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Why does your device do that required it to have a Kernel-Mode driver

From UMDF FAQ:

A user-mode driver cannot have kernel-mode clients because Windows does not allow calls from kernel mode to user mode. The majority of drivers for input, display, and most network and storage devices cannot be migrated to user mode because they have kernel-mode clients. For the same reason, user-mode drivers must be at the top of the device stack; they cannot attach to the middle of the stack. However, a stack can contain more than one user-mode driver; that is, a user-mode driver can have user-mode children.

In other words, any homemade input device has to implement HID, any homemade storage device (such as Retrode, a reader for SNES and Genesis cartridges) has to implement USB mass storage and the FAT file system, networking between the Windows host and a virtual machine guest is impossible, etc.

This update was *configuration*. It was a change to a text file marking a certain signature to watch out for. Microsoft doesn't do that.

Yes they do. Microsoft includes Windows Defender as part of Windows Vista and Windows 7 which, as I recall, has bi-weekly definition updates.

They also have a second free version of it, that also includes an anti-virus, named Microsoft Security Essentials... but are barred from including it with Windows due to anti-trust threats from the like of Symantec and McAfee.

They also publish a new version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool every month.

This update was *configuration*. It was a change to a text file marking a certain signature to watch out for. Microsoft doesn't do that.

Yes they do. Microsoft includes Windows Defender as part of Windows Vista and Windows 7 which, as I recall, has bi-weekly definition updates.

They also have a second free version of it, that also includes an anti-virus, named Microsoft Security Essentials... but are barred from including it with Windows due to anti-trust threats from the like of Symantec and McAfee.

They also publish a new version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool every month.

This update was *configuration*. It was a change to a text file marking a certain signature to watch out for. Microsoft doesn't do that.

Yes they do. Microsoft includes Windows Defender as part of Windows Vista and Windows 7 which, as I recall, has bi-weekly definition updates.

They also have a second free version of it, that also includes an anti-virus, named Microsoft Security Essentials... but are barred from including it with Windows due to anti-trust threats from the like of Symantec and McAfee.

They also publish a new version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool every month.

but since XP SP2

Hello, Conficker.

Windows Phone 7 is not designed to replace Windows Mobile 6.5 for all devices. I think Microsoft is designing Windows Phone 7 to to be used on low-end smartphones for consumers who may have never used a smartphone before.

The successor for Windows Mobile 6.5 is Windows Embedded Handheld which is backwards compatible with many Windows Mobile 6.x applications and is supposed to be able to run on many devices that currently run Windows Mobile 6.x. Windows Embedded Handheld is designed for high-end smartphones and enterprise/corporate devices just like Windows Mobile 6.5 was and I will be very surprised if it doesn't include basic productivity features like copy and paste.

there's a good CLI for Windows: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/scriptcenter/powershell.aspx

It took Microsoft 16 years to rip off bash

and they still didn't manage to do that properly.

there's a good CLI for Windows: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/scriptcenter/powershell.aspx

I seem to remember this whole idea from a while back, It comes to mind that microsoft was trying to market a product for use between [manufacturers distributors retailers] that allowed everybody access to information of what was going on with the whole chain.

Were you referring to BizTalk? It seems to be alive still (2010 beta).

This entire post is completely irrelevant shit.

If a bad patch is released, that blue-screens 10% of home user systems, what the heck difference does it make whether it was released on the second Tuesday of the month, or the last Friday?
It's still going to blue-screen the machines, because home users - surprise, surprise - don't test patches before they're auto installed.

And as far as the 300 people in the fictitious org continually testing and retesting...
Do you not have to test if patches are released once a month? Or did you just not read a thing of what I posted?
Those who wish to schedule updates on a once a month basis already have the tools from Microsoft to do it. Why should Microsoft then delay updates to those who _don't_ want to schedule updates, just because the whiners are too lazy to use the tools already provided? Sure, if they needed to do full testing of every single patch that comes out, it's a lot of work. But they could make the choice to do it once a month, rather than every 2-3 days, if patches were released with no schedule. That's their choice. But it's not a decision that I would make, and I don't have the option of doing what I want, because of Microsoft's stupid patch release schedule.

In the worst case scenario of non-scheduled patches, you're right: the organization can never patch up to date.
But with scheduled updates, they can never patch up to date, either, because they test everything after it's released. Not only that, but they don't even have the option of staying up to date without testing, because Microsoft holds onto patches for as long as a month, because some whiney blowhard doesn't want to have to deal with WSUS.

Then you tell me to "STFU and stop blaming the cautious among us."
In my opinion, "the cautious among us" are the ones that apply security updates as soon as possible, so some chinese/russian/whatever hacker can't get into my system tomorrow. You're leaving it open, because "this patch might damage my precious uptime!" That's not cautious, that's lame.

And if your in-house apps are so fragile that any given security patch might cause them to completely fall over broken, then you need to fire your programmers, and do some hiring.
The only reason a patch should break an app like that is if it's fixing a design flaw of Windows, rather than a programming error. And the number of design flaw patches for Windows is minuscule. The only one I remember in recent memory was this one:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968389

and you still have to actually enable the new functionality by a registry edit. Not exactly something that's going to randomly bork dozens of well-written internal apps.

What do you mean what is my argument?

You were arguing about things other than Macs. Neither iPhone, iPad nor iPods are Macs.

