Like, say, the ubuntu or gentoo live CD installer images? Or, worse, the DVD versions of same? Or how about fixes from Microsoft or IBM or Oracle or whatever (there are some free things out there - DB2 and Oracle both have free versions which some techies would likely play with at home to learn)? There are lots of very large files out there that could cause spikes in usage (say, oh, the 200MB of source code I downloaded so I could install KDE 4.2). The challenge, then, is for the RIAA to actually only complain when people are actually downloading THEIR stuff. Which takes a lot more work than merely looking for heavy users.
FTA:
The need for a fair judicial process (even if a judge is not actually involved) is one that even Cary Sherman of the RIAA made clear in his recent interview with Ars on the topic of graduated response, which he is trying to hammer out on a voluntary basis in the US
The RIAA's purview has nothing to do with outside the music industry, they know this, and the crew on slashdot knows this. They don't care if you put up full versions of windows XP, they do care if you put up Metallica. BTW the process of sniffing out what you are acquiring is not that hard, as I said I was a target of a letter from Comcast - it stated the exact time, size, file name, IP address and what the file had of a tv show i downloaded. I have been getting letters like these for almost two years now. SO they are accurate. As for how much work it will take, that is their problem. It is probably a fairly automated system, but if they want to sweat blood and tears they can do so - it is really not our concern.
My linksys came with a quicksheet. After showing me how to plug it in, it says go to 192.168... and hit the secure button (forget what it is called). It does it for you.
Oh really? Where exactly does TFA say you have to actually download anything to get disconnected?
Are you just a plain old moron? The RIAA is not targetting someone who is surfing porn sites, they are targetting people who are downloading music they represent. They could careless if you download a song that your cousin created in his garage, they do care if you download Metallica's songs.
FTFA
"Three strikes" rules have come to Ireland in a sudden and unexpected way, as the country's largest ISP settles a court case brought by the music industry and agrees to take action on file-swappers. Repeat offenders will be disconnected from the 'Net.
Users get two warnings regarding file-sharing, and a third violation brings down the banhammer.
They charged that the ISP was essentially aiding and abetting piracy by doing things like advertising its services on The Pirate Bay, and the labels believed they could get a judge to force the ISP to install network monitoring equipment.
To be a file-swapper you have to upload and/or download files.
Also, from TFA, this deal was made to prevent the RIAA from getting access to this companies server logs. They were worried the RIAA would be able to see their customers personal information.
I can see your point, but the company made a conscious decision (to hire that person) whereas a subscriber with a hijacked system did not.
Another person posted a comment, and I'll repeat it here. How many malware programs are out there causing someone to download torrents of cds, movies, etc to their hard drives?
Also, the person getting the letter will most likely call the cable company and ask "what the hell, I don't do this crap" and the company will say "well we have evidence someone is using your computer to do this. So either it is a family member or someone hacked your computer. We can help you with the latter, but not the former. Please go to http://...../ to read how to protect your computer. And please speak with your family members...."
I don't think the cable companies are going to suddenly become Evil Emperor wannabe's. They don't want to lose customers and will try and work with people.
But the better move would be to force Microsoft to use open formats for all their applications
"But the better move would be to force Everyone to use Microsoft products for all their work"
"But the better move would be to force Everyone to eat Wheaties products for all their lives"
"But the better move would be to force Everyone to do what Uncle Sam wants for all their lives"
See the problem with forcing people/companies to do things? Regulation is important, but there needs to be a time where you gotta say "hold on this is overstepping". Put it this way - if you created a product (think time and money) for sale so you cuold make profit - how would you feel if someone came up to you and said "No sorry, you need to invest more time and money and configure your product the way *I* want it, not how you want it. BTW, you need to divulge any trade secrets you have. While you spent time/money developing these secrets and would like to make a profit, *WE* feel it would be better to give it out for free. Oh and btw, here is your food stamp starter pack since your business venture was artificially destroyed"
So this thing can forage for biomass, which means it is not that picky...why can't we put this in our cars for fuel (ala Mr. Fusion - Back To the Future II)
Irrelevant. The subscriber is responsible for what happens on their connection. This is not anything new - it's been like that since the mid-90's with AOL.
Also if your argument were true then corporations would use it when their employees got the company in trouble "He doesn't own the company so we have no responsibility for what he did while working for us".
