Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

MS "Software Choice" Campaign: A Clever Fraud

Posted by michael on from the preach-it-brother dept.

Bruce Perens writes "Microsoft's new "Software Choice" campaign is all for your right to choose... as long as you choose Microsoft. It's too bad that Intel and the U.S. Government couldn't see through the rhetoric. Read the full story at The Register." Note that California will soon be considering - like Peru - a law to mandate open source software in government. The gloves are off - on both sides.

6 of 296 comments (clear)

  1. Your article is full of errors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Backup Problems Note that Microsoft does not support making functional complete backups under Windows XP. Look at Microsoft's policy about this: Q314828 Microsoft Policy on Disk Duplication of Windows XP Installation [microsoft.com].

    The article refers to problems cloning and duplicating "Windows XP" machines. If you actually bothered to read the article you would see that this would cause no problem for backups. And if you actually got up your ass, you would find free utilities on the web to modify SIDs automagically when you want to clone an install to many machines.

  2. You disagree with Microsoft. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 5, Informative


    Microsoft says, "Microsoft does not support making functional complete backups under Windows XP."

    Would Microsoft say that if it were not true?

    The problem is not with the SID. The problem occurs because Microsoft puts all the configuration parameters in one file (called SOFTWARE) in the registry. This is a fundamental design flaw in Windows.

    The problem occurs when using backups, not with cloning onto identical machines. The problem occurs when using backups, not when making them. The backup you make may not actually be useful for restoring a working copy. That's what Microsoft "does not support". Microsoft apparently doesn't support this because they don't want people making copies and installing them on dissimilar machines.

    Several people have had trouble with this, so I suppose I have not written it well enough. I will try again, but probably not until Monday night.

  3. Re:Karma Jepordy! by billbaggins · · Score: 2, Informative
    Behold the reason that Linux needs better PR...
    recompile my kernal? I'm clueless about the 1000's of fsck -sbin -y like commands etc.
    Believe it or not, there are user-friendly Linuces out there! There are dark rumours floating about that some distros don't need you to do anything with the command line at all. Just pick the appropriate sysadmin function off the menu... I'm afraid I can't comment on them, since I'm a cmdline freak, but they're out there...
    --
    "The best argument against democracy is a five minute chat with the average voter."
    --Winston Churchill
  4. Re:Bruce wrote this?! by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 5, Informative
    When you are the dad of a two-year-old, a lot of writing gets done at 4 A.M. when kid and mom don't need your attention. So, it's not polished prose. This one was also bit awkward because the Peruvian bill calls for Free Software, not Open Source.

    Bruce

    --
    Bruce Perens.
  5. Re:Microsoft == US Goverment by jonabbey · · Score: 4, Informative

    See http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-835267.html.

    --
    - jon

    Ganymede, a GPL'ed metadirectory for UNIX
  6. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion