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Many Windows 10 Users Unable To Connect To Windows Update Service.

Windows 7 Users Who Installed January Update Report Network Issues; Some Say the Update Has Also Incorrectly Flagged Their OS License as 'Not Genuine'.

Windows 10 Will Reserve 7GB of Your Computer's Storage in its Next Major Release So That Big Updates Don't Fail.

Latest Windows 10 Update Breaks Windows Media Player, Win32 Apps In General

Microsoft Resumes Rollout of Windows 10 Version 1809, Promises Quality Changes.

Microsoft's Problem Isn't How Often it Updates Windows -- It's How It Develops It.

More links to stories showing that Microsoft is VERY poorly managed:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Windows 10 shows you ads while you are trying to work. But, at least at present, you may be able to stop at least some of the advertising: 7 ways Windows 10 pushes ads at you, and how to stop them.

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

Bill Gates still manages Microsoft: Two years ago, during a Jan. 17, 2017 discussion with Charlie Rose, Bill Gates said he spends "15 percent" of his time managing Microsoft. I interpreted that to mean that Gates is still extremely involved and very influential. Did Gates want the mess that is Windows 10?

From the transcript at that Charlie Rose web page:

08:42
"Bill Gates: I'm there about 15 percent of the time. And I get to work just on the R and D part, brainstorming with people, thinking, OK, how are we going to take this artificial intelligence and make it understand, help you use your time better. It's a very exciting time in software. There's five companies that are, you know, in a really strong position. Microsoft is leading in some really cool stuff so --"

It seems obvious that Bill Gates still has a huge amount of overall influence on the management of Microsoft, even if he mostly focuses on other subjects.

My understanding: Microsoft is an EXTREMELY poorly-managed company. I think much more attention should be given to that.

Microsoft trash talks Windows 10 LTSC -- again (Dec. 5, 2018)

Microsoft scrambles to limit PR damage over abusive AI bot Tay. (Nov. 30, 2017)

Guess what country sued Microsoft over abusive user data collection! -- Brazil (Apr. 28, 2018) Bad adjective: "beloved" Windows 10.

Apparently the present worsening management began with Ballmer-osis: Microsoft Is Filled With Abusive Managers And Overworked Employees, Says Tell-All Book (May 23, 2012)

But Microsoft was always abusive, apparently: 'Crush Them': An Oral History of the Lawsuit That Upended Silicon Valley. (May 18, 2018)

Bill Gates still runs Microsoft: Two years ago, during a Jan. 17, 2017 discussion with Charlie Rose, Bill Gates said he spends "15 percent" of his time managing Microsoft. I interpreted that to mean that Gates is still extremely involved and very influential. Did Gates want the mess that is Windows 10?

From the transcript at that Charlie Rose web page:

08:42
"Bill Gates: I'm there about 15 percent of the time. And I get to work just on the R and D part, brainstorming with people, thinking, OK, how are we going to take this artificial intelligence and make it understand, help you use your time better. It's a very exciting time in software. There's five companies that are, you know, in a really strong position. Microsoft is leading in some really cool stuff so --"

It seems obvious that Bill Gates still has a huge amount of overall influence on the management of Microsoft, even if he mostly focuses on other subjects.

Lately, Windows users are not allowed to know what Windows updates actually do. In the past, for example, users were pushed to Windows 10, without giving their permission. So, now Windows 7 customers will be paying for updates that may be abusive.

Some of the many stories about Windows 10 indicate deliberate abuse of customers:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

Having poor quality software makes more money for Microsoft!

Lately, Windows users are not allowed to know what Windows updates actually do. In the past, for example, users were pushed to Windows 10, without giving their permission. So, now Windows 7 customers will be paying for updates that may be abusive.

Some of the many stories about Windows 10 indicate deliberate abuse of customers:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

Two years ago, during a Jan. 17, 2017 discussion with Charlie Rose, Bill Gates said he spends "15 percent" of his time managing Microsoft. I interpreted that to mean that Gates is still extremely involved and very influential. Did Gates want the mess that is Windows 10?

From the transcript at that Charlie Rose web page:

08:42
"Bill Gates: I'm there about 15 percent of the time. And I get to work just on the R and D part, brainstorming with people, thinking, OK, how are we going to take this artificial intelligence and make it understand, help you use your time better. It's a very exciting time in software. There's five companies that are, you know, in a really strong position. Microsoft is leading in some really cool stuff so --"

It seems obvious that Bill Gates still has a huge amount of overall influence on the management of Microsoft, even if he mostly focuses on other subjects.