Would you have purchased exports and endorsed the Nazi party in Germany

Guess what? Jews did buy from German businesses before and during WWII. Jews financially supported the NAZIs. The Haavara (Transfer) Agreement was an agreement reached in 1933 between Jewish leaders in Europe and the NAZIs for Jews to emigrate to Palestine. Any Jew who wanted to move there would have the NAZIs buy their property then the proceeds of the sale would be deposited in a German bank with a branch of the bank in Palestine. Once there Jews could then withdraw money to buy German made goods. Not only that but Jewish terrorists groups like the Irgun and the Stern Group or Lehi offered to the NAZIs to fight against the British to help the NAZIs.

My comparison was Apple to Win7. In terms of this, Apple will never even come close to value per dollar price.

You compare a company to an OS? How about apples to apples or oranges to oranges? Now if you want to try that, compare OS X Snow Leopard to Windows 7. The cheapest Win7 is Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade at $120, an upgrade, whereas the Snow Leopard upgrade is $29. The basic Windows is $90 more. How about the price of the full versions, Windows 7 Home Premium cost $200 whereas Snow Leopard is $29. And a family pack? The Snow Leopard Family Pack, which allows it to be installed on up to 5 Macs, costs $49. How much does the Windows family pack cost? Oops, I don't see a family pack. So, to upgrade 5 PCs it wold cost $600.

The Apple OS is ugly, it can not be significantly altered for user enjoyment, and is much harder to learn than windows.

All that is your subjective judgment and is not based on fact. I and many others prefer the look of OS X. OS X has as many alteration options as Windows, but it's easier to decide which version to get. And many people find OS X easier to use than Windows as well.

I learned how to use a windows computer in about 5 minutes

I learned to use a Mac in 5 minutes.

and I can use thousands of alternate set up types and arrangements for my specific utility.

If I wanted to use thousands of alternate set up types I could do that with Macs.

I can be using several dozen large programs at once, switching between them and moving files in a fraction of a second, with insane productivity levels.

Oh really? Forget having dozens of programs, who needs that many large or small programs running at the same tyme, just having two or three Windows programs running would cause my Windows PCs to have a fit. If I ran too many applications they would crash.

I use my windows computer for everything from web browing, simulation programming and design, virtual prototyping, mathematical modeling, word processing, gaming, communication, finding my way around the countries roads, learning, and anything else I want to do with it. I have yet to find anything that I can't do on my computer that a Mac can

I have yet to find something I can not do on my Mac I could do on my Windows PCs. That is except go for days and weeks without suffering a crash, which I DO NOT want to happen.

Falcon

What do you mean what is my argument?

You were arguing about things other than Macs. Neither iPhone, iPad nor iPods are Macs.

Would you have purchased exports and endorsed the Nazi party in Germany

Guess what? Jews did buy from German businesses before and during WWII. Jews financially supported the NAZIs. The Haavara (Transfer) Agreement was an agreement reached in 1933 between Jewish leaders in Europe and the NAZIs for Jews to emigrate to Palestine. Any Jew who wanted to move there would have the NAZIs buy their property then the proceeds of the sale would be deposited in a German bank with a branch of the bank in Palestine. Once there Jews could then withdraw money to buy German made goods. Not only that but Jewish terrorists groups like the Irgun and the Stern Group or Lehi offered to the NAZIs to fight against the British to help the NAZIs.

My comparison was Apple to Win7. In terms of this, Apple will never even come close to value per dollar price.

You compare a company to an OS? How about apples to apples or oranges to oranges? Now if you want to try that, compare OS X Snow Leopard to Windows 7. The cheapest Win7 is Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade at $120, an upgrade, whereas the Snow Leopard upgrade is $29. The basic Windows is $90 more. How about the price of the full versions, Windows 7 Home Premium cost $200 whereas Snow Leopard is $29. And a family pack? The Snow Leopard Family Pack, which allows it to be installed on up to 5 Macs, costs $49. How much does the Windows family pack cost? Oops, I don't see a family pack. So, to upgrade 5 PCs it wold cost $600.

The Apple OS is ugly, it can not be significantly altered for user enjoyment, and is much harder to learn than windows.

All that is your subjective judgment and is not based on fact. I and many others prefer the look of OS X. OS X has as many alteration options as Windows, but it's easier to decide which version to get. And many people find OS X easier to use than Windows as well.

I learned how to use a windows computer in about 5 minutes

I learned to use a Mac in 5 minutes.

and I can use thousands of alternate set up types and arrangements for my specific utility.

If I wanted to use thousands of alternate set up types I could do that with Macs.

I can be using several dozen large programs at once, switching between them and moving files in a fraction of a second, with insane productivity levels.

Oh really? Forget having dozens of programs, who needs that many large or small programs running at the same tyme, just having two or three Windows programs running would cause my Windows PCs to have a fit. If I ran too many applications they would crash.

I use my windows computer for everything from web browing, simulation programming and design, virtual prototyping, mathematical modeling, word processing, gaming, communication, finding my way around the countries roads, learning, and anything else I want to do with it. I have yet to find anything that I can't do on my computer that a Mac can

I have yet to find something I can not do on my Mac I could do on my Windows PCs. That is except go for days and weeks without suffering a crash, which I DO NOT want to happen.

Falcon

Maybe I changed something which breaks something else, but I don't care about this something, because I'm working on a whole different module?

What you want are multiple projects hosted in the same solution. In that case, you can build and run just a single project within the overall solution, and VS won't require that the rest of the solution build.

Btw, where is the incremental compiler in C#?

