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BBC Hails "fair" Microsoft XP SP1

Richard Bown writes "Continuing their current trend of only giving you half the story the BBC have this article on how fair and equitable Microsoft are these days. No mention of EULA changes."

30 of 458 comments (clear)

  1. News? by jmrjmrjmr · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I didn't know it was new that the mainstream media never tells you the whole story, on what subject you wish.. not only MS..

  2. WE SHOULD BOMB BRITIAN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    FIRST POST OF DEATH

  3. w00k! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    blah

    rob aka rob

  4. Norman Mailer "remembers" 9/11! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    I can't believe this!!

    "This century is going to be the most awesome of all centuries to contemplate - there is a real question whether human kind will get to the end of it... America's so big, so powerful, and so vain, ... I get angry when I see it being less than it can be.

    "The British have a love of their country that is profound. They can revile it, tell dirty stories about it. But deep down their patriotism is deep. In America we're playing musical chairs - don't get caught without a flag or you're out of the game. Why do we need all this reaffirmation? It's as if we're a three hundred pound man who's seven feet tall, superbly shaped, absolutely powerful, and every three minutes he's got to reaffirm the fact that his arm pits have a wonderful odor. We don't need compulsive, self-serving patriotism. It's odious...

    "When you have a great country it's your duty to be critical of it so it can become even greater...

    "Culturally, emotionally America is growing more loutish, arrogant, and vain.

    "I detest this totally promiscuous patriotism. Wave a little flag and become a good person? Ugly.

    "If we have a depression or fall into desperate economic times, I don't know what's going to hold the country together...

    "There's just too much anger here, too much ruptured vanity, too much shock, too much identity crisis. And worst of all, too much patriotism. Patriotism in a country that's failing has a logical tendency to turn fascistic...

    "Let's suppose ten people are killed by a small bomb on a street corner in some city in America. The first thing to understand is that there are 280 million Americans. So, there's one chance in 28 million you're going to be one of those people. By such heartless means of calculation, the 3000 deaths in the Twin Towers came approximately to one mortality for every 90,000 Americans. Your chances of dying if you drive a car are one in 7,000 each year. We seem perfectly ready to put up with automobile statistics. I fear I am ready to say there is a tolerable level to terror...

    "One of the things I've always found least attractive about Tony Blair was his toadyish attitude toward Clinton...

    "Clinton made a point of surrounding himself with people who might be 90% as intelligent as himself, but never his equal. Bush is smart enough to know that he couldn't possibly do the same, or the country would be run by morons."

    Someone SHOOT THIS UNGRATEFUL SON OF A BITCH WHO HAS NO CLUE AS TO WHAT TRUE PATRIOTISM IS!?

    1. Re:Norman Mailer "remembers" 9/11! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Shoot him ?

      Hell no ! He should be caught and put on display wearing a sign that says "American with brain - extremely rare specimen"

    2. Re:Norman Mailer "remembers" 9/11! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      One doesn't imply the other ... see the word 'but' in there?

      Even though the British are able to see, and laugh at, the flaws in their country, we still love it.

    3. Re:Norman Mailer "remembers" 9/11! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      exactly, the Brits can see their countries problems.
      One year after 9/11, the Americans are still blind to theirs !

  5. frist spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    frost spit

  6. The BBC were never fair! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Whenever they cover the war in the middle east they support the arab side. They are one sided and driven by money.

    1. Re:The BBC were never fair! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      you idiot. whenever cnn covers the war in the middle east, they support the israeli side. THEY are one sided and driven by money.

  7. BBC's bias by slipgun · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Nice to see that slashdot is finally picking up the BBC's bias on certain issues. Those who watch/listen to BBC news will know how biased they are on, for example, the Euro. It seems the Americans can't do anything right in their eyes, either...

    --
    SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
    1. Re:BBC's bias by turgid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      How was the parent offtopic? I can appreciate the BBCs bias in many issues. Yes, the Euro, the imminent war on Iraq ("Iraq could produce a nucelar bomb withing months" - well wake up and smell the coffee - so could we all if we had the raw materials), their rabid, incoherent rantings against and irrational fear of civillian nuclear power, Microsoft sycophancy, a whole "technology" section on their web site that is nothing more than adverts and positive propaganda for Microsoft intersperced with sensational "wow" articles about what you can do with mobile phones, email and web browsers.... ....and to think that I'm forced to pay for this crap because I watch Television here in the UK.