Some of the many stories about Windows 10:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

ERROR in my parent comment above: I'm tired. I need to take a nap.

There are many ways in which Microsoft is insufficiently managed, also.

I posted this before:

Some of the many, many stories:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

There is no way to justify Microsoft managers operating the company like that. If Microsoft had paid $100,000,000 for negative advertising, it wouldn't have gotten such extremely bad results, in my opinion.

"Microsoft is a cloud company, ..."

Cloudy thinking?

Microsoft seems to me to be extremely badly managed. Some of the many, many stories:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

There is no way to justify Microsoft managers operating the company like that. If Microsoft had paid $100,000,000 for negative advertising, it wouldn't have gotten such extremely bad results, in my opinion.

It is my opinion that Microsoft's mis-management and abuse is not reported sufficiently. Joking may help people adjust.

Microsoft is damaging customers and itself.

Some of the many, many stories:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

Mod parent up!! However, that comment may, in some ways, be too kind.

Microsoft is poorly managed? Plenty of evidence.

Microsoft was badly managed 10 years ago.

Microsoft managers lack social ability. They have done ENORMOUS DAMAGE to the Microsoft brand name. That is my best understanding and opinion.

Some of the many, many reports of Microsoft managers thinking they can manipulate and control everyone, as though the managers are government dictators:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

A huge problem: A high percentage of people who work with Windows computers make more money if there are more problems with Microsoft and Windows. There is a conflict of interest.

Apparently Microsoft managers decided they would try to be like Google's Android. They apparently decided to try to gather information about everything, and try to sell that information. Most people with cell phones don't have the technical knowledge necessary to know if they are being abused.

Can a company be sued for supplying computers with Windows 10? If a company supplies Windows 10 computers to businesses and doesn't get a signed agreement from all business customers that the customers know Windows 10 allows Microsoft to gather data from their computers, the supplier could be the target of court cases, and possibly even go to prison. No business customers want Microsoft employees to have access to their company information. My opinion, shared by many others.

People working with desktop computers don't want to be distracted by ads. They don't want to try to learn new, complicated user interfaces.

"microsoft's system of 'ship first-fix later-never test' (SF/FL/NT)"

Microsoft is poorly managed. There is plenty of evidence for that:

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

Microsoft managers lack social ability. They have done ENORMOUS DAMAGE to the Microsoft brand name.

Some of the many, many reports of Microsoft managers thinking they can manipulate and control everyone, as though the managers are government dictators:

Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

A huge problem: A high percentage of people who work with Windows computers make more money if there are more problems with Microsoft and Windows. There is a conflict of interest.

Apparently, because desktop computer sales are slowing, Microsoft managers decided they would try to make Windows 10 like Google's Android. They apparently decided to try to gather information about everything, and try to sell that information. Most people with cell phones don't have the technical knowledge necessary to know if they are being abused.

Court cases? If a company supplies Windows 10 computers to businesses and doesn't get a signed agreement from all business customers that the customers know Windows 10 allows Microsoft to gather data from their computers, the supplier could be the target of court cases, and possibly even go to prison. No business customers want Microsoft employees to have access to their company information. My opinion, shared by many others.

People working with desktop computers don't want to be distracted by ads. They don't want to try to learn an new, complicated user interfaces.

This comment is my best understanding and opinion.

In fact, Republicans stand for the status-quo. i.e., standing for big oil, big gas, big electricity or big (insert your favorite lobbying group here).

Is that why a Republican President (along with Republican-dominated Congress) allowed the fuck-ups like Enron, MCI, and Lehman Brothers to collapse, while a Democratic one bailed out GM, Chrysler (not the first one), and AIG?

US: Patent trolling is legal, but it ought to be harder and less profitable. runs off to legislate

EU: Patent trolling is legal, but we urge companies not to do anything we might interpret as anti-trustish. wags finger at Nokia

I'd say that the US is trying to do something about trolls, and the EU is just talking, judging from the article.

WTF? AOL/Time Warner accused of being a monopoly? When? You're just making that up.

Where you alive and aware back then?

