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Microsoft's Hidden Windows 8 Feature: Ads

MojoKid writes "Despite the fact that I've been using Windows 8 for the past three weeks, I somehow managed to overlook a rather stark feature in the OS: ads. No, we're not talking about ads cluttering up the desktop or login screen (thankfully), but rather ads that can be found inside of some Modern UI apps that Windows ships with. That includes Finance, Weather, Travel, News and so forth. On previous mobile platforms, such as iOS and Android, seeing ads inside of free apps hasn't been uncommon. It's a way for the developer to get paid while allowing the user to have the app for free. However, while people can expect ads in a free app, no one expects ads in a piece of software that they just paid good money for."

635 comments

  1. M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    M$

    1. Re:M$ by jhoegl · · Score: 1, Troll

      This is why Linux is King (in 2013)!

    2. Re:M$ by JustOK · · Score: 4, Funny

      £inux

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    3. Re:M$ by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Like Smokey (almost) says: Only you can kill it with fire.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    4. Re:M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Appl€?

    5. Re:M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Problem is even ubuntu is getting bloatware in 2012 ,which is a form of advertisement.
      Any company tries to maximize there resources it's human (crappy) nature.
      Not that I'd ever use windows 8 in my darkest dreams, but if I did I'd email them and demand they were removed, if they get enough emails it will change.

    6. Re:M$ by NIK282000 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Good! I'm glad some one has the balls to hypothetically speak up with their hypothetical outrage about their hypothetical purchase! Way to hypothetically let them know what you really think of them!

      --
      Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
    7. Re:M$ by Enderandrew · · Score: 1

      Ubuntu is allowing Amazon search results in their search results. I'm not sure that constitutes direct advertisement or bloatware. They're just opening search to also include a commercial entity.

      --
      http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
    8. Re:M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is why having a good ad-blocking host file, is a good thing. Only with Windows 8 you have to disable Windows Defender from mucking with the host file.

    9. Re:M$ by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 1
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      Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
    10. Re:M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean 2014?

      OK, everyone gets 15... no 18 chances to be king.

    11. Re:M$ by Huggs · · Score: 4, Insightful

      However, while people can expect ads in a free app, no one expects ads in a piece of software that they just paid good money for.

    12. Re:M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ubuntu costs 0.00$

    13. Re:M$ by SmurfButcher+Bob · · Score: 1

      It seems you are not familiar with QuickBooks, or anything else from Intuit. :)

      --

      help me i've cloned myself and can't remember which one I am

    14. Re:M$ by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Microsoft are just opening screen real estate to include another commercial entity.

    15. Re:M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks, idiot.

    16. Re:M$ by tzot · · Score: 1

      Übuntu (-ber alles)?

      --
      I speak England very best
  2. That's OK by CajunArson · · Score: 5, Funny

    I only pay for applications with bad money instead of good money, so I'm fine with the ads.

    --
    AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
    1. Re:That's OK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      So there's someone using bitcoins after all.

    2. Re:That's OK by CaptSlaq · · Score: 3, Funny

      So there's someone using bitcoins after all.

      Comment of the day. Oh for mod points.

    3. Re:That's OK by Tarlus · · Score: 1

      Or 3D-printed cash?

      --
      /* No Comment */
  3. Not Ok. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That is all.

    1. Re:Not Ok. by durrr · · Score: 2

      It's not like you pay for windows anyway.

    2. Re:Not Ok. by dmacleod808 · · Score: 2

      I'm just "Trying before I buy" is it my fault I am bad at making decisions and it will take till windows 9?

      --
      There Can Be Only One...
    3. Re:Not Ok. by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 1

      OK, I'll buy that excuse, but isn't it about time you paid for your copy of Windows 98? :D

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
  4. Same as Win Phone 7 and Zune by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Didn't Microsoft pull this same joke with Windows Phone 7? And Zune apps?

  5. Just... by msauve · · Score: 2, Insightful

    send Microsoft your monthly Internet bill, so they can pay for the bandwidth those ads use.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    1. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      send Microsoft your monthly Internet bill, so they can pay for the bandwidth those ads use.

      Enjoy that 0.3 cent check...

    2. Re:Just... by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      That's not the point.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    3. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      .3 cent x a billion people = $300 mill per month that M$ loses.

      Linux ftw

    4. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What is the point beyond the person making a stupid statement? Why would Microsoft have to pay anything? The entire premise is both flawed and idiotic.

    5. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Especially when we start seeing full-motion HD quality video in our cable televisio-- Oh! I'm sorry, I meant to say "desktop and laptop computers"!

    6. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It does suck that Windows now ships with crapware default, but at least they make it far, far easier to uninstall than the hardware vendors. Simply right click on any of the shipping apps and they can be uninstalled with one click.

    7. Re:Just... by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      It does suck that Windows now ships with crapware default, but at least they make it far, far easier to uninstall than the hardware vendors. Simply right click on any of the shipping apps and they can be uninstalled with one click.

      How do you right-click a touchscreen?

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    8. Re:Just... by HCase · · Score: 1

      If its the same as Windows7, you touch the icon and hold for a second until a symbol pops up.

    9. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A billion users? Yeah whatever...

    10. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it works that way in desktop mode. in metro mode (or whatever its called... Windows Store Apps mode?), you have to click and sorta drag it down a bit. kinda like flicking it down. its odd to describe in words, but once you see it, its not difficult at all. just difficult to describe. once you do that, the little bar at the bottom pops up and you have the option there. i'm not sure if that's called a charm bar or if only the bar on the right is called the charm bar. the new lingo does have me a bit confused right now, but i'm sure that'll pass.

    11. Re:Just... by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Microsoft will send you the bill for their licensing of Reuters etc.

      This is a stupid non-story. The reason Microsoft has ads (besides a desire to make money) is that these features are delivering content that costs money. Stock symbols don't just magically tell you their value, you have to subscribe to someone who host's live stock tickers. You have to pay Reuters, the WSJ and New York Times to publish their news stories. You have to pay the Weather channel to provide you with detailed hourly forecasts and historical data.

      Microsoft is providing a premium service through the ad supported apps. And these are also applications which aren't a part of the core OS experience. If you don't want them... uninstall and pick another app without ads.

    12. Re:Just... by blazer1024 · · Score: 4, Funny

      You use a finger on your right hand, duh

    13. Re:Just... by MightyYar · · Score: 5, Funny

      On what planet does 0.003 * 1e9 = 3e8? Do you work for Verizon?

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    14. Re:Just... by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 1

      Don't forget the $3 administrative fee, the $0.95 kiosk fee, the $1.25 green transition fee, the $3 federal compliance surcharge, and the $2.85 regulatory cost surcharge.

      --
      Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
    15. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would the straw that broke the camel's back be pointlessly irrelevant? Sure, without a class action law suit it would be little more then a protest to bill them but what Microsoft is doing is a form of theft of services. Many people deal with caps and penalties for exceeding those caps. A gigabyte was once considered a huge amount of data but these days you likely have more garbage bytes currently in RAM. A gigabyte would not even be one day of watching shows at Hulu.com or similar. Less then downloading a current DVD of your favorite Linux distro, yet that is the download limit for many providers with others giving several times that but a limit just the same. The ads Microsoft are hitting you with here maybe relatively minor in the scheme of things but if they push you over your cap they can cost you the penalty and to many that is unacceptable on principle and to many it is an unaffordable expense. Adware is heavily frowned upon by most and to have something you paid for be adware is thoroughly unacceptable.

      Sure there are worst wasters of bandwidth out there, heavier pushers of ads and other obnoxiously pointless traffic but does Microsoft really want to be the straw that breaks the camel's back? I am sure the "Linux on the desktop this year" crowd would be more then happy to provide them with a new camel barn.

    16. Re:Just... by Desler · · Score: 1

      Theft of services? Melodramatic much. How is this different than any other application with ads? Next you claim that websites have to pay back your Internet service? Moron.

    17. Re:Just... by Penguinisto · · Score: 1

      Enjoy that 0.3 cent check...

      ...unless it's on 3G/4G, then the amounts get slightly larger (especially for overages).

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    18. Re:Just... by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      If its the same as Windows7, you touch the icon and hold for a second until a symbol pops up.

      That seems obtuse.

      Considering that damn near everything is multi-touch now, wouldn't it be more intuitive to, say , tap your middle finger on the screen while your index finger is on the icon?

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    19. Re:Just... by Karzz1 · · Score: 0

      Other applications that display ads are either free with the stipulation you see the ads or you *PAY* for the ap. MS is trying to have it both ways -- pay them for the OS, oh and we are going to force you to view ads as well.

      --
      Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
    20. Re:Just... by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      You use a finger on your right hand, duh

      What, so we have to stop fapping anytime we want a context menu?

      That's a sure-fire way to alienate Microsoft's user base...

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    21. Re:Just... by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      Adware is heavily frowned upon by most and to have something you paid for be adware is thoroughly unacceptable.

      You paid for Windows. You got Windows.

      http://windows.com/

      I challenge you to find the News app or Finance map listed as a Windows 8 feature.

    22. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *shrug*
      (a) A person commits theft of services if

      the person obtains services, known by that person to be available only for compensation, by deception, force, threat, or other means to avoid payment for the services;
              having control over the disposition of services of others to which the person is not entitled, the person knowingly diverts those services to the person's own benefit or to the benefit of another not entitled to them; or
              the person obtains the use of computer time, a computer system, a computer program, a computer network, or any part of a computer system or network, with reckless disregard that the use by that person is unauthorized.

    23. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's called "long press", as in you press it for a long time. Long press or short press (tap).

      One could say it finds it's roots in morse code, but not really. With touch screens it introduces you to a new layer of hell, because if the buttong you're trying to "long press" is too small, and next to other buttons, the center of your finger blob will drift, and the interface will think you're doing something stupid and destroy work, or cause data loss on you.

    24. Re:Just... by DeathFromSomewhere · · Score: 1

      To select a tile, drag downwards on it. You can also pop up the app bar by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen.

      --
      -1 overrated isn't the same thing as "I disagree".
    25. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TL:DR

      If you're already paying for a service, skipping or killing the ads if by no means considered theft of services. Seeesh.

    26. Re:Just... by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      or just raise your middle finger(s) to tabletOS-on-desktop systems and go find a real computer to get work done on.

    27. Re:Just... by Cinder6 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The OS doesn't have ads; it's a couple built-in (Metro) apps you probably won't ever use after that one time you open them to see what they are. I agree it's an asinine move, but it's one that won't affect most users.

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    28. Re:Just... by Cinder6 · · Score: 2

      You fap to finance apps?

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    29. Re:Just... by Cormacus · · Score: 2

      Kindof like cable tv.

      --
      Mon chien, il n'a pas du nez. Comment scent-il? TrÃs mauvais!
    30. Re:Just... by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 2

      I'd think that anything involving the middle finger while using Windows would cause a whole bunch of false positives.

      --
      Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
    31. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The comment string isn't about blocking ads, it is about forcing ads via paid for software that was not purchased to deliver ads.

    32. Re:Just... by SandwhichMaster · · Score: 2

      Maybe the ads don't effect many users now, but that's how they get their foot in the door.

      Remember the Xbox 360 dashboard when the system first came out? Now look at it. You can barely see the screens you want to use, because everything is cluttered with ads.

    33. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It holds his interest.

    34. Re:Just... by Desler · · Score: 1

      What is deceitful about these apps having ads? Please outline the supposed "deception".

    35. Re:Just... by digitalsolo · · Score: 1

      You don't?

      Obviously you're not a Republican.

      --
      Just another ignorant American.
    36. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whatever, just edit your hosts file to block them.

      http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/08/19/1923210/windows-8-changes-host-file-blocking

      Uh oh. That doesn't work either.

    37. Re:Just... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Unless you're like everyone else, and have to pay bank fees when you bank a cheque. It's $0.25 per cheque for me. I wouldn't bank any cheque less than a few dollars.

    38. Re:Just... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      That's how its been working for over 10 years on Windows CE.

    39. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      NOAA.gov provides all the weather information for free.

      The stock tickers aren't live--they are 15min delayed--I could list all the free, ad-free sources for the data but it would be a wall of text.

      Instead of worrying about what apps to install/not install--how about just skip the OS altogether...

    40. Re:Just... by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      Annoyingly, Metro is moving away from the tap-and-hold. MS thinks it's a non-discoverable thing. I think MS is stupid for saying so - tap-and-hold is the default way I try to get more UI options on a touchscreen, and has been so for years - but so they claim nonetheless.

      The correct way to "right click" an app on the Win8 Start screen when using touch is to flick it downward. Basically a drag of about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch; if you drag it much more than that it will start moving the tile. Alternatively, you could either use a mouse, stylus, or trackpad (the Surface RT supports the former and includes the latter on its covers) to right-click.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    41. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Time to find a new bank. Here in the US the banks are nickel and diming us to death too. That is why I do my banking at a local credit union.

    42. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My last post was supposed to read as

      TL:DR

      If you're already paying for a service, skipping or killing the ads is by no means considered theft of services. Seeesh.

      Damn typo errors.

    43. Re:Just... by Cinder6 · · Score: 1

      It's always had ads, but I'll agree it's a whole lot worse these days, and you make a good point.

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    44. Re:Just... by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 1

      TL:DR? Next time, try reading the thread before attempting to summarize it, dolt. The conversation is about the ads being theft of your bandwidth service, not that not getting them is theft of Microsoft's service.

      Sheesh.

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    45. Re:Just... by musikit · · Score: 1

      you know i dont remember in my OS class us talking about stock tickers and news functionality as standard OS functions. virtual memory, file management... yes. new aggregators, cant quite remember that.

    46. Re:Just... by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 1

      Charm bar? It's right next to the Magic Bar, and that's of course just above the Wonder Bar!

      I think I need a drink with all this talk of Bars. If only there was a public place I could consume mass quantities of alcohol!

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    47. Re:Just... by 10101001+10101001 · · Score: 1

      This is a stupid non-story. The reason Microsoft has ads (besides a desire to make money) is that these features are delivering content that costs money.

      Um..and? You make it sound like MS puts ads on, oh, WMP to cover the h264 licensing fees. No, wait, you end up paying MS a set fee--the cost of the OS--and they figure out how to pay whatever licensing fees or whatever out of that. The same for hosting and maintaining microsoft.com.

      Microsoft is providing a premium service through the ad supported apps.

      Wow, such a premium service to wrap a web page *with ads* in an app. You know, to me, that sounds like the exact opposite of a premium service.

      And these are also applications which aren't a part of the core OS experience. If you don't want them... uninstall and pick another app without ads.

      Well at least you can remove them. Good thing they didn't make it the "ad delivery engine" and tie IE into using it as a core service. Or just generally, they could have made the "ad delivery engine" to allow for ad-supported apps for an app store...which would be a great thing to hack to block the ads and effectively get a lot of free apps. I guess that sort of begs the question, what sort of legal situation are you in if you do block the ads?

      --
      Eurohacker European paranoia, gun rights, and h
    48. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you're telling me no paid applications have ads and that if they do they are thieves? I have never seen anything stipulating that an application can only have ads if it is free.

    49. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "You have to pay the Weather channel to provide you with detailed hourly forecasts and historical data."

      No you don't.

    50. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So if I disable everything related to receiving stock symbols and similar information, and thereby not use any of their "free" services, can I be certain that my computer will not try to contact Microsoft's ad servers (or any third-party servers for that matter)?

    51. Re:Just... by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      Oooohh, complex derivatives, yea baby....

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    52. Re:Just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have to pay the Weather channel to provide you with detailed hourly forecasts and historical data.

      Use NOAA you already paid for it with your taxes. Where do you think Weather Channel gets their information? NOAA. So why not get your information straight from the same source as the Weather Channel. NOAA has no ads.

  6. Who cares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    It's all of those silly Bing! apps that nobody wants to use anyway. Stop being a crybaby.

  7. Kind of sleezy by CastrTroy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This kind of caught me off guard too. The music App started showing me ads, and not just little images off to the side, but full screen videos asking me to sign up for a subscription. I thought that the :"Music" app was what I was supposed to use to listen to the music I already owned. Not some nagware that tried to convince me to buy more music off the MS specific store. I promptly removed the music from my desktop after that and just went to download Winamp, since WMP and the new music app were completely unable to play FLAC files anyway. I can't see how MS isn't going to get in trouble for this one. If they got in trouble for doing it with browsers, which were mostly free anyway, even before they started including them, just think of how Apple is going to react to MS embedding a music store in the OS, or Steam is going to react to adding a games store in the OS.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    1. Re:Kind of sleezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Games are available via the Apple Apps store, why shouldn't MS be able to do the same? Steam's support for OSX is pretty lame and I can see where MS wants to get away from that culture.

    2. Re:Kind of sleezy by WilliamGeorge · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Disclaimer: I don't like ads; in fact, I generally hate them.

      However...

      Do you think Apple doesn't 'embed' a music store in their OS? Doesn't iTunes come pre-installed on both MacOS and iOS?

      --
      William George
    3. Re:Kind of sleezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Like the frog in the water, the gradually increasing temperature seems forever just barely tolerable. Jump out, my amphibious friend! There is world outside the pot!

    4. Re:Kind of sleezy by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Informative

      Do you think Apple doesn't 'embed' a music store in their OS? Doesn't iTunes come pre-installed on both MacOS and iOS?

      Yeah, but neither the iTunes player nor the store show me ads.

      You launch the music player, you play music. You launch the music store, and it will show you stuff to buy.

      This is ads embedded in the native apps ... which is a whole different thing.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    5. Re:Kind of sleezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple isn't legally a monopoly.

    6. Re:Kind of sleezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apples and oranges. When I open a music STORE app I expect a few ads.

      When I use a paid office or finance app I shouldn't have ads, especially ads that interupt my train of thought and slow down my work.

    7. Re:Kind of sleezy by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yeah, but I can use iTunes, I've used it often. It has the feature to buy music. It has not once shown me a full screen ad asking my to buy music. In fact, at least as I recall from using it on Windows, if you don't click on the store, which is a small thing on the left hand side, you never see the store. Whereas the "Music" app from Microsoft, is basically a store with the added feature of being able to play some music. If you want to listen to your own music, you have to scroll the screen to the left, which for most people is completely unintuitive because most people would assume you already start out on the far left of a horizontally scrollable interface, not some weird place in the middle. Also, Apple is not in a monopoly position, and Microsoft is, so that changes the rules a bit.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    8. Re:Kind of sleezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's quite a bit of a difference between opening an app to buy music or apps and seeing ads. I very much expect a store front app to have ads.

      I don't expect a music player to have ads. I don't expect a stock app to have ads. I don't expect a weather app to have ads.

      My favorite bit of all of this? Half the ads I've tapped on lead to an error of some sort or another.

    9. Re:Kind of sleezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The XBox music app has it's annoyances, but it's pretty easy to configure the app so that your music is front and center and not their XBox store/sub content. I was extremely annoyed too (and I'm an old Zune pass user). But once I figured out the configuration I stopped hating this app.

    10. Re:Kind of sleezy by tgd · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do you think Apple doesn't 'embed' a music store in their OS? Doesn't iTunes come pre-installed on both MacOS and iOS?

      Yeah, but neither the iTunes player nor the store show me ads.

      You launch the music player, you play music. You launch the music store, and it will show you stuff to buy.

      This is ads embedded in the native apps ... which is a whole different thing.

      Of course iTunes does -- the whole right column in the display is ads trying to get you to buy music related to what you've got, or complete the album the music is from, etc ...

    11. Re:Kind of sleezy by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Of course iTunes does -- the whole right column in the display is ads trying to get you to buy music related to what you've got, or complete the album the music is from, etc ...

      Which is trivially collapsed and never seen again.

      TFA is talking about full page ads, and the weather application showing ads for hair products.

      As I said, a whole different thing.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    12. Re:Kind of sleezy by spire3661 · · Score: 1

      I have to say there is similarity. The Store button is WAY too pominent and it is positioned in a prime button spot. I dont want a store button in my MP3 player at all, thats what itunes is for.

      --
      Good-bye
    13. Re:Kind of sleezy by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      It's interesting... the first thought I had was that Microsoft was taking a page from the cable companies' playbook.

      After all, people accept buying a service from them that:
      -sends you ads via snail mail
      -pays for content, but still shows ads inserted by the cable company
      -additionally shows entertainment you're subscribing to that contains its own ads
      -also includes product placement.

      Microsoft/Apple et al still have a way to go to get to that level of audacity. Likely they'll get there though, calmly explaining that these added ads allow them to offer their products and services at a lower rate to us, the consumers.

    14. Re:Kind of sleezy by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 2

      You should really think of the Music App as Spotify that can also play your local music. It's really designed to be used with the subscription, hence the overt push to use it as such.

      When you use it as a glorified Spotify + Hard Drive MP3s the UI works pretty smoothly. A search for music returns either your music or streaming music. If you choose a Pandora style mix it uses again both your own music and the internet service.

      If you just want a pure "play my music" the UI is atrocious.

    15. Re:Kind of sleezy by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      In the iTunes player? Where is this big giant button you're talking about?

      I'm looking at my iTunes in Windows right now, and there's two line items in the folder view for the store, and one function menu. 99% of my screen is for my music collection, and has nothing at all to do with the store.

      I'm not sure I follow what you're saying about the Store button being hugely prominent -- it's barely there.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    16. Re:Kind of sleezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then they'll just change the app name from "Music" to "MusicStore".
      It's probably just that you think it's an app that should use to playback music with, but there's WMP for that.
      Music is for you to buy some, and of course, to help a sell, they can stream samples, and playback as well.