Alas, it does not exist... while VS does a good job catching coding errors at edit time, it isn't until you complete a compile cycle on at least the current project that the source is actually built out.

'course, in truth, Java is the weird outlier here. But I'll freely admit it's an interesting feature.

Most of all I'm missing the Outline-frame from Eclipse. I want to see all members of the current class at one time.

You mean like the VS class view?

Eclipse will generate me the Ctors for the fields of the class; it will generate the Ctors based on the parent class; It will generate Getter and Setter; It will generate delegates methods; equals and hashCode methods;

VS will do all of that. Seriously, how hard did you look? :) For example, if you indicate that a class subclasses another, or implements an interface, VS pops up a little indicator that lets you choose to stub out a constructor, virtual methods, interface methods, etc. If you want a getter or setter, just right-click on the member, select Refactor, and tell it you want a getter/setter.

And actually, I rather work with Jar files then with the C or C++ libraries.

But that's the whole point: working with a higher level language that binds against those libraries means you don't have to work directly against a C or C++ library. You just work with clean bindings that allow you to leverage the power of existing OSS software. So, for example, I could write a multimedia app using gstreamer and all the power it affords. That's an incredible good thing, as you're fully integrating with the underlying platform, as opposed to living in a fenced off little world of your own.

A simple jar file can contain all dependencies and all (default) configuration.

Sure, a simple jar. But no real application is simple. Worse, do you really want a bunch of applications each shipping with it's own copy of common libraries? That's insane, IMHO. Meanwhile, the whole purpose of platform package management is to centralize the process of installing software. Anything which chooses to step outside that paradigm is a royal pain in the ass.

Why have Perl a CPAN for the Perl libraries and software? Why is Perl creating a whole new ecosystem if there is already DEP and RPMs?

Actually, funny you should mention that. Perl, Python, Ruby, and most other scripting languages in the Unix world bind against existing platform libraries. For example, the most common XML parser used in Perl isn't one written in Perl. It's a binding to expat. Similarly, you can find bindings against the Gtk and Gnome APIs, and god knows what else. Those languages actively work to leverage existing OSS software if it makes sense. Kinda like Mono. Java is, once again, the outlier, here.

Additionally, Ubuntu and others include Perl, Python, Ruby, et, packages in their packaging ecosystem. So while I certainly *can* use CPAN, most of the time I don't, as I *want* to use apt if at all possible (not the least of which because it makes package removal easier).

As far as I can tell Windows Live Photo Gallery does work on the actual JPEG matrix itself.

A post from Windows Photo and Imaging Program Manager found here:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/itprovistadesktopui/thread/2f312d8c-9d5b-4607-acb1-a5ef3c55881c/
Thanks for the feedback. Indeed as you notice we actually rotate the file. In most cases this rotation is completely lossless. There is absolutely no pixel data loss when performing a lossless JPEG rotation where the dimensions of the photo are a multiple of the block size (which isn’t always 8, it is more often 16). I don’t believe that there are any current cameras that generate files that cannot be losslessly rotated (some older cameras did, however).

There are several reasons a file may change size when it’s rotated, even if no pixel data changes. For instance we generate a new embedded thumb for the rotated image, in many cases our thumb is smaller than the camera generate thumb. That said loosing 1/3 of the file size isn’t typical. What camera did this file come from? Did you process it with any software prior to the rotate? I’d like to try to reproduce what you are seeing so I can ensure there isn’t a bug.

If the JPEG can’t be losslessy rotated it will be rotated and re-encoded. Because JPG is not a lossless format there will changes to the data whenever the file is re-encoded. These changes are generally not perceptible. There was a time when we did warn before doing a lossless rotate but it makes little sense to most users who just want to see the photo in the orientation they took it. For usability reasons we no longer have that warning.

I should also note that we don’t immediately write the data out on rotate. It is written out once you leave the viewer. A 180 degree rotate only takes 1 encoding just like a 90.

More info on the actual algorithm can be found here:
http://www.impulseadventure.com/photo/lossless-rotation.html

I haven't seen anyone link to Microsoft's temporary fix yet. Essentially you modify the registry to disable the hcp: protocol by deleting the relevant key (they also advise you to export the relevant bit of the registry so you can restore it later, presumably after a real fix is available). Steve Gibson uses the approach of simply renaming the relevant key, although I wonder if that would still be vulnerable to some kind of fuzzing attack. I suppose if you rename it to a key that is really long, it is less likely to be an issue.

One question I haven't fully answered yet is what is actually lost if the hcp: protocol is disabled. The Microsoft advisory says this:

"Impact of Workaround: Unregistering the HCP protocol will break all local, legitimate help links that use hcp://. For example, links in Control Panel may no longer work."

But should I care? Everything I tried in Control Panel seemed to keep working fine. Do they mean if you or some software package put an hcp: link in there? What is there in a default XP install that actually uses hcp: protocol?

Each of those has to be regression tested and the fix needs to be guaranteed to not break anything for all of those customers with support contracts.

Exactly. I mean what can you expect from a company with a measly 88,180 employees

Article ID: 2219475 - Vulnerability in Help Center could allow remote code execution. The related security advisory was first posted June 10th, and the KB article with the FixIt in it was first referred to on June 11th.

> Release a hotfix to disable the hlp resource locator.. as you should have done as soon as you got the bug report.

There's one already, but it won't be delivered via Windows Update, users must opt in: On this page look for the Fixit Link ( http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9735564 ) The problem is that switching off a feature without fully testing repercussions -- which is what would happen if this was pushed out via Windows Update -- is not good and can cause other things to break.