Uh, yea I was alive, kickin, and some would say "old" back then, lol. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=76066&cid=6789993 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/2612.html http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-06-19/business/0006190010_1_instant-messaging-aol-instant-messenger-tribal-voice It was just a few years ago. Google is your friend and all that.

> If it starts to interfere with my use, I simply won't buy the product in question.

This statement as you wrote it doesn't seem to make sense --- how could DRM interfere with your use before you buy the product in question?

So, if I assume that means that you plan ahead, for example, based on historical experience with DRM, I guess that means you don't buy anything with DRM. But then your whole post doesn't make sense...

> These people are the reason DRM exists in the first place.

No their not. The content industry's total inability to undergo the withdrawal symptoms from the powerful drug it became addicted to --- (practically) total control over the advertising, supply, and distribution of its product sector --- is the reason for DRM.

Microsoft is calling others out on inflated numbers? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. In 2009 people viewed BSA's $53 Billion Lost to Piracy claim with a healthy dose of skepticism. So which companies are in BSA? Oh look! Microsoft, Symantec and McAffee (among others).

Maybe McAfee, which TFA credits with the Trillion Dollar figure, is just applying what they've learned from their dealings with Microsoft and BSA.

Software that maliciously misrepresents itself (e.g. has a hidden time bomb) is not protected under an "as is" "agreement", since the agreement was presented under false pretenses.

Companies have been sued in the past for buggy software. It is no different than selling goods unfit for a particular purpose.

Going the DRM-free route is truly surprising and appreciated, but it's tainted by the eBooks all being more expensive than the paperback versions. That's a hard sell for a lot of people. :-/

I agree that going DRM free was a surprise, especially from JKR, who has long been very much adverse to ebook releases, often citing piracy as one of her objections. Apparently once you are filthy rich its not such an issue any more.

As for the Ebooks being more expensive, this too may fall, because until Apple got involved with ebooks, it didn't use to be that way. Books in Ebook format used to be 5 to 7 bucks, 9 bucks for a best seller. Then Apple enabled the publishers to adopt their so called Agency Model, and all the ebook prices jumped. Everybody else had no choice but to go along. The DOJ is currently looking into this, and in fact there are already indications that some publishers are quietly talking settlement.

Because of Apple's well placed friends, it took an EU Investigation to nudge the DOJ into action.

The story here is that a major publication like the Economist is taking that stance. When it's a bunch of nerds in an online forum whining about it, nothing will ever change. When it hits the mainstream, the politicians have to take notice.

Interestingly enough, the DOJ is sticking its nose into the patent trolling arena. Some press reports indicate that the DOJ is asking explicitly if the patent portfolios are going to be used to go after Android. Others suggest the DOJ already realizes the arms race in acquiring huge patent arsenals to challenge virtually ANY emerging technology is counter productive to the very reason patents were created in the first place, and may be contemplating anti-trust action.

If true, or even if it appears to be true, this sets a new tone in Washington. The current mess is starting to have significant effect on the economy, and the idea that Apple might be blocked from importing their own iPhones due to (alleged) patent violations is probably the trigger for this. Apple has a lot of friends in the current administration.

The best that could be hoped for in the current mess is that the DOJ will put its weight behind forced licensing (in return for a patent, the patent holder must license at reasonable rates; no more arbitrary blocking). The only way that more-or-less obsolete patent libraries from bankrupt companies like Nortel are worth 4 billion dollars is due to the potential for blocking competitors from producing anything. If the patents had any commercial value, Nortel would't be bankrupt.

However, I doubt forced licensing will happen. There appears little legal foundation to impose that.

Further, no administration is likely to change the patent laws any time soon. It would be all out war to attempt that.

The rantings of the Economist aside, in the short term the most likely outcome is anti-trust action to prevent that construction of yet more huge patent libraries.

Don't forget that the people who you call to disconnect your service get payed a commission on every customer they get to stay and those people will say anything to get you to reconsider even if it's completely untrue. You might also want to keep in mind that their disconnection process was actually the subject of a lawsuit that involved the Attorney Generals of 48 states.

I know that, but what I'm wondering about is at what point does Amazon admit that their format lost and add support for epub to their product. And hopefully drop .mobi as a failed file format.