    17. Re:Kind of sleezy by spire3661 · · Score: 1

      Im talking about on my phone/tablet which has itunes and music as separate but linked apps. I dont think there is a need for a store button in the mp3 player app. Im tired of every device I have continuously trying to sell me things. Stores are great, but there needs to be limits. I dont want computing to become 'all buy all the time', and its headed that direction.

      --
      Good-bye
    18. Re:Kind of sleezy by Cinder6 · · Score: 1

      Apple apps don't have any ads, even bundled apps. Will they eventually go there? Well, they do have a patent for that...

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    19. Re:Kind of sleezy by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      Apple apps don't have any ads, even bundled apps. Will they eventually go there? Well, they do have a patent for that...

      Indeed, although the Apple weather app gets awfully close to having ads -- the details button takes you to a Yahoo page that contains ads.

    20. Re:Kind of sleezy by nine-times · · Score: 1

      It's a good point, but ultimately a very different issue. First, you can turn off those ads very easily. Second, these are ads for music which are essentially included inside a music store, served by a recommendation engine that may be giving legitimately useful recommendations.

      I think there's a really important distinction between "ads that I can choose to see regarding things I might actually want to buy in a relevant context" vs "being forced to view ads that I probably don't want to see in an arbitrary context".

    21. Re:Kind of sleezy by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the Music app is kind of a big step backward from either the Zune app or Windows Media Player. The latter is still present, even on Windows RT, though.

      The former... the Music app is supposed to replace it, but oh man is it a let-down. The Zune app was better both as a simple music player (it actually had a very nice UI starting with v2; the v1 was just a re-skinned WMP) *and* as a vehicle for the subscription service (far better than the Xbox Muxic app that supposedly focuses on said service...)

      I don't mind the ads, but holy crap the app itself is lame.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    22. Re:Kind of sleezy by Missing.Matter · · Score: 1

      It's also trivially easy to avoid the music store in Windows 8. In the app, go to Settings -> Prefereces -> and switch "Startup View: When the app opens, show my music" to on.

      After that, you'll never see the music store unless you go to it, and you won't get any ads while playing your own music. If you want to stream full length songs for free, then yes, you will have to listen to ads. I don't see how this is something to complain about though.

      Ads in the weather app (or more aptly, the single static image ad) are all the way at the end, past all the data. They're not exactly intrusive; there isn't even an add on the current conditions and forecast data. You only see it if you want to look at the monthly historical rainfall and temperature data. Nonetheless if you want a free app without ads, there are a few available on the Windows store.

    23. Re:Kind of sleezy by Missing.Matter · · Score: 1

      If you want to listen to your own music, you have to scroll the screen to the left

      There's an option to start at your music library. Settings -> Preferences -> Startup View

    24. Re:Kind of sleezy by Missing.Matter · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry but I don't really understand your complaint. Are you saying you were playing your own music and full screen ads came up between tracks? That has never happened to me. The only time I've gotten ads is when I'm streaming music from the music store. If you're doing the latter and listening to full music tracks for free, how can you complain about ads?

    25. Re:Kind of sleezy by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Well, I still have a struggle referring to these as applications or even "apps". I mean whoever went out to a store to buy the latest "Microsoft Travel" in a box? Really it's just a frigging URL probably wrapped up inside some fluffy XML. And there are ads on the web so, duh, of course there are ads in these web-like mini applets.

      Really the whole start screen is just a type of web browser, or maybe a type of smart phone screen (smart being part of the oxymoron I'm afraid). It all done in javascript too as I heard. Who has ever looked at the sample screenshot and said "ooh, Finance and Weather about time Microsoft gave us something useful like that instead of productive stuff like notepad or calc"?

      But put that smartphone idiocy to the side and there's a real desktop behind it to do work on. The brain killing start screen is only there to attract the kiddies.

    26. Re:Kind of sleezy by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Hmm, I've never seen an ad in itunes on my windows computer that I can recall. I've never gone to their web site though, and never clicked on anything resembling a store and I don't have an apple id or a microsoft id.

    27. Re:Kind of sleezy by tgd · · Score: 1

      Hmm, I've never seen an ad in itunes on my windows computer that I can recall. I've never gone to their web site though, and never clicked on anything resembling a store and I don't have an apple id or a microsoft id.

      I know reading can be hard sometimes, but perhaps the grown ups were talking about ads in iTunes, not ads for iTunes.

    28. Re:Kind of sleezy by vlueboy · · Score: 1

      Doesn't iTunes come pre-installed on both MacOS and iOS?

      This is tangential, but OS 8.6 (ca. 1998) is the last MacOS version I recall that lacked iTunes out of the box, because iTunes and iPods (separately came out in 2001) did not exist yet. The date for iTunes coincides with OS 9.1's January release.

      GP mentioned Winamp. Mac users like I used to be had just Quicktime, and independent players were almost not sought for... "MacAmp" was garbage... I am disgusted to have just learned that this ported namesake was actually made by Nullsoft people. It was renamed Macast later to avoid brand polution that would tarnish their Windows version.

      The whole reason for Winamp's mainstream success was nonexistent on the Mac IIRC: SKINS! for the not-so-mainstream, it was its format plugins; PC Plugins that were never Mac-ready, though. This means that gamers like me who enjoy alternative audio formats had a windows-only fix. You had to wait for individual developers* to randomly take a liking to both the MacOS, also to reverse engineering, then also to the one format you needed emulated, like .NSF. If your stuff was only available in another sound emulation format, you were out of luck. Finally, the devs had the hurdle of being forced to build a GUI for it. Considering that mainstream Windows and Linux geeks were not really into MacOS till years after 10.x came out, and that they tended to rely on toolkits that were not Mac-ready in those dark days of the late nineties, and that there was no command line to wire up a quick and dirty a sound-only solution with command line switches, things were pretty bleak.

      I'm going to give Winamp a whirl on this PC now. I've been playing plain old Overclocked MP3s for ages, and had forgotten all about the skins for years. I probably have the skin files I loved somewhere in my decade-old backups.

      * I think this developer I linked actually was Mac-only and ported to Windows about a decade later. Probably thanks to MacOS-X's newly cross-platform tools like GCC.

    29. Re:Kind of sleezy by Suddenly_Dead · · Score: 1

      I've never seen ads in the music app for music on my own system. The music app also streams music from Microsoft's Xbox Music service; if you do a search within the music app, I think it looks for Xbox Music music by default instead of music in your own library. If you're playing that music, you get ads unless you subscribe, which I think is perfectly reasonable. I really like getting free music, by the way, and a good number of the albums I've tried searching for are on there, including some somewhat obscure ones. We don't get Spotify or Pandora in Canada, though.

    30. Re:Kind of sleezy by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      I've never seen ads IN itunes. Seriously. But I have never clicked on anything that would have sent me to a store. I only ripped some CDs and get podcosts.

  8. Operating systems have come a long way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I guess Tanenbaum will have to add a new chapter to the next printing of his Operating Systems textbook.

    1. Re:Operating systems have come a long way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He could add it to the security chapter. Maybe point out that ad servers are the number one source of javascript exploits, so it's maybe not a good idea to be downloading them automatically.

      Or he could add it to the networking chapter; maybe a section explaining how to block the ad servers.

    2. Re:Operating systems have come a long way by DiEx-15 · · Score: 1

      I guess Tanenbaum will have to add a new chapter to the next printing of his Operating Systems textbook.

      Probably brought to you by Microsoft Money or some porn site.

  9. Cable TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like cable TV.

    Well, on the bright side, maybe you didn't expect ads in software you paid for, but next time you will. You sound like someone in 1993 complaining that Windows sucks, and that's ok. Nothing wrong with that. But the guy saying the same thing in 1998, even if it's equally true, sounds like a moron because he didn't have any expectations of it not sucking. Don't be that guy in 2017.

    Let's get back to ignoring that irrelevant company, now. More than enough time has been spent covering their newest product.

  10. No one expects ads in paid software by Andy+Prough · · Score: 3, Interesting
    1. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Andy+Prough · · Score: 1

      Or like how Steam tries to bombard users with popup ads anytime they want to play the games they've already paid for?

    2. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If someone didn't expect the little ads on the pause screen in Angry Birds Star Wars, they've never seen Angry Birds, Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Seasons, or Angry Birds Rio.

    3. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The difference of course is that steam pops up the add after the game has finished playing.

      Microsoft is popping up the add WITHIN the application itself.

      If steam injected adds inside the games I paid for, then frankly I'd not be using steam.

      I'm using this same logic and won't use Windows 8, unless dragged screaming with no other choice with business needs or until Windows 8 changes their practices and design.

    4. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or like how Steam tries to bombard users with popup ads anytime they want to play the games they've already paid for?

      [[citation needed]]. The store popups come AFTER you've played a game you've already paid for (or not; this applies to free-to-play games, too), and they can be turned off in the main Steam settings (again, this also applies to free-to-play games, too).

    5. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Ziggitz · · Score: 2

      I think you'll find a lot of people really don't mind those ads, because they're games in a games platform in an application where you buy and play games. Often the adds are for ridiculously marked down rates, which the user is happy to be informed of, especially if you're a college student on a budget and that triple A title you couldn't afford 6 months ago is 60% off. It's also one click to get rid of and nobody has Steam, plays games through Steam and frequently launches Steam that doesn't buy games through Steam.

      --
      There is no memory shortage. yes I have heard of XFCE. Go away.
    6. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by The+Moof · · Score: 4, Informative

      Or like how Steam tries to bombard users with popup ads anytime they want to play the games they've already paid for?

      I'm not sure how you're using Steam, but this has never happened to me.

    7. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is an option to enable pop-up deals of the day and such.

      I think it maybe turned on by default, but I can only laugh if people don't even look at the options on newly installed software.

    8. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Sepodati · · Score: 1

      The Win8 ads are all the way at the "end" of the application. You have to scroll all the way to the right to see them. They don't "pop up" anywhere. They also don't block your access to the data/news/music/whatever you're after. At least that's what I saw in the weather, sports, news, etc. apps I just opened.

    9. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "Bombard" seems a bit harsh for a single popup window with no auto-playing video/audio that doesn't resize and focus itself five times and doesn't prevent you from closing it within 30 seconds. Moreover, in my experience, the Steam popup occurs maybe once for every ten times I launch a game. And its contents are almost always relevant to me, since I'm there for games in the first place. And maybe it informs me of a sale, or an update to a game I own, or some guest passes I've yet to distribute, which I might have missed otherwise.

    10. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Not true for all ads. A full screen video ad started playing when I was in the music app. 2 guys, who I can only assume are musicians based on context (but I didn't recognize them) asking my to sign up for the xBox music service. If the app as called music store or something I might have expected it a little bit more. But it's simply identified as "Music" and shows a pair of headphones. As a user who didn't read much about Windows 8 before buying it, I figured this was what I should click on to play my music. Overall I'm not disappointed in my purchase. $39.99 is a great price. But MS made some pretty bad moves here.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    11. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 2

      What - Like Angry Birds on the iPad?

      But Angry Birds doesn't ship with iOS, does it? To me, that's a big difference. You expect - apparently naively - for your OS vendor to be classier. The unspoken agreement is that they're supposed to sell you a clean system that you can then pollute as you see fit.

      When you buy a TV, you expect that you'll see ads in the shows you watch on it. You probably don't expect the TV itself to display ads. Well, that's the sort of separation we've always had with our operating systems, and it's one I'd very much like to keep intact.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    12. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Emetophobe · · Score: 2

      You can disable that, I haven't seen any steam ads in years.

      View -> Settings -> Interface -> Notify me (with Steam instant messages) about additions or changes to my games, new releases, and upcoming releases.

    13. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by quacking+duck · · Score: 1

      Not sure if you were trying to contradict the premise of your title quote, but your link 100% supports the assertion that no one expects ads in paid software, as users tanked the app's approval rating overnight.

    14. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he's referring to the window that sometimes comes up after you close a game. You know, the one that's usually full of cheap deals, only comes up a maximum of once per day and that you can turn off in the preferences.

    15. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      What about when you watch a movie you've paid for, and they is a bunch of previews and trailers before hand? What about WITHIN the movie where it's full of product placements for Coke, Mercedes, Lenovo and Apple that all paid big money to have their brand in the movie?

    16. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      The unspoken agreement is that they're supposed to sell you a clean system that you can then pollute as you see fit.

      In the case of iOS, you can only pollute as they see fit

    17. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I dont mind those ads.

      They are always for products that they have on sale, or are open for preorders. I can close all the ads, with one x. It does not show me the ads until I have quit the game. It does not seem to be serving customized ads. It also only shows me an ad once, no matter how many games I go into and out of. I close one game, scroll through three ads, and then I do not see ads again at least until the next day.

    18. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by SatiricComet · · Score: 1

      He's probably referring to the popup's after you close a game, showing you new games available on steam. They can be turned off in preferences.

    19. Re:No one expects ads in paid software by strikethree · · Score: 1

      There is a checkbox under settings->interface that says whether or not you should be notified of a number of things, including ads for upcoming games.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
  11. Ads everywhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    people will pay money to be walking billboards, I think that having ads in paid for software is expected.

    Been around a while in games (the launchers), print media, TV

    Paying for ads is nothing new. Desirable? no, but not unexpected.

  12. You paid for a license by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You paid MS to license Windows8. You didn't buy a copy. Ergo, you are agreeing to pay MS a specified sum of money to view ads which happen to come with programs that you can also use.

    1. Re:You paid for a license by davidwr · · Score: 1

      Mod parent +5 insightful sarcasm

      OR

      Mod parent -5 clueless about the /. consensus regarding this topic.

      The deadpan delivery was so successful that I'm not sure which applies.

      --
      Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    2. Re:You paid for a license by idontgno · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think it was +5+5i "Funny Because it's True"

      I'd explain, but it's complex.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    3. Re:You paid for a license by fph+il+quozientatore · · Score: 3, Insightful

      you are agreeing to pay MS a specified sum of money to view ads which happen to come with programs that you can also use.

      It doesn't seem much different from cable TV, if you put it this way.

      --
      My first program:

      Hell Segmentation fault

    4. Re:You paid for a license by Gaygirlie · · Score: 1

      You paid MS to license Windows8. You didn't buy a copy.

      That is true in the U.S., but not e.g here in Finland. The law says you buy a shelf product it IS a shelf product, or to use a common metaphora: "It walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, therefore it is a duck."

    5. Re:You paid for a license by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think it was +5+5i "Funny Because it's True"

      I'm an electrjcal engjneer, you jnsensjtjve clod!

    6. Re:You paid for a license by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      YOU may have payed for the copy you are using.

    7. Re:You paid for a license by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's exactly why the terms buy, get should be ILLEGAL to apply to licensed stuff. The license can be revoked, the licensed item can have further limitations. It even should be illegal to make a one time payment for what is essentially a lease.

    8. Re:You paid for a license by SirKron · · Score: 1

      Everyone should now know why Windows 8 costs less than Windows 7.

  13. Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is there, or has there ever been, ANY reason why you would put Windows 8 on a desktop or laptop? There's not a single positive new feature or advantage of it that I've heard of. And I'm being serious, I really haven't heard one thing it does new or better than 7.

    Phones/Tablets, I can understand, but why would you on a desktop or laptop?

    1. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by tepples · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Is there, or has there ever been, ANY reason why you would put Windows 8 on a desktop or laptop?

      Because the store no longer sells computers with Windows 7 perhaps?

    2. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by davidwr · · Score: 1

      Yes, so I can learn it and provide tech support to people who do.

      Now, as to what reason THEY would have to put it on other than because that's what was pre-installed on it or because they plan on using it beyond Windows 7's "expiration"/end-of-life date? No, I can't think of any reason.

      --
      Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    3. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by cayenne8 · · Score: 2

      Because the store no longer sells computers with Windows 7 perhaps?

      I just went to Dell site....looking in the Home and Small business offerings, they all seemed to be Win7 as the OS they come installed with.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    4. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 1

      You really really want a tickless kernel?

      --

      "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
    5. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reasons to put 8 on a laptop/desktop: Faster boot times, better task manager, the file copy issues in 7 have been fixed in 8.

      Running 7 on an SSD, and adding the third party app TeraCopy makes Windows 7 very usable, but I can see the appeal of 8 once there's a way to completely disable Metro/Modern.

    6. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who buys these pre-assembled crap? Never met a single person in my 32 years.

    7. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I installed it on an old XP machine. Why? It was suffering from Windows rot and so I needed to re-install Windows. Installing XP seemed silly, so I went looking for a downloadable copy of 7. I found Microsofts seemingly "too good to be true" offer of $40 for 8, so I downloaded and installed it.

      Yikes, what a mess. The "guts" are fine - it seems exactly like Windows 7. But the interface is going to go down as a "teachable moment" at colleges, I think. It is quite literally two completely separate GUIs crudely duct-taped together. It's a lot like running a virtualized instance of another OS on a separate screen. The one side is mostly unaware of what the other side is doing. They even have two totally separate "control panels" now.

      In XP I used to run a utility that let me hit a button and start typing the name of the application I wanted to run, and then enter. Vista and 7 had this built-in when you hit the Windows key. Now, the Windows key brings up the Start Screen, and while you can still start typing, the results come up in a separate area and you need to click on them. So now I'm back to a utility that lets me quick-start applications! Full circle.

      Oh, and file transfers are now counted in "files per second" rather than "megabytes per second". I certainly hope some MS engineers resigned in disgust over that little change.

      So to answer your question... no, there is no reason to put Windows 8 on a desktop or laptop. And it looks to me like even a Surface would be a pain in the ass. There's no file browser on the full-screen side, so you still have to poke around in Windows Explorer with your finger. Control Panel is still necessary, since not all settings are available in the full-screen side - so you have to poke around with your finger there as well. I know that Windows has had tablet versions almost forever, but they all really needed a stylus.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    8. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, and file transfers are now counted in "files per second" rather than "megabytes per second".

      What? Where?

      Says megabytes per second here.

    9. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't want ticks on my kernel, or anywhere else on my body. SIMPLE

    10. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Try moving files to the trash, emptying the trash, or moving files to another folder.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    11. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Cinder6 · · Score: 1

      I prefer Windows 8 to Windows 7 on the desktop. I've talked about it before, but what it comes down to is better organization (opinion), better search integration (opinion), native USB 3, better task manager, better multi-monitor support, synchronization of settings between computers, better notification system, better file-type association handling, better implementation of "previous versions", faster startup, and the ability to natively and easily create custom install images (actually, does 7 have this?).

      It's a nice upgrade for only $40, and I didn't even need to prove I owned Windows 7 (I do; but the system 8 is running on only had the Win8 RP installed). On the other hand, the Metro stuff is pretty pointless on a desktop/laptop, with what I feel are two exceptions: Kindle app and Netflix app.

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    12. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Cinder6 · · Score: 1

      You must not know many people.

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    13. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Gaygirlie · · Score: 1

      Well, faster boot times seems a useable advantage.

    14. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      me, myself and I plus all the people i see in mirrors never once bought any pre-assembled crap!! i even built my own outhouse... for the crap

    15. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did that. I could only get it to display items per second when deleting a large number of small files. When moving that same set of files it showed kilobytes per second, and when deleting a smaller number of large files it showed no dialogue at all.

    16. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

      Windows 8 copy dialog does show the actual speed of the transfer, you have to expand details and it shows in the graph IIRC.

    17. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

      Just realized it could be because I only have the RC. Final version is definitely different in some aspects, I noticed a screenshot indicates you can name Start screen groups in Windows 8 but you can't do this in the RC. Plus there seems to be separate Window Stores for the RC and final.

    18. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Jackie_Chan_Fan · · Score: 2

      Windows 8 is actually a very very good OS, despite the underdeveloped windows App portion. The ui that blends desktop and "modern ui" (apps) is actually very well done. Its a very efficient OS, the problem is that MS as usual, has put out a great idea, that is not well supported or developed to perfection. This is what Apple is so good at. Apple tends to focus on the user experience, and Microsoft focuses on the tech idea, but not fulfilling the experience.

      Windows 8 is technically an amazing OS. It is FASTER than windows 7. It is leaner, lighter, smoother, and integrates touch interface/app with desktop app space. It does it extremely well, considering how ambitious of an idea it is. MS really deserves credit for what they're trying to do. They're breaking new ground and doing it very well.

      However its not perfect. The OS is technically solid.. but the experience has yet to be fully realized, and therefore the user is does not get what he or she expects out of visionary idea MS has put forth.

    19. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Umm.. this might be a waste posting this in slashdot, but your post did get a +4, so I'll bite:

      There is a lot of mistruths in your post, I'd guess you actually haven't tried it, are actively trying to lie, or perhaps are just dumb.

      1. To open a program you simply hit the Windows key and type, then hit enter, just like in Windows Vista and 7. If its a setting you need to hit the down arrow key to get to it. The same method can be used to search for anything on the system including in apps.
      2. I have yet to see anything counted in files per second, its always in {G/M/k}B/s. Even has a nice little histogram. Way better than even Windows 7. Perhaps if you are moving hundreds of tiny files where the bottleneck isn't speed but rather overhead this might happen, in which case it would actually be a feature.

      Windows 8 has some other useful features such as Hyper-v included in the $40 pro version, and very fast start times. If it cost more than $40 for the upgrade, then I'd probably not recommend it, but if you go into it with an open mind its actually pretty reasonable.

    20. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Try the quick launch thing again. I hit windows, type 2-3 letters and hit enter and it will launch the top result. I've been using 8 for a few months and find it gets out of my way and lets me get stuff done my way.

    21. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Missing.Matter · · Score: 1
    22. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Oh, and file transfers are now counted in "files per second" rather than "megabytes per second". I certainly hope some MS engineers resigned in disgust over that little change."