    2. Re:BBC's bias by anarchima · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      The BBC (and indeed many other news agencies) have called the killings of innocent civilians "collateral damage", something which has been criticised tremendously. I believe the BBC has actually ammended their standpoint on the issue, and have chosen to refrain from using "collateral damage" when talking about such killings.

  8. Bah! by Quasar1999 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Trust the English Not... with their Tea Tax and what not...

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    ---
    Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
  9. US media by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    Unlike the die-hard pro-Israel media conglomerates in the USA?

    At least the BBC and other European media has the guts to call brutal military occupation, oppression and state approved torture by their real names. It is amusing to see certain right wing US media call this reporting as "the rise of anti-semitic sentiment in Europe". As if criticizing Israel's war crimes is anti-semitic...

    1. Re:US media by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      good call...

  10. spelling & grammar troll v1.33 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    It has come to my attention that "slashdot", subsidiary of VA Software, is a refuge for people with a terrible sense for grammar and spelling. As a remediation, please accept the following recommendations about the use of some frequent linguistic expressions :
    • "Alot" vs. "A lot" : There is no such word as alot. In fact, when confronted with the word alot, ispell tells us the following : "how about : allot,aloe,aloft, alto, blot, clot, lot, plot, slot"
    • Just because moronic Americans pronounce Bernstein, neither, Einstein and other 'ei'-words as "Burnstean", "neather", "Ainstean", etc... doesn't mean they have to write those words "Bernstien", "niether" or "Einstien". Special mention to "thier", "becuase" and "amatuer".
    • "Than" vs. "Then" : Just the fact that in some inferior dialects of the English language, "than" and "then" are pronounced about the same way doesn't mean that the comparative "than" has any reason to be written as the conjunctive/logical "then".
    • Your vs. You're : The former means "not my, not his, not our", in other words it is a possessive. The latter is a shortcut for "You are". Similar point for There vs Their vs They're.
    • Hobbyist and lobbyist are not superlatives. Hence they musn't be written as hobbiest and lobbiest.
    • Thi fuct thit ya ridnucks prunince any avelible vowal as "uh" doesn't forbid you to open a book from time to time to actually build up some vocabulary. It's "ludicrous" and "compatible", not "ludacris" and "compatable".
    • Its vs It's. The former is the genitive form of "It" and will therefore make the following word an attribute of the word replaced by the pronoun. Example : illitteracy and its consequences. The latter is an shortcut for "It is". Example : Illiteracy. It's so annoying.
    • lose vs. loose : the first is the verb associated with a loss. The second is the contrary of "firm"
    • I could (not) care less. Most people say "I could care less" when they don't give a flying fuck. If they really could care less, then their lack of interest isn't that big. What they mean is that they could not care less.
    ...many more to come. Reply to this comment to suggest some.

    A definition of irony : a bunch of computer nerds without a sense for spelling and grammar mocking japanese game translators for their lack of skills in english spelling and grammar.

    Contribution by Erpo :
    I'm not any kind of grammar nazi, but decent spelling and grammar are important to me. The occasional affect/effect problem doesn't bother me (it just lowers my opinion of the author), but when a piece is riddled with errors (there/they're/their, its/it's, then/than, etc..) it's hard for me to read. Partially, I think this is because I sight read and I don't subvocalize. In other words, when I see, "It's over their," in print the first thing I think is, "It's over their what? Is it hovering over their kitchen counter? Is it over their heads? What is this person trying to say?" Of course, I don't just sit there pondering those questions (it only takes a split second to see there was a grammar error in the sentence), but I can't read as quickly when every few lines my eyes flick back to an earlier word.

    Maybe I'm just hypersensitive. I don't know. If you don't know what I'm talking about though, check out this piece by Prince. It doesn't have very many grammar problems, but the "creative" spelling is really distracting.
    1. Re:spelling & grammar troll v1.33 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      "Special mention to "thier", "becuase" and "amatuer"."

      That sentence no vowel.

      "Illitteracy"

      Illiteracy.

      "A definition of irony..."

      No, that's an example of irony.

      Keep at it, maybe soon you will make a "spelling & grammar troll" containing no mistakes.

  11. MOD UP! About time someone noticed this. by goldspider · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Isn't Slashdot calling somebody "biased" a case of the pot calling the kettle black?

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
  12. devorce (offtopic) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I was pissed when I got married, so does it meen that I can get an easy devorce!

    1. Re:devorce (offtopic) by MindStalker · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Not if you've "concieved" the marriage atleast oncee when not drunk.