Well, earlier this year, Amazon was enjoying 90% of the eBook market share. It's projected to plummet over the next five years and I think the iPad gobbled up 22% of the eBook marketshare instantly. Of course, I would bet that 22% was growth, not switch. Like, I think it's safe to say most people who bought iPads didn't sell/disable their Kindles immediately afterward and they probably had no eReader to begin with. I'm guessing that the Kindle still enjoys large numbers and has a comfortable lead still in market share.

At what point does Amazon admit defeat in this? Somewhere way down the road. If (as the article above predicts) they're still at 35% of the marketshare five years from now, then I'd say that it won't be happening until after then.

So aside from all that, you are dependent on Amazon just genuinely caring about the end user experience and giving up some lock-in that they've already established. *snicker*

Personally I'm making due with my android phone and awaiting the color readers (Hanvon, etc) as I'm really interested in what this could do for the graphic novel/comic industry. For too long it's been dominated by large publishers.

5 employees @ $100,000/year (everything included) = $500,000/year
10 years @ $500,000/year = $5,000,000 over 10 years
$30K first year + 9 years @ $5K = $75,000
$75,000 / $5,000,000 = 1.5%

Have a nice day.

As to your assertion that $100,000 per year per employee is inflated, Oracle averaged $153,000 in operating expenses per employee over the last 12 years[1]. Red Hat was almost $250,000 in operating expenses per employee[2]. So $100,000 per year is low in the software industry and it's doubtful you'll find any company with a lower figure than that.

If you're going to doubt my math, how about you bother to do some yourself? Your emotional hand waving arguments have no substance.

[1] http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/65518.html
[2] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=RHT

Anecdotal evidence, used to "prove" it's black/white thing (oh really, 0% influence here?). That's just plain silly. I'm not making my gp position up, it's what the sales analysts have been saying and what caused Microsoft to start the Seinfeld campaign.

This is the first time in quite a few years that I've heard someone mention the (defunct) Amazon Auctions service as if it were active.

Not having heard Amazon's auction was defunct I googled it and found this "Amazon vs. eBay: Battle of the Online Auctions" from 31 January 2008. It was the third result out of more than 3 million. Restricting the search to just the past month still results in about 137,000. E-Commerce News published the article "Online Auctions, Part 1: The eBay Earthquake" on 9 September. In it there's this: "By restructuring its fees, eBay is likely attempting to ratchet up its competitiveness with Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) Latest News about Amazon.com, which has no listing fees." So they didn't know Amazon went defunct either. Also in the ad area to the right there's an ad for Amazon Auctions, now why would Amazon be buying add for a service that doesn't exist anymore?

On the other hand, I don't see auctions listed on Amazon, so maybe it's only been recently that Amazon stopped auctioning. What I find ironic if true is that the first result searching Amazon for auction is "How to Sell Anything on Amazon...and Make a Fortune!".

Falcon

having encryption without authentication is pointless, because man in the middle attacks are too easy to set up

I strongly disagree. Maybe my surfing passes through Sweden, China or USA?

If I surf encrypted sites there's quite a good chance they won't log more than some traffic from that IP to mine. Unencrypted they'll get the whole URL and cookie history. Yes, they could man-in-the-middle me, but that's likely to remain an exception for some time. For now,"encrypt first, sign later" sounds like moving in the right direction to me.

Good find. Here's one describing it dated 9/22/99.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/1280.html

I don't see anything that the Dreissen's patent does that isn't anticipated by Cybermoola.

Everything I have ever heard in the past and everything I could find from looking around just now indicated that they have no bizarre "save your receipts" requirement.

Lots of folks like Apple because they're like a fashion brand - they have a well-cultivated media image based on unique design, appeals to hipness, and high prices. ... Amazon has a reputation for discount books and Super Saver Shipping. I don't see how they hope to translate that into getting suckers to part with $400 for a fragile and empty book.

Your missing the point. When Apple licensed one click, neither Jobs nor Bezos wanted to spend any real money, so they decided on a technology swap. The only thing that Jeff really thought Amazon could use was the Reality Distortion Field. I guess Jobs thinks it's OK to lend it out... Go figure.

Your questions is ridiculous.

You always have had choices. Mac has always been there. There have always been linux shops that sell hardware. More expensive and less support, but you could do it.

How do you define "more able" to buy something? Price? Availability? Support? Number of vendors?

MS bundles products, closes interfaces, and forces new version upgrades. This is an abuse of monopoly power.