      Why? Have you ever tried to move or copy a directory with 60,000 3-10kb files in it? Users scream in frustration when they see "copying...500kb/s....". It comes down to IOPS

    23. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure there is: Price.

      I recently decided to install a dual boot OS for gaming, but didn't feel like my old Vista CD was the way to go. I gave the free Win 8 release preview a shot, and it works fine for running games. It also let my buy and download the full version for a measly 40 USD.

      The downloader app created a bootable USB installer for me, and also let me burn a DVD just in case.

      Of course, the windows key really trips me up now that I'm used to XMonad where Win+ changes desktops.

    24. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      No bytes are copied when you move or delete a file. It would be weird seeing 327TB/s when I delete a large file in mere milliseconds.

    25. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      - It is faster at pretty much everything. http://lifehacker.com/5841702/windows-8-speed-tests-its-faster-at-pretty-much-everything
      - a lot of people love the new metro ui (obviously not everyone likes it)
      - access to a lot more apps via the Windows Store that work perfectly fine with the keyboard
      - there is a cheap upgrade that expires early next year
      - you can get multi-touch monitors for desktop machines
      - the number 8 is larger than 7

      I am sure there are plenty more I cannot think of.

    26. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Bought a Dell last week, still being shipped. Almost all of them were Windows 8. This was under "home" and not "home and small business". Under "deals" there was a choice for Windows 7, but they were not nearly as customizable as the Windows 8 options. My guess here is that the deals were essentially mostly pre-built stuff they want to get rid of, thus you can't customize them very much (except to upgrade the keyboard/mouse/speakers/etc).

      Of course I suspect the "home and small business" section still has Windows 7 as those are more business oriented.

    27. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      I think over time there will be reason. Ie, windows 7 won't have a new service pack, it'll be a mess of individual patches and updates, so Windows 8 eventually (say with SP1) will be a cleaner freshly installed OS than Windows 7 followed by several hours of updating. That's for home use I mean, businesses I assume just image drives and don't worry about this.

      I would however wait until SP1 though, let everyone figure out all the wierd gotchas wind W8, learn how to best deal with the schizoid nature of desktop and start screen not realizing the other exists, and maybe some extra third party applications to make the desktop-only side more viable.

    28. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Good point - forgive the brain fart. It just caught my eye as a completely useless metric.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    29. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I got lured in by the price as well, but honestly I prefer Vista, which really isn't the worst nightmare on earth now that it's all patched up.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    30. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Two things:
      1. I'm a moron, and so while items/s is a meaningless metric, it is only used when you aren't doing something where MB/s makes more sense.

      2. You'll see it if you move something, not during a copy.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    31. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      1. I honestly was frustrated by this yesterday, yet I just went and tried it and it is working. Not very fast, but it is working. Chalk this up to "just dumb" I guess.
      2. I like the histogram, but I'm not a big fan of the files/s metric. On further investigation, this only happens when you do operations that previously gave no feedback at all except the progress bar and time remaining. This is firmly in the "just dumb" category, and I retract my criticism.

      Like I said, the "guts" seem fine. I have no need for hyper-v but it sounds nice, and yes, startup seems decent. The price is right, but is mitigated somewhat by the fact that it is adware.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    32. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Nope, it's because I'm an idiot and confused the copy dialog with the empty trash, move to trash, and move files dialogs.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    33. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, I am coming from a *very* similar angle - XP to 8, knowing 7 as well as some Linux OS. I see your point of the duct-taped Metro (or whatever it is called now) environment, but I simply try to ignore it and use it only as a start and launcher menu. Just remove the tiles you never use and you have more space.
      For me, hitting the Windows key and typing the program name works fine (provided the proper shortcuts exist in the C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs), so there is no additional pain compared to running Launchy, which would probably still be an option.
      In general, the experience has been more pleasant than anticipated for me, and cheaper than the alternative of purchasing a full version of Windows 7. In contrast to XP, SSD and SATA are known entities to this OS, and things have worked pretty smoothly overall.
      Now, there are some things that I did not like too much, obviously. Why it is still required to install third-party programs to keep windows in the foreground after all these years is beyond me. Forcing this full-screen system on every desktop user without the option to revert back to windows that are ergonomically more suitable for this environment (e.g. for the configuration of a Bluetooth device or printer) is irritating, but nothing I would lose sleep over. YMMV, obviously.

    34. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I work on an app for Win8 but this so far is the best phrasing I've heard of it. When people asked me how Win8 was I would tell them it's not bad, but it feels kind of unnecessary. The Win8UI (we can't call it Metro) isn't awful, but the fact that it's just kind of... sitting along side Windows 7 just is strange. The different control panels, the fact that there isn't any connection between Win7 desktop and Win8 GUI. It's not confusing or difficult but just seems like change for change's sake, without a lot of thought put into it past: fingers need to be able to touch buttons.

      It's just overwhelmingly underwhelming as an OS.

    35. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by 10101001+10101001 · · Score: 1

      Yikes, what a mess. The "guts" are fine - it seems exactly like Windows 7. But the interface is going to go down as a "teachable moment" at colleges, I think. It is quite literally two completely separate GUIs crudely duct-taped together. It's a lot like running a virtualized instance of another OS on a separate screen. The one side is mostly unaware of what the other side is doing. They even have two totally separate "control panels" now.

      You've basically just described Linux. I mean, good luck trying to harmonize the appearance or behavior of programs in Linux. KDE4/KDE3/GTK3/GTK2/etc and trying to make them all use the same theme, color scheme, fonts, font rendering, etc... And of course there's all the odd-ball applications (Chrome comes to mind) that want to look different to get noticed. Of course, that's the excuse that every app and UI goes with and the reason that nearly every new release has to look different just to convince you to upgrade even if it's just to make the buttons rounder or shiner or whatever.

      Oh, and just for laughs, yes, Apple is just as guilty of this. I just don't really give a fuck about Apple.

      --
      Eurohacker European paranoia, gun rights, and h
    36. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I'll be damned, it is working now... maybe I was impatient because my computer is slow, but I spent a bunch of time looking for an alternative.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    37. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      You've basically just described Linux.

      Yes, I would say you nailed it. Windows has basically devolved to the same level of usability as Linux. It also reminds me of X applications run inside of the MacOS.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    38. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Vegemeister · · Score: 1

      But that makes sense. None of those things involve moving data around, unless the folder is on a different block device.

    39. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      For me, hitting the Windows key and typing the program name works fine.

      For some reason, it wasn't working initially and I was actually looking at reinstalling Launchy. I suspect I was either being impatient or it hadn't finished indexing, or when I was playing with settings I turned on some accessability feature. Or, I could just be an idiot. In any case, it's working almost the same way Windows 7 did now, at least for Apps.

      n general, the experience has been more pleasant than anticipated for me

      I think that's what got me wound up... I kind of blew off the bad reviews as hot air. Vista got universally panned, and it actually was not that bad. And Windows 7 is almost pleasant. So I was kind of startled to find that Windows 8 actually was worse than Windows 7, and in a way that was going to be painful to explain to my wife. I'm also still worked up about the crappy Ribbon interface of Office. Spent the better part of a year getting back to my level of competence and speed. And the worst part is that they completely redid the interface without standardizing, so things like tables in PowerPoint bear little resemblance to tables in Word. And whatever the merits of a ribbon in theory, Outlook's ribbon was assembled by a cargo cult somewhere in the far Pacific.

      Anyway, I'm all for progress, but screwing up the desktop interface just so the 10 people who actually use a Microsoft touch interface can use the same exact code is a bad thing IMHO. Android and iOS shows that you can throw a new interface on top of existing kernels and libraries without putting your huge company out of business. You are right, it's nothing to lose sleep over, but I can't see my company adopting Windows 8 until Windows 7 becomes unavailable, either. I certainly will recommend that people avoid it.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    40. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Yup, I'm apparently semi-retarded. Or maybe full-blown.

      Since it was a new install, I was mostly moving things from Windows.old to various other folders - all on the same block device. I was also trashing things a lot and emptying the trash. I was just surprised by the new metric and assumed it showed up everywhere.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    41. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, and file transfers are now counted in "files per second" rather than "megabytes per second". I certainly hope some MS engineers resigned in disgust over that little change.

      Perhaps you clicked on it to change the display?

    42. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you've taken too many drugs.

    43. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      About the Windows key and typing for apps: No, you don't have to click on them. Just press enter exactly like you did with other versions of Windows. I use that all the time on Windows 8 and pressing enter works just fine.

    44. Re:Whyput 8 on a desktop or laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You shouldn't have to click on the search results. If I just press Enter, the first result is opened and can use the arrow keys to move to other results, just like in older versions.

      The separate GUIs thing is true, but their plan is for normal people to always stay in Metro. They just couldn't give up compatibility with legacy software...

  14. Automatic Payments by hduff · · Score: 1

    From Microsoft Wallet.

    --
    "I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
  15. THANKS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'd almost forgotten why i shun microsoft. This is a good reminder.

    1. Re:THANKS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Next thing you know they will be including Amazon shopping results in your desktop search results!

  16. No ads in Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I never see ads in Linux, even when using free apps.

    1. Re:No ads in Linux by Andy+Prough · · Score: 2

      I never see ads in Linux, even when using free apps.

      It's a brave new world out there for Ubuntu users: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/09/online-shopping-features-arrive-in-ubuntu-12-10

    2. Re:No ads in Linux by sqlrob · · Score: 1

      Not an Ubuntu user then I take it.

    3. Re:No ads in Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless it's Ubuntu.

    4. Re:No ads in Linux by Hatta · · Score: 1

      Exactly. I expect to see ads anywhere and everywhere, except in apps distributed through my Linux distribution's software repository.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    5. Re:No ads in Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm using a free Linux app (called Firefox) right now and if I scroll to the top of this page I can see advertisement!

    6. Re:No ads in Linux by fph+il+quozientatore · · Score: 1

      You see? Now Linux is innovating, and Microsoft is ripping off its new features!

      --
      My first program:

      Hell Segmentation fault

  17. How is this a Windows 8 Feature? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    How is this a Windows 8 Feature though and not something that the developer embedded into her app?

    1. Re:How is this a Windows 8 Feature? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... because the developer of said apps is Microsoft and they come with the OS? Didn't read TFS I take it?

    2. Re:How is this a Windows 8 Feature? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "How is this a Windows 8 Feature though and not something that the developer embedded into her app?"

      No worries, Decrapifier will handle it soon.

      http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/download

  18. would be interesting to see if you can block them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    does the windows firewall have an exception for this stuff????

    or are the ads built-in to the OS?

    either case is bad imho - REALLY bad

    seriously, the gui alone on win8 is a nail in coffin type of thing, but ads are even more so imho

  19. Corporate IT is going to hate this by davidwr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One more reason to exercise "down"grade rights.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:Corporate IT is going to hate this by danomac · · Score: 1

      Corporate IT would most likely have a firewall that blocks ad servers in place already.

  20. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can hardly believe this article was posted without researching the EULA. I would imagine it addresses this new feature. If it does, that's not news (other than the usual EULA hilarity). If it does not, that's news.

    The only thing that's "news" here is the rather unbelievable concept that you actually think people read EULAs anymore. Even if it did address it, chances are the words "built-in ads" are summed up inside three paragraphs of legalese that no one understands anyway.

  21. Re:EULA? by mcgrew · · Score: 2

    Only the second coment and it's parrotting "feature". How is this in any way a feature? features help the end user, anything that detracts from the user's experience is either a bug or a design flaw.

    This is not a feature, it's a flaw. A really BAD flaw.

  22. They're going to need the help by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because clearly they won't be making much money in any other format soon.

  23. Except for XBox 360 owners... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Microsoft has been putting ads in for quite some time, even though XBox Live is a paid service.

    1. Re:Except for XBox 360 owners... by firex726 · · Score: 1

      I was under the impression that BOTH the free and paid version got the ads.

  24. Sounds familiar.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh you mean nobody expects ads in something they pay for, like I dunno, Xbox Live? Oh wait that's a Microsoft product too....

  25. even more reason to migrate to Linux by 1800maxim · · Score: 1

    I have dual boot Ubuntu and XP. Ubuntu is taking the spot as my main OS more and more lately, and XP is there just for legacy apps.

    My wife likes Linux, though has XP on her dying laptop.

    We were considering going OS X and MacBook, but Apple's stringent control is to the liking of neither of us (and she's the opposite of a techie). And the rumour of moving to ARM?

    Thus, when her laptop dies, she'll get a new one with either Ubuntu or Mint, and our move to the next, new, modern operating system will bypass the Windows "ecosystem" altogether.

    P.S. Oh yeah, both our iPhones will be replaced by Android...

    1. Re:even more reason to migrate to Linux by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I, too, have traded my iPhone for an Android.

      That said, I must defend Apple on Macs. The Macs aren't closed at all. You can run arbitrary code on them, they give you a Unix command line - they can even boot other operating systems. In fact, the MacBooks make pretty darned good Windows laptops.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  26. Value Ad Apps != OS by Farmer+Pete · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You paid money for the OS. When an OS component has an ad, feel free to get angry. In the meantime, get over it. You don't have to use Microsoft free software. You can choose to download your own. Hell, this is Slashdot, you should be making your own, releasing the source, and publishing it to the Microsoft Store. Anyone who's unboxed a new computer will know that this is true. You just paid ______ computer company $____ for a computer! How dare they install advertisements, trialware, and crap software on your computer! Same issue, different company.

    1. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cool, except not everyone is a bitter slashdot geek. The masses don't deserve crappy adware, they just may not know they have a choice.

    2. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      "You paid money for the OS. When an OS component has an ad, feel free to get angry. In the meantime, get over it. You don't have to use Microsoft free software."

      "You paid money... Microsoft free software"

      "paid money... free software"

      "paid... free"

      ?!

      You just paid for it... how is it free?

    3. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those ARE components of the OS, as they shipped with it!

    4. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by fa2k · · Score: 1

      There was a better distinction between OS and applications on Win 7 and before; you could download Skype and MSN messenger which had ads, but they didn't come with the OS. The only ad in Windows 7 was "Anytime Upgrade" and that was well hidden in the control panel, so I accepted that even with strong dislike of ads in important software.Thankfully I'm now on Fedora Linux (and considering BSD), and don't have to worry about this

    5. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, they are noncritical, nonessential, completely replaceable applications which run on top of the OS.

    6. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      If the software is free, where can I download it?

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    7. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Farmer+Pete · · Score: 2

      If the OP was making the argument that Microsoft shouldn't include value add applications with the OS, than this would be a valid argument. The fact that Microsoft bundled some advertisement funded apps with their OS isn't a big deal. You can choose to use them or not use them. It's not a component of the OS any more than Minesweeper is. If you don't like it, download or build your own apps.

    8. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I remember when Cable came to my town, everyone was raving about it, of course it's expensive, but there's no ads! A decade later, everything was full of ads, and needed to pay even more for subscrition with channels that had fewer ads. And today, they beg me to buy their services, while I get everyhing I want and need from the internet.

      Microsoft, doesn't realize that people already have alternatives to their OS. It won't be long until some enterprising soul, will bring Android to the desktop and it's apps in some fashion or another, and then they'll beg us to buy their crap ...

      Oh, to those people laughing about Year of the Linux Desktop?

      In case you haven't noticed, Linux won, it's installed not on most desktops, but most PC's ;)

    9. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      I paid money to cable and satellite TV companies, and I still have to watch ads!

    10. Re:Value Ad Apps != OS by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 1

      Non-free OS with free crapware, I think.

  27. Good money... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Treasury Department should sell advertising space on currency. Think how much we could raise with "The $20 bill, brought to you by McDonald's."

    1. Re:Good money... by lister+king+of+smeg · · Score: 1

      danm why did you have to go and say that outloud now they will try it

      --
      ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
  28. Hint: You're Supposed to Delete Them by Greyfox · · Score: 1

    Consider it an extra hint about what you're supposed to do with all the crapware they install on your computer the moment you start it up. None of the shit that comes with Windows or OEM bundles is worth the price you paid for it, so just tilt it all into the shredder and go out and find windows ports of all the free Linux apps that provide better functionality without all the bullshit.

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    1. Re:Hint: You're Supposed to Delete Them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which wonderful Linux app runs under WinRT for the oh so complicated task of weather and news headlines?

  29. Oh! Oh! I know where this goes... by metrometro · · Score: 2

    They're so targeted to my interests, it actually adds value to the experience? It makes it easier and more intuitive to find the products I need? The costs would otherwise be passed on to the consumer?

    Fuck you.

  30. Who bets these ads will use all your PC data? by Shrike+Valeo · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This gives me a gut feeling all the programs you install could be used for ads more targeted than ever before....

    Forget your search history, these could use data from your whole internet history, downloads, desktop, start menu...

    1. Re:Who bets these ads will use all your PC data? by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 2

      They're metro apps. They are sandboxed.

    2. Re:Who bets these ads will use all your PC data? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sandboxed as securely as the Adobe sandbox?

  31. THIS JUST IN !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    867-5309 !!

    Ask for Jenny !!

    1. Re:THIS JUST IN !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I called and asked Jenny but all I got was George.

  32. Android is Linux too by tepples · · Score: 1

    I never see ads in Linux, even when using free apps.

    I see ads in free applications for Android (a Linux-based operating environment for phones and tablets) all the time. Even Ubuntu 12.10 has Amazon ads. What Linux-based operating environment are you using? And do you play any free games with production values comparable to those of professional games on that version of Linux?

    1. Re:Android is Linux too by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Slackware .9 ~

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    2. Re:Android is Linux too by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 2

      I see ads in free applications for Android (a Linux-based operating environment for phones and tablets) all the time.

      AdFree Android.

      DroidWall.

      You're welcome.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
  33. "apps that Windows ships with." by tepples · · Score: 2

    How is this a Windows 8 Feature though and not something that the developer embedded into her app?

    From the summary: "apps that Windows ships with."

  34. Xbox users have been used to this for months by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you turned on an Xbox 360 lately? M$ is already raping me by making me pay for an Xbox Live Gold subscription and now they have tons of ads as well. M$ wants the best of both worlds, revenue from their users and advertising partners. The users are getting it from both ends.

  35. Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by tepples · · Score: 1

    Xbox Live is both a free service (Silver) and a paid service (Gold). The ads and the Marketplace are in Silver, as I understand it, even though logging into Gold also logs you into Silver.

    1. Re:Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by geekoid · · Score: 3, Informative

      Gold gets you ads as well.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    2. Re:Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by tepples · · Score: 1

      Do Gold-only areas (Netflix, online multiplayer) have ads too, or just the areas available to both Gold and Silver members? I'm not a Gold subscriber so I wouldn't know.

    3. Re:Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by EvilIdler · · Score: 1

      Games with ads have them even if you have a Gold subscription. The ad posters in Rainbow Six:Vegas are an example. You can't play it online without Gold, but the ads keep coming. Netflix have a proper fullscreen client, I believe, so the only ads are for other Netflix movies and shows. But ads == recommendations there, and you chose to have them. But I only use the PS3 nowadays; I escaped from the 360 when the buttons for my games shrank and the ads grew.

    4. Re:Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by Jackie_Chan_Fan · · Score: 1

      Xbox live gold accounts have ads. This is why I dont have an Xbox live gold account anymore, and I refuse to turn on my xbox.

      I dont pay for HBO to watch ads. I dont pay for xbox live to watch ads.

    5. Re:Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not sure exactly what you mean, but I'm a Gold subscriber and I see frigging ads everywhere....in fact it seems like on a given screen about 10% of the real estate is for an actual function I'd like to do -- like launch a game -- and the other 90% is ads.

      Assumed MS would pull the same nonsense with Win8

    6. Re:Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by tepples · · Score: 1

      Xbox live gold accounts have ads.

      Do they have ads only in the areas that Silver users also see, or do they also have ads in those areas that are exclusive to Gold?

      I dont pay for HBO to watch ads.

      So how should one get HBO without the ads on A&E and ESPN?

    7. Re:Xbox Live: Silver vs. Gold by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No ads for paid Netflix

  36. Adware by u64 · · Score: 1

    Microsoft Windows is now adware, in addition to beeing just payware and bloatware.

  37. Re:EULA? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

    It's news because it's surprising Microsoft thought this was a good idea.

    Maybe they are right, maybe people won't mind and they will make tons of money, but it sure annoys me, and my guess is other people will be annoyed too. Who wants this stuff on their work computer?

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  38. Valve's reaction to Windows Store by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    just think of how Apple is going to react to MS embedding a music store in the OS, or Steam is going to react to adding a games store in the OS.

    Valve has already published its reaction to the Windows Store in Windows 8. See stories from late July and late October.

  39. Re:EULA? by Stolpskott · · Score: 5, Informative

    On page 7 of the 11 page legal document called the Windows 8 EULA, in Section 6 "Windows Apps", Microsoft include the following wonderfully enlightening information...

    "Some Windows apps include advertising. You may choose to opt out of personalized advertising by visiting choice.live.com."

  40. This is a good thing! by dclozier · · Score: 1

    It's bad ideas like this that will help propel the Android desktop. Now that Valve is diving into Linux and Nvidia is optimizing for it as well it wouldn't surprise me to see a decent challenge to Windows in the near future. Multiple "app" stores, streamlined gaming, built in virus protection (not that it's _that_ problematic) and familiar with millions of people already using Android on their cellphones. (branding makes a difference in retail)

    1. Re:This is a good thing! by Microlith · · Score: 1

      It's bad ideas like this that will help propel the Android desktop. Now that Valve is diving into Linux and Nvidia is optimizing for it as well it wouldn't surprise me to see a decent challenge to Windows in the near future.

