This wasn't a formal statement issued by Microsoft's legal department. It was an informal blog post, made by a Microsoft employee. If they were terrified of being sued, or what have you, they would have surely gone through official channels to protect themselves from legal retaliation.
I remember the/. posting about this topic last week, where everyone rightfully corrected them about file formats not inherently being insecure. There was the usually geejawing about "M$" being brutal thugs, and idiots, etc. etc. etc. Y'know, par for the course on this website.
However, the most entertaining posts on this website, are in cases where Microsoft admits error, or does something "good". We then get to see these same people do logical contortionist routines about how they must have been threatened legally, or baseless conjecturing about what must have been in it for them.
A lot of people here talk a lot about how Microsoft should listen more to the "geek" community. Places like this remind me of precisely why they don't bother.
Slashdot is generally pretty great for my daily fill of tech news. But man oh man, when it comes to Microsoft, any front of being unbiased is quickly cast off.
"kdawson" is probably the worst of the bunch, too.
Thank you for finally saying it. I don't see how computer hardware enthusiasts are any different than, say, someone who sinks a lot of money into their car, or their golf clubs, or their .
Some people enjoy putting premium components in their computer, and then tweaking it ad nauseum. I own a 8800GTS (that cost me $350 Canadian, when I bought it 6 months ago), and letting me play my games at a silky smooth framerate, with maximum detail, was worth it - TO ME.
I assume the majority of the complainers, are 40-year old bearded Unix geeks. To them I say - leave those kids alone!
I blame this on all of you Slashdotters. For years you just HAD to casually point out how crummy their service is, and how morally repugnant their business practices are, and now look at what has happened!
Have you no morals? Will you not rest, until every poor person working for an underwhelming ISP has lost their job?
For shame, Slashdot!
- Scott
Re:How dare they
on
ZOMG New Zunes
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
I know you were being sarcastic, but Microsoft is actually extending this update to old Zune owners - meaning they aren't really missing out on anything.
- Scott
Unpopular...
on
ZOMG New Zunes
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I know this opinion will be like an STD here, but the new Zunes actually seem alright.
Disclaimer: I pre-ordered an iPod Touch last week, and am actually expecting it to arrive today via FedEx.
Ars Technica had an overview of the major changes yesterday:
* Wireless syncing with a PC? Check.
* Software now supports podcasts? Check.
* Move TV shows automatically to the Zune? Check.
* Share whole playlists, albums, and podcasts (with no more silly time restrictions)? Check.
* Bring DRM-free music to the Zune Store? Check.
For Windows users, those actually seem like pretty nifty features. The wireless syncing alone is pretty darn cool, and is a feature iPod users like myself have wanted for a while (and my iPod touch STILL will not have). The DRM-free music bit is obviously in response to Apple, but it is a welcome move no matter what the catalyst. Being able to record TV shows using Media Center, and then move those recorded shows to the Zune is nice functionality too.
I also think it was pretty good of Microsoft to extend this firmware update to existing Zune owners, so they get all of this new functionality, and aren't pushed to buy a new Zune.
It's also worth noting that the new Zune's don't come in brown (the 80GB one only comes in black, for example), according to Ars.
I am an iTMS user, so the iPod touch is still my personal preference (and I like the iPhone UI), but for others, the Zune 2.0 finally seems like a more than decent alternative.
I don't think there was much doubt that a move like this was to create some tangible benefit for them - the important thing to take away though, is that this is a positive, and constructive way to generate traffic to their website. They win, and their customers win. I wish more companies skewed this way in their self-serving motives.
Has anyone else noticed how great the AMD-Intel marketshare battle has been for consumers? Intel, in particular, seems to have woken up and begun providing really good CPU's, as well as trying to reach out to the community through things like this.
AMD/Intel should stand as a primary example of why honest competition is great for a market.
kdawson was the Slashdot editor that posted this story - you can see his name at the top of the page. He has a tendency to post unsubstantiated FUD about Microsoft, which is ridiculous, given the amount of substantiated issues people have with them.
Seriously - submit a story like "Micro$oft gives babies herpes, says new report", and then have the "report" link go to some drooling teenager speaking in all "leet speak"on the IGN forums, and I predict your story will hit the front page by the top of the hour.
But doesn't XBOX Live prevent users from using any trademarked terms when making a username?
If this is not the case, then my apologies.
If it is (and I think it is), then kdawson, you really need to give this up already. You are fast becoming notorious for posting complete non-stories, especially when the subject is Microsoft.
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that poor drivers, and flood-plain livers choose their fates. Not all obese people, and certainly not all people that fall outside their recommended BMI, have a choice. And what about thin people who smoke a pack a day?
Have you never known a person in your life that, no matter what they do - and whether they eat and live healthy - they never seem to be thin?
I will be shocked if this does not get shot down as discrimination. When it comes to health and body, there are so many variables at play - some of which we have little control over. I obviously understand the sentiment that we should not have to foot the bill for people who actively choose to throw away their health with cigarettes and fast food, but as with most chronic societal problems, advocating programs and lifestyles that stop these problems before they begin makes the most sense.
Then again, I'm Canadian, so I can't really relate. We foot the bill for eachother - from lung cancer, to chemotherapy.
I see you've taken time out of your day, astruturfing in every PS3 thread, talking about how great it is, etc., to pretend you're an XBOX 360 owner now.
Unfortunately for your selective reality, Microsoft already allocated $1 Billion dollars towards fixing the console problems. The fact that you would try to complain about their $50 price-cut on these terms, and then pray no one recognizes your username from all of those PS3 threads, is hilarious.
Seriously everyone, just find any thread about the PS3, and then search for "Dr. Kool". It's rip roaring entertainment.
Every time a double standard comes up when Microsoft is involved, I always start seeing "convicted monopolist" pop up frequently. Yeah, they are a convicted monopolist. What does that have to do with this issue? Nothing.
Microsoft is creating a new protocol for downloading products and patches from them, that sounds suspiciously like BitTorrent. Blizzard does the same thing, except they actually use BitTorrent.
People use the monopolist angle as demagoguery to justify hostility towards many things Microsoft does, which have nothing to do with "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish", or even their monopoly status. This story is but one drop in a vast ocean.
I have a pretty typical Vista x32 installation, that is patched and up to date, and I don't have this problem. The Uninstall button doesn't show up until you select a program, but then, it was always that way.
I think it's funny how TFS in this article was phrased though, as I bet a quick Google search would also find people who can't get their mouse to work in Linux, or whose F10 key keeps typing a 'W' in Windows XP. The author then asks if anyone else is having the issue, with the title basically implying programs cannot be uninstalled definitively. There are other, I think more honest and fair ways to find out if it is a Windows problem, than taking someone's personal anecdote, with a small handful of others, and then implying it is ia universal issue.
Before I went to bed last night though, I got my Microsoft "two minutes hate" about some bogus Office 2007 "try before you buy" story, and now when I wake up, this - with all of the requisite yuks about switching to another operating system (which operating system they have in mind, I can't imagine:))
It really harms a websites credibility as an arbiter of real tech news, to post un-vetted stories about an operating system. It shows a lot of bias. And yes, I am well aware that this place has always had a hard anti-MS bent, haha./endrant
They give people the choice to add whatever options they want to their console (ie. HD-DVD, HDD, Wireless G), and keep the price down. If they later decide they want to use the hard drive to speed things up, they can just give developers the OK to require the HDD for some of their games.
The modular design of the XBOX 360 was a wise decision, I think.
Either way, the parent post is some horribly uninformed vitriol. Holding Rockstar in contempt for making their game multiplatform is ridiculous, simply because the other platform's hardware isn't quite as great. By that logic, he should have been furious that they made previous GTA's for the PS2, since the XBOX's hardware was far superior.
AFAIK though, Rockstar has the ability to make the game require the 360 HDD, as long as they mention it on the package. I know when I purchased Splinter Cell: Double Agent, it had a sticker advising that the game required the hard drive.