IANAL, but MS was declared a monopoly back around 2000. I don't think a judge ever declared them to no longer be a monopoly, so I assume that ruling stands.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/2479.html

As U.S. District Court Judge Lowell Reed said: "Perhaps we do the minors of this country harm if First Amendment protections, which they will with age inherit fully, are chipped away in the name of their protection".

I remember when Yahoo was using Google results in their search. Then they broke off that agreement and started using their own search engine. I believe MSN was also using Google results, or maybe they were using Yahoo at the time that Yahoo was using Google. They basically licensed the results for their own branding.

Here is the first result in a Google ;-) search for some of the info.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/32890.html

If I remember correctly, I started using Google full time shortly before or after Yahoo dropped them. I had been using Yahoo for my search engine prior to that, which had actually been Google for awhile.

And she was hardly fleeced. To quote "When I upgraded to HD in 2005, Comcast never disclosed - not once - that they would require a shift into an even more expensive cable package.". Oh my god. Comcast didn't indicated that almost 2 years later the price might go up. I'll be Comcast currently offer many more HD channels then they did in 2005. And of course, by her logic, they should do that without raising their price. Because offering this additional content (and HD content cost more to feed then normal channels) does cost.

Comcast's profits are soaring because of the "triple-play" bilking:
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/57104.html

This has absolutely nothing to do with what it cost them, but rather with how much they think they can charge people. They could offer a much better service and still get a lot of profit. Instead, like all publicly-traded companies, they've chosen the path to profit maximalization, which benefits the share holders at the expense of the customers.

It is not inappropriate to complain about these practices.

"It's always funny to see someone who never designed professionally in their life suggest GIMP."

What's even funnier is the poster who declares that others have never designed professionally, while never posting a link to their own portfolio. For all we know, your sum total of graphics design experience involves crayons and construction paper.

Meanwhile open source tools continue to dominate web design, and the movie design industry:
http://www.linuxtoday.com/high_performance/2003100 201126OSBZHE
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5472
http://www.linuxmovies.org/studios.html
http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT7096363910. html

including this guy here:
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/57300.html
who says:

"Linux is the default operating [system] on desktops and servers at major animation and visual effects studios, with maybe 98 percent [or more] penetration," CinePaint Project Manager Robin Rowe told LinuxInsider. "With the big dogs, there's nobody left to convert to Linux. Every studio is already on board."

That's Cinepaint... a fork of Gimp.

Yes, some of these people design professionally just a tiny bit. And some of them might answer this question on Slashdot with just that response. Yeah, the rest of your points have some merit, but not this one.

- sincerely, a professional designer who uses all FOSS tools, and kicks your butt at it.

I thought that Sony was using the PS3 as a Blu-ray Trojan horse too, until I read that they were releasing a $600 stand-alone player due out this summer. Really, I don't think we or anyone else really know the reasoning behind Sony's decisions, we can speculate but thats about it. After reading about this new player, I certainly no longer think I understand what Sony is trying to do, so I'm going to just sit back and wait to see what happens. Oh and enjoy my Wii in the meantime, too.

Let's talk about investor rationality and that "3% correction" you speak of.

What prompted that correction? Was it a well-reasoned analysis of market exposure, followed by an orderly transfer of assets from the stock market to another form of investment?

No. The stampede in Shanghai was caused by "a rumor about capital gains tax." Apparently, an unfounded rumor.

The dive in the Chinese market prompted a corresponding selloff in the U.S., the large volume of which prompted a technical "glitch" in the NYSE's messaging system. That glitch caused an apparent instant freefall in the DJIA (apparently, backlogged trade messages from over an hour's worth of trading processed suddenly in 3 minutes)--which prompted panic selling.

So, no, I see very little to commend the cool nerves and clear thinking of the investing community.

The markets are fueled, first and foremost, on the tension between greed and fear. Never forget that.

sorry, i was wrong. it wasn't "record" it was the current best-selling product online. "Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster asked Apple executives about the Apple TV and projected sales and noted that it is the best-selling product on Apple's Web site right now." http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/lfWh8MAciUU2mW /Apple-to-Hide-Specific-Apple-TV-Sales-Numbers.xht ml my bad.