Well - this isn't a court of law it is a business. If they want to stop servicing you they have a right to do so. They do have evidence, they have trace logs. Yes someone may spoof you, hack you, etc - but I am sure that is a fairly small percentage. I would think that pirates, on average, are a bit more computer savvy about virus programs, firewalls, etc. While there are many idiots out there when it comes to this (my brother) it is a small percentage.
A letter in your mailbox saying "we know that you d/l'ed XYZ file at 123 time using IP ##, cease and desist" is pretty compeling. I have gotten these from Comcast and they were always spot on. I never received a letter I did not deserve. Then again, I didn't care. It was TV shows that comcasts DVR box failed to record even though it recorded the previous show in that tv series.
If you think there will be an exodus from this company you are mistaken. First this company may have a local monopoly, or be heads and shoulders better then there competition (for example I hate comcast, but my options or cable highspeed or DSL....I need the speed so I stick with cable). Second most people don't pirate - most go online check their e-mail, surf sites, and maybe play soduku online.
So this company is doing what they feel is correct for their business model.
Personally I think it is crappy, and I am willing to bet this "spying" will cause some network lag - but if you want the RIAA to get off our lawn then we need to stop downloading their content and stop buying their content.
Your math is off somewhere. $60/day x 260 work days = $15,600 per year.
You are right my math is totally off, though I was basing on a 365 year (salaried works better for companies so they don't have to give overtime). But still grossly off.
Do the penalties actually increase on further offenses in reality? Looks to me like it's $11,000 per complaint so they may just decide to take their chances and continue to eat that cost.
Even if the law does not stipulate cumulative penalties (many laws do not) judges are allowed, and they exercise that power, to increase penalties.
http://www.westgateresorts.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=about_us.show_about_us [westgateresorts.com] was fined $900,000. They claim that they have "Over 10,000" employees, which means that the fine is less than $90 per employee (about a day and a half's pay at minimum wage). Just a small slap on the wrist for a company that size IMO.
Sure break it down by that level and $900,000 seems paltry. There was a commercial I recently heard, someone saying "I can afford to buy this boat, it's ONLY $100,000"...the other guy responded "Or an additional $700 per month". 1.2 million is not chump change - thats a lot of money. Considering how their business model works (pennies on the call, less then that for web-ads) it is going to take them a lot more then 1.5 days to recoup that money. Also...90 for 1.5 days comes to 60/day or just under $50,000/year. How many phone operators make 50k/year?
Gotta love statistics. And again, you neglected to take into account ALL of my statement - try and avoid that. But here it is again to remind you
So 1.2 million for calling is pretty fair. If they don't stop doing it the next judge can make it 10 million (cumulative penalties), and the judge after that can make it 50, and so forth until they get the message.
As the USA just ignores WTO when it suits them, like in the case of Internet Gambling and Antigua, do they honestly expect a country like China to pay any attention to WTO? And god help USA if it try's to "punish" China, as China could make the dollar worth less than a Zimbabwean dollar and blast the US economy back to barter system overnight
Didn't know a US president can let someone or deny someone from getting into the WTO. Here I always thought it was the WTO who decided this.
Open trade does work - it helped with soviet russia. When people see that others have it better they soon want that better. It takes time, especially in such a controlled environment, but it does happen. China has improved a TON since Nixon. Just gotta wait until the current leadership dies out and hope their kids are a bit more open-minded. Hopefully these kids were into sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and after they grew up to adults they still remember the good-ole free days and want to let others have freedom.
I hate seeing others treated that way.
I've thought about bringing this to the attention of the university that is in charge of the English school, but I doubt they'd do anything. It piss' me off that many institutions from rich countries criticize the treatment of workers in China, but go full steam ahead and exploit it themselves. Bloody hypocrites.
Apparantly you are too. You hate seeing others treated that way but you didn't do anything. You could have complained to the english school, anonymously, and at the same time complained to an English newspaper, anonymously. Instead you decided to do nothing, and I am willing to bet your "storming into his office" comment was a trumped up lie by you so you sound cool to the/. crowd.
If you want to help someone, and you have written proof, you can always report it anonymously.
It's NEVER that simple. If the WTO sanctions China then a lot of gov'ts stop selling/buying with them. If they call in their US bonds now (assuming they could contractually do it, there may be a time stipulation) then we could retaliate with other things (e.g. providing them free humane services like medicine). The world markets are SO intertwined that neither country wants to go at a tit-for-tat. Our economy is hurting now, so is theirs. Again, it is never as simple as a one line answer "they have our bonds". We have stuff of theirs also.