In the event I am wrong though, the second half of that paragraph still applies.
I do wish more game makers would make the HDD standard for the their games though.
Who in their right mind modded up an AC for pulling a bunch of assertions out of thin air. Ballmer gave a bunch of vague information as to what the company is working on, and that was it. Nothing more, and nothing less.
I guess this story is going to be the daily Microsoft "two minutes hate".
String them up for what they actually do; but all of this "I bet Microsot is working on "Baby Juicer 2007', and they are going to charge us sheep $30 a month to use the Baby Juicer 2007, and it will be completely non-standards complaint with the.juice format that the OSS program kJuicebaby uses. Man, what a bunch of dirty bastards they are" is insane.
This man is going to grow up to one day save the world.
Psst.. might want to see the stories posted by websites like Gamespot, showing that PS3 graphics are actually not that much better, and in some cases are worse, than the XBOX 360 ones. Whether this is due to the PS3's newness or not is open for debate, but Rockstar is just as new to the Cell as any other 3rd party developer.
Storage is a valid concern, but Blu-Ray discs access slower than DVD's as a result, so there is a trade-off. This game is taking place in an urban environment, not jungles, and rainbows, and the moon - I don't think limited texture storage is going to be that much of a killer, bud.
A 300lb gorilla is clearly going to be no help to them here, as they are outweighed by 500lb., and to my knowledge if it came down to a fist fight, no gorilla can pick up over twice it's bodyweight.
Slashdot Mirror
This wasn't a formal statement issued by Microsoft's legal department. It was an informal blog post, made by a Microsoft employee. If they were terrified of being sued, or what have you, they would have surely gone through official channels to protect themselves from legal retaliation.
- Scott
I remember the /. posting about this topic last week, where everyone rightfully corrected them about file formats not inherently being insecure. There was the usually geejawing about "M$" being brutal thugs, and idiots, etc. etc. etc. Y'know, par for the course on this website.
However, the most entertaining posts on this website, are in cases where Microsoft admits error, or does something "good". We then get to see these same people do logical contortionist routines about how they must have been threatened legally, or baseless conjecturing about what must have been in it for them.
A lot of people here talk a lot about how Microsoft should listen more to the "geek" community. Places like this remind me of precisely why they don't bother.
Slashdot is generally pretty great for my daily fill of tech news. But man oh man, when it comes to Microsoft, any front of being unbiased is quickly cast off.
"kdawson" is probably the worst of the bunch, too.
- Scott
Thank you for finally saying it. I don't see how computer hardware enthusiasts are any different than, say, someone who sinks a lot of money into their car, or their golf clubs, or their .
Some people enjoy putting premium components in their computer, and then tweaking it ad nauseum. I own a 8800GTS (that cost me $350 Canadian, when I bought it 6 months ago), and letting me play my games at a silky smooth framerate, with maximum detail, was worth it - TO ME.
I assume the majority of the complainers, are 40-year old bearded Unix geeks. To them I say - leave those kids alone!
- Scott
I mean it. If you want to talk to AOL, you go through ME.
You're lucky it even SUCKED for you BASTARDS.
- Scott
I blame this on all of you Slashdotters. For years you just HAD to casually point out how crummy their service is, and how morally repugnant their business practices are, and now look at what has happened!
Have you no morals? Will you not rest, until every poor person working for an underwhelming ISP has lost their job?
For shame, Slashdot!
- Scott
I know you were being sarcastic, but Microsoft is actually extending this update to old Zune owners - meaning they aren't really missing out on anything.
- Scott
I know this opinion will be like an STD here, but the new Zunes actually seem alright.
Disclaimer: I pre-ordered an iPod Touch last week, and am actually expecting it to arrive today via FedEx.
Ars Technica had an overview of the major changes yesterday:
* Wireless syncing with a PC? Check.
* Software now supports podcasts? Check.
* Move TV shows automatically to the Zune? Check.
* Share whole playlists, albums, and podcasts (with no more silly time restrictions)? Check.
* Bring DRM-free music to the Zune Store? Check.