> Release a hotfix to disable the hlp resource locator.. as you should have done as soon as you got the bug report.

There's one already, but it won't be delivered via Windows Update, users must opt in: On this page look for the Fixit Link ( http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9735564 ) The problem is that switching off a feature without fully testing repercussions -- which is what would happen if this was pushed out via Windows Update -- is not good and can cause other things to break.

It seems to me that Ormandy did not follow all the rules of responsible disclosure as defined by Microsoft and injected some of his own (or Googles) rules into the process that is already established at Microsoft. Here's the link to MS's responsible disclosure site:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/msrc/collaboration/ecostrat.aspx

Absent is any mention of a timetable from MS's site. MS's procedure is the result of talks in 2001-2002 with multiple vendors as to how they were going to handle reporting of bugs/exploits. If Google handles their bugs differently, that's Google's business. Ormandy would have been kept in the loop regarding the time table for the fix but he took it upon himself to bypass the whole procedure.

I had a similar experience reporting this advisory years ago about this same hcp protocol: http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2002/Aug/225

From the text: "Microsoft have noted they intend to roll the fix into SP1 for XP. I informed
Microsoft I would be publishing this advisory in mid August during
correspondance (late June) and received no objections."

For some reason they only put it into a service pack and didn't want to release a hot-fix. After people got wind of what happened they back dated a hot-fix for it, as described here: http://technet.microsoft.com/library/cc750540.aspx

In Windows, the API to allocate physical memory is VirtualAlloc.

Good point about VMWare. I hadn't thought about that.

I just used 80% as an example. Obviously one would provide command-line switches or config options for either X% of memory or Y MB of memory.

It is more sensible to complain about Microsoft removing the last vestige of old DOS from Windows with the removal of debug.exe. Oh, pining for the direct binary edits of yore...

That's different. Microsoft hasn't used cryptographic methods to close off the possibility of adding DOS back to Windows. Users can run DOSBox (a PC emulator including high-level-emulated DOS), or you can run FreeDOS in VirtualBox (a generic PC-on-PC emulator). The closest thing to Sony's removal of Other OS would be if Microsoft were to 1. use Software Restriction Policies to block the execution of binaries that lack the Winqual digital signature, 2. block end users from turning off this policy without paying for an developer certificate priced out of reach of individual developers, and 3. not allow Windows to boot if any other operating system is installed on another partition.

In fact, Microsoft still makes debuggers under the "Visual Studio Express" name and distributes them at no charge to users of genuine Windows OS.

It is more sensible to complain about Microsoft removing the last vestige of old DOS from Windows with the removal of debug.exe. Oh, pining for the direct binary edits of yore...

That's different. Microsoft hasn't used cryptographic methods to close off the possibility of adding DOS back to Windows. Users can run DOSBox (a PC emulator including high-level-emulated DOS), or you can run FreeDOS in VirtualBox (a generic PC-on-PC emulator). The closest thing to Sony's removal of Other OS would be if Microsoft were to 1. use Software Restriction Policies to block the execution of binaries that lack the Winqual digital signature, 2. block end users from turning off this policy without paying for an developer certificate priced out of reach of individual developers, and 3. not allow Windows to boot if any other operating system is installed on another partition.

In fact, Microsoft still makes debuggers under the "Visual Studio Express" name and distributes them at no charge to users of genuine Windows OS.

Incidently, Microsoft provides a tool to do just what you're asking. It is free, runs only on Windows, and changes it makes to the files are Adobe-compatible.

Windows 7 has some built in functionality to do this You can tag multiple photos at once, just select a group of photos in explorer then a) At bottom of Windows explorer you may see 'more details' click that to update certain fields on all selected photos (i.e. add tags) b) right click a selected group of photos and choose properties. In the details view some fields that it will let you update will update for all selected photos at once You can then set the pictures to be arranged 'by Tag' in the Explorer view. This assumes your folder has been set up for 'pictures' view. To do this right click in a blank spot within your pictures folder and choose 'Properties' then click the 'Customize' tab. Set 'Optimize this folder' to 'Pictures' You should also look into 'Windows Advanced Query Search Syntax' Which you can use straight from the explorer or start menu search bar to filter your searches. Some options available for pictures include: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/desktopsearch/technicalresources/advquery.mspx You can use the results of a search, select the search results then apply properties to all those pictures at once.

Actually, this sound like this is going to be Google's implementation of Microsoft's RDC. Nothing wrong with that. But nothing revolutionary, either.

WoL doesn't have to a specific packet. On Windows you have a choice between a magic packet (which is special), or just allowing the system to wake on any ARP or IP packet that's sent to the system's IP address. What was added in Windows 7 was a way for NICs to respond to ARP, ping, NDP while the system is in low power so the system doesn't wake for these. Seems like MSFT research should have factored this into their, um, "research".

The other thing they added was that waking on ARP/IP has historically been designed around using a sequence of bits and a mask as a filter to decide which frames should wake the system. This approach was changed so that more generic concepts like "TCP SYN" can be used to match packets. The difference is that you need multiple filters to handle TCP frames that use different extension lengths, while the latter approach only needs one.

The apps "Just work"

You're saying I can take an .exe compiled with an Express edition and just run it on another machine?

Nope.

I got a shit load of .dll and manifest errors that I could never get to work. And it's not me.