Someone breaks into your home and steals your stuff. The cops recover the stolen goods. By your logic the cops should either sell it to you or sell it to someone else. Is that fair?
Law enforcement gets paid by the citizens to enforce the laws - if you don't agree with the law then lobby your gov't to change the laws. Law enforcement is not, and should NEVER, be authorized to sell stolen property when it knows who to return it to. It should also never break the law and by selling pirated software they confiscated the law enforcement agency IS breaking the law.
BTW, police gov't auctions (where they sell seized property) sells property that 1) the legitimate owner cannot be found, for stolen goods or 2) the goods sold was bought by the criminals and presumably with the money they made in their illegal ventures...like drug dealing. Those monies typically go to support the police endeavors to catch more criminals or support those hurt by the criminals. If it can be directly related to innocent victims the money may also be funneled to help them with their losses.
Yea and China signed it voluntarily. The US has a lot of weight...so does China. So lets not make it look like we are the only power left on this planet... there are other countries with some muscle and China has it.
They signed the contract now they should honor it....or is Honor no longer a part of the Chinese gov't culture.
And btw, if you don't think China and other countries heavily lobby the reforms they want then you are very very naive.
What is with slashdot crowd and their (mostly) views on renegging on contracts. Guess what folks - gov'ts sign contracts - they should honor it. Guess what folks - music artists, especially the unknowns working in their garage, sign contracts - they should honor it. You may look back and say "wow this contract sucks", but you didn't complain when it worked for you. Honor your signature.
How is this insightful? To the AC - they are ridiculous, in your honest opinion because you believe you should get something for free. So XYZ company can spend millions in R&D but they don't deserve to make a profit on it. G...G..
Well if this guy gets in, according to Obamas decree this guy will not be allowed to tap them for projects for the gov't. I am sure this will not extend into existing contracts but this could prevent Symmantec from providing any contracts to the white house for 2 years.
I am telling you that if they can't do it with a somatic cell, then they can't do it with an umbilical one either. When they will, then there won't be a problem if the cell isn't umbilical...
I agree with you, that it is quite possible, that it will last a bit longer as I predicted...
No offense meant to you, but if you are not a research scientist, or a doctor in the know the statement of "if they can't do it with somatic cell, then they can't do it with an umbilical" doesn't hold much water. There are, apparantly, some conditions they can use the umbilical cord for - it's just a matter of what are the chances. If there is a 1/10th of a percent chance you will get one of these sicknesses are you willing to put the money up. Like I said, if you can afford it then go for it, if you can't afford it then donate your umbilical cord and hope you never need one. But reading many posts it seems like a lot of scam companies, or at the very least low-life sales people are out there saying stuff like "if you love your kid and want to be a good parent you will give us your money..err umbilical cord"
Or, those drugs are cheaper because of the more heavy penalty involved when caught? I'm sure it will affect the price/demand somehow
No, not really. Crack heads don't really think about the penalties of getting caught. Also, most crack-heads don't know the difference between cocaine penalties and crack penalties....and relating to my first sentence, even if they did know - a drug addict wants/needs those drugs. If they can't afford cocaine they will go for the crack even if they know the penalties.
The reason cocaine is more expensive then crack is because it is a better quality drug and less adictive. You are paying more because you will less likely become strung out.
I have some experience with this from developing countries. Sometimes it's nice to have licensed software, such as when you're an international organisation, a government body, a joint venture, or when your country sometimes does care about licensing issues. So people buy the cheap version to prove that they have licensed software. Then they buy a copy of the full version for $2 on the street corner.
Hate to break the news, but if the law enforcement agency is knocking on your door because they think you broke the law they are going to check and make sure that your paid-for version matches your computer version. It really doesn't take that much time, all of 3-5 minutes. The first part of your message is correct, the last part is dillusional.
Also as long as they put literature (matrix) of what you get in one version to what you get in another, and maybe recommendations.E.g. grandmom who just gets her e-mail doesn't need ultimate or business, but will do fine with Basic. While ultra-super nerd who plans on modding his system with liquid nitrogen and installing diamond wafers to replace his intel quad-core super computer may want Ultimate.
Really people, it's not that big of a deal. Read a little and you should be fine. Multiple versions is great. It saves grandma money on the OS and the hardware, while allowing the gamer to have their fun.
Slashdot Mirror
Like, say, the ubuntu or gentoo live CD installer images? Or, worse, the DVD versions of same? Or how about fixes from Microsoft or IBM or Oracle or whatever (there are some free things out there - DB2 and Oracle both have free versions which some techies would likely play with at home to learn)? There are lots of very large files out there that could cause spikes in usage (say, oh, the 200MB of source code I downloaded so I could install KDE 4.2). The challenge, then, is for the RIAA to actually only complain when people are actually downloading THEIR stuff. Which takes a lot more work than merely looking for heavy users.
FTA:
The need for a fair judicial process (even if a judge is not actually involved) is one that even Cary Sherman of the RIAA made clear in his recent interview with Ars on the topic of graduated response, which he is trying to hammer out on a voluntary basis in the US
The RIAA's purview has nothing to do with outside the music industry, they know this, and the crew on slashdot knows this. They don't care if you put up full versions of windows XP, they do care if you put up Metallica. BTW the process of sniffing out what you are acquiring is not that hard, as I said I was a target of a letter from Comcast - it stated the exact time, size, file name, IP address and what the file had of a tv show i downloaded. I have been getting letters like these for almost two years now. SO they are accurate. As for how much work it will take, that is their problem. It is probably a fairly automated system, but if they want to sweat blood and tears they can do so - it is really not our concern.
My linksys came with a quicksheet. After showing me how to plug it in, it says go to 192.168... and hit the secure button (forget what it is called). It does it for you.
It is your fault for not giving your car a curfue! Bad parenting at work!
Oh really? Where exactly does TFA say you have to actually download anything to get disconnected?
Are you just a plain old moron? The RIAA is not targetting someone who is surfing porn sites, they are targetting people who are downloading music they represent. They could careless if you download a song that your cousin created in his garage, they do care if you download Metallica's songs.
FTFA
"Three strikes" rules have come to Ireland in a sudden and unexpected way, as the country's largest ISP settles a court case brought by the music industry and agrees to take action on file-swappers. Repeat offenders will be disconnected from the 'Net.
Users get two warnings regarding file-sharing, and a third violation brings down the banhammer.
They charged that the ISP was essentially aiding and abetting piracy by doing things like advertising its services on The Pirate Bay, and the labels believed they could get a judge to force the ISP to install network monitoring equipment.
To be a file-swapper you have to upload and/or download files.
Also, from TFA, this deal was made to prevent the RIAA from getting access to this companies server logs. They were worried the RIAA would be able to see their customers personal information.
I can see your point, but the company made a conscious decision (to hire that person) whereas a subscriber with a hijacked system did not.
Another person posted a comment, and I'll repeat it here. How many malware programs are out there causing someone to download torrents of cds, movies, etc to their hard drives?
Also, the person getting the letter will most likely call the cable company and ask "what the hell, I don't do this crap" and the company will say "well we have evidence someone is using your computer to do this. So either it is a family member or someone hacked your computer. We can help you with the latter, but not the former. Please go to http://...../ to read how to protect your computer. And please speak with your family members...."
I don't think the cable companies are going to suddenly become Evil Emperor wannabe's. They don't want to lose customers and will try and work with people.
But the better move would be to force Microsoft to use open formats for all their applications
"But the better move would be to force Everyone to use Microsoft products for all their work"
"But the better move would be to force Everyone to eat Wheaties products for all their lives"
"But the better move would be to force Everyone to do what Uncle Sam wants for all their lives"
See the problem with forcing people/companies to do things? Regulation is important, but there needs to be a time where you gotta say "hold on this is overstepping". Put it this way - if you created a product (think time and money) for sale so you cuold make profit - how would you feel if someone came up to you and said "No sorry, you need to invest more time and money and configure your product the way *I* want it, not how you want it. BTW, you need to divulge any trade secrets you have. While you spent time/money developing these secrets and would like to make a profit, *WE* feel it would be better to give it out for free. Oh and btw, here is your food stamp starter pack since your business venture was artificially destroyed"
So this thing can forage for biomass, which means it is not that picky...why can't we put this in our cars for fuel (ala Mr. Fusion - Back To the Future II)
Irrelevant. The subscriber is responsible for what happens on their connection. This is not anything new - it's been like that since the mid-90's with AOL.
Also if your argument were true then corporations would use it when their employees got the company in trouble "He doesn't own the company so we have no responsibility for what he did while working for us".
Then don't download pirated content and you should be fine.