For Windows users, those actually seem like pretty nifty features. The wireless syncing alone is pretty darn cool, and is a feature iPod users like myself have wanted for a while (and my iPod touch STILL will not have). The DRM-free music bit is obviously in response to Apple, but it is a welcome move no matter what the catalyst. Being able to record TV shows using Media Center, and then move those recorded shows to the Zune is nice functionality too.
I also think it was pretty good of Microsoft to extend this firmware update to existing Zune owners, so they get all of this new functionality, and aren't pushed to buy a new Zune.
It's also worth noting that the new Zune's don't come in brown (the 80GB one only comes in black, for example), according to Ars.
I am an iTMS user, so the iPod touch is still my personal preference (and I like the iPhone UI), but for others, the Zune 2.0 finally seems like a more than decent alternative.
With that in mind - flame away.
- Scott
SCO is an exceptional software company, and I personally feel their legal claims are on solid... ...hahahahahahaha...
Damnit, I can never get through that sentence without laughing.
Hang em out to dry, Your Honor.
- Scott
I don't think there was much doubt that a move like this was to create some tangible benefit for them - the important thing to take away though, is that this is a positive, and constructive way to generate traffic to their website. They win, and their customers win. I wish more companies skewed this way in their self-serving motives.
- Scott
Has anyone else noticed how great the AMD-Intel marketshare battle has been for consumers? Intel, in particular, seems to have woken up and begun providing really good CPU's, as well as trying to reach out to the community through things like this.
AMD/Intel should stand as a primary example of why honest competition is great for a market.
- Scott
kdawson was the Slashdot editor that posted this story - you can see his name at the top of the page. He has a tendency to post unsubstantiated FUD about Microsoft, which is ridiculous, given the amount of substantiated issues people have with them.
Seriously - submit a story like "Micro$oft gives babies herpes, says new report", and then have the "report" link go to some drooling teenager speaking in all "leet speak"on the IGN forums, and I predict your story will hit the front page by the top of the hour.
- Scott
As I already replied in this news post, I think they try to prevent any trademarked terms from being used in Gamertags.
This is another non-story, as is the case with most of kdawson's Microsoft related posts.
- Scott
But doesn't XBOX Live prevent users from using any trademarked terms when making a username?
If this is not the case, then my apologies.
If it is (and I think it is), then kdawson, you really need to give this up already. You are fast becoming notorious for posting complete non-stories, especially when the subject is Microsoft.
- Scott
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that poor drivers, and flood-plain livers choose their fates. Not all obese people, and certainly not all people that fall outside their recommended BMI, have a choice. And what about thin people who smoke a pack a day?
Have you never known a person in your life that, no matter what they do - and whether they eat and live healthy - they never seem to be thin?
I will be shocked if this does not get shot down as discrimination. When it comes to health and body, there are so many variables at play - some of which we have little control over. I obviously understand the sentiment that we should not have to foot the bill for people who actively choose to throw away their health with cigarettes and fast food, but as with most chronic societal problems, advocating programs and lifestyles that stop these problems before they begin makes the most sense.
Then again, I'm Canadian, so I can't really relate. We foot the bill for eachother - from lung cancer, to chemotherapy.
- Scott
Hi Dr. Kool,
I see you've taken time out of your day, astruturfing in every PS3 thread, talking about how great it is, etc., to pretend you're an XBOX 360 owner now.
Unfortunately for your selective reality, Microsoft already allocated $1 Billion dollars towards fixing the console problems. The fact that you would try to complain about their $50 price-cut on these terms, and then pray no one recognizes your username from all of those PS3 threads, is hilarious.
Seriously everyone, just find any thread about the PS3, and then search for "Dr. Kool". It's rip roaring entertainment.
- Scott
Man, I wish I had mod points.
Every time a double standard comes up when Microsoft is involved, I always start seeing "convicted monopolist" pop up frequently. Yeah, they are a convicted monopolist. What does that have to do with this issue? Nothing.