      Valve's focus at this point is standard Linux, not Google's incompatible platform.

      built in virus protection (not that it's _that_ problematic)

      Classic viruses aren't the problem now. These days it's all trojans run by unsuspecting users.

  41. 10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by tepples · · Score: 4, Interesting

    No, "(GBP)inux" and "Appl(EUR)" aren't quite the same as "M$". Microsoft started out as a publisher of interpreters of the line-numbered BASIC programming language. Names of string variables in early BASIC always ended in $, making LET M$ = "Microsoft" valid code. What language are you talking about that uses the symbol for GBP or EUR?

    1. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, "(GBP)inux" and "Appl(EUR)" aren't quite the same as "M$". Microsoft started out as a publisher of interpreters of the line-numbered BASIC programming language. Names of string variables in early BASIC always ended in $, making LET M$ = "Microsoft" valid code. What language are you talking about that uses the symbol for GBP or EUR?

      Both Java and JavaScript allow the pound sign and euro sign in variable names, there are probably others.

    2. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah. That is why it is used. Of course.

    3. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by JustOK · · Score: 1

      One you don't know about, obviously.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    4. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Bearhouse · · Score: 1

      Guess you don't work in banking...

    5. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Forth, obviously (you philistine).

    6. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Golddess · · Score: 1

      I don't know if GP's post is true, but allowing something is different from requiring something, and GP's post says that string variable names were required* to end in $.

      *Ok ok, GP actually said that string variable names always ended in $. But if that isn't the same as saying it was required, then I don't know what is.

      --
      "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
    7. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by asdf7890 · · Score: 1

      *Ok ok, GP actually said that string variable names always ended in $. But if that isn't the same as saying it was required, then I don't know what is.

      GPP was imprecise but almost correct. Unless I'm misremembering and assigning properties of other BASIC variants (I used a few variants way back then) to MS's that it didn't have, or course.

      IIRC all unqualified variable names defaulted to integer type, adding the $ told the interpreter that a string type is required instead. But there existed directives to alter this behaviour, so for instance strings were the default. Something like "DEFSTR S-R" would make variables starting with S, T or R default to string (unless specifically set to something else by a trailing type indicator) from that point on.

    8. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are right. LINUXE$ it is.

    9. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Surely there must be someone you know who's over 40?

      Yes, BASIC interpreters in the late 1970s/early 80s only allowed for two types of variables - numeric and string - and the way it distinguished between them was by the '$' sign. You couldn't assign a string value to a variable that didn't end in '$', and you couldn't perform calculations on variables that did.

      (Incidentally, variable names were also limited to 1 or 2 characters - not including the '$', I think - and code was invariably written in block caps, which meant that a programmer from that era would look at "M$" and immediately think "string variable".)

    10. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How about we just cut the "M$" bullshit and speak like adults, how about that? That bit was fucking old when Win95 was new, its even lamer now. If you don't want to type the name or be snarky just use MSFT which is the stock ticker, it lets you be snarky without looking like some loser that figured out how to look up memes last week.

      As for TFA....Is it possible that Ballmer is shorting the stock? or is he just THAT incompetent as a CEO? I know Forbes labeled him worst CEO but I didn't think he was also the most retarded, the kind of shit he's been pulling lately frankly reminds me of the PHB from Dilbert, in fact if you'd have told me about turning the desktop into a giant cell phone, pushing ads onto the paid version, and trying to force touch to be the primary interface when less than 4% of the desktops that ship NOW have touch, much less the hundreds of millions of laptops and desktops MSFT wants to upgrade? i would have honestly thought you were simply ripping off a Dilbert strip.

      I mean Good God, look at the man's "accomplishments" during his tenure, rushing the X360 out with a 2 billion dollar flaw, spending 8.5 billion of Skype thus making sure the carriers treat WinPhone like an STD wrapped in AIDS infected needles, Zune, Kin, killing PlaysForSure and soon Windows Messenger, Windows 8 forcing desktops to have a cellphone UI...its a fucking trainwreck over there, he is making the reign of the Pepsi guy at Apple look good by comparison.

      If the board doesn't get his fat sweaty clueless ass out of the big chair in the next year and a half i could see them becoming another RIM, a company only holding onto legacy markets while the rest of the world forgets they even existed. Hell the ONLY things that are saving his ass on the desktop is that Apple has no desire to own the low end and the Linux devs won't quit futzing with critical subsystems long enough for it to become stable, otherwise they might be in trouble even there.

      I know I've been hearing from a LOT of customers lately just to make sure i could still get Win 7, nobody wants that damned Win 8 and after 2 billion in ads they sold just 4 million copies...that's $500 for every $40 sale. talk about a waste of advertising money! As a retailer I'm just glad Win 7 is good until 2020 and is solid as a rock, hopefully fatass will be "pursuing other interests" before Win 9 comes out so someone with a functioning brain can right the ship. as it is now its as retarded as someone slapping a $100K sticker on a Ford and thinking that means it can compete with Ferrari...nope, it just means you run off the market you had in pursuit of a market that doesn't want your product...brilliant move Ballmer, just fucking brilliant. I can see why they pay you the big bucks.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    11. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by 7-Vodka · · Score: 2

      tldr; M$

      --

      Liberty.

    12. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Yet all those young still don't get it. Plus of course MS was always reserved for http://www.msaustralia.org.au/, http://www.mssociety.org.uk/, http://mssociety.ca/en/ and even http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx. They spent up big in the 70s and 80s promoting funding for research into multiple sclerosis 'MS', for a condition that affects the brain, something really important to geeks and nerds. So M$ is Microsoft and MSN is Microsoft Networks but MS is multiple sclerosis.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    13. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Something like "DEFSTR S-R" would make variables starting with S, T or R default to string (unless specifically set to something else by a trailing type indicator) from that point on.

      I think you need to check your alphabet.

    14. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Neither is wrong.

      The $ indicates that M$ is a string variable. The variable M is a floating point variable, and M% is an integer variable. All three are distinct variables, even though they are all named M.

    15. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      TLDR...You are a douchebag. Happy now?

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    16. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, wah wah wah.

      (He bravely posted anonymously.)

    17. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless you use DEFSTR on a subset of the alphabet including M. Then M is a string variable, actually the same variable as M$, and if you want a floating-point variable you have to use M! (single-precision) or M# (double). I speak for GW-BASIC and I'm pretty sure that the QBasic variants were the same.

      Also, the single- and double-precision floating point types were rather fascinating - they both had an 8-bit exponent in the last byte and a sign bit in the low bit of the next-to-last, with the mantissa being stored in the remaining bits in little-endian fashion. The net effect was that the last 4 bytes were identical, and the first 4 bytes of the double were simply the least significant bytes of the mantissa, such that M! = CVS(RIGHT$(MKD$(M#), 4)) was functionally identical to M! = M# - it casts from double to single.

    18. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by bryan1945 · · Score: 1

      M$
      Grow a pair.

      --
      Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
    19. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by user32.ExitWindowsEx · · Score: 1

      Java can. Currency symbols can be anywhere in a Java variable name. (yes that's right you could use $ in front of everything and probably make people think it's Perl rather than Java)

      Throw this in a Java main(), compile, and run.

      Although it looks fine on Firefox on my MacBook Pro it may get mangled elsewhere.


                      String M$ = "Microsoft";
                      String £inux = "Linux";
                      String Appl€ = "Apple";
                      System.out.println("M$ is " + M$);
                      System.out.println("App£e is " + Appl€);
                      System.out.println("£inux is " + £inux);

      --
      "Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." -- Dark Helmet
    20. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      Grow a pair of what? Tits like you? No thanks. BTW just FYI but every time you say "M$" People look at you like this a total loser nerd. And don't worry as a public service I'll be sure to post that cartoon every time I see you post M$. wouldn't want people not to laugh at you, now would we?

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    21. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by YodasEvilTwin · · Score: 1

      I ignore Trolls

      AHAHAHAHAHAHA

    22. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Next time try not to sugar coat it, and tell us how you really feel.

    23. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Eponymous+Hero · · Score: 1

      let it go, man. just...just let it go...

      --
      insensitive clod overlords obligatory xkcd car analogy russian reversals whoosh pedant fanbois ftfy in 3...2...1..PROFIT
    24. Re:10 LET M$ = "Microsoft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound like you didn't have the koolaid. Well for your information, there is no choice in what we do, there is a roadmap
      and on that roadmap you're looking at next up is phasing out general purpose computing in favor of secured and very limited
      consumer devices that will monitor every single breath you take. That's why the Cellphone UI Windows, that's why the trend
      towards desktop-smartphone convergence.

  42. What ads? by ilsaloving · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I haven't noticed any ads, myself.

    Of course, the first thing I did after I installed Windows 8 was install classic shell and disable metro entirely, so maybe that's why. ^_^.

    1. Re:What ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Classic Shell - has btw probably most infringing logo I've seen in a while. Luckily it's probably so insignificant it hasn't been sued for it.

    2. Re:What ads? by bhsx · · Score: 2

      What in the holy hell are you on about? The Classic Shell logo looks nothing like any logo I've ever seen. In what way is it possibly infringing on whom's IP?

      --
      put the what in the where?
    3. Re:What ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the ads are not in the UI, they are in the apps. For example the stock app is "powered by yahoo finance" so it shows the ads from yahoo finance,

    4. Re:What ads? by antdude · · Score: 1

      Where did you get the classic shell?

      Also, I wonder if you can block the ad servers.

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    5. Re:What ads? by ilsaloving · · Score: 1

      As another poster noted, you can find it here:

      http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/index.html

      And to block ad servers, I'm not sure. If there are only a couple, then adding entries to your hosts file would do it. But I've also read that Microsoft has started dynamically playing around with that file, so that may not work.

    6. Re:What ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It really is toeing the line there. The Shape looks ripped off of shell gasoline, and it is overlayed by the four color Microsoft windows look. (If you run Win 7 look at your start button, and you will see.)

    7. Re:What ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In what way is it possibly infringing on whom's IP?

      *whose There is no objective+genetive form of English pronouns. Compare it to "I": You wouldn't say "In what way is it possibly infringing on me's IP?"; it's still just "on my IP".

    8. Re:What ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      thank you for mentioning classic shell. just what i have been looking for. the 'new and improved' start screen was a deal breaker for me and win8 -- now at least win8 will be _tolerable_ as a desktop os when microsoft pulls win7 off the market due to slow win8 sales.

  43. "In Windows 8" = "in the out-of-the-box install" by davidwr · · Score: 1

    For the purposes of this discussion, an app which is shipped with Windows 8 and which is either installed by default or is activated/installed with the Windows 8 "Turn Windows features on or off" control panel is considered part of Windows 8 in the same way that notepad and paint have been considered part of "Windows" for many versions back.

    On the other hand, an application installed by a hardware vendor as part of it's "OEM image" or an application whose installer is on the Windows retail DVD or downloadable installation package but which is NOT installed by the Windows installer and which is NOT managed as a Windows "feature" can be considered "not part of Windows."

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  44. Re:EULA? by Capt.Albatross · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Covering it in the EULA does not necessarily make it either reasonable or unremarkable.

  45. Apple v. Samsung by tepples · · Score: 1

    Apple isn't legally a monopoly.

    It is on touch screen smartphones. Apple v. Samsung.

    1. Re:Apple v. Samsung by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      That makes no sense - one of the other stories today is how a single model of Samsung is outselling any single model of iPhone. How can the 2nd place company be a monopoly? Smartphones are actually a healthy competitive marketplace.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    2. Re:Apple v. Samsung by quacking+duck · · Score: 1

      Apple may be engaged in anti-competitive practices, but they are NOT a monopoly in the phone or tablet space by any legal or lay definition.

      Apple has never been above 50% in smartphone sales (where Symbian is usually counted), and they've just dropped to around 50% in tablets.

  46. Re:EULA? by sarysa · · Score: 1

    Definitely a feature. If you look at it though, these apps are just a native replacement for the MSN website...which has ads. Probably always has. I don't see the controversy here. If you don't want to see Microsoft's ads, don't use the preinstall internet apps like Finance, etc...

    --
    Charisma is the measure of someone's ability to lie with a straight face.
  47. It's all about profit... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 2
    Microsoft needs to steadily increase its profits in order to prevent its stagnant stock price from declining. With the diminishing demand for PCs and the resulting demand for the Windows OS, Microsoft needs to find other ways to pull money into the company. Selling ads is one way to do that.
    .

    The question is --- With Apple and Google cleaning Microsoft's clock in the mobile world, at what point will the value of Windows be reduced to the point that it is just another delivery medium for ads?

    1. Re:It's all about profit... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Microsoft increases its profits every quarter. The have one of the best p/e ratios in the industry. Their stock price is stagnant because they are not a growth company.

  48. Re:would be interesting to see if you can block th by davidwr · · Score: 1

    I think you can uninstall the apps that include the ads, at least for non-"core OS" apps like Finance, News, Music, etc.

    You can definitely remove their icons from the main Start screen, but they will still show in "All Apps."

    If you remove them from the main Start screen or disable their "live update" capabilities, you can also choose to not run those apps.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  49. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ""Some Windows apps include advertising. You may choose to opt out of personalized advertising by visiting choice.live.com.""

    It's bull. It's a cookie for fuck's sake! You have to allow 3rd party cookies to avoid getting spammed.

    http://www.aboutads.info/choices/

    Like most people I know, I delete all cookies on exit on principle, so that won't work anyway.

  50. Revolt before it spreads to TV. by joekro · · Score: 1

    This is crazy. The next thing is we'll have ads on TV and radio.

    1. Re:Revolt before it spreads to TV. by Sentrion · · Score: 1

      Paid cable TV was meant originally to be a premium paid service free of ads. Look what happened. I'm just surprised that it took M$ this long to catch on.

    2. Re:Revolt before it spreads to TV. by citylivin · · Score: 1

      That would truly be crazy! My downloaded TV has no ads, and my shoutcast radio does not either! Not needing to be mentioned before, but neither does my modern windows 7 OS.

      --
      As a potential lottery winner, I totally support tax cuts for the wealthy
    3. Re:Revolt before it spreads to TV. by Tarlus · · Score: 2

      Hell, even the damn satellite radio in my car is feeding me ads, and I pay money for that. Really defeats its appeal...

      --
      /* No Comment */
  51. Can't fix stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We have a motto around here, you just can't fix stupid. If your still using M$ on a regular basis there isn't anything we can do for you.

  52. Not Microsoft Software that Has ads by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The poster uses the weather app as an example, that is from AccuWeather, not Microsoft, the apps that have the ads in them that come bundled with Windows are NOT made by Microsoft, but rather the same type of bloatware that used to come from manufacturers like the WildTangent games, that you have to buy tokens for to use pass two free plays. Know what you are complaining about before you start.

  53. Re:EULA? by arisvega · · Score: 2

    "You may choose to opt out of personalized advertising by visiting choice.live.com."

    ".. by filling in the form with the mandatory fileds of First, Last and Maiden names, Birthday, Address, Phone number, Utilities bill and Blood group."

    --
    The three laws of thermodynamics:(1) You can't win. (2) You can't break even. (3) You can't even quit.
  54. Secure boot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...and when somebody finds an easy way to disable them, MS can kick back by including the file in the secure boot...

  55. not a big deal, a bunch of others do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Windows has always shipped with free software. Some of that software has had ads. This isn't new. It's also not exclusive to Microsoft. That android phone you bought with all those carrier-bundled apps? Some of those have ads. I think the only one that *doesn't* is probably Apple, but I couldn't say for certain since I've never purchased an Apple computer, though I did have an iPhone at one point, but I don't remember if any of the apps had ads. The Microsoft apps that have ads are also free to be uninstalled. They're not tied into the system. I would definitely not try and make the point that the OS somehow has ads. No part of the core OS has ads. Only some apps that were bundled have ads and they can be removed.
     
    Seriously, someone complained about this? Are they idiots? It's not new, it's been done forever, and it's not even a big deal.

  56. Re:EULA? by Penguinisto · · Score: 5, Informative

    Fact the first: Adverts within an application consume display space, and in smaller screens, this becomes more apparent.

    Fact the second: Adverts require that you be a bit more careful with your mouse/finger/stylus/whatever, lest you accidentally click on the advert and interrupt what you're doing (especially if you're playing a game or other activity that has a high chance of random clickage).

    Fact the third: Ads in paid-for/included applications, delivered by the OS maker, cannot be rationalized, especially since the competition does no such thing. When an OEM does it, it is often labeled "crapware".

    Fact the fourth:: Even if you do not use it (them), you are stuck with the application(s) residing on your hard drive, taking up space, and potentially running in the background, which would consume both CPU and networking bandwidth. For mobile devices with 3G/4G data caps and using Windows 8 (be it RT or x86), this becomes a potential extra cost... you are literally paying to see the adverts in programs you did not install or choose yourself.

    Fact the fifth: You as a consumer were not made aware of this intrusion until after you purchased the item, and since it is software, good luck getting a refund on it from either OEM or OS maker.

    Conclusion: This ad-laden software is a massive flaw, not a feature.

    --
    Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
  57. This couldn't be more wrong. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a way for the developer to get paid while allowing the user to have the app for free

    Ads don't do that at all. Working as intended, it means you pay for the software with an increased price for the product/service which is being advertised.

    The difference is that there are so many brokers and infrastructure providers in the ad system that it ends up costing a lot more than if you were to simply pay a few pence to the developer directly.

    Modern capitalism is about everyone taking his cut while very few actually do any useful work.

  58. packet sniffer results ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    anybody sniffed what win8 is sending and where ?

    i only ask because i need to know for when i call the police to report a bunch of 20-50yo men and women that are spying on my childrens computer usage, as they installed windows8 , MS Eula is null and void as minors cannot agree to contracts.
    iam sure the EU privacy commission would like to know whats going on too

  59. Eh, I noticed the ads too... yawn. by Gordo_1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I paid $15 for the OS upgrade (before they fixed the loophole in their upgrade promo site), just to see what all the commotion was about. Upgrade went fairly smooth considering I did the unthinkable and actually tried to upgrade a Microsoft OS without starting from scratch (I imaged my boot drive ahead of time just in case).

    I played around with the Modern UI apps for the first day or so, smirked at the not-so-subtly placed ads, installed Classic Shell and haven't bothered to go back to the Modern UI since. The Modern UI truly has no place on a desktop computer... or anything without a touchscreen for that matter. It's a consumption-oriented tablet UI that probably excels at keeping you occupied during an extended shit session. I'll stick to the desktop and benefit from Win8's tighter security and streamlined bootup/shutdown. With a couple tweaks, it's like a really well made service pack for Win7.

    1. Re:Eh, I noticed the ads too... yawn. by omnichad · · Score: 1

      My wife is happy with Windows 8 and Classic Shell, but she goes to Modern UI for the weather app. We don't see ads on it yet and it's pretty.

      I also copied in the International themes from Windows 7. I had just found out that they have wallpaper packs for Canada, Australia, and UK on a default US Windows 7 install, but hidden with the localization settings. What a terrible shame - these are beautiful wallpapers, and she has it set to rotate once every 30 minutes through Canada right now. Why look at your own country when there is so much to see out there?

      I also added Gadgets back to Windows 8 for her, and added her Notes Gadget from Windows Vista. Best of all 3 worlds.

  60. easy fix by tehlinux · · Score: 1

    Install privoxy on remote host and set listen-address to the hosts externally accessible IP.

    --
    Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!
    1. Re:easy fix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, windows rt specific advice. For 8, just install it locally.

  61. it's cable television all over again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are we permanently in the cycle of paying for something ad-free, then having ads gradually encroach?

  62. Re:Block these ads the MOST efficient way... apk by lister+king+of+smeg · · Score: 1

    lets assuming for a moment that you are not a troll (which you obviously are)
    Windows 8 won't let you change the host file.
    http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/08/19/1923210/windows-8-changes-host-file-blocking

    --
    ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
  63. I've been desensitized. by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

    I will point out that they're generally tucked out of the way to the right end of all the content. Except for games, when you do the daily challenges you're get hit with a full screen 30 second commercial on an infrequent basis. With the exception of those games I didn't find them to be invasive at all.

    However, it did get me thinking... I was shocked to find myself not particularly bothered by that advertising. Barely 10 years ago I would have been thrown into an apoplectic rage and the suggestion that I'd have to see adds in software I've paid for. I railed at the presence of in game marketing, where advertising first extended it's tendrils into the non-web space. To this day I use Ad-blocker. But here I am, face to face with a freaking 30 second commercial I can't skip and I see it as a minor inconvenience. If anything, I started thinking that it would be nice to be able to pay a little extra to eliminate those ads.

    Clearly I've been desensitized. And this was exactly the fear I had years ago, that companies will push and push until consumers no longer care. If I had to identify what led to this gradual submission, it would have to be online advertising and ads in mobile and iPad apps. This stuff always comes in small steps.

    Unfortunately, where 10 years ago I was young, having nothing better to do and subject to few responsibilities, nowadays I'm far too busy to worry about stuff like this.

    1. Re:I've been desensitized. by Graham+J+-+XVI · · Score: 1

      That's how they win. Keep hating those ads!

    2. Re:I've been desensitized. by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      10 years ago you would have paid $20 for an application. Today it's free or $0.99 I would say that has a lot to do with the proliferation of ads. I like ad supported apps. I want to see the developers make a living and I don't really feel like spending money most of the time so we all win.

    3. Re:I've been desensitized. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Price is set to maximize profits, it has nothing to do with being "enough to make a living". If they'd make more money selling for $20 instead of $1, they'd sell for $20. If they could make even more money with the ads, they would charge you $20 for the ads.

      And 10 years ago the smartphone market (which I think you're referring to) was 3 people. Selling them to advertisers wouldn't buy you a cup of coffee.

