Interesting, a very well-known Brazilian news site about Linux has published just yesterday an article about Windows refunds for Dell computers.
I'll put the relevant parts here, for those whose language is an issue. The original article can be found here.
But it wasn't easy to go through the three operators. To shorten the story I'll tell you only how it ended. The operator told me that, as my Windows was an OEM, it was attached to the machine and there was no way to cancel the license and if I wanted to return Windows I'd have to return the computer too. For an instant I agreed, but soon it came back to me the idea of the "married sale" (NT: A practice that is considered unlawful here in Brazil and consists of selling a product together with another without leaving an option to acquire either one alone). I already had a look at the bill and Windows and the computer are listed individually there. I told him politely: "I see here that the Windows and the computer are listed individually on the bill. I'll contact the PROCOM (Consumer's Protection and Defense Foundation) and check the possibility of refunding of just one item, after all, it is illegal the practice of "married sale". Answer: "Please stand by for a minute. I'll check the possibility of canceling your license. After about 3 minutes the operator asks me "What is your license key?"...
The total refund was of R$ 167,89. (U$ 80,91).
It is interesting to see how two identical stories, concerning the same company can develop somehow different in different countries.
But I'm sure you all know that this release is just because "See that I can" motivations. I can't see why one would download this other than "to see how it looks like".
If anybody wants the movie for trully pirate reasons they'd download the XviD version and convert id back to DVD.
Call me naive, but I can't see the point of the movie industry.
A DVD is released, its key unleashed and exposed. Within 24h the movie will be available for download, key-free. New releases are sold, blacklisting the "faulty" hardware.
But at this point the movie is found in every torrent site in the planet. The so called "pirates" will have limitless access to it, because they won't buy, they'd download.
What is the industry trying to do? Reduce or even eliminate its claimed worst plague or just be a pain in the ass of the regular customer? I can't see how bad behaving users will have a hard time. The only ones who'll suffer are the ones who don't have a clue of what's going on.
If you are speaking of the bug in Internet Explorer (and consequently, Windows Explorer) in Brazilian versions of Windows XP that does not display the "selective text on right" for toolbars buttons, I've patched manually all my Windows boxes. Kudos to ResHack.
I played MP2, and indeed I loved it! Won't repeat what you said, I agree 100%.
But the ending of MP2 is lighter (or should I say "less heavy") then MP1. Well, bottom line is that Max achieves his rendemption. I didn't cried. In fact, I smiled.
DAMN, can't help but start singing:
We keep driving into the night. It's a late goodbye. Such a late goodbye.
Dude, SEVERAL games made me cry, and I'm not counting the ones I died in the final boss or those that froze in these circumstances.
Ultima VIII. When the game ends you're already so familiar with the NPC's that the idea of never seing them again made me cry. Max Payne. I cried when finished it. Max deserved much better after a night of pain (no pun intended).
"If the pirate knew everything that you and I know, including (1) how to install, configure, and use linux, and (2) how to recover all his important files and make them work in linux (...)"
But he doen't. And bet my balls that he also doesn't not how to install, configure (and sometimes even USE) Windows, and how to recover his importante files and make then work in Windows after a new install or upgrade.
C'mon, is everybody here so naive to believe that once Windows locks and tells "You are a Pirate. Go to a software house and buy a licenced Windows, you wimp!" all those winusers will do exactly this? They'll most likelly call you, me or the nearest slashdotter to have his computer "fixed".
And unless the next WGA_Fixer.zip is avaible on Mininova you'll have to tell him that "You're a pirate. Go to a software house and buy a licensed Windows, you wimp!". Of course, you might add:
"... But till then I could have your computer up-and-running with this new operating system..." (takes an Ubuntu CD from the pocket). "just as a temporary fix, you know..."
If he can turn on his computer, check email on Thunderbird (or Hotmail via Firefox), logon in MSN (and even see those god damned custom smileys) on Gaim and write his cake recipes on OpenOffice he'll be happy like a dolphin (but not as smart as one).
"Wait, let me read between the oh so subtle lines... You think people are going to be migrating in droves to Linux? Give me a break, people won't be moving to Linux. They'll find a hack for Windows, (...)"
Indeed, they'll find a hack. But let's assume they won't...
"they'll buy Windows, or more than likely they'll just buy a new PC that comes with Windows legally bundled."
You're seriously out of your mind.
The is only one thing people praise most then conformity, and is their pocket, that's for sure. They won't spend anything beyond $50 to get their computer up and running. In fact, most people I know doesn't even know how much a fresh licensed copy of Windows costs and when I tell then "the facts" (pun intended) they mostly get surprised/scared. Right before that they change the subject.
The best thing ever Linux could have for its user base are effective counter piracy measures from Redmond.
But looks like MS is well aware of that, as all those attempts to turn the Pirate John Doe into a well trained customer are, for a lack of a better word, lame.
"World Cup event will cause shortage on electromagnetic waves, due to the high amount of TV devices turned on at the same time.
The massive number of TVs turned on for the upcoming World Cup will cause electromagnetic waves to be drained by billions of antennas worldwide. Specialists affirm that the huge demand for signal will suck up the waves from the transmitting antennas in the TV stations, causing an overload on those towers. 'Those circuits will eventually burn to ashes' says Dr. Doom a very known authority in the field.
That's not all: it is also speculated that even the satellites will get toasted and fall from their orbits. 'The deaths it can cause will make the Ragnarok look like a bathroom accident' Doom adds, despite the fact that 3/4 of the planet's surface if covered by water.
Few scientists go even further, by claiming that the TVs will also suck the magnetic field of the planet, triggering the series of events popularized in the movie The Core.
'No matter what we do, we're all just doomed by our own TVs.'"
"Polls are predicting a very large epidemic of too-sick-to-work during the World Cup."
Here in Brazil both private and government companies are already having extended working periods. It is almost common sense that the days Brazil will play will have half periods of work.
Usually my company is open 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:30. Now we are working from 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 18:00.
During the first game it will open from 08:00 - 13:00 and nothing else.
"People who like to drum up a bit of publicity for themselves by fearmongering every time anything happens that might result in a bit more net traffic than usual."
One should not believe it is bandwidth-related only. I bet you all still remember the chaos and panic the media reported about the Y2K bug. It's all about doom, plain and simple, no matter what it is about.
Asteroids that may collide and extinguish life on Earth, a computer bug that will throw us all back to the middle ages, a World Cup that will cause a "meltdown" (SIC) and render all communication in the world broken.
Doomsayers. And, why oh why, "doomsaying" reflects in AUDIENCE.
Yes, but never doing like Duke Nukem Forever. I'm afraid that such delays, if caused by adding new features will cause the player to actually DIE, if Duke get shot.
You were a lot more polite then I was. But my intention was a little different: I want him to know the role he played for the whole Internet.
Subject: Mr. Taylor, congratulations from the city of Recife, Brazil Att.: Mr. Jerry A. Taylor
Mr. Taylor, I'd like you to know that you became the newest big hype in Brazil, thanks to your recent act of stupidity (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/24/tuttle_ce ntos/). Every time we mention a lame, stupid, arrogant, [put your own bad adjectives here], we reply that "at least he knows what is a web server".
Hope you still stick to your previous declaration about "welcome this publicity", because now you have crafted you name in the Huge Hall of Hopeless Bastard Admins. You are famous! You are immortal! You are a shame to the city of Tuttle!!!
With people like you administrating servers I really sorry for your city.
Please die soon.;-) TNG
IMHO every person capable of understanding what happened there should write him an email containing the city and country which this fact reached.
In fact they sold the problem AND the solution together since a longe time agora, they are just upgrading the second, putting a fance face on it and billing for.
By the way, one is called "Windows". The other "format.com".
Slashdot Mirror
I'll put the relevant parts here, for those whose language is an issue. The original article can be found here.
The total refund was of R$ 167,89. (U$ 80,91).
It is interesting to see how two identical stories, concerning the same company can develop somehow different in different countries.
Now, if just this statement reached "female websites"...
All your clusters are belong to us!
But I'm sure you all know that this release is just because "See that I can" motivations. I can't see why one would download this other than "to see how it looks like".
If anybody wants the movie for trully pirate reasons they'd download the XviD version and convert id back to DVD.
Call me naive, but I can't see the point of the movie industry.
A DVD is released, its key unleashed and exposed. Within 24h the movie will be available for download, key-free. New releases are sold, blacklisting the "faulty" hardware.
But at this point the movie is found in every torrent site in the planet. The so called "pirates" will have limitless access to it, because they won't buy, they'd download.
What is the industry trying to do? Reduce or even eliminate its claimed worst plague or just be a pain in the ass of the regular customer? I can't see how bad behaving users will have a hard time. The only ones who'll suffer are the ones who don't have a clue of what's going on.
I'm sure this sentence was the cause you got modded as funny.
If you are speaking of the bug in Internet Explorer (and consequently, Windows Explorer) in Brazilian versions of Windows XP that does not display the "selective text on right" for toolbars buttons, I've patched manually all my Windows boxes. Kudos to ResHack.
I played MP2, and indeed I loved it!
Won't repeat what you said, I agree 100%.
But the ending of MP2 is lighter (or should I say "less heavy") then MP1. Well, bottom line is that Max achieves his rendemption. I didn't cried. In fact, I smiled.
DAMN, can't help but start singing:
We keep driving
into the night.
It's a late goodbye.
Such a late goodbye.
(Became a fan of Poets Of The Fall)
Dude, SEVERAL games made me cry, and I'm not counting the ones I died in the final boss or those that froze in these circumstances.
Ultima VIII. When the game ends you're already so familiar with the NPC's that the idea of never seing them again made me cry.
Max Payne. I cried when finished it. Max deserved much better after a night of pain (no pun intended).
Doom 3 also made me cry. In relief.
As far as I can tell, any hardware that costs more than Windows, runs nicelly on Linux.
But he doen't. And bet my balls that he also doesn't not how to install, configure (and sometimes even USE) Windows, and how to recover his importante files and make then work in Windows after a new install or upgrade.
C'mon, is everybody