Well - this isn't a court of law it is a business. If they want to stop servicing you they have a right to do so. They do have evidence, they have trace logs. Yes someone may spoof you, hack you, etc - but I am sure that is a fairly small percentage. I would think that pirates, on average, are a bit more computer savvy about virus programs, firewalls, etc. While there are many idiots out there when it comes to this (my brother) it is a small percentage.
A letter in your mailbox saying "we know that you d/l'ed XYZ file at 123 time using IP ##, cease and desist" is pretty compeling. I have gotten these from Comcast and they were always spot on. I never received a letter I did not deserve. Then again, I didn't care. It was TV shows that comcasts DVR box failed to record even though it recorded the previous show in that tv series.
If you think there will be an exodus from this company you are mistaken. First this company may have a local monopoly, or be heads and shoulders better then there competition (for example I hate comcast, but my options or cable highspeed or DSL....I need the speed so I stick with cable). Second most people don't pirate - most go online check their e-mail, surf sites, and maybe play soduku online.
So this company is doing what they feel is correct for their business model.
Personally I think it is crappy, and I am willing to bet this "spying" will cause some network lag - but if you want the RIAA to get off our lawn then we need to stop downloading their content and stop buying their content.
Your math is off somewhere. $60/day x 260 work days = $15,600 per year.
You are right my math is totally off, though I was basing on a 365 year (salaried works better for companies so they don't have to give overtime). But still grossly off.
Do the penalties actually increase on further offenses in reality? Looks to me like it's $11,000 per complaint so they may just decide to take their chances and continue to eat that cost.
Even if the law does not stipulate cumulative penalties (many laws do not) judges are allowed, and they exercise that power, to increase penalties.
Sure break it down by that level and $900,000 seems paltry. There was a commercial I recently heard, someone saying "I can afford to buy this boat, it's ONLY $100,000"...the other guy responded "Or an additional $700 per month". 1.2 million is not chump change - thats a lot of money. Considering how their business model works (pennies on the call, less then that for web-ads) it is going to take them a lot more then 1.5 days to recoup that money. Also...90 for 1.5 days comes to 60/day or just under $50,000/year. How many phone operators make 50k/year?
Gotta love statistics. And again, you neglected to take into account ALL of my statement - try and avoid that. But here it is again to remind you
So 1.2 million for calling is pretty fair. If they don't stop doing it the next judge can make it 10 million (cumulative penalties), and the judge after that can make it 50, and so forth until they get the message.
As the USA just ignores WTO when it suits them, like in the case of Internet Gambling and Antigua, do they honestly expect a country like China to pay any attention to WTO? And god help USA if it try's to "punish" China, as China could make the dollar worth less than a Zimbabwean dollar and blast the US economy back to barter system overnight
Show proof of this plan.
then GW allowing them into the WTO.
Didn't know a US president can let someone or deny someone from getting into the WTO. Here I always thought it was the WTO who decided this.
Open trade does work - it helped with soviet russia. When people see that others have it better they soon want that better. It takes time, especially in such a controlled environment, but it does happen. China has improved a TON since Nixon. Just gotta wait until the current leadership dies out and hope their kids are a bit more open-minded. Hopefully these kids were into sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and after they grew up to adults they still remember the good-ole free days and want to let others have freedom.
I hate seeing others treated that way. I've thought about bringing this to the attention of the university that is in charge of the English school, but I doubt they'd do anything. It piss' me off that many institutions from rich countries criticize the treatment of workers in China, but go full steam ahead and exploit it themselves. Bloody hypocrites.
Apparantly you are too. You hate seeing others treated that way but you didn't do anything. You could have complained to the english school, anonymously, and at the same time complained to an English newspaper, anonymously. Instead you decided to do nothing, and I am willing to bet your "storming into his office" comment was a trumped up lie by you so you sound cool to the /. crowd.
If you want to help someone, and you have written proof, you can always report it anonymously.
It's NEVER that simple. If the WTO sanctions China then a lot of gov'ts stop selling/buying with them. If they call in their US bonds now (assuming they could contractually do it, there may be a time stipulation) then we could retaliate with other things (e.g. providing them free humane services like medicine). The world markets are SO intertwined that neither country wants to go at a tit-for-tat. Our economy is hurting now, so is theirs. Again, it is never as simple as a one line answer "they have our bonds". We have stuff of theirs also.
Someone breaks into your home and steals your stuff. The cops recover the stolen goods. By your logic the cops should either sell it to you or sell it to someone else. Is that fair?