  64. Advertising is news now? by NuAngel · · Score: 1

    How is this making headlines at Slashdot? "Stuff that matters" this isn't. You paid for the OS. If you bought a Surface, you paid for hardware. You didn't pay for constant upkeep of the applications within. By my count, the "Music" app alone has been updated 4 times since the RTM. That's a lot of man hours - and is clearly more work than just a few bug fixes here and there. This is a huge music service - if you just want to listen to your songs, go use Windows Media Player - the Music app is a different experience. Just INSTALLING Java or Flash gives me an ad for Google Toolbar. Opening Steam gives me ads for dozens of Steam games. Playing practically any EA game gives me ads for anything from a body spray to a presidential candidate. Ads are ubiquitous. But they don't intimidate me. Practically every sci-fi vision of the future shows corporate sponsorship owning the world - we all know it's going that way... is it news worthy?

    1. Re:Advertising is news now? by spire3661 · · Score: 1

      Inured.

      --
      Good-bye
  65. Re:EULA? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

    I bought Windows 8 and stuck it on an XP computer that was suffering from Windows rot. Since re-installing Windows is a multi-night ordeal, I felt that doing it again with XP, given it's short remaining life, was silly, and MS was offering the Pro version of 8 for just $40... and I soon found out why! Ads! LOL... it may not be "controversial", but it sure was shocking. How the mighty have fallen...

    Incidentally, Windows 8 has a lot of usability problems. The ads are the least of the problems. I think my wife wants to kill me for ruining "her" computer.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  66. Starter Editions? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My netbook came with Windows 7 Starter Edition and had an ad supported version of Microsoft Office pre-installed. Maybe these are similar apps.

  67. Pay TV by kackle · · Score: 1

    Yes, and this new fangled "pay TV" won't have commercials either...

  68. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    On page 7 of the 11 page legal document called the Windows 8 EULA, in Section 6 "Windows Apps", Microsoft include the following wonderfully enlightening information...

    "Some Windows apps include advertising. You may choose to opt out of personalized advertising by visiting choice.live.com."

    ... Or you might aswell also opt-out by visiting www.ubuntu.com and avoid the hassle altogether!

  69. Not the first by ovanklot · · Score: 1

    "no one expects ads in a piece of software that they just paid good money for"

    Kindle.

    --
    "Programming is life, the rest is mere details"
  70. Re:EULA? by spire3661 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I knew this was coming the moment i saw ads on the new XBox interface and was further reinfirced when MS did everything they could for you to NOT be able to diasable 'Metro'. First and foremost, Metro is there FOR OTHER PEOPLE to use your computers' resources.

    --
    Good-bye
  71. Creeping works by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I remember when cable had few ads and ZERO ads inserted by the cable company itself. Now days they insert their ads into the local channels and have a small local business dept for getting ads onto cable their channels. I've seen their stuff on the broadcast channels and I've wondered if that is why they offer free cable TV with the broadcast channels.... so they can get their foot in your door and make some money from advertizing.

  72. Hulu Plus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This sounds like the Hulu business model. Sell the product to a user, AND sell the user as a product to advertisers. Get paid twice for the same work. It would make Captain Tagon proud.

  73. Ads, ads everywhere - nowhere a thought to think by handy_vandal · · Score: 1

    I don't expect ads when I pay good money to enter a movie theater. Yet there they are -- dammit.

    --
    -kgj
  74. Aesthetic by potpie · · Score: 1

    "no one expects ads in a piece of software that they just paid good money for"

    Why not? You pay for cable TV and see ads, you see product placement in the shows you watch between the ads, there's product placement in movies, advertisements for other products on the products you buy, ads for books on the backs of books, and the list goes on. The only thing, I think, that really KEEPS ads OUT of a product is the value of its aesthetic. You'll never see an ad on the back of a fancy-looking leather-bound book, because you're paying for an aesthetic that precludes it. You won't find an ad in, say, a free Linux distro, because the aesthetic of the culture precludes it.

    So I think we should look at this from the opposite perspective: why are ads showing up in Windows NOW? It may be a sign that Microsoft's business model is changing in some way, but I think it may have more to do with the adoption of the app-market aesthetic. You may not expect to see an ad in an app that you paid for, but you REALLY wouldn't expect to see an ad in a traditional program like Excel or Photoshop.

    --
    Esoteric reference.
    1. Re:Aesthetic by El_Oscuro · · Score: 1

      A few years ago, I bought the DVD for "Rocky and Bullwinkle - Fractured Fairy Tales". I popped it into my Ubuntu system and immediately began watching "Sleeping Beauty Land" and "Riding Hoods Anonymous". It was awesome!

      Until I tried to watch the same DVD on a normal DVD player. It had a 15 minute, unskipable ad for some old crappy rabbit movie. As a result, I never watch movies on a regular DVD player. With Ubuntu, I get to the main menu immediately, regardless of what "unskipable" ads the DVD has. It is worth it for that reason alone.

      --
      "Be grateful for what you have. You may never know when you may lose it."
  75. Skype, too by Graham+J+-+XVI · · Score: 1

    I notice ads have cropped up in Metro Skype too. They didn't used to if you had credit in your account.

    Thanks Microsoft!

  76. "no one expects ads" Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "... no one expects ads in a piece of software that they just paid good money for."

    Huh? The populace has already been conditioned - pay for media (it's just software), and expect force-fed ads (cable TV).

  77. Dear M$, I didn't buy Windows 8 because by tepples · · Score: 1

    I'm glad some one has the balls to hypothetically speak up with their hypothetical outrage about their hypothetical purchase!

    As opposed to actually speaking up with actual outrage about a declined purchase? Put this into a feedback form on Microsoft.com: "I would have bought a new PC with Windows 8, but I didn't because of X, Y, and Z." Or "I bought a Nexus 10 instead of a Surface because of X, Y, and Z." For another thing, "if I did I'd email them" sounds like planning what one would do if hired by a company that adopted Windows 8 or if a family member insisted that one troubleshoot a PC running Windows 8.

    1. Re:Dear M$, I didn't buy Windows 8 because by NIK282000 · · Score: 1

      That's a problem for every one who's trying to sell any one. It would be a bottomless wealth of knowledge if you could ask your competitor's customers to ask why they didn't choose your own product. +10 marketing to the company that sets up a paid survey kiosk outside their competitors store.

      --
      Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
  78. MS executives have been touting this for years by SethJohnson · · Score: 2
    Fromt the Wikipedia page on Windows Phone:

    Microsoft's General Manager for Strategy and Business Development, Kostas Mallios, said that Windows Phone will be an "ad-serving machine", pushing advertising and brand-related content to the user.

    It looks like this is a core component of Redmond's business plan in all their OS offerings.

    1. Re:MS executives have been touting this for years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everything is an ad-serving machine these days - the TV got so crazy about it that I stopped watching TV altogether. The problem is I can't ditch the phone for business reasons. I'm hoping they don't start putting mandatory unskippable 60 second adverts before you're allowed to make emergency 911 calls, but I wouldn't put it past them either.

      If you were an alien watching from space it'd look like the whole American society had a weird stuttering problem.

      (Oh, and now videos are starting to show ads after you fast-forward a short way? That's new)

    2. Re:MS executives have been touting this for years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The last MSDN conference I attended in Auckland NZ many years ago had a keynote speech from Microsoft with a comment that I've never forgotten. "As developers, your role is to bring endpoints to our advertisers".

      Face it - you aren't a person any more. You're not even a user or a customer. To Microsoft you are an endpoint. That single comment was why that was the last MSDN conference for me.

    3. Re:MS executives have been touting this for years by SethJohnson · · Score: 1

      Ouch. That must have received blank stares from the dozens of kiwis in attendance.

      Seth

  79. Re:EULA? by Penguinisto · · Score: 1

    I suspect that the "Professional" versions would leave this bit out of it, lest Windows 7 become the last version that enterprises would use.

    After all, who wants to see an ad for their competitor pop up on their workstations?

    --
    Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
  80. Another FACT you'll really like I wager... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329

    * Per my subject-line above - The program I wrote in that link above? It gives you no adbanners (and a lot more too, as a NICE bonus - see the link), lickety-split!

    By creating a custom hosts file from 12 reputable + reliable sources, & it gives you a "mega hosts file" that's "all business" - all duplicates normalized out + removed, & alphabetically sorted for easier end-user mgt.!

    (The resulting custom hosts file has NO garbage & bloating "bulk" in commentary + inefficient blocking address formats like 127.0.0.1 either, instead, allowing you to go to a smaller & faster parsed + loaded 0.0.0.0 format as well...).

    Bottom-line/Closing note: It is the MOST efficient way to block out adbanners under the sun, AND, it's NOT OWNED BY ADVERTISERS either (AdBlock + Ghostery, are & are CRIPPLED by default because of it)... period - no questions asked!

    APK

    P.S.=> Enjoy... it works by using a feature your OS already has, & thus, it's "tightly integrated" with it already!

    ... apk

  81. This "nukes" THAT set of plans, easily... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329

    * Per my subject-line above - The program I wrote in that link above? It gives you no adbanners (and a lot more too, as a NICE bonus - see the link), lickety-split!

    By creating a custom hosts file from 12 reputable + reliable sources, & it gives you a "mega hosts file" that's "all business" - all duplicates normalized out + removed, & alphabetically sorted for easier end-user mgt.!

    (The resulting custom hosts file has NO garbage & bloating "bulk" in commentary + inefficient blocking address formats like 127.0.0.1 either, instead, allowing you to go to a smaller & faster parsed + loaded 0.0.0.0 format as well...).

    Bottom-line/Closing note: It is the MOST efficient way to block out adbanners under the sun, AND, it's NOT OWNED BY ADVERTISERS either (AdBlock + Ghostery, are & are CRIPPLED by default because of it)... period - no questions asked!

    APK

    P.S.=> Enjoy... it works by using a feature your OS already has, & thus, it's "tightly integrated" with it already!

    ... apk

  82. ...as is Slackware by tepples · · Score: 1

    You claim not to see advertisements in free applications for Slackware. (I noticed your snark about the version number.) So how would you recommend that a developer pay the expenses to develop a quality video game for Slackware 14.0 and other PC Linux operating systems without A. requiring payment for each copy or B. displaying advertisements? (I mention video games as an example; given an answer for video games, it can be extended to other categories of application.)

  83. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't forget about disabling/ignoring the hosts file so the sites can't be routed to loopback address now.

  84. Re:EULA? by alleycat0 · · Score: 2

    Opting out at choice.live.com requires registration, including providing an email address. [sarcasm]I'm sure i'll never receive unsolicited emails from them! [/sarcasm]

    --
    I am not a number - I am a free man!
  85. Re:Block these ads the MOST efficient way... apk by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

    The OP is not a parent. Calling someone a troll without any evidence simply because they are extremely verbose makes you look like a fool.

    You HAVE heard of the hosts blocking right??
    http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

  86. Re:EULA? by Karzz1 · · Score: 1

    I am fairly certain that there are anti-trust issues here. If using the desktop software, which you maintain a monopoly on, as a display device for advertisements isn't abusing a monopoly position I don't know what is. I can't think of a more clear example of leveraging your monopoly in one market to enter another.

    --
    Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
  87. By "better" do you mean worse? by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't believe that hosts is faster than adblock, which blocks content before the domain name is resolved. Firefox goes through a process to decide whether and how to send a request, which ABP uses. Benchmark it for me.

    Also, why should I trust a piece of closed-source software with my DNS records?

    If you're dynamically updating a hosts file, it would seem that you are reinventing the square wheel -- this is what a DNS cache is for. A local DNS caching server is going to be just as fast, and much more flexible. You can run one on your desktop, or have it on a separate machine, and either way you can route all other DNS requests to it, instead of having a script running on each machine. They support dynamic blacklists as well, and you can match wildcard addresses (e.g. *.malwareserver.com). What is the problem with using tools designed for this purpose?

    You mention the home address. The problem with 127.0.0.1 isn't that it it's slower. The problem with it is that it's a valid IP address, usually for a local web server. If there is a server listening, it will process the request.

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
    1. Re:By "better" do you mean worse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    2. Re:By "better" do you mean worse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      tenebrousedge blows it twice + tries hiding it 2x w\ downmods http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41922677 and here too http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41921139 ? I don't see anything different than what I just stated happening here so it is a clear-cut case of someone gaming the moderation system (cheating it and applying bad downmods to the posts that made his look rather foolish and stupid).

    3. Re:By "better" do you mean worse? by vlueboy · · Score: 1

      The problem with 127.0.0.1 isn't that it it's slower. The problem with it is that it's a valid IP address, usually for a local web server. If there is a server listening, it will process the request.

      I used to host a local webserver only for home stuff. It was neat to see embedded "Page not found" messages several times per page proving how effective it was all over the web. I was bothered withaccess logs that came with it, showing /weirdfolderpat/filenamewithunderscorecommasandadsentinels

      Easily resolved:
      Replace the 127.0.0.1 number with 0.0.0.0

    4. Re:By "better" do you mean worse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is smaller than the loopback adapter address though. With big host files the problem's with the local dns client cache service, not the hosts file. It's just a file. The local dns client service has a problem in bad operation with bigger hosts files.

    5. Re:By "better" do you mean worse? by badkarmadayaccount · · Score: 1

      Don't! Stop talking about that! You'll summon Bloody APK!

      --
      I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
  88. Re:EULA? by postbigbang · · Score: 2

    It's a nasty trick, but apparently it can be turned off although I haven't tried this yet; see thread below.

    What's more evil, IMHO, is that the ads give location and context to users and invade their privacy, and potentially open the software being used to infection or manipulation vectors. Users didn't ask for their privacy to be given up, and it means that the apps have holes, perhaps big ones, to be manipulated by malware.

    I understand the need for revenue, but this seems over the top.

    --
    ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
  89. Re:EULA? by ewibble · · Score: 1

    Why is it surprising that someone thought putting ads in a paid product was a good idea, it happens all the time.

    1. By a DVD get non-skippable adds a the beginning.
    2. Go to a movie and pay get ads
    3. Get adds inside movies themselves (product placement).
    4. Go to car dealer and have them stick there name on your car somewhere, here you are providing them with free adverstising.
    5. My computer has an HP on it, yes some of that is branding so I know what computer it is but it is also advertising.
    I don't have pay TV put I think there where ads there too, just not as many.

    Face it people will try and get as much revenue out of a product as they can, an putting ads in paid products is an option.

    Just a side question why should the EULA need to mention anything about ads specifically anyway (tracking ads maybe), is it a violation of your rights be advertised to. I sure it already mentions getting stuff from the internet.

  90. Re:EULA? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

    After all, who wants to see an ad for their competitor pop up on their workstations?

    That would be hilarious.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  91. What you paid for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You paid for the OS. Not for the weather service, the stock tickers or the music you're streaming.

  92. Injunction would make Apple 1st by tepples · · Score: 1

    In Apple v. Samsung, Samsung was found liable of infringing Apple's patents. Once Apple convinces a judge to issue an injunction against further infringement, Apple would go from 2nd to 1st in a moment.

    1. Re:Injunction would make Apple 1st by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      In Apple v. Samsung, Samsung was found liable of infringing Apple's patents.

      No such ruling has been issued by the court in Apple v. Samsung. A jury verdict is not a judgement. And, on the whole statement this was intended to support (Apple as a monopolist in touch-screen smartphones) a speculation about what a future consequence of a jury verdict might be if it were incorporated into a judgement is pretty far from a fact.

  93. Who builds a laptop? by tepples · · Score: 1

    What individual builds a laptop? Never met a single person in my 32 years, apart from once meeting Ben Heck at a video gaming convention.

  94. Clearance by tepples · · Score: 1

    That'd be consistent with Windows 7-preloaded PCs being on clearance for the past two weeks. In November of next year, will it still be easy to get a laptop with Windows 7 on it?

  95. Re:EULA? by Baby+Duck · · Score: 2

    Yep, you pay for an XBox Live subscription on a monthly basis and STILL get ads. It stands to reason a one-time license purchase of Windows would also have ads.

    --

    "Love heals scars love left." -- Henry Rollins

  96. Another irrelevant topic by Ravaldy · · Score: 1

    It doesn't matter what OS you are using. The apps can contain ads even if you paid for it. If the App developpers are stupid enough to display ads after you've paid then so be it. Maybe later customers will stop buying it.

  97. Re:Unjustifiable bogus downmods to "hide" this? LM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1/ Spam thread with multiple identical posts (5 identical so far plus 2 different). Take up about 50% of thread with spamming.
    2/ Complain about downmods.
    3/ ?
    4/ Profit!

  98. So glad Windows is dead by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    With even gaming moving over to Linux since developers have finally become fed up with MS' bullshit, there is no reason left to run Windows for any reason whatsoever. Hooray! And it won't have to take the table scraps from Xbox development either! No more conflict of interest.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:So glad Windows is dead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And it won't have to take the table scraps from Xbox development either! No more conflict of interest.

      here's always the choice of PS3 to get away from MS.

      The people who suggest to get a gaming PC instead of an Xbox 360 are missing the point, unless said gaming PC runs Linux.

  99. Parallels is worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You like this one? Parallels is worse.

    Parallels is VM software for OS X on the Mac. Most people, like me, use it to run Windows. It has a nice coherence mode where the Windows start menu and taskbar can show up on the OS X desktop and OS X applications and Windows applications can run side by side. It's generally fast and stable. Nice software. I think my company paid $70 for the copy that I'm using.

    That is, it's nice until Parallels pops up an ad in your face. This is a window that comes up in OS X, popping up on top of whatever else you're doing, taking the mouse and keyboard focus with it. I've seen ads for Kaspersky anti-virus, and AnchorFree Hotspot Shield. It's incredibly intrusive, to the point of being malware, which is unbelievable in a piece of commercial, licensed, paid-for software.

    The first time that this happened I was in the middle of a hairy debugging session and stared at the thing for a good 10 seconds, unable to understand what I was seeing. When I finally got my head out of my code and realized what I was looking at, I was incensed. I took a screenshot, dismissed then thing, then spent 20 minutes getting my head back into the work that I had been doing.

    There is a command that you can issue in a terminal window to turn it off. But it's not documented anywhere by Parallels. Parallels support used to tell you the command in private communication if you asked about this, but they stopped doing that a while ago. People posted the command to the Parallels support forum, after which, Parallels promptly deleted those posts. Fortunately you can find the command posted elsewhere on the web. If you ask Parallels support about this now, you get an arrogant answer about most users appreciating the "special offers", and that there isn't a way to turn them off. I expect the secret command to disappear in a future software update.

    This is an amazingly stupid thing to do to paying customers. I expect Parallels to fold at some point, which is a shame, because the product itself is a good one. I won't be giving them any more money. I plan to switch to VMWare Fusion soon.

  100. If everybody used AdFree Android by tepples · · Score: 1

    AdFree Android appears to be a tool for managing the hosts file on a rooted Android device. In other words it's an APK that APK would recommend. But if everybody rooted their devices and used AdFree Android, how else would developers pay their bills?

  101. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    your fourth one isn't a fact. They can be uninstalled. No portion of the actual OS has ads. Only bundled apps have them and you are free to uninstall them like you've always been able to do in the past. Your first fact is also somewhat odd in that the market that holds especially true is mobile and the mobile app market is probably the *LARGEST* market for ads right now and has been for awhile. Complaining about it now when it applies to a market that generally has much more screen real estate makes me wonder where you've been for awhile. your conclusion is also lost on me as it should be clear even from the article that this is far from ad-laden. it's so inconspicuous that no one has even noticed it til now and they seem to be complaining about it not because it bothered them but solely cause they feel it should. if it was actually bothersome, they would have noticed it right off the bat.

  102. What happens when by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OK, Retail, quantity one, W8 costs what? $200? -- The ads pay for something.

    Over time more and more aps provided by MS will have ads.
    Over time MS's database on you gets richer and its "targeting" of ads gets better.
    Over time MS's revenue from ads lets MS lower the price of Windows {whatever}.
    The price for Windows {whatever} might approach zero in some forseeable future.
    Now, Windows competes with Linux on price too. ... But not privacy.

    The 'average computer user" doesn't understand privacy issues and does not care.
    The average user may actually like the ads and not give a sh*t about what MS knows nor who MS sells that information to.
    Now what?

    Just speculating.

  103. That's why I don't do cable TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When cable TV first came out (I'm dating myself here), one of the purported virtues was no commercials. Then at some point that was no longer true. And I no longer have it. I won't pay you to serve me ads. What happens is they argue that *some* of what you get when you buy is actually free but ad supported, and figure we'll all buy into that. I won't, at least with TV. Apps in the Apple store are often free with ads, or non-free w/o ads. That works for me. I'll pay for an app that is useful and is w/o ads.

  104. Re:EULA? by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

    You may choose to opt out of personalized advertising by visiting choice.live.com.

    First, does that refer to "Windows apps shipped as part of the base system", or "Windows apps bought through our app store"? Apple has a similar switch that disables (most, for now) personalized advertising in 3rd-party apps. It doesn't apply to their own apps, as their own apps don't have ads.

    Second, that phrasing explicitly avoids referring to non-personalized advertising. They would be complying with the letter of the agreement by serving you the same generic ads that everyone else sees.

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  105. Re:Let's let YOU think again then... apk by Tarlus · · Score: 1

    Your ads are worse that Microsoft's.

    --
    /* No Comment */
  106. Re:EULA? by girlinatrainingbra · · Score: 1
    re: ... by filling in... ...Blood group."

    Damn it, I don't know my blood group. Do I just need to cut my finger and sign the alternate paperform version with blood and send it in to MS directly? Isn't that how you're supposed to sign deals with the devil?