Usage of Windows by developers declined from 64.3 percent in 2009 to 58.3 percent in 2010. The decline of Windows is mirrored by a nearly equivalent growth in Linux usage on developer desktops

Look at the price of Visual Studio 2010 Professional (you need that to redistribute your stuff*).$549!! Whereas to develop for Linux is free.

F/OSS dev tools on Windows just don't work well (there was so much shit that wouldn't work together well that I gave up) ; granted I haven't tried again since 2008 and maybe things are better. And even then, you're basically stuck with Win32 C/C++ applications or Java. No thank you, I'm over writing mindless UI boiler plate code - thank-you-very-much.

* - The Visual Studio Express editions don't allow you to redistribute very easily. Yeah, I tried installing the some of the runtimes and other things that it requires but I've never gotten an app I've written to work on another machine.

If you disagree, name one skill -- just one -- that kids ought to learn, that can only be performed on a Windows PC. Or name an invaluable educational resource that can only be accessed by Windows users.

Like I said in my first post, kids ought to learn basic Windows skills since most businesses run on Windows. Having to walk people through the most basic Windows commands so they are able to use their Windows-only business software and navigate to the project files for the project is a giant waste of time and money for any business. Think, if your hiring someone would you choose to hire someone who know nothing of the systems your running that runs on 90% of all computers and have to waste time, money and effort to train them to use your systems as well as make sure to field there other questions in the future about Windows basics? Or just hire the person who knows basic Windows and won't need nearly as much training? This is what its like in the real world and why most people who are going for a job from basic secretary to most manager levels will place on their resumes that they have an understanding of Microsoft Windows because they know odds are highly in their favor that these will help them. Mac OSX skills are rare in need or even in use in most businesses so they won't help get that job.

AutoCAD is a industry standard software that is used in many businesses and is Windows only. So any business that relies on AutoCAD is going to be Windows only.

Also, many businesses use .Net and that again is a Windows only option. While you can of course use Mono, it's not a perfect replacement and some .Net commands don't fully work, and in a business enviroment many companies would rather take the fully supported version then one that might cause issues even if your not going to be coding in it, if they use it, they'll more likely be using Windows. Saves headaches and possible glitches leaving it down to again the person must understand how to use basic Windows concepts and commands.

Another system you might not be aware of is that one of the largest Point Of Sales systems is Micros. What you might not see is that Micros is a Microsoft only product, meaning of course that behind the scenes, the companies that utilize these systems run on Windows since they are all networked. So any part of the job that will need you touching a work computer that isn't a part of the Micros system will be a Windows system and will need general Windows understanding.

While I understand that it doesn't seem fair or right that so many use Windows (I'm a Linux user myself), you can't just say no to learn the industry standard that will be found in most businesses. Even if you don't see the Windows icons, you'd be surprised what truly does run on Windows only.

It has come to my attention that the entire Linux community is a hotbed of so called 'alternative sexuality', which includes anything from hedonistic orgies to homosexuality to paedophilia.

What better way of demonstrating this than by looking at the hidden messages contained within the names of some of Linux's most outspoken advocates:

• Linus Torvalds is an anagram of slit anus or VD 'L,' clearly referring to himself by the first initial.
• Richard M. Stallman, spokespervert for the Gaysex's Not Unusual 'movement' is an anagram of mans cram thrill ad.
• Alan Cox is barely an anagram of anal cox which is just so filthy and unchristian it unnerves me.

I'm sure that Eric S. Raymond, composer of the satanic homosexual propaganda diatribe The Cathedral and the Bizarre, is probably an anagram of something queer, but we don't need to look that far as we know he's always shoving a gun up some poor little boy's rectum. Update: Eric S. Raymond is actually an anagram for secondary rim and cord in my arse. It just goes to show you that he is indeed queer.

Update the Second: It is also documented that Evil Sicko Gaymond is responsible for a nauseating piece of code called Fetchmail, which is obviously sinister sodomite slang for 'Felch Male' -- a disgusting practise. For those not in the know, 'felching' is the act performed by two perverts wherein one sucks their own post-coital ejaculate out of the other's rectum. In fact, it appears that the dirty Linux faggots set out to undermine the good Republican institution of e-mail, turning it into 'e-male.'

As far as Richard 'Master' Stallman goes, that filthy fudge-packer was actually quoted on leftist commie propaganda site Salon.com as saying the following: 'I've been resistant to the pressure to conform in any circumstance,' he says. 'It's about being able to question conventional wisdom,' he asserts. 'I believe in love, but not monogamy,' he says plainly.

And this isn't a made up troll bullshit either! He actually stated this tripe, which makes it obvious that he is trying to politely say that he's a flaming homo slut!

Speaking about 'flaming,' who better to point out as a filthy chutney ferret than Slashdot's very own self-confessed pederast Jon Katz. Although an obvious deviant anagram cannot be found from his name, he has already confessed, nay boasted of the homosexual perversion of corrupting the innocence of young children. To quote from the article linked:

'I've got a rare kidney disease,' I told her. 'I have to go to the bathroom a lot. You can come with me if you want, but it takes a while. Is that okay with you? Do you want a note from my doctor?'

Is this why you were touching your penis in the cinema, Jon? And letting the other boys touch it too?

We should also point out that Jon Katz refers to himself as 'Slashdot's resident Gasbag.' Is there any more doubt? For those fortunate few who aren't aware of the list of homosexual terminology found inside the Linux 'Sauce Code,' a 'Gasbag' is a pervert who gains sexual gratification from having a thin straw inserted into his urethra (or to use the common parlance, 'piss-pipe'), then his homosexual lover blows firmly down the straw to inflate his scrotum. This is, of course, when he's not busy violating the dignity and co

It has come to my attention that the entire Linux community is a hotbed of so called 'alternative sexuality', which includes anything from hedonistic orgies to homosexuality to paedophilia.