Law enforcement gets paid by the citizens to enforce the laws - if you don't agree with the law then lobby your gov't to change the laws. Law enforcement is not, and should NEVER, be authorized to sell stolen property when it knows who to return it to. It should also never break the law and by selling pirated software they confiscated the law enforcement agency IS breaking the law.
BTW, police gov't auctions (where they sell seized property) sells property that 1) the legitimate owner cannot be found, for stolen goods or 2) the goods sold was bought by the criminals and presumably with the money they made in their illegal ventures...like drug dealing. Those monies typically go to support the police endeavors to catch more criminals or support those hurt by the criminals. If it can be directly related to innocent victims the money may also be funneled to help them with their losses.
Yea and China signed it voluntarily. The US has a lot of weight...so does China. So lets not make it look like we are the only power left on this planet... there are other countries with some muscle and China has it.
They signed the contract now they should honor it....or is Honor no longer a part of the Chinese gov't culture.
And btw, if you don't think China and other countries heavily lobby the reforms they want then you are very very naive.
What is with slashdot crowd and their (mostly) views on renegging on contracts. Guess what folks - gov'ts sign contracts - they should honor it. Guess what folks - music artists, especially the unknowns working in their garage, sign contracts - they should honor it. You may look back and say "wow this contract sucks", but you didn't complain when it worked for you. Honor your signature.
How is this insightful? To the AC - they are ridiculous, in your honest opinion because you believe you should get something for free. So XYZ company can spend millions in R&D but they don't deserve to make a profit on it. G...G..
At Comic-Con in 2007 Ridley said, "If you have any scripts, you know where to send them...
Well if this guy gets in, according to Obamas decree this guy will not be allowed to tap them for projects for the gov't. I am sure this will not extend into existing contracts but this could prevent Symmantec from providing any contracts to the white house for 2 years.
I am telling you that if they can't do it with a somatic cell, then they can't do it with an umbilical one either. When they will, then there won't be a problem if the cell isn't umbilical ...
I agree with you, that it is quite possible, that it will last a bit longer as I predicted ...
No offense meant to you, but if you are not a research scientist, or a doctor in the know the statement of "if they can't do it with somatic cell, then they can't do it with an umbilical" doesn't hold much water. There are, apparantly, some conditions they can use the umbilical cord for - it's just a matter of what are the chances. If there is a 1/10th of a percent chance you will get one of these sicknesses are you willing to put the money up. Like I said, if you can afford it then go for it, if you can't afford it then donate your umbilical cord and hope you never need one. But reading many posts it seems like a lot of scam companies, or at the very least low-life sales people are out there saying stuff like "if you love your kid and want to be a good parent you will give us your money..err umbilical cord"
Or, those drugs are cheaper because of the more heavy penalty involved when caught? I'm sure it will affect the price/demand somehow
No, not really. Crack heads don't really think about the penalties of getting caught. Also, most crack-heads don't know the difference between cocaine penalties and crack penalties....and relating to my first sentence, even if they did know - a drug addict wants/needs those drugs. If they can't afford cocaine they will go for the crack even if they know the penalties.
The reason cocaine is more expensive then crack is because it is a better quality drug and less adictive. You are paying more because you will less likely become strung out.
I have some experience with this from developing countries. Sometimes it's nice to have licensed software, such as when you're an international organisation, a government body, a joint venture, or when your country sometimes does care about licensing issues. So people buy the cheap version to prove that they have licensed software. Then they buy a copy of the full version for $2 on the street corner.
Hate to break the news, but if the law enforcement agency is knocking on your door because they think you broke the law they are going to check and make sure that your paid-for version matches your computer version. It really doesn't take that much time, all of 3-5 minutes. The first part of your message is correct, the last part is dillusional.
BTW our country happens to produce some pretty dumb people (out of HS). So we really shouldn't rag on emerging markets that much
http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2007/08/education-united-states-compared-to.html
http://kapio.kcc.hawaii.edu/upload/fullnews.php?id=52
Also as long as they put literature (matrix) of what you get in one version to what you get in another, and maybe recommendations.E.g. grandmom who just gets her e-mail doesn't need ultimate or business, but will do fine with Basic. While ultra-super nerd who plans on modding his system with liquid nitrogen and installing diamond wafers to replace his intel quad-core super computer may want Ultimate.
Really people, it's not that big of a deal. Read a little and you should be fine. Multiple versions is great. It saves grandma money on the OS and the hardware, while allowing the gamer to have their fun.