Microsoft is creating a new protocol for downloading products and patches from them, that sounds suspiciously like BitTorrent. Blizzard does the same thing, except they actually use BitTorrent.
People use the monopolist angle as demagoguery to justify hostility towards many things Microsoft does, which have nothing to do with "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish", or even their monopoly status. This story is but one drop in a vast ocean.
- Scott
I have a pretty typical Vista x32 installation, that is patched and up to date, and I don't have this problem. The Uninstall button doesn't show up until you select a program, but then, it was always that way.
:))
/endrant
I think it's funny how TFS in this article was phrased though, as I bet a quick Google search would also find people who can't get their mouse to work in Linux, or whose F10 key keeps typing a 'W' in Windows XP. The author then asks if anyone else is having the issue, with the title basically implying programs cannot be uninstalled definitively. There are other, I think more honest and fair ways to find out if it is a Windows problem, than taking someone's personal anecdote, with a small handful of others, and then implying it is ia universal issue.
Before I went to bed last night though, I got my Microsoft "two minutes hate" about some bogus Office 2007 "try before you buy" story, and now when I wake up, this - with all of the requisite yuks about switching to another operating system (which operating system they have in mind, I can't imagine
It really harms a websites credibility as an arbiter of real tech news, to post un-vetted stories about an operating system. It shows a lot of bias. And yes, I am well aware that this place has always had a hard anti-MS bent, haha.
- Scott
I was talking about access rate, not transfer rates.
- Scott
I actually think it's quite smart.
They give people the choice to add whatever options they want to their console (ie. HD-DVD, HDD, Wireless G), and keep the price down. If they later decide they want to use the hard drive to speed things up, they can just give developers the OK to require the HDD for some of their games.
The modular design of the XBOX 360 was a wise decision, I think.
Either way, the parent post is some horribly uninformed vitriol. Holding Rockstar in contempt for making their game multiplatform is ridiculous, simply because the other platform's hardware isn't quite as great. By that logic, he should have been furious that they made previous GTA's for the PS2, since the XBOX's hardware was far superior.
AFAIK though, Rockstar has the ability to make the game require the 360 HDD, as long as they mention it on the package. I know when I purchased Splinter Cell: Double Agent, it had a sticker advising that the game required the hard drive.
In the event I am wrong though, the second half of that paragraph still applies.
I do wish more game makers would make the HDD standard for the their games though.
- Scott
Who in their right mind modded up an AC for pulling a bunch of assertions out of thin air. Ballmer gave a bunch of vague information as to what the company is working on, and that was it. Nothing more, and nothing less.
.juice format that the OSS program kJuicebaby uses. Man, what a bunch of dirty bastards they are" is insane.
:D
I guess this story is going to be the daily Microsoft "two minutes hate".
String them up for what they actually do; but all of this "I bet Microsot is working on "Baby Juicer 2007', and they are going to charge us sheep $30 a month to use the Baby Juicer 2007, and it will be completely non-standards complaint with the
Then again, maybe I just went insane there too.
- Scott
*slow clap*
This man is going to grow up to one day save the world.
Psst.. might want to see the stories posted by websites like Gamespot, showing that PS3 graphics are actually not that much better, and in some cases are worse, than the XBOX 360 ones. Whether this is due to the PS3's newness or not is open for debate, but Rockstar is just as new to the Cell as any other 3rd party developer.
Storage is a valid concern, but Blu-Ray discs access slower than DVD's as a result, so there is a trade-off. This game is taking place in an urban environment, not jungles, and rainbows, and the moon - I don't think limited texture storage is going to be that much of a killer, bud.
- Scott
I wonder if the QuikSCAT satellite detected the resulting shitstorm from this.
*ducks*
I'll be here 'till Friday. Try the clam chowder.
- Scott
You know, the funny thing is that when I wrote that, I mused that I would probably be corrected on my statement, haha.
"The More You Know"
- Scott
A 300lb gorilla is clearly going to be no help to them here, as they are outweighed by 500lb., and to my knowledge if it came down to a fist fight, no gorilla can pick up over twice it's bodyweight.
- Scott