What better way of demonstrating this than by looking at the hidden messages contained within the names of some of Linux's most outspoken advocates:

• Linus Torvalds is an anagram of slit anus or VD 'L,' clearly referring to himself by the first initial.
• Richard M. Stallman, spokespervert for the Gaysex's Not Unusual 'movement' is an anagram of mans cram thrill ad.
• Alan Cox is barely an anagram of anal cox which is just so filthy and unchristian it unnerves me.

I'm sure that Eric S. Raymond, composer of the satanic homosexual propaganda diatribe The Cathedral and the Bizarre, is probably an anagram of something queer, but we don't need to look that far as we know he's always shoving a gun up some poor little boy's rectum. Update: Eric S. Raymond is actually an anagram for secondary rim and cord in my arse. It just goes to show you that he is indeed queer.

Update the Second: It is also documented that Evil Sicko Gaymond is responsible for a nauseating piece of code called Fetchmail, which is obviously sinister sodomite slang for 'Felch Male' -- a disgusting practise. For those not in the know, 'felching' is the act performed by two perverts wherein one sucks their own post-coital ejaculate out of the other's rectum. In fact, it appears that the dirty Linux faggots set out to undermine the good Republican institution of e-mail, turning it into 'e-male.'

As far as Richard 'Master' Stallman goes, that filthy fudge-packer was actually quoted on leftist commie propaganda site Salon.com as saying the following: 'I've been resistant to the pressure to conform in any circumstance,' he says. 'It's about being able to question conventional wisdom,' he asserts. 'I believe in love, but not monogamy,' he says plainly.

And this isn't a made up troll bullshit either! He actually stated this tripe, which makes it obvious that he is trying to politely say that he's a flaming homo slut!

Speaking about 'flaming,' who better to point out as a filthy chutney ferret than Slashdot's very own self-confessed pederast Jon Katz. Although an obvious deviant anagram cannot be found from his name, he has already confessed, nay boasted of the homosexual perversion of corrupting the innocence of young children. To quote from the article linked:

'I've got a rare kidney disease,' I told her. 'I have to go to the bathroom a lot. You can come with me if you want, but it takes a while. Is that okay with you? Do you want a note from my doctor?'

Is this why you were touching your penis in the cinema, Jon? And letting the other boys touch it too?

We should also point out that Jon Katz refers to himself as 'Slashdot's resident Gasbag.' Is there any more doubt? For those fortunate few who aren't aware of the list of homosexual terminology found inside the Linux 'Sauce Code,' a 'Gasbag' is a pervert who gains sexual gratification from having a thin straw inserted into his urethra (or to use the common parlance, 'piss-pipe'), then his homosexual lover blows firmly down the straw to inflate his scrotum. This is, of course, when he's not busy violating the dignity and co

It has come to my attention that the entire Linux community is a hotbed of so called 'alternative sexuality', which includes anything from hedonistic orgies to homosexuality to paedophilia.

What better way of demonstrating this than by looking at the hidden messages contained within the names of some of Linux's most outspoken advocates:

• Linus Torvalds is an anagram of slit anus or VD 'L,' clearly referring to himself by the first initial.
• Richard M. Stallman, spokespervert for the Gaysex's Not Unusual 'movement' is an anagram of mans cram thrill ad.
• Alan Cox is barely an anagram of anal cox which is just so filthy and unchristian it unnerves me.

I'm sure that Eric S. Raymond, composer of the satanic homosexual propaganda diatribe The Cathedral and the Bizarre, is probably an anagram of something queer, but we don't need to look that far as we know he's always shoving a gun up some poor little boy's rectum. Update: Eric S. Raymond is actually an anagram for secondary rim and cord in my arse. It just goes to show you that he is indeed queer.

Update the Second: It is also documented that Evil Sicko Gaymond is responsible for a nauseating piece of code called Fetchmail, which is obviously sinister sodomite slang for 'Felch Male' -- a disgusting practise. For those not in the know, 'felching' is the act performed by two perverts wherein one sucks their own post-coital ejaculate out of the other's rectum. In fact, it appears that the dirty Linux faggots set out to undermine the good Republican institution of e-mail, turning it into 'e-male.'

As far as Richard 'Master' Stallman goes, that filthy fudge-packer was actually quoted on leftist commie propaganda site Salon.com as saying the following: 'I've been resistant to the pressure to conform in any circumstance,' he says. 'It's about being able to question conventional wisdom,' he asserts. 'I believe in love, but not monogamy,' he says plainly.

And this isn't a made up troll bullshit either! He actually stated this tripe, which makes it obvious that he is trying to politely say that he's a flaming homo slut!

Speaking about 'flaming,' who better to point out as a filthy chutney ferret than Slashdot's very own self-confessed pederast Jon Katz. Although an obvious deviant anagram cannot be found from his name, he has already confessed, nay boasted of the homosexual perversion of corrupting the innocence of young children. To quote from the article linked:

'I've got a rare kidney disease,' I told her. 'I have to go to the bathroom a lot. You can come with me if you want, but it takes a while. Is that okay with you? Do you want a note from my doctor?'

Is this why you were touching your penis in the cinema, Jon? And letting the other boys touch it too?

We should also point out that Jon Katz refers to himself as 'Slashdot's resident Gasbag.' Is there any more doubt? For those fortunate few who aren't aware of the list of homosexual terminology found inside the Linux 'Sauce Code,' a 'Gasbag' is a pervert who gains sexual gratification from having a thin straw inserted into his urethra (or to use the common parlance, 'piss-pipe'), then his homosexual lover blows firmly down the straw to inflate his scrotum. This is, of course, when he's not busy violating the dignity and co

Don't be stupid. It isn't the messenger's fault.

Actually, some vulnerabilities are the messenger's fault.

If you are already using WSUS, then why not try SCUP?
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0446cce9-94a4-4fb0-b335-e7516044063d&displaylang=en

Add in the Adobe Flash repo once configured:
http://fpdownload.adobe.com/get/flashplayer/current/licensing/win/AdobeFlashPlayerCatalog.cab

I am more than a little dubious about the claim of a 1998-era PC running W7. That would likely max out at 512M unless it was exotic for the time (meaning server-class hardware), and W7 wouldn't install on something that small, and the CPU and graphics would not be anywhere near W7 minimums either. I got complaints installing it on what were pretty well configured 2005-era machines and they ran poorly even doing basic things until I put at least 2.5G RAM in them.

I will see your 'more then a little dubious' and raise you one 'set of facts'. My old Dell does indeed have a RAM slot maxing out at 512MB, in fact it has two (so I have 1GB or RAM). It has a more than sufficient CPU at 2.1Ghz. And it is still running the 50GB hard drive it had way back in 1997. I am guessing you are pulling the W7 SysReqs from memory? Because the minimums are not really demanding as you imply. One can run the system just fine (without all the fancy graphics or other fluff) with these official specs:

*1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
*1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
*16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
*DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

I have to compare that to Windows. XPSP2 doubled RAM requirements and Vista quadrupled XPSP2.

Regarding Vista 'qualdrupaling' the RAM requirements...that actually is true. But since it came out nearly six years later; they didn't even make PC's with less than 512MB of RAM in 2007. That's a non-issue. You are comparing small, incremental Apple OS upgrades ("10.1 to 10.2 to 10.3 to 10.4 and finally 10.5") to full OS architecture and kernel changes. My Windows boxes run better after a service pack install too....just like your Macs.

And regarding the 'longevity' of Apple systems...tell that to my coworker who has an unusable, 38-pound, CRT brick called an iMac G3 gathering dust in the garage. I'll take my ancient Dell (released the same year) over that any day :)

Or, just install TweakUI and un-tick the setting "Autoplay for removable drives" under My Computer -> AutoPlay -> Types

You are missing the point. Linux kernel updates don't demand more from the hardware per se, rather they support a wider range (older + newer = more). OTOH things like Windows 7 and GNOME demand more from the hardware, and hence they support a narrower range (only new = less).

Sure, there will be security updates. But a fully patched XP installation with a non-dumb human overseer is secure enough. My development machine is a macmini dual booting OS X and XP. It is fast. It never goes down (atleast the OS X part never does :).

Things like mingw, focus follows mouse, zune xp theme, consolas etc will make a *nix fella feel almost right at home.

You are missing the point. Linux kernel updates don't demand more from the hardware per se, rather they support a wider range (older + newer = more). OTOH things like Windows 7 and GNOME demand more from the hardware, and hence they support a narrower range (only new = less).

Sure, there will be security updates. But a fully patched XP installation with a non-dumb human overseer is secure enough. My development machine is a macmini dual booting OS X and XP. It is fast. It never goes down (atleast the OS X part never does :).

Things like mingw, focus follows mouse, zune xp theme, consolas etc will make a *nix fella feel almost right at home.

I just downloaded Google Chrome 3.0.192.0 for Mac and it crashed before I could even open a page. There is no excuse for this; my Mac Pro is perfect in every way with eight 2.93 GHz cores, 32 GB RAM, and a fresh install of Mac OS X Leopard v10.5.7. Ergo any crashing Google Chrome does is Google Chrome's own fault!

Why is it that Apple and Mozilla can do this but Google can't? I ran Internet Explorer 8 for months before its final release, Firefox 3.5 since its 3.1 days, and found Safari 4 Developer Preview more stable than Safari 3. In fact, even WebKit is more stable than Chrome.

What really baffles me, however, isn't the instability I've come to expect from Google, but that Google has the audacity to ask for personal user info to improve its browser. Is the search engine maker datamonger really so desperate for my private information that it's stooped to the level of Trojan horses to get it?

They should ask me that when it doesn't crash on launch.

Everything Google does is just another way to sieve personal data away for targeting ads. This kind of Big Brother crap is more repulsive than the fat programmers that make it possible. Google, with its deep pockets and doctoral scholars, thinks that by holding user data hostage it can maneuver around Apple and Microsoft. While this may be true, I'm not willing to be a part of it.

In using Google's search, Gmail, Chrome or whatever else the faceless robot of a company invents, the user is surrendering their personal information to a giant hivemind. No longer are their personal preferences some choice they make; they're a string of data processed by a Google algorithm: Google dehumanizes its users!

So while Google is arrogant enough to paint spyware shiny so it can parse our browsing habits, the least they could do is make sure it doesn't crash. If Apple, Microsoft, and Mozilla can get their preview releases right, why can't Google? And now they're making their own operating systems?

Get real, Google! I'll use your crashing codebloat when my Mac is cold and dead and I'm looking for handouts. Until then, quit mining my personal data!

I just downloaded Google Chrome 3.0.192.0 for Mac and it crashed before I could even open a page. There is no excuse for this; my Mac Pro is perfect in every way with eight 2.93 GHz cores, 32 GB RAM, and a fresh install of Mac OS X Leopard v10.5.7. Ergo any crashing Google Chrome does is Google Chrome's own fault!

Why is it that Apple and Mozilla can do this but Google can't? I ran Internet Explorer 8 for months before its final release, Firefox 3.5 since its 3.1 days, and found Safari 4 Developer Preview more stable than Safari 3. In fact, even WebKit is more stable than Chrome.

What really baffles me, however, isn't the instability I've come to expect from Google, but that Google has the audacity to ask for personal user info to improve its browser. Is the search engine maker datamonger really so desperate for my private information that it's stooped to the level of Trojan horses to get it?

They should ask me that when it doesn't crash on launch.

Everything Google does is just another way to sieve personal data away for targeting ads. This kind of Big Brother crap is more repulsive than the fat programmers that make it possible. Google, with its deep pockets and doctoral scholars, thinks that by holding user data hostage it can maneuver around Apple and Microsoft. While this may be true, I'm not willing to be a part of it.

In using Google's search, Gmail, Chrome or whatever else the faceless robot of a company invents, the user is surrendering their personal information to a giant hivemind. No longer are their personal preferences some choice they make; they're a string of data processed by a Google algorithm: Google dehumanizes its users!

So while Google is arrogant enough to paint spyware shiny so it can parse our browsing habits, the least they could do is make sure it doesn't crash. If Apple, Microsoft, and Mozilla can get their preview releases right, why can't Google? And now they're making their own operating systems?

Get real, Google! I'll use your crashing codebloat when my Mac is cold and dead and I'm looking for handouts. Until then, quit mining my personal data!

Upgrade is out, because you're on XP

That's not true - XP users can purchase the upgrade version of Windows 7. From http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-considerations.aspx : "All editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista qualify you to upgrade. So, if you're running either on your PC today, buy a package labeled "Upgrade"."

There are a number of good tools to minimize the impact of rewriting a vb6 app in .net. While it would, in many cases, be most beneficial to do a rewrite, it should only take 1 or 2 programmers a few months to do a full conversion.

In fact, Microsoft has an upgrade assessment tool to help get an idea of what's involved. If the app was written well in the first place, as you say it was, then it should be even less of a problem.

For example, Artisoft offers their VB Upgrade Companion product. It really isn't prohibitive to upgrade VB6 codebases, unless the app really isn't that mission critical anyways.

For the problem software tho, it's going to be a rough road until the packages are rolled out (and that will take a couple years). At any point, our current software could be killed by an arbitrary microsoft patch since the language (vb6) is out of support.

VB6 IDE is not supported now (though a paid support agreement with MS is possible). It also has known compat problems with Vista and above. That said, it works perfectly in XP Mode under Win7.

VB6 runtime is a part of Windows 7, and will be supported for at least as long as Win7 itself is supported. So, no, an "arbitrary patch" won't kill your software.

See here for details.

Dates taken from the Windows XP Lifecycle page [microsoft.com].
hmm

April 14, 2009 (already in the past) for XP or XP SP1
The page you linked (unfortunately it doesn't say whether those dates are in american or english format but one of the dates is invalid if interpreted as american format) says the 30/08/2005 and 10/10/2006 for SP1/1a

after July 13, 2010 (next month) for XP SP2
Support ends 24 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first.

April 14, 2011 (next year) for XP SP3. If you have an enterprise contract/license, support for security fixes after April 8, 2014.
Under SP3 the page you have linked says is

"Support ends 24 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first. For more information, please see the service pack policy at http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/#ServicePackSupport ."

Assuming there isn't an XP SP4 that means we need to reffer to the lifecycle entry for the product as a whole which says 08/04/2014 for the end of extended support agreeing with your final date.

I cannot see anything on their corroberating your claim that security support will end sooner for those without enterprise licenses nor any mentions of the date you claim this will happen on.

I was thinking the same. What does Windows 7 bring to your business that XP doesn't?

Well, if you don't have an enterprise contract/license, security fixes after April 14, 2009 (already in the past) for XP or XP SP1, after July 13, 2010 (next month) for XP SP2, and April 14, 2011 (next year) for XP SP3. If you have an enterprise contract/license, support for security fixes after April 8, 2014.

Dates taken from the Windows XP Lifecycle page.

Would that same benefit be provided by other operating systems? Is the difference between Windows 7 and FreeBSD (for example) enough to justify the license cost (not just the initial cost, but the requirement to track licenses as well)? If you're going to need retraining anyway, it seems like now would be a good time to consider other alternatives.

Windows hasn't really changed THAT much, certainly not as much as moving to another OS and set of applications would.

Even with installation restrictions, there are 'portable' versions of alternative browsers.

The restrictions go deeper. Have you ever run into a Unix system where all end-user-writable directories (including /home and /media) were mounted noexec for security purposes? Windows has a similar feature, called Software Restriction Policies, which can deny execution of a program based on folder location (as in Linux) or based on lack of the IT department's digital signature.

edit: further for completely turning off autorun to be effective you must make sure you have a particular security update installed.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/967715

the whole thing is a gigantic mess!

system. For the nth time:

WINDOZE.

Technical note: In order for Microslop
applications to work for ANYONE, they must be HACKED !

Yours in Tashkent,
Kilgore Trout, C.E.O.