Apple will fix iPods that are no longer under warranty. However, the repairs can sometimes cost about as much as a new iPod, according to the Web site everymac.com. Several calls to Apple were not returned.

Scott Thompson, chief deputy coroner in Pitkin County, Colo., said Lay died of natural causes. Dr. Robert Kurtzman, Mesa County coroner in Grand Junction, Colo., said an autopsy showed Lay died of heart disease. He said there was evidence that Lay had also suffered a previous heart attack.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/q0yIIhGFSQ1TGR /Ex-Enron-CEO-Lay-Maintained-Innocence-Until-Death .xhtml

Also, if you search Google News for "kenneth lay natural causes," you can search the links to see they have been edited to remove natural causes.

Should I still be holding on to my Pets.com stock?

As long as you've got the certificates in hand, then hell yeah! Those suckers are probably collectors items. Especially if Pets.com did them up cute with the reporter puppy on them.

Think I'm joking? Think again.

Surely they are the only ones who have ever created an MPEG-2 compliant video device. Surely such a thing doesn't exist in _every_ Free movie player that exists. You and many others might not care, but this is far more frightening for free video software ( i.e. mplayer totem etc ) than Microsoft. This patent runs on linux to the whim of the shareholders of Lucent.

I thought the name "Apple" came from Steve's job in an apple orchard. The biography at Mac News World states "1976: On April Fool's Day, Jobs and Wozniak incorporate Apple Computer. The name has its roots in the Beatles' record label and Jobs' time working in Oregon apple orchards."

The article Apple Trademark Battle With The Beatles Goes to UK High Court suggest that Apple Computer and Apple Corps. had reached an agreement after several previous trademark disputes.

Voice Over IP is cutting into Verizon's and SBC's revenue from phone products. SBC already has to deal with cell phones taking away the standard landline but long distance and business voice accounts have always been their real cash cow. Losing that is what I think is really eating them, especially when you add video conferencing on top of it.

If more businesses start following the adoption of private VOIP networks like Department of Defense is doing, the telcos know they're screwed but since they can't stop the DoD, they're flexing their monopolistic leverage to blackmail content providers instead.

I'm just speculating, I could totally be on crack.

- tokengeekgrrl

First of all, they are charging $10,00 for that. OSS need not apply.

Second of all, even though there is boat loads of it, I doubt the documentation is comprehensive. Note that the DoJ is upset that Microsoft has not released documentation it agreed to do so in the 2001 settlement

Furthermore, all avaliable evidence suggests that the Documentation currently offered to the EU is effectively broken

ads typically aren't served directly through Akamais caching technology

Ads are served "directly" for their advertising customers. Akamai definitely serves up lots of other stuff. But, on a per request basis, ads are probably at the top of the list. These links are a bit old, but I'm sure there are others:

Yahoo! To Offer Targeted Local Advertising

Advertising.com Teams With Akamai to Advance Intelligent Advertising Distribution

Hitplay Media and Akamai Technologies Forge Strategic Technology Alliance for Ad Insertion

Solbright Joins Akamai's Alliance Partner Program to Provide Enhanced Delivery of Rich Media Advertising

And so a method was devised by Washington and ICANN to ensure that the rules could be bent. And so they have been. As a result no one single soul is better off, and governments have been given control over the internet by the backdoor. Now you know.

Control of Iraq's domain was far more complicated however. The .iq domain was registered instead to two brothers living in the US. The Elashi brothers and other members of their family at the time were also in US jail awaiting trial for funding terrorists - which in the end amounted to shipping computer parts to Libya and Syria and for which they all received hefty sentences.

There is a precedent for this, perfect 10 magazine sued Google for copyright infringement because their pr0n was being displayed for free in Google's image search.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/38415.html

As I recall, perfect 10 went home with their til between their legs when it was pointed out that robots.txt would have prevented this.

Buy those Nanos while Apple is still getting a good deal on memory. :-)

Microsoft do XBox 360, Sony do PS3, XBox 360 hasn't gone for either HD-DVD or Blu-ray. If HD-DVD was so real why didn't they pick it for XBox 360?

Here's the link. It was News Corp.

You wouldn't happen to be refering to the CIBC/Genuity lawsuit? To recap, The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is suing Genuity capital, a new company started by former bank employees. CIBC says the employees used their BlackBerrys to improperly recruit their colleagues while still working at the bank.

Read more here. Here or Here.