    2. Re:devorce (offtopic) by windex · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      I've seen his wife, no one could fuck her sober.

  13. Re:So how is the story unfair? by ceejayoz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Slashdot considers anything that doesn't take the "Microsoft is the Great Satan" position "biased".

    Moderators: Please do not moderate me up.
    I don't think you'll have a problem with that, given what you posted ;-)

  14. Re:133MB update ??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha no...

    go fuck yourself...

  15. Re:I'd love to know more about this trend by anarchima · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    No one cares about losers who hate microsoft. Get a life you fucktards. Linux sucks, microsoft does not. Don't you just love those anonymous Linux bashers?

  16. Re:I'd love to know more about this trend by fiiz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I read BBC news and Le Monde (the french newspaper) mostly every day.

    BBC's international coverage, although exhaustive, is not very fair: it is pro-blair & pro-american, which is a pain.
    I would criticise the BBC for being a little too close to the british government's stand on everything.

    Take for example Irak: most labour MPs don't wan't a war there, but does that transpire clearly in the BBC's reporting?
    Of course the bias not as blatant as CNN or other american news sources, and the coverage is very exhaustive (you can find a helluva lot of stuff on their website), but by european standards it's a bit mild--it's almost a legacy of BBC world service, trying to evangelise the british point of view abroad.

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    yours ever, fz.
  17. Re:I'd love to know more about this trend by turgid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I live in the UK and I am sick and tired of the BBCs biased reporting. When brown people are killed or whatever it hardly makes the news, but when something happens to a couple of white people it's a top story (I'm white by the way). The BBC is notoriously anti-nuclear. I used to work in the nuclear industry and the BBCs lack of knowledge and the superstitious drivel it spouts about civillain nucelar power is embarrassing and makes me very angry because it panders to the luddites and ignoramuses and anti-nuclear lobbyists. They have a tendency towards subtle sensationalism in other areas too. I could go on at length but this is a rant and I don't have time. Oh and they're scared of GM food, mobile (cell) phones, pro-Microsoft, and their science coverage is generally ignorant, wrong or just plain dumbed down to kiddie level. ...and I have to pay for this since I have a television set and therefore a TV license.

  18. Re:British journalism sucks by tealover · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Don't worry. The Bush's are catching up.

    It was embarassing to watch GW Bush stand next to Tony Blair at Camp David over the weekend. Mr. Blair was so eloquent in his answers to the press. Meanwhile, GW Bush looked like he was in pain as he struggled to string three words together without pausing, biting his lip and looking like a retard.

    When Bush is allowed to speak extemporaneously, his staff must be cringing. I guess that's why he rarely does news conferences, unlike previous presidents. Even when he does official events he rarely takes questions. It's a shame that the so-called leader of the free world is an illiterate boob.

    I'm sure Tony Blair must have been laughing his ass off on the way back home.

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    -- You see, there would be these conclusions that you could jump to
  19. Re:BBC : The best news on the web by ceejayoz · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    in which Britain was primarily responsible for the destruction of a European country

    Yeah, 'cause the Balkans were peaceful before British intervention, right?

  20. Re:I'd love to know more about this trend by shilly · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I think that your assertions are unlikely to be borne out by the facts. Coverage of the Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor murders was very extensive. The Soham murders may have been covered more thoroughly, but that is due to the story itself -- Amanda Dowler's case was and continues to be lower profile than the killings of the two black boys I mentioned above. If you're talking about deaths around the world, I think that your charge is equally insubstantial -- there's plenty of news stories from right around the world, but the front page reflects the likely predominant interests of either UK or non-UK readers (and can be changed, should you wish to do so).
    The fact that the BBC provides airtime for people whose viewpoints you disagree with may irritate you but is in fact a testament to impartiality. Every person with a special interest in a story will complain about an opposing viewpoint being put forward, will be able to adduce some evidence of inadequate treatment of their pet topic and will explain exactly how it is ridiculous to even begin to consider the views of the other as respectable. This is how Israelis, doctors, businessmen, Lib Dems, environmentalists, hunt sabs and any other group you care to mention feels. I can't see that scientists are treated any worse or more sceptically than any of the groups (or their oppositions) that I listed above. And opposition to the implementation of a particular technology does not, a priori, make one an ignoramus. In case you've forgotten, while the implementation of technology is frequently beneficial to us, occasionally it's not (viz Zyklon B, thalidomide, Bhopal). Finally, of course, if you really don't like the BBC, you could always sell your telly. There's bugger all on that's worth anyone's time anyway.