    ;>)

  107. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I don't know if I'd pick Ubuntu as an exemplar here.

  108. Surprised? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Look at the Xbox 360 it is the only games system that makes you pay for online and it also has the most egregious advertising on the system.

  109. Re:EULA? by Cinder6 · · Score: 1

    Windows 8 Pro (which I have) has the ads. However, the ads are in a couple built-in apps, like Finance, not in the OS itself. The Finance app itself is actually pretty good, but it's really nothing more than a website with a Metro layout. The main problem I see with it, beyond ads, is that it's slow to load.

    --
    If you can't convince them, convict them.
  110. Linux is different by phorm · · Score: 1

    Yes, because recent versions of Ubuntu don't have ads at all.

    Oh... wait.

    There are - of course - alternatives. My concern is when the "industry" starts moving in a given directly, all the "alternatives" tend to gravitate there, and suddenly there's no so much choice after all.

  111. Re:Ads, ads everywhere - nowhere a thought to thin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I had a heart-to-heart talk with a theater manager about this issue, and he basically explained it as they don't make any money, the studio gets it all, except for whatever they can sell at the snack bar, so they need to show ads to stay in business.

    I told him well why don't you at least show the ads up front before the lights go down, and not after, when people are still finding their seats and settling in, so that they don't feel like they have to watch the ads, but can if they want to. Seemed like a decent compromise to me, and the next time I went to the theater, the ads were now showing before the lights went down, instead of after.

    But yeah, paying and then being forced to watch ads sucks like a vacuum cleaner set on high.

  112. Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone that doesn't expect to find ads in an expensive paid product has obviously never had to deal with Parallels.

  113. Steam is free, and primarily a game store by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And I, for one, don't mind the recommendations of Steam one bit. Often those ads are for savagely discounted triple-A titles which I've been looking to get anyway. I have to say Steam makes it very simple and quick to buy games. It's almost as if they want you to buy games with as little hassle as possible. That is a mode of operation that I deeply agree with. So much even that I've bought many a game through that medium.

    All this in stark contrast to another commercial venture connected to a game console that shall remain nameless. There were occasions that I wanted to buy a game but it took just too many hoops en circusses to get to the checkout. I love that console and the games it has, but man, is it ever a chore to get something for it.

    Steam does it right: no hassle, frequent discounts and deep discounts at that. And while I'm sure it is balls-deep in DRM, it has never failed me yet.

  114. Re:I do too, & here's HOW I BEAT IT... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Replying anon to undo moderation. Posting once = useful. Spamming everywhere = not.

  115. Not in germany by aepervius · · Score: 1

    A software with a pretend licence which are permenantely owned by you is actually a sales and you OWN it and can resell it. So. Yeah.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
  116. Oh boy...... by Hsien-Ko · · Score: 1

    It's Internet Explorer 4.0 / Windows 98 all over again!

  117. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Easy, put Mint Linux or Ubuntu on instead. You're wife will be happy after a little while of getting used to it (less time than Win 8).

  118. USPS delivers my recycling by handy_vandal · · Score: 1

    After repeated failed attempts to contact the mass-mailing house(s) that send me my recycling each week (in the form of coupons, circulars, etc. in my mailbox), I spoke with a Post Office clerk.

    Who told me, in effect: "They pay us too much to stop sending that stuff."

    In other words, money is money, and most companies take whatever is there for the taking ... because (they say, oh so reasonably) "We can't afford to *not* take the money".

    --
    -kgj
  119. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't worry. They already know your blood group. That is the reason they also open up ports of your firewall for those new, special experiences.

  120. Ads in movie theatres by nuckfuts · · Score: 1

    I know it's a bit off-topic, but I feel similary pissed off when I'm subjected to television ads before a watching a movie at a theatre. Maybe it's because I'm old enough to remember when this wasn't the case, but I consider it outrageous to be subjected to ads after paying for an expensive ticket and overpriced refreshments.

    The first time a TV ad appeared, we should have thrown our drinks at the screen and tore the stuffing out of the seats, but we're too docile here in Canada to riot unless there's a hockey game involved.

    1. Re:Ads in movie theatres by El_Oscuro · · Score: 1

      But there is no hockey, at least not at the NHL level. That should start riots in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto at least, or perhaps staging a coup-de-tat of Gary Bettman. To make it even worse, the Stanley Cup is in possession of the LA Kings which should offend Canadians everywhere.

      Oh, wait, Canadians actually have lots of good hockey that isn't NHL. Here in the states, it is either the NHL or the Frozen Four if you are lucky. Oh, well, pitchers and catchers report in February.

      --
      "Be grateful for what you have. You may never know when you may lose it."
  121. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  122. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They also collect email addresses via Catalysis marketing company from the Media Center add-on installation code requests. They don't mention what happens to those addresses after their deal with Catalysis is over.

  123. Re:Ring3/RPL3/UserMode code & slower interpret by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    tenebrousedge blows it twice + tries hiding it 2x w\ downmods http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41922677 and here too http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41921139 ? I don't see anything different than what I just stated happening here so it is a clear-cut case of someone gaming the moderation system (cheating it and applying bad downmods).

  124. Unjustifiable downmods don't hide truth... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See my subject-line: Especially since MOST folks here surf FAR below the default filter... Guess what?

    Hey - They're going to see it anyhow, so using "hit & run downmods" to *try* to "hide" my post?

    Pitiful, & QUITE useless!

    * To whoever downmodded my post - See the above, "drink it in & digest it", since I KNOW IT'S TRUE, as does anyone else reading with 1/2 a brain... & you do too!

    APK

    P.S.=> It's so blatantly obvious too - since you CAN'T disprove my points in favor of custom hosts files' benefits to end users of them here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 I can only conclude what I have now... lol, YOU FAIL, trolls - period!

    ... apk

    1. Re:Unjustifiable downmods don't hide truth... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This retard is talking to himself! Quite amusing. Shouldn't you be running a church somewhere?

  125. Re:EULA? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

    Actually it's a button click. You can set it for the current browser, or to apply account-wide if you sign in with your live account.

  126. Longer execution path by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 5, Informative

    No, that's not how things work.

    Without Adblock,
    User requests a piece of content -> Firefox uses content policies to determine how and whether a request should be sent -> Firefox checks the local browser cache for the file -> Firefox requests the DNS record for the domain in question -> The OS parses the local DNS cache (the hosts file should be preloaded)-> finds address 0.0.0.0, returns that to Firefox.

    Adblock stops that process at step 2. Hosts would be faster IFF Adblock adds more overhead to the content policy process than it would take to actually make the request.

    I took a minute to actually test this.
    Atom netbook, Linux, Firefox 17 beta, Adblock Plus, Firebug, Mozilla's internal DNS/file cache disabled, hosts file 34 lines long:
    Normal DNS name resolution: 3 ms.
    With hosts blocking : 3 ms.
    With Adblock : 0 ms.

    A larger hosts file would of course increase the time taken for DNS resolution.

    Not only this, but it can also filter parts of addresses (e.g. filter example.com/badcontent but not example.com/goodcontent). You can filter all sorts of things with regexes that are completely impossible with naive blacklists, like blocking content based on its type.

    Your A, B, C, D list is all handled by a DNS caching server. Do note, this is not the same thing as the built-in local DNS cache, so your comments are really completely off-base.

    DNS caching servers may be a bit more complex, but again they're also more useful: they work for any device that supports TCP/IP networking. The one I am using weighs in at a hefty 39.9 kilobytes. How big is your implementation?

    A "plain" manually updated hosts file is going to be larger in itself than any other form of blacklisting. Even so, you might have an argument still by virtue of simplicity. When you start updating it with a script, you've just tossed all that out the window: your software performs the exact same function as a dns caching server, except badly, with more resources, and less flexibility.

    The fundamental weakness of hosts is that you can't do regexes, and you cannot enumerate all malicious domains. It is difficult to strictly compare the performance of string matching (hosts) versus regular expressions (DNS, ABP). A small hosts file would have a chance of beating the other solutions, in theory. In practice, not so much, and by the time we get to multi-megabyte hosts files, you're pretty much screwed for performance.

    Are we done here?

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  127. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then uninstall it and pay for your apps so they don't have ads in. Or make your own, or find a free one that doesn't have ads there might be some.

    These apps take barely 10 mb of space if that.

    By nature, they can not run in the background. Nothing in windows modern UI can bar registering a few select tasks for the OS the schedule.

    Fact the sixth; talking like this makes me sound like a massive twat.

  128. No video showing this yet... why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://advertising.microsoft.com/video-advertising#

    Why are there not youtube videos showing how bad the ads are yet???

  129. Re:EULA? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

    Thanks, you don't need Win 8 for that. I just opted out on my live account for all PCs/browsers I use.

  130. You must be new here by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can't moderate and post on the same topic, dipshit.

    You have this hilarious persecution complex, where you think all ACs are the same person, and the moderators *must* be sockpuppets of the same people who disagree with you.

    If you really think I've been modding you down somehow, even though the site doesn't allow that, then you should write to the site admins and report me. They should be able to correlate the IPs and determine whether I've been sockpuppeting. I invite you to do this, because I am damn sure of what they would turn up.

    And no, no one has the time to use separate proxies just for the pleasure of downmodding you. Basically you're the only one who is that much of a crazy asshole, and you're projecting onto everyone else.

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  131. First thing I got rid of was the Metro start menu by Rexdude · · Score: 1

    since I use a desktop and have no use for Metro. I use Classic shell which returns a fully customizable 'normal' start menu to Windows 8.

    --
    "..One hosts to look them up, one DNS to find them, and in the darkness BIND them."
  132. Do Not Track? by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

    Back when Microsoft decided to turn Do Not Track 'on' by default in IE, I was one of those who applauded them and defended their actions. But now, the paranoid conspiracy theorist in me is feeling like a sucker, 'cause I'm thinking maybe MS wanted Do Not Track activated for the majority of its users so they could suck up more ad revenue from their own freshly-minted built-in ad trackers.

    Assholes... It seems that every time I get the feeling Microsoft isn't 'all that bad' they pull something like this. So this time I'm writing them off for good. MS could donate all of their assets and income to the poor, and I'd still suspect them of continuing to be unreformed slime-sucking bottom feeders.

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  133. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Which only removes the personalization from the advertising, not the advertising itself.

  134. Also can adblock do these things hosts can? No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because custom hosts files can do MORE than just block ads... things AdBlock CANNOT DO, such as:

    ---

    A.) Speedup your "favorite" websites via host file record entry hardcodes

    B.) Operate on ALL WEBBOUND APPS globally (adblock only operates on Mozilla products)

    C.) Allow you to circumvent DNSBL's (DNS block lists)

    D.) Allow you to beat DNS request logs

    E.) Operate more efficiently since hosts run in Ring 0/RPL 0/Kernelmode (vs. layered ONTOP of already slower Ring 3/RPL 3/Usermode apps called webbrowsers, increasing complexity of operations slowing them even more).

    F.) Operate on other hardware platforms (like smartphones)

    & more...

    ---

    (Care to tell us if AdBlock can do THOSE things?)

    APK

    P.S.=> As far as your last post? Man... lmao, anyone KNOWS that:
    ---

    1.) Kernelmode apps, especially those written in C & Assembly language (the IP stack itself with over 40 yrs. of optimization put into it too no less) are going to BLOW AWAY those written in perl/python/javascript that run in slower USERMODE (which is what adblock's written in, interpreted SLOW code that runs in usermode OVER THE TOP of already slower apps called webbrowsers there... slowing them up even more!)

    AND

    2.) The IP stack LOOKS TO THE HOSTS FILE FIRST for host-domain name resolutions by default (faster path of execution, blocking out content from cached data in RAM)...

    ---

    So, you asked this question:

    "Are we done here?" - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Thursday November 08, @03:11PM (#41923329)

    YOU certainly are.. you "finished" yourself, & quite badly!You fail!

    ... apk

  135. Wrong again (check kernelmode vs. usermode)... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sure you can. Mod someone down, & logout to preserve your cookie state and troll as ac!

    I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie doing it AND using multiple "registered 'luser'" accounts to pull that trick also (in case you don't know it? Those 2 lusers are the SAME PERSON!).

    Anyone can do it, including YOU, Tenebrousedge...

    APK

    P.S.=> I suggest you look up the speed difference in apps coded in:

    1.) Ring 0/RPL 0/kernelmode (the IP stack & hosts files) vs. Ring 3/RPL 3/usermode apps (like AdBlock layering in & slowing down even MORE, the usermode browsers it layers onto)

    AND

    2.) Apps that are written in C & Assembly (the IP stack which is what runs the hosts file as a filter) vs. those that are written in SLOWER INTERPRETED CODE (javascript/perl/python - Adblock's written in those)...

    PLUS

    3.) What the ORDER of what the IP stack looks to, 1st - that's the HOSTS file, fool, not the "line of b.s." you *tried* here on "longer path of execution" -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41923329 !

    ... apk

  136. Re:EULA? by cbhacking · · Score: 1

    This would be a lot funnier if you'd chosen a distro that doesn't include ads in its default configuration (Amazon referrals on search, etc.)

    --
    There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  137. oh fuck no, i despise advertising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i was curious about windows 8 but now i can nuke my win 7 box and install openbsd with no regrets. so glad i switched to os x for my main work computer years ago...

  138. Re:Block these ads the MOST efficient way... apk by cbhacking · · Score: 1

    Did you actually read the linked article (not the /. circle-jerk of MS bashing, though the relevant info comes up there too if you look hard enough)? It's a Windows Defender protection against domains that are commonly embedded in other pages being redirected. It's also easy to turn off; either whitelist the Hosts file or simply disable Defender (though in that case you'll probably want to install a third-party AV).

    --
    There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  139. Mod parent up by cbhacking · · Score: 1

    These apps are optional (pre-installed but trivial to remove) and are basically just a different way of presenting the info that you could get from the relevant web sites... which, shockingly enough, also feature ads. Go figure. That stuff isn't free.

    --
    There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  140. Re:EULA? by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 1

    Yeah, or ads for Apple :)

    --
    -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
  141. Re:EULA? by Missing.Matter · · Score: 1

    Fact the first: Adverts within an application consume display space, and in smaller screens, this becomes more apparent.

    Most of the ads in question are innocuous. For example, in the weather app, the single ad is after all the relevant data, past monthly averages. You don't see any ads in the forecast or radar. Same with the finance app. I use these apps without ever seeing ads.

    Fact the second: Adverts require that you be a bit more careful with your mouse/finger/stylus/whatever, lest you accidentally click on the advert and interrupt what you're doing (especially if you're playing a game or other activity that has a high chance of random clickage).

    True. But again most of the ads are not embedded in content. If you're concerned about a free game with ads, perhaps consider paying money for the paid version of said game. Nothing is really free.

    Fact the third: Ads in paid-for/included applications, delivered by the OS maker, cannot be rationalized, especially since the competition does no such thing.

    Apps like news and sports republish content from 200+ sources, and Microsoft likely needs to pay a good portion of these. The same goes for free music streaming in the Music app. Want to listen to full albums for free? Then you have to listen to or watch an occasional ad. There's really no good ground to complain about advertisements in places like this. No other OS maker does this because no other OS maker offers similar services like free music streaming.

    Fact the fourth:: Even if you do not use it (them), you are stuck with the application(s) residing on your hard drive, taking up space, and potentially running in the background, which would consume both CPU and networking bandwidth.

    No you are not. You can uninstall any of the included apps. If you don't want to, you can restrict which apps run in the background right in the control panel on a per app basis. Further, all apps by default have a very strict list of services they can access while backgrounded. I can't think of any app which would serve ads while backgrounded except the music app, which loads ads between streaming tracks.

    Fact the fifth: You as a consumer were not made aware of this intrusion until after you purchased the item, and since it is software, good luck getting a refund on it from either OEM or OS maker.

    Every single app with advertisements is free and can be uninstalled easily (You don't even need to go to the control panel. Just right click -> uninstall). You as the consumer paid nothing for these apps, and in fact one would hope that the cost of their development and maintenance is completely offset by ads they serve. You're not being "intruded on" in any way... it's not as if there are ads in the file manager between your files, or in your local desktop searches (unlike Ubuntu)

  142. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fact, the ads dont show until you scroll all the way to the right past all the "content" to see them. They essentially consume ZERO screen real estate if you dont scroll to them.

    This is such a non-issue that some token free apps that come with the OS show some adds way off to the side.

  143. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is funny, but in current desktop landscape, you recommendation is tantamount to saying:

    "You might as well ride a horse-drawn carriage to avoid hearing an ad while listening to the radio that came with your car."

  144. Lastly - regarding your "test"... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IF I am blocking out sites, what do I care how "fast" they access?

    Clue/New NEWS/NewsFlash:

    They're NOT MEANT TO BE ACCESSED @ ALL, since they're blocked!

    And that IS the "bulk" of my custom hosts file here: 1,850,750++ entries of BLOCKED known malicious sites/servers/hosts-domains that serve up malware &/or malicious code exploits... only 20, the TOP 20 mind you (beats indexing even), are my "favorites" hardcoded into it, & read @ the speed of RAM once cached!

    (Are you THAT stupid saying what you did? Top that off with the fact that HOSTS files are the 1st thing accessed by your OS & IP stack for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses?? You fail on your "shorter path of execution" b.s. you used last post!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Also, when I "hardcode in" my top 20 favorite sites?

    AGAIN: They are AT THE TOP/FIRST RECORD ENTRIES in my custom hosts file...

    (This is faster than indexing even when the entries are "mixed in" to a custom hosts file BY FAR - in fact, doing it as I do? It equates to indexing 2++ million entries otherwise such as is done in DNS!)...

    ---

    Not only THAT, but again - What is the FIRST thing the OS & IP stack access for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses?

    "That's right kids - you guessed it": THE HOSTS FILE!

    So much for your "shorter path of execution", eh?

    It doesn't GET any shorter than that, especially once the hosts file data is cached!

    (Cached either by the local clientside dns cache service in Windows, OR, with larger hosts files, the kernelmode diskcaching subsystem).

    Lastly - comparing ANY usermode app (especially adblock, which IS CRIPPLED BY DEFAULT by the advertisers that own it, talk about "foxes in the henhouse", lol, too) to a kernelmode one?

    DUMB on your part...

    Put it THIS way - I've also written my app in tty-term/charactermode/DOS Window version too... & guess what?

    THAT is 10x as fast as the GUI one I put up (but, folks like their GUI vs. console apps)... think that kernelmode apps are SLOWER than that? Guess again... lol!

    You FAILED on so many things, it's not even funny...

    ... apk

  145. Re:Truth's always useful... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ghostery has been proven not to track you if you disable GhostRank.

    To say otherwise is spreading FUD.

  146. Re:EULA? by vlueboy · · Score: 1

    potentially running in the background, which would consume both CPU and networking bandwidth. For mobile devices [...]

    ...AND putting you on pause there to add that these lead to battery consumption. It is just unfair that all smartphones soon reach a point where battery must be replaced, before contracts run off. You can either pay to be ripped off with batteries that cost up to 1/2 the price of your by-then-devalued purchase. You can also suck it up and just lug a charger everywhere. The latter won't help if you must switch on the 3G or Wifi for 20 minutes, given that everything backgrounded decides to catch up to whatever you missed while on 2G or Airplane mode.

    Eventually you just break your contract / pay full price for a new phone or switch providers for a deal. Either way, those background apps cannot be turned off without uninstalling or rooting... or fremium apps that muck around with settings that should be user-accessible. Hate that this is bleeding into desktop land now

  147. Ads have been in software for a long time by mattack2 · · Score: 1

    There have been ads in software you pay for for a long time. I think various home versions of racing games had different paid ads on billboards for different versions.

    Even Pole Position in the arcade had real brands on the billboards.

    (BTW, I hate "regular" TV ads and avoid them with a passion, but the ads in the various Zynga iPhone games I play are either tolerable (static ads) or annoying but not bad enough to get me to pay even a piddly $.99 yet (the video ads that play for a few seconds until you can skip them). Product placement in TV shows rarely bugs me, and live ads in podcasts can even be entertaining, but I still skip the canned ads before/after them that show up on some podcasts.)

  148. Google Maps has ads on Android by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Google does this as well. Moving from an iPhone to a Galaxy Nexus, I was disgusted to see ads in the Maps app on Android. They're extremely intrusive, too, covering way too much of the already limited screen real estate. We're moving headlong into the super tacky, classless world that marketers have wet dreams about.

  149. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not Ubuntu! Ubuntu used to be good, but now it's turned into a silly tablet interface foisted on desktop users (just like Microsoft and Windows 8!). Please suggest another distro; Debian, perhaps?

  150. Re:EULA? by TCM · · Score: 1

    The only thing that's "news" here is the rather unbelievable concept that you actually think people read EULAs anymore.

    Or that EULAs actually matter globally.

    A legally binding text INSIDE the box I'm buying? You guys are hilarious. Vote yourself some sane customer protection laws next time.

    --
    Of course it runs NetBSD. BTC: 1NT7QvbetmANwaMzhpVL6
  151. Re:EULA? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

    I would except it's our only Windows machine, and every once in a blue moon you need Windows.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  152. Faster is not sending the request at all by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 2

    I ran benchmarks. Adblock is faster. Requests that are not generated by the browser are faster than ones that are and resolve locally in the hosts file. The language being executed makes zero difference.

    This is how Microsoft says DNS works. The ironic part is how you go through all these contortions to make sure that hosts is resident in RAM, when it would be anyway if you just used the Windows DNS Client.

