Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Trial Wends Onward
Sinistar2k writes: "Showing remarkable restraint and an unwillingness to shout 'Give it up for me!', Steve Ballmer comes across as a poor, beat down soul in the video deposition (Windows Media or RealPlayer required) released today by US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. Also available are text depositions of Ballmer and Allchin." gouldtj adds: "Here is a
timeline on the Microsoft trial. It is pretty complete, and it goes back to 1990. It is nice to see all of this in one place, I'd almost forgotten about the old stuff. It just reminds you how long this stuff can take." Finally, ackthpt writes: "The nine non-settling states have modified their requirements, rather than Microsoft having to sell various versions of Windows, they would have Microsoft Windows sold as a modular platform, where the user could opt for different vendors software for different uses.
Just days ago the nine settling states were rattled by Microsoft's end-around, challenging state attorneys' general participation in anti-trust procedings." And if your own computing (or career) depends on a Microsoft operating system, Roblimo suggests that you
stop using it, because Steve Ballmer says Microsoft may take it away.
skript kiddies crack me up
If Slashdot moves to a subscripton only method, the community (or at least me) will happily move on to kuro5hin or some similar site.
I'm not going to pay $5 a month or whatever for every 2 bit web log written by people who don't even care enough to check spelling or make sure the same story doesn't get posted multiple times (each with unique, glaring errors). When I'm literally paying per page view, I don't want to waste page views on things I've seen.
If Slashdot goes under because I didn't pay to view contect created by someone else, I won't shed a tear. I have no vested interest in making sure their business model succeeds, just like the US government shouldn't be making laws solely to preserve the income of a single powerful industry.
You shouldn't care either, unless you have some financial or friendship bond to VA or the editors Slashdot employs. I have better things to do with my life than watch after the revenue stream of a web site.
One of my good friends was offered some GPL software at a party by a guy who said it was free.
Of course it wasn't free at all, since after he started using the GPL software his mind was changed. He wouldn't hang out with his old friends and if he did, he just insulted them for using the wrong software.
After a year or so, he was so GPL'ed out, that he would yell at people at in the street and insist on that ever software he ever saw should be GPL.
I once showed him a nice program that Microsoft made on the base of a BSD framework, and he got so loud and wild screaming, that the Police had to take him to a hospital, where I visited him today.
I think it is sad, and I hope that the young people of today may learn from this story.