Those are 2 examples of the flat, colourless, white, ghastly design which "looks clean" because right now "clean" is in. Use some colours, use some dividing lines. Is shading a bad thing? Apparently - ok then use solid colours, use lighter ones, but for fucks sake this mishmash of just white with no lines, gross. Lines are good, boxes are good.

FWIW: Some of the slashdot beta is making good use of dividing lines but there's a lot of words which could be bold or a slightly larger font or placed differently. Everything looking the god damned fucking same makes things more difficult to read.
Look at source code in a good coding tool, it's not PRETTY but it's very easy to identify things with colour and spacing.
I generally detest the flat designs of sites and applications of late, please don't apply that shit to oldschool places which don't need it.

> More likely Win7 and Win8 are much harder to pirate,

So is that why even Microsoft tells you where to download Win7 !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you; it is the real McCoy, er, Win7.
* Win7 Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Win7 Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Win7 Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Win7 Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

> More likely Win7 and Win8 are much harder to pirate,

So is that why even Microsoft tells you where to download Win7 !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you; it is the real McCoy, er, Win7.
* Win7 Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Win7 Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Win7 Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Win7 Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

> More likely Win7 and Win8 are much harder to pirate,

So is that why even Microsoft tells you where to download Win7 !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you; it is the real McCoy, er, Win7.
* Win7 Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Win7 Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Win7 Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Win7 Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

> More likely Win7 and Win8 are much harder to pirate,

So is that why even Microsoft tells you where to download Win7 !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you; it is the real McCoy, er, Win7.
* Win7 Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Win7 Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Win7 Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Win7 Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

Agreed that Win7 is easy to pirate. Just google: "win7 iso" and lots of places to download the ISO.

Heck even Microsoft tells you where to download it !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you.
* Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

> windows 7 has a huge OEM hole that makes it effortless to crack
Uh you don't even need to "crack" Win 7. Resetting the WPA garbage is trivial too; every ~30 days reboot to reset your system back to a clean un-activated copy :-)

Reboot
press F8 at startup
Repair Computer
System Recovery Options: Keyboard: US
Username/Password
(you will see: Windows found on Drive ?:)
Command Prompt
D:
reg load HKLM\MY_SYSTEM "D:\Windows\System32\config\system"
reg delete HKLM\MY_SYSTEM\WPA /f
reg unload HKLM\MY_SYSTEM
exit
Reboot

to display

slmgr /dli
slmgr /dlv

WinXP is not that hard to find. There are MicroXP and TinyXP versions around.

Concur 100% that cracking XP is more of a PITA to find the various boot-loaders.

Agreed that Win7 is easy to pirate. Just google: "win7 iso" and lots of places to download the ISO.

Heck even Microsoft tells you where to download it !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you.
* Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

> windows 7 has a huge OEM hole that makes it effortless to crack
Uh you don't even need to "crack" Win 7. Resetting the WPA garbage is trivial too; every ~30 days reboot to reset your system back to a clean un-activated copy :-)

Reboot
press F8 at startup
Repair Computer
System Recovery Options: Keyboard: US
Username/Password
(you will see: Windows found on Drive ?:)
Command Prompt
D:
reg load HKLM\MY_SYSTEM "D:\Windows\System32\config\system"
reg delete HKLM\MY_SYSTEM\WPA /f
reg unload HKLM\MY_SYSTEM
exit
Reboot

to display

slmgr /dli
slmgr /dlv

WinXP is not that hard to find. There are MicroXP and TinyXP versions around.

Concur 100% that cracking XP is more of a PITA to find the various boot-loaders.

Agreed that Win7 is easy to pirate. Just google: "win7 iso" and lots of places to download the ISO.

Heck even Microsoft tells you where to download it !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you.
* Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

> windows 7 has a huge OEM hole that makes it effortless to crack
Uh you don't even need to "crack" Win 7. Resetting the WPA garbage is trivial too; every ~30 days reboot to reset your system back to a clean un-activated copy :-)

Reboot
press F8 at startup
Repair Computer
System Recovery Options: Keyboard: US
Username/Password
(you will see: Windows found on Drive ?:)
Command Prompt
D:
reg load HKLM\MY_SYSTEM "D:\Windows\System32\config\system"
reg delete HKLM\MY_SYSTEM\WPA /f
reg unload HKLM\MY_SYSTEM
exit
Reboot

to display

slmgr /dli
slmgr /dlv

WinXP is not that hard to find. There are MicroXP and TinyXP versions around.

Concur 100% that cracking XP is more of a PITA to find the various boot-loaders.

Agreed that Win7 is easy to pirate. Just google: "win7 iso" and lots of places to download the ISO.

Heck even Microsoft tells you where to download it !?!?!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-7-reinstall-download-needed-after-hard/d47f2375-4501-439c-9455-51b1d240635c?msgId=c27e4378-0f7b-413b-bfd8-f653b0f253d6

e.g. Don't let the "msvista" directory name fool you.
* Home Premium x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
* Home Premium x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
* Professional x86: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
* Professional x64: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso

> windows 7 has a huge OEM hole that makes it effortless to crack
Uh you don't even need to "crack" Win 7. Resetting the WPA garbage is trivial too; every ~30 days reboot to reset your system back to a clean un-activated copy :-)

Reboot
press F8 at startup
Repair Computer
System Recovery Options: Keyboard: US
Username/Password
(you will see: Windows found on Drive ?:)
Command Prompt
D:
reg load HKLM\MY_SYSTEM "D:\Windows\System32\config\system"
reg delete HKLM\MY_SYSTEM\WPA /f
reg unload HKLM\MY_SYSTEM
exit
Reboot

to display

slmgr /dli
slmgr /dlv

WinXP is not that hard to find. There are MicroXP and TinyXP versions around.

Concur 100% that cracking XP is more of a PITA to find the various boot-loaders.

If MS has any faith in their 'activation' systems they should make ISOs available. If they don't trust their copy protection methods enough to do so, they shouldn't have bothered...
See this:
http://techpp.com/2009/11/11/download-windows-7-iso-official-direct-download-links/

The download links to 'digitalrivercontent' appears to be legal, they seem to be a microsoft partner.
Some of the links appear to point to 'network installers' but others such as this one for Ultimate 64 bit:
http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-24395.iso
seem to be full versions which presumably allow you to install the 30-day trial.

I haven't actually tried this, but I have read many times that the isos were legally available so I'm pretty sure it's all genuine.