    You're totally ignorant, it seems, of how Firefox operates internally. What I outlined was exactly correct. Firefox handles a number of different types of content, such as http, https, ftp, ssh, images, javascript, etc. Before it goes to find something, it determines how it should do that. It parses the request. Is this a file? is it local ("file://") or remote? ("http://"). This is the stage that Adblock interrupts. The next stage would be Firefox asking the OS's host name resolution system for the IP address. Resolving a null address takes longer -- as benchmarked -- than not making the request at all.

    Your DNS caching server can run on the same hardware as your browser, it doesn't have to be remote -- or complicated. Windows being Windows, people have easy solutions for this. Again, your program is just a bad example of one -- it's not that difficult to use is it? If you can make a simple product, then someone who knows what they're doing can too.

    Regexes. Let's see if we can fill this vast gulf of your ignorance. So you want to block
    baddomain.com, baddomain.net, baddomain.xxx etc.
    A request comes in. You want to know if it is a domain that you should be blocking. If you are doing string matching (as in a hosts file), you must check entries in your list until you find it. You make N comparisons, and either find it or exhaust the list.
    If you are using a regex (e.g. baddomain.*), you make one comparison.

    For short lists, string comparison can be faster. If you're parsing more than a kilobyte, you should probably think about regexes. Megabytes are no contest. I can provide benchmarks for that too.

    So, you have my benchmarks. How big is this program of yours? How many cpu cycles does it use? Does it take more or less time than 0 ms to block a request? How big is your hosts file?

    I get the feeling that you've never actually tested any of this, and are just going by your gut feeling.

    Stop with your A, B, C list.
    A) a local DNS caching server will do the exact same thing. Because it is the exact same thing.
    B) a local DNS caching server will affect all webapps and all other devices on the local network. You just have a shitty version.
    C) See A.
    D) See A.
    E) See A, also see benchmark it before you claim it's faster.
    F) If you can access the hosts file on those devices, if it exists. See B.

    And really, you're smoking something if you think the IP stack isn't being rewritten regularly. IPv6 ring a bell? DNSSEC? Networks have changed since the 80s. You don't understand how or why.

    You have zero evidence that this actually works the way you think. None. Most of what you've said is factually wrong, even the parts where you try to call me out. You don't have any idea what the network stack looks like, or how it's actually being used. I have more than a sneaking suspicion that you've never configured a non-home network. Or a server.

    You're not going to convince anyone with testimonials. Show some numbers. I don't want to hear bullshit about how many people suck your dick, or how bulletproof your systems are. If you can't prove your claims with actual numbers, you're just a loudmouthed excuse for a script kiddie.

    Face it -- you're not even a mediocrity. You're just a laughingstock. Your complete lack of wit is painfully obvious to everyone on every forum that you troll.

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  153. Symbian? In USA? by tepples · · Score: 1

    Why would Symbian be counted in the smartphone market for the purpose of U.S. antitrust law? Symbian has never had a real presence in the U.S. market to my knowledge. And why would Android be counted among lawful competitors if a jury has found that Android infringes patents? It'd be like saying marijuana competes with tobacco.

  154. Java by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    String £inux = "Linux";
    String Appl€ = "Apple";

    Valid Java code

  155. Re:EULA? by zeugma-amp · · Score: 1

    every once in a blue moon you need Windows.

    I thought that was what VMs were for.

    --
    This is an ex-parrot!
  156. Time to destroy you MORE, point-by-point... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Oh, really? So, adblock doesn't PARSE the webpage first? Bullshit... there is your SLOW right there, for starters! How does it make the determination as to WHAT is an adbanner or not, by parsing tags, right?

    Secondly?

    "I ran benchmarks" - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Thursday November 08, @06:20PM (#41925925)

    Oh, really? WHICH ONES test this?? None I know of... & you need to LEARN a few things, boy:

    Clue: The majority of my custom hosts file is BLOCKED ENTRIES (ones I never intended to get to anyhow, lol, so "speed" is NOT of the essence) - 1,850,750++ to be precise in fact!

    PLUS?

    MY "FAVORITES" ARE @ THE TOP OF THAT, 1st 20 entries too

    Thus, & even an index over 2 million ++ entries (if they were "mixed up" together alphabetically by domain name order) WOULDN'T BE ANY FASTER for those either...

    So, thus, so much for DNS indexing (topping itself off by being more complex, eating more CPU cycles, RAM, & other forms of I/O too, as well as electricity (especially IF setup as yet another entire system)).

    See subject-line - for the majority of my custom hosts file, they are blocked (I never intended to get to those entries since they're KNOWN malicious so getting to them "fast"? Not an issue... (bad stuff, as in botnet C&C Servers, bad adbanners and normal ones too, &/or rogue DNS servers malware makers use too & more are blocked in my custom hosts file... Can adblock do THAT for you too? No!)

    Face it - Adblock can't speed up your favorites, block out malware serving sites, malicious botnet C&C servers, rogue DNS servers, & more (& it only runs for a SINGLE browser family... hosts work for ANY webbound app!).

    The list goes on... AdBlock's INFERIOR to custom hosts, not nearly as "versatile" AND IT'S OWNED BY ADVERTISERS (talk about "foxes in the henhouse", lol).

    ---

    "Adblock is faster." - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Thursday November 08, @06:20PM (#41925925)

    B.S.! It's written in SLOWER interpreted languages (vs. the IP stack in C & Assembly) and it runs in a FAR SLOWER RING OF PRIVELEGE (ring 3/rpl 3/usermode) vs. hosts in ring 0/rpl 0/kernelmode.

    AdBlocks also MASSIVELY inferior & doesn't do as much as custom hosts files do, period... they're FAR MORE "VERSATILE"!

    ---

    "You're totally ignorant, it seems, of how Firefox operates internally." - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Thursday November 08, @06:20PM (#41925925)

    LMAO - YOU ARE TOTALLY IGNORANT OF HOW THE IP STACK WORKS, since hosts files are called on FIRST, over the local DNS clientside cache, or remote DNS servers (and they're FASTER BY FAR too on this latter one).

    ---

    Your DNS caching server can run on the same hardware as your browser, it doesn't have to be remote" - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Thursday November 08, @06:20PM (#41925925)

    So? It STILL consumes MORE RAM, CPU cycles, & other forms of I/O... for what?? Doing what a hosts file can do, & not as efficiently by "layering on" MORE COMPLEXITY for no good reason??

    (Please... lol, you FAIL yet again!)

    ---

    "I get the feeling that you've never actually tested any of this, and are just going by your gut feeling" - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Thursday November 08, @06:20PM (#41925925)

    Your "tests" are bullshit... see the above facts vs. your fictions... and face it about AdBlock - it just "ain't what it used to be":

    ---

    Adblock Plus To Offer 'Acceptable Ads' Option

    http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/12/2213233/adblock-plus-to-offer-acceptable-ads-option

    ---

    Is it?

    Nope, not by default (& marketers that OWN it know most

  157. Poor little off topic troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  158. Just Get Over It by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You don't like Windows XP/Vista/7/8/9/10...? You chose to pay your dollars just to use your computer in a restricted way while there are many other choices out there? Shame on you! Take it or leave it and STFU already!

  159. A Pathetic Kook by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1, Insightful

    No, Adblock does not parse the webpage first. It blocks the request before the networking stack even gets involved. Get that one through the mass of granite that passes for your mind.

    We're talking about two small pieces of software that both do one thing very well. That whole Unix concept, you know? Versus your hosts file and associated updating program, which are both larger and slower than their equivalent replacements.

    If you don't know how to benchmark DNS requests, what the hell are you doing writing a DNS caching server?
    Firefox's web engine keeps statistics on how long DNS requests take. So do most other browsers. Do three tests:

    1. 1. Control. Load a web page normally (disable browser/file cache). Mark down how long DNS resolution takes, and how long the whole page takes to load.
    2. 2. Test: Block the domain using the hosts file. Mark down how long DNS resolution takes.
    3. 3. Test: Unblock the domain. Install Adblock Plus. The file is not requested (DNS resolution = 0ms). Time how long the page takes to load. Compare to control.

    Repeat 10x. A small hosts file was only 3ms slower per request; I shudder to think what yours is like.

    You keep mentioning "indexing". Maybe because it's a concept you're familiar with. It has nothing to do with anything being discussed, except in your mind.

    How big is your app? How big is your hosts file? How can you say that other solutions consume more resources if you don't now how much you use?

    Adblock is faster. So is a real DNS cache. The combination is more secure -- you can block far more things far more easily. That is, everything that you can do with a hosts file, plus many things that you can't.

    My accomplishments include being able to read documentation and come up with numbers that prove that you've been completely wrong about this for what, a decade now? Hell, you can't even read my posts, you keep repeating the same busted ideas over and over again. I've given you links, benchmarks, and examples, and you've linked to your own posts and yelled a lot.

    Really, everyone knows that you're a retarded troll, and let's face it, you know it too. When the windows desktop dies, you won't even have this rant any more.

    Poor APK. The hosts file is the only thing he knows, and he doesn't even understand that. You know, that's sad. I feel bad, really I do. Like I was trying to take candy away from a special needs toddler.

    Tell you what. I'll take these naughty benchmarks away, and then you can live in your little APK bubble with your little APK friends, and you and the hosts file can play together all day long!

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  160. Re:EULA? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

    I find dual-boot and seldom-used VMs to be difficult to maintain. When you finally fire them up after months of non-use, they need a ton of updates. I prefer to just have one of my machines running Windows. Once I tried to start a cron job that let Windows run once in a while so it could update and stuff, but I guess I did it wrong because it ended up corrupting it's drive image and wouldn't boot. I rolled it back, but lost confidence in the whole process.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  161. Apple II by tepples · · Score: 1

    But there existed directives to alter this behaviour

    This was true of some but not all Microsoft BASIC interpreters. The one that Apple hired Microsoft to make for the Apple II ("Applesoft") did not have DEFSTR. On that BASIC, names of string variables were required to end in $.

    1. Re:Apple II by asdf7890 · · Score: 1

      I've gone a quick check of my memory, and it looks like QuickBasic and its descendants had those directives, which will be where I'll remember it from.

  162. It's worse than that. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You don't yet realize it, but this entire thread is a jeans commercial.

  163. Re:EULA? by jbgroup1 · · Score: 1

    Windows 8 Pro (which I have) has the ads. However, the ads are in a couple built-in apps, like Finance, not in the OS itself. The Finance app itself is actually pretty good, but it's really nothing more than a website with a Metro layout. The main problem I see with it, beyond ads, is that it's slow to load.

    It's also in Windows 8 Enterprise.

  164. Re:EULA? by man_of_mr_e · · Score: 1

    You'll notice, the ads are all on MSN related pages (Weather, Finance, News, etc..). This is because they link to the website (which has ads). Msn does not earn its paycheck from sales of Windows 8, they get their paycheck from ad revenue, so MSN is just trying to get their services paid for.

  165. Re:EULA? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

    No doubt that knowledge would make me appreciate the ads more.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  166. Argument from Authority is a Fallacy by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 0

    I'm just eating this up, I swear. The delusions never cease!

    Your "test"? Is bullshit - it doesn't account for processing AdBlock MUST be doing to determine what is an ad, and what is NOT an ad... period.

    That'd take tag parsing on the webpage being rendered, and that means AdBlock's DOING such parsing... how else would it KNOW what is an ad, and what is not??

    No, it does not do this. It operates on file requests, and parses the URI being requested -- specifically it runs it through a regex. It's really hilarious watching you fail to understand this.

    You're a web browser. You're downloading (and parsing) some HTML. You run across an tag. Huh, well you'd better go find it. You check if images have been enabled, yup. Then you check what you're supposed to do with www.example.com/image.jpg, and Adblock says, "Let me take a look at that first." If it's okay with Adblock, then you check the browser cache to see if it's already there, if not, hit up the browser DNS cache to see if you already know where to find it, and if that fails, then you go to the OS.

    At no point does Adblock parse anything but a URI.

    This is also why the benchmark considers the total time taken to render a page. For me this varied about 30 ms each request, which can be chalked up to varying network latency. It's probably possible to set up a local server and domain in order to eliminate network effects, but again, if Adblock doesn't make a measurable difference to the load times, then you're not going to win doing the extra work of checking the hosts file.

    I'm drilling down to one issue because you're too dumb to attack them all at once. Consider this the first lesson: What Adblock Does. You have my email, btw, feel free to change arenas anytime. I'll work with you until you understand the whole issue.

    "My Name is Ozymandias: King of Kings - Look upon my works, ye mighty, & DESPAIR..."

    "...Nothing beside remains." Very apropos, but I doubt you meant that.

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  167. Square Wheel Round Two by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 2
    • Entries 1-9 (4 and 5 are the same thing, did you notice that?):
    • This is what a DNS caching server does.

    That is what your script is.

    Except by using the hosts file, you screw yourself out of being able to use it to manage the whole network. Among other failures.

    I asked some random tech, "What do you call a program that manages DNS entries?"

    "A DNS server."

    So, I'm going to look at your solution and compare it to other DNS servers. Hmm. Looks like it's broken, featureless, and bloated beyond belief.

    With that in mind, #10 is pretty irrelevant. Oh, hey look. Windows DNS software with a nice GUI. I bet it doesn't do anything retarded like load an ASCII file into memory -- you literally double the size needed to represent IP addresses that way (8 bytes ASCII vs 4 bytes hex). But hey, features, performance, and a simple GUI aren't everything, right? Why have it all when you can have software by APK!

    And for those of us who are actually paying attention, yes, Adblock can be configured to allow unobtrusive ads. It can also be configured not to do so, and I have. Further, since it's open-source, I've gone through the code and verified that that toggle actually does what it says. I have no problem forking the code if that ever changes.

    Keep in mind, this is the same list you keep presenting, and I keep giving variations on the same answer. You have this one toy hammer, and this one nail, and you can't imagine that the rest of the world figured out DNS. No, the entire world must be wrong, and the 40-year-old solution is the still the best technology, and you are the only one who knows this. IT organizations around the world are waiting for you to swoop down on them and save them.

    But man, that SimpleDNS program really looks...simple! And look at its impressive feature list -- I bet you don't know what half of those things are even for! I'm sure you'll get around to supporting those things any day now though. Your app has...uh...well.

    Oh yes, that's right. The power of delusion!

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  168. Another reason to wait for Windoze 9 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've been collecting reasons to wait for Windoze 9. Looks like another one.

  169. Re:EULA? by man_of_mr_e · · Score: 1

    I doubt it. I was merely explaining the reasons for the ads here. Anything MSN or XBOX based has ads, while nothing else does.

    If you don't like the ads, don't use those apps.

  170. Re:EULA? by Waccoon · · Score: 1

    So, I now have to visit a web site to configure my computer?

    Your post is informative in so many different ways.

  171. Not so crazy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is not so crazy. Linux + Steam app store + Firefox/Chrome = good enough for 95% of consumers.

  172. Re:Tenebrousedge = "Run, Forrest: RUN!!!"? LMAO... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  173. MS, M$, MSN, and M$N by tepples · · Score: 2

    They spent up big in the 70s and 80s promoting funding for research into multiple sclerosis 'MS', for a condition that affects the brain, something really important to geeks and nerds.

    Of course the difference between multiple sclerosis and Microsoft is that one is a debilitating and surprisingly widespread affliction that renders the sufferer barely able to perform the simplest task, and the other is a medical condition.

    So M$ is Microsoft and MSN is Microsoft Networks but MS is multiple sclerosis.

    And M$N is the peso moneda nacional, a former currency of Argentina.

  174. WELL THEN by Captain.Abrecan · · Score: 0

    "no one expects ads in a piece of software that they just paid good money for." Well then it's a good thing no one payed good money for it. You payed $40 for what is typically a $400 license. Quit complaining.

  175. Square Wheel Round Three by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 2

    Adblock can do #2 and #8, and it should not do these other things. When I want to fuck with my DNS, I'll use a tool designed for the job, not your broken and featureless hosts nonsense. And did I mention bloated? You have a tenth of the features for thousands of times more CPU and memory usage.

    You don't need programming ability to use Adblock either -- I don't even bother to configure it, just install and forget about it. If an ad slips through, I right click on it and select "block this with AdBlock." It doesn't get easier than that.

    Your silence on the subject of DNS servers is pretty telling. Really this hosts nonsense is just your complete ignorance of what the rest of the world uses DNS for, and how they do that. You don't understand CNAMES and AAA records, and so you've kludged your way through to something that *almost* a DNS server.

    There's a colossal and impotent arrogance about you. Ozymandias is really quite perfect: You don't know how to learn from others -- it's vaguely impressive that you've managed to teach yourself anything. You don't even know how to process the idea that other people solved DNS years ago, because you have a solution.

    It's probably an attitude that served you well in the 80s, when computers were an arcane art and there weren't any resources other than yourself. Today, if I have a problem, I can immediately find out how other people solved it. I would never try to write a script to update a hosts file, because people smarter than I am solved that issue and there are thirty or forty software packages that do that. Those smart people have moved on to other things like DNSSEC and automatically securing email.

    Thirty years ago, using a hosts file was a good idea. Twenty years ago we replaced it with something better, but it was still useful. Ten years ago it was completely outmatched for the task. Today it is thoroughly obsolete and only ever in fringe cases. Ten years from now it won't be used at all, and in twenty years it will be entirely forgotten. "...Nothing beside remains."

    With that in mind, here's a (partial) list of what hosts can't do:

    Hosts can't block part of a domain.

    Hosts can't block files based on content (e.g. swf or java applet).

    One hosts file does not affect other computers on the same LAN (see also "shitty DNS server").

    Hosts can't be changed from within the browser.

    Hosts cannot block entire top-level-domains (*.ru), you have to use a Fully-Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).

    Hosts cannot block things that are not explicitly listed in the hosts file.

    Hosts can't return actual DNS records, only IP addresses. This can increase the number of DNS queries needed.

    Hosts can't easily be edited remotely. You can do it with Powershell on a LAN, but not otherwise.

    Your solution of logon scripts only works for windows computers. Real useful, that. How is it better than normal DNS propagation? Only in looney-land.

    Hosts is vulnerable to DNS cache poisoning, MITM attacks, and denial-of-service attacks.

    Hosts can't allow a domain but block cookies.

    Being a simple file, hosts is an easy target for viruses and malware. Do you know if something has been added to it? I actually have mine under source control, but I'm not using windows and it's more of a byproduct.

    Hosts can't point a single domain to multiple IP addresses.

    In most systems, most of the time, hosts will not have a positive effect on how fast your favorite websites load. Your browser and the Windows DNS Client Service already have caches. As mentioned in the previous post (the microsoft.com article), when the WDNSCS is enabled, the hosts file is parsed into memory; the OS doesn't actually touch the file for every request. This can be verified by checking the access time. Other operating systems behave identically.

    Hosts can't redirect one host name to another host name.

    And I've mentioned it before, but it's pretty im

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  176. Why call it adblock? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It can't block all ads by default. It's owned by advertisers. Do you have foxes guard your henhouses too?

  177. Unjustifiable downmods used to hide truth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pretty pitiful downmodding his post when it shows truth.

    1. Re:Unjustifiable downmods used to hide truth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Truth? What truth? you make me laugh.

  178. Re:Time to utterly destroy you, point-by-point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Go away bot face.

  179. Re:EULA? by gcobb · · Score: 2

    No. Metro is there because MS want to be a mobile phone OS company -- that is where the money is in the future. However, no third smartphone OS can be successful because of the App problem: there are no apps until the app developers see customers, and there are no customers until they can download apps. So, MS had this great idea: force every Windows PC user to use the same interface as their new phone OS. Create a ready built large market for app developers and so get a lot of apps developed quickly, ready for the phone users.

    I hate MS as much as the next guy on /. but I have to admit this is a brilliant way to solve the problem that brought down Nokia and surmount the barriers to entry erected by Apple and Google.

  180. Re:Time to utterly destroy you, point-by-point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no. we don't take your orders ac troll. get over it. yer mama may respond to your tantrums. we dont.

  181. Re:EULA? by bigalzzz · · Score: 1

    Thanks - opted out now :D

  182. Re:Use of unjustifiable downmods by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Quit projecting your "StRaNgE PhaNtaSiEs" onto others troll.

  183. Re:EULA? by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

    What is a "live account", and why would I want (or need) one?

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  184. Re:Your /. peers disagree... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny how your contributions are so bad, you have to bookmark posts from TWOTHOUSANDFIVE to show off. Your handful of accidentally modded-up posts falls under measurement error.

    Shall we count your -1 posts?

    Pathetic...

  185. Mod this down all you like trolls... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Doesn't change a thing - his "test method" is FLAWED -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41943501

    How so?

    ---

    1.) He used a LOCAL DNS SERVER most folks don't have these setup (as I know there is NO WAY a REMOTE DNS SERVER returns results in only 3ms... no way, as they typically return results for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses in 30-100's of ms...)

    ---

    2.) He used a LARGER custom hosts file set of "favorites"...

    a.) That is THE only thing I care that gets speed out of MY custom hosts file - the rest are BLOCKED & I could care less HOW FAST they are gotten to - I never intended to get to them in the 1st place!

    b.) I place my favorites @ the TOP OF MY HOSTS FILE, which even beats DNS server indexing up to 2++ million records or so...

    ---

    3.) He queried a local browser cache

    a.) It's NOT able to obtain hosts-domain names resolutions, by itself as he said, to IP addresses BEFORE the IP stack gets it for it! that comes WAY before that...

    b.) The IP stack is written in C & Assembly with over 40++ yrs. of optimization put into it, running in ring 0/rpl 0/kernelmode

    c.) That is FAR faster than usermode browsers are which slow up more with addons (firefox proves that much easily, load it up with addons & see)

    d.) HOSTS act merely as a FILTER for the IP stack, & hosts are the FIRST THING YOUR SYSTEM QUERIES (then dns clientside caches, then remote DNS)).

    ---

    * YES - I've even WRITTEN tenebrousedge on it, as well as Mr. Steven Burn of hpHosts/malwarebytes (for a 2nd opinion)...

    Mr. Burn agrees MY points are SOLID as a rock, & to "pound tenebrousedge into the dirt", lol!

    (Not out to do that last part, just out to set the record straight... )

    After all: I put up testimonials not only from myself, but 7 others on /. on SPEED GAINS ALONE from custom hosts files, but also the SAME FINDING FROM A SECURITY EXPERT @ SYMANTEC!

    Someone's going to be made out a liar here, and I rather STRONGLY SUSPECT, it's NOT going to be myself, the /.'ers whose testimonials I used, as well as Mr. Oliver Day from SecurityFocus.com/Symantec...

    APK

    P.S.=> AdBlock is owned by ADVERTISERS (you're letting your henhouse be guarded by foxes, and IT DOESN'T BLOCK ALL ADS ANYMORE by default either - this is a shame actually, as Mb (before it was "souled-out") for "layered-security"/"defense-in-depth" purposes... Ghostery? Not THAT MUCH DIFFERENT - owned by ADVERTISERS too, & it tracks you by default via GhostRank!)

    AND?

    AdBlock cannot DO AS MUCH FOR YOU AS custom hosts files can - this thread showed that much here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41933709 (and, I'd like to see AdBlock do #2 & #8 from my list - those are TRACKERS & MALICIOUS SERVERS, not adbanners - hosts block those, adblock? No!)...

    ... apkDoesn't change a thing - owned by ADVERTISERS

  186. Test's FLAWED... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1.) He used a LARGER custom hosts file set of "favorites" - mine has 20 @ the TOP of my custom hosts file (important) - NOT 34 (almost double)...

    a.) That is THE only thing I care that gets speed out of MY custom hosts file - the rest are BLOCKED & I could care less HOW FAST they are gotten to - I never intended to get to them since they're blocked out, in the 1st place!

    b.) I place my favorites @ the TOP OF MY HOSTS FILE, which even beats DNS server indexing up to around 2++ million records or so...

    ---

    1.) He used a LOCAL DNS SERVER most folks don't have these setup, as they waste CPU cycles, RAM, & other forms of I/O PLUS electricity as a result of those things, and more complexity (as I know there is NO WAY a REMOTE DNS SERVER returns results in only 3ms... no way, as they typically return results for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses in 30-100's of ms...) - NOR DID HE FLUSH THE LOCAL DNS CACHE!

    ---

    3.) He queried a local browser cache AND had the local DNS cache active, non-flushed first!

    a.) NEITHER AdBlock nor FF are able to obtain hosts-domain names resolutions, by themselves as he said, to IP addresses BEFORE the IP stack gets it for it, FIRST - that comes WAY before that...

    b.) The IP stack is written in C & Assembly with over 40++ yrs. of optimization put into it, running in ring 0/rpl 0/kernelmode

    c.) That is FAR faster than usermode browsers OR THEIR ADDONS are which slow up more with addons (firefox proves that much easily, load it up with addons & see)

    d.) HOSTS act merely as a FILTER for the IP stack, & hosts are the FIRST THING YOUR SYSTEM QUERIES (then dns clientside caches, then remote DNS)) for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses...

    ---

    4.) Nor did tenebrousedge account for time taken by AdBlock itself, parsing for WHAT to block out - this is NOT some "absolutely free operation", nothing is... 0ms? Impossible, unless it occurred in nanoseconds!

    ---

    * YES - I've even WRITTEN tenebrousedge on it, as well as Mr. Steven Burn of hpHosts/malwarebytes (for a 2nd opinion)...

    Guess what?

    Mr. Burn agrees MY points are SOLID as a rock, & to "pound tenebrousedge into the dirt", lol!

    (Not out to do that last part, just out to set the record straight... )

    "In most systems, most of the time, hosts will not have a positive effect on how fast your favorite websites load." - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Friday November 09, @11:16AM (#41932659)

    WTF? TO THAT?? I put up testimonials -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41936149

    ( Not only from myself, but 7 others on /. on SPEED GAINS ALONE from custom hosts files as well as the same findings from a SECURITY EXPERT @ SYMANTEC! )

    (Someone's going to be made out a liar here, and I rather STRONGLY SUSPECT, it's NOT going to be myself, the /.'ers whose testimonials I used, OR Mr. Oliver Day from SecurityFocus.com/Symantec... but, we'll see!)

    Someone modded this down last time I posted it - why not disprove what I wrote instead of a "hit & run downmod" IF the downmod is so valid? It apparently isn't, & they're trying to "hide" this post...

    APK

    P.S.=> BOTTOM-LINE/IN CLOSING: AdBlock is owned by ADVERTISERS (you're letting your henhouse be guarded by foxes, and IT DOESN'T BLOCK ALL ADS ANYMORE by default either - this is a shame actually, as I ACTUALLY USED TO RECOMMEND IT TO USERS IN MY SECURITY GUIDES FOR WINDOWS USERS:

    See here:

    "(It's a GOOD idea to layer in the usage of BOTH browser addons for security like adblock, &/or NoScript (especially this one, a

  187. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat" troll... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shall we count your -1 posts?" - by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 10, @04:19PM (#41945191)

    I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both the same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no... it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    ... apk

  188. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat" crybaby troll... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41927211

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well...

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  189. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat", trolls... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED, since you can't disprove my points with valid facts!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well... since all you have is downmods with NO VALID JUSTIFICATION behind them, by disproving facts I stated.

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  190. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat", trolls... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41926813

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED, since you can't disprove my points with valid facts!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well... since all you have is downmods with NO VALID JUSTIFICATION behind them, by disproving facts I stated.

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  191. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat", trolls... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41941937

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED, since you can't disprove my points with valid facts!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well... since all you have is downmods with NO VALID JUSTIFICATION behind them, by disproving facts I stated.

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  192. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat", trolls... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41941937

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED, since you can't disprove my points with valid facts!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well... since all you have is downmods with NO VALID JUSTIFICATION behind them, by disproving facts I stated.

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  193. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat" AGAIN, troll... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41941907

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED, since you can't disprove my points with valid facts!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well... since all you have is downmods with NO VALID JUSTIFICATION behind them, by disproving facts I stated.

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  194. "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat", trolls... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41920163

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED, since you can't disprove my points with valid facts!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well... since all you have is downmods with NO VALID JUSTIFICATION behind them, by disproving facts I stated.

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  195. "Eat your WORDS", troll.. apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41936149

    APK

    P.S.=> If the "best you've got" is unjustifiable downmods vs. facts I post? YOU FAILED, since you can't disprove my points with valid facts!

    Nice part is - you know it, I KNOW IT, anyone with 1/2 a brain reading does as well... since all you have is downmods with NO VALID JUSTIFICATION behind them, by disproving facts I stated.

    So, keep "blowing" your modpoints downmodding my posts - you'll "run dry" of them sooner or later & you won't be able to *try* to "hide them" via your bogus downmods you apply to nearly all of my posts - my posts like this one beneath those of mine you downmod? Bring them RIGHT BACK INTO VIEW... lol!

    Only a matter of time...

    ... apk

  196. Your "test" is FLAWED (massively)... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1.) He used a LARGER custom hosts file set of "favorites" - mine has 20 @ the TOP of my custom hosts file (important) - NOT 34 (almost double)...

    a.) That is THE only thing I care that gets speed out of MY custom hosts file - the rest are BLOCKED & I could care less HOW FAST they are gotten to - I never intended to get to them since they're blocked out, in the 1st place!

    b.) I place my favorites @ the TOP OF MY HOSTS FILE, which even beats DNS server indexing up to around 2++ million records or so...

    ---

    1.) He used a LOCAL DNS SERVER most folks don't have these setup, as they waste CPU cycles, RAM, & other forms of I/O PLUS electricity as a result of those things, and more complexity (as I know there is NO WAY a REMOTE DNS SERVER returns results in only 3ms... no way, as they typically return results for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses in 30-100's of ms...) - NOR DID HE FLUSH THE LOCAL DNS CACHE!

    ---

    3.) He queried a local browser cache AND had the local DNS cache active, non-flushed first!

    a.) NEITHER AdBlock nor FF are able to obtain hosts-domain names resolutions, by themselves as he said, to IP addresses BEFORE the IP stack gets it for it, FIRST - that comes WAY before that...

    b.) The IP stack is written in C & Assembly with over 40++ yrs. of optimization put into it, running in ring 0/rpl 0/kernelmode

    c.) That is FAR faster than usermode browsers OR THEIR ADDONS are which slow up more with addons (firefox proves that much easily, load it up with addons & see)

    d.) HOSTS act merely as a FILTER for the IP stack, & hosts are the FIRST THING YOUR SYSTEM QUERIES (then dns clientside caches, then remote DNS)) for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses...

    ---

    4.) Nor did tenebrousedge account for time taken by AdBlock itself, parsing for WHAT to block out - this is NOT some "absolutely free operation", nothing is... 0ms? Impossible, unless it occurred in nanoseconds!

    ---

    * YES - I've even WRITTEN tenebrousedge on it, as well as Mr. Steven Burn of hpHosts/malwarebytes (for a 2nd opinion)...

    Guess what?

    Mr. Burn agrees MY points are SOLID as a rock, & to "pound tenebrousedge into the dirt", lol!

    (Not out to do that last part, just out to set the record straight... )

    "In most systems, most of the time, hosts will not have a positive effect on how fast your favorite websites load." - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Friday November 09, @11:16AM (#41932659)

    WTF? TO THAT?? I put up testimonials -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41936149

    ( Not only from myself, but 7 others on /. on SPEED GAINS ALONE from custom hosts files as well as the same findings from a SECURITY EXPERT @ SYMANTEC! )

    (Someone's going to be made out a liar here, and I rather STRONGLY SUSPECT, it's NOT going to be myself, the /.'ers whose testimonials I used, OR Mr. Oliver Day from SecurityFocus.com/Symantec... but, we'll see!)

    Someone modded this down last time I posted it - why not disprove what I wrote instead of a "hit & run downmod" IF the downmod is so valid? It apparently isn't, & they're trying to "hide" this post...

    APK

    P.S.=> BOTTOM-LINE/IN CLOSING: AdBlock is owned by ADVERTISERS (you're letting your henhouse be guarded by foxes, and IT DOESN'T BLOCK ALL ADS ANYMORE by default either - this is a shame actually, as I ACTUALLY USED TO RECOMMEND IT TO USERS IN MY SECURITY GUIDES FOR WINDOWS USERS:

    See here:

    "(It's a GOOD idea to layer in the usage of BOTH browser addons for security like adblock, &/or NoScript (especially this one, a

  197. Your "test" is MASSIVELY FLAWED (& bogus)... a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1.) He used a LARGER custom hosts file set of "favorites" - mine has 20 @ the TOP of my custom hosts file (important) - NOT 34 (almost double)...

    a.) That is THE only thing I care that gets speed out of MY custom hosts file - the rest are BLOCKED & I could care less HOW FAST they are gotten to - I never intended to get to them since they're blocked out, in the 1st place!

    b.) I place my favorites @ the TOP OF MY HOSTS FILE, which even beats DNS server indexing up to around 2++ million records or so...

    ---

    1.) He used a LOCAL DNS SERVER most folks don't have these setup, as they waste CPU cycles, RAM, & other forms of I/O PLUS electricity as a result of those things, and more complexity (as I know there is NO WAY a REMOTE DNS SERVER returns results in only 3ms... no way, as they typically return results for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses in 30-100's of ms...) - NOR DID HE FLUSH THE LOCAL DNS CACHE!

    ---

    3.) He queried a local browser cache AND had the local DNS cache active, non-flushed first!

    a.) NEITHER AdBlock nor FF are able to obtain hosts-domain names resolutions, by themselves as he said, to IP addresses BEFORE the IP stack gets it for it, FIRST - that comes WAY before that...

    b.) The IP stack is written in C & Assembly with over 40++ yrs. of optimization put into it, running in ring 0/rpl 0/kernelmode

    c.) That is FAR faster than usermode browsers OR THEIR ADDONS are which slow up more with addons (firefox proves that much easily, load it up with addons & see)

    d.) HOSTS act merely as a FILTER for the IP stack, & hosts are the FIRST THING YOUR SYSTEM QUERIES (then dns clientside caches, then remote DNS)) for host-domain name resolution to IP addresses...

    ---

    4.) Nor did tenebrousedge account for time taken by AdBlock itself, parsing for WHAT to block out - this is NOT some "absolutely free operation", nothing is... 0ms? Impossible, unless it occurred in nanoseconds!

    ---

    * YES - I've even WRITTEN tenebrousedge on it, as well as Mr. Steven Burn of hpHosts/malwarebytes (for a 2nd opinion)...

    Guess what?

    Mr. Burn agrees MY points are SOLID as a rock, & to "pound tenebrousedge into the dirt", lol!

    (Not out to do that last part, just out to set the record straight... )

    "In most systems, most of the time, hosts will not have a positive effect on how fast your favorite websites load." - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Friday November 09, @11:16AM (#41932659)

    WTF? TO THAT?? I put up testimonials -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41936149

    ( Not only from myself, but 7 others on /. on SPEED GAINS ALONE from custom hosts files as well as the same findings from a SECURITY EXPERT @ SYMANTEC! )

    (Someone's going to be made out a liar here, and I rather STRONGLY SUSPECT, it's NOT going to be myself, the /.'ers whose testimonials I used, OR Mr. Oliver Day from SecurityFocus.com/Symantec... but, we'll see!)

    Someone modded this down last time I posted it - why not disprove what I wrote instead of a "hit & run downmod" IF the downmod is so valid? It apparently isn't, & they're trying to "hide" this post...

    APK

    P.S.=> BOTTOM-LINE/IN CLOSING: AdBlock is owned by ADVERTISERS (you're letting your henhouse be guarded by foxes, and IT DOESN'T BLOCK ALL ADS ANYMORE by default either - this is a shame actually, as I ACTUALLY USED TO RECOMMEND IT TO USERS IN MY SECURITY GUIDES FOR WINDOWS USERS:

    See here:

    "(It's a GOOD idea to layer in the usage of BOTH browser addons for security like adblock, &/or NoScript (especially this one, a

  198. Anyone can downmod (rinse, lather, & repeat) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no... it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    ... apk

  199. Anyone can bogusly downmod posts trolls... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no... it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  200. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no - After all, it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  201. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no - After all, it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  202. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no - After all, it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  203. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no - After all, it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  204. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no - After all, it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  205. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Do I really care? Lol, heck no - After all, it's just a forums, & trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  206. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  207. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies... thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru... see Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  208. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  209. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  210. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  211. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  212. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  213. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  214. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... and, rather badly!

    ... apk

  215. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  216. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  217. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  218. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  219. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  220. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... & rather badly!

    ... apk

  221. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  222. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  223. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  224. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  225. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods, trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  226. Anyone can do unjustifiable downmods on /. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many here "game" (cheat) the moderation system to do so in fact, & for example? I caught tomhudson = Barbara, not Barbie using MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS to do so (using them BOTH, they're both that same person, to "mod herself up" when she was downmodded for trolling, & to mod down her opponents with).

    In fact, I'll even let a "Big Name" Open "SORES" guy speak on this very account:

    ---

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * YES - That includes YOU too, troll... I know you've got a "registered 'luser'" account & are just "trolling me" by ac replies. Thus, I can strongly also wager YOU are downmodding my posts to 'harass' me!

    The "Chinese Water Army" &/or "HBGary" are the same as well...

    (Except they got CAUGHT in the act doing it using 100's of "bogus" trolling accounts to do so!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Trolls like YOU? Easily seen thru - See Mr. Perens' quote above, he says it BEST imo!

    So, until YOU disprove my points with valid facts here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41919329 ? YOU FAILED... badly!

    ... apk

  227. CORRECT - Faster's not sending a request at all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Requests that are not generated by the browser are faster than ones that are and resolve locally in the hosts file." - by Tenebrousedge (1226584) on Thursday November 08, @06:20PM (#41925925)

    Why on EARTH would the browser make requests to things that the Operating System & IP stack ALREADY KNOW ARE BLOCKED via the custom hosts file filter for?

    * The IP stack, via the hosts file, has ALREADY determined that anything BLOCKED is blocked before the browser EVER HAS TO MAKE A DETERMINATION OF WHAT IT IS IT IS LOADING!

    In fact, because of that fact?

    Custom hosts file blocking makes AdBlock REDUNDANT & actually wasteful, based on the entries in line item records the custom hosts file has in it...

    It's the same principle advantage custom hosts files have over remote DNS servers - you never HAD TO CALL OUT TO THEM (for favorites you 'hardcoded' into the custom hosts file, OR, for blocked out known malicious sites)...

    Plus locally resolving host-domain names to IP addresses is going to occur MUCH faster out of a custom hosts file, off mechanical HDD's even (7ms access on a 10k rpm one here, 16mb buffer & driven off a Promise Ex-8350 128mb ECC Ram Caching RAID controller) but even FASTER how I have it setup - from a 4gb DDR2-RAM based Gigabyte IRAM SSD (0ms seek/access)...

    Then, it's just parse & initial load (slowest part of it), into memory based caching (fast as it gets) - Especially once cached into the local DNS client OR the way I do it, the diskcaching kernelmode subsystem.

    It's a lot faster than calling out to some host-domain that resolves out as NXDOMAIN, taking 30-100's of ms... by far.

    APK

    P.S.=> You're not thinking about this in the RIGHT ORDER (you are thinking "browser onwards" & the IP stack had to do work in this area, first)

    Since the IP stack already KNOWS what is blocked, and you MUST GO TO THE IP STACK TO GET ONLINE, first, period - NOT your webbrowser first!

    ... apk

  228. Re:EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " Or you might aswell also opt-out by visiting www.ubuntu.com and avoid the hassle altogether!"

    Linux making a come back WoHoo who knows by 2100 we will actually get 1% of consumer Market share..

  229. You had better RETHINK your "test" (flawed)... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See this link -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41949911

    * That's all I am saying, per my subject-line above!

    APK

    P.S.=> The funniest one's what your entire "test" rides upon, using browsers OR ADBLOCK to determine what is blocked or what is an adbanner!

    Clue: That's ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED BY A BLOCKING CUSTOM HOSTS FILE, loaded + cached into RAM, & THE IP STACK LONG BEFOREHAND as well as for your "hardcoded" FAVORITE SITES IN IT...

    ... apk

  230. Pot calling a kettle black? Ad Hominem attacks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are illogical & off-topic, ala your post here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41927201

    * "EAT YOUR WORDS"... Mr. "Pot calling a kettle black"!

    APK

    P.S.=> Funniest part is, you can call me "A Pathetic Kook", all you like!

    HOWEVER:

    Until you've accomplished what I have in the art & science of computing BEFORE YOU WERE OUT OF DIAPERS I strongly suspect, and so many times too in the eyes of others in many areas, that you are just hurting I confronted you with that much in response to your weak illogical failing off topic ad hominem attack - best part is, when YOU were confronted to show me you've done MORE, BETTER, & EARLIER than I? You had ZERO, pal...

    ... apk

  231. Tenebrousedge's "non-sequitur logic" did him in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did him in, right here -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3239985&cid=41949911

    * ALWAYS THE SAME with these "web boys" thinking things START WITH THE BROWSER, & clue - they don't!

    (As far as your online stuff, it starts with the IP stack, first, & what gets QUERIED FIRST? The hosts file!)

    APK

    P.S.=> It is WHY they are SO EASY to 'take down', and with facts, everytime - they think out-of-order!

    ... apk

  232. Windows 8 is the perfect OS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To convince me, finally, after *all* these years, to make the switch 100% to open source in my house. FreeBSD on the desktops and laptops, pfSense on the firewall and FreeNAS on the file share. Why no Linux you ask? Simple: Linux has spent the better part of three decades playing catch-up to Microsoft. Gnome3 hammers my unspoken point home. Yeah, got it. Gnome isn't Linux, but they're wedded to each other in a symbiotic fashion.

  233. Bugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Microsoft's Hidden Windows 8 Feature: AIDS

  234. Don't see the big deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The apps that show ads are analogues to websites. I don't see how it's a huge deal that they're going to have ads.

  235. Meet Mr. Bruce Perens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "It just takes one Ubuntu sympathizer or PR flack to minus-moderate any comment. Unfortunately, once PR agencies and so on started paying people to moderate online communities, and to have hundreds of accounts each, things changed." - by Bruce Perens (3872) on Friday July 30, @03:55PM (#33089192) Homepage Journal

    SOURCE -> http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1738364&cid=33089192

    ---

    * Now, what was that you said again, Tenebrousedge? Mr. Perens seems to agree with me, so, you can STOP trying to tell us "b.s. like bogus downmods or upmods don't happen on /.", ok?? Good.

    APK

    P.S.=> You blew it anyhow - how?

    Your ENTIRE premise rests on YOU saying "the fastest request is one that doesn't need to be made", & I agree!

    Howeverl, "new NEWS/NewFlash/Clue" - When you use a custom hosts file with adbanners & malicious sites block, as well as your favorites "hardcoded" into it (as I do @ the very top of the file)? You don't have to...

    (& yes, that means BROWSERS & AdBlock too - because guess what the 1st thing is your system queries? The IP Stack, & what's it query FIRST? The local hosts file - so all your name tossing? Only projecting YOU messed up, & you KNOW it...

    ... apk

  236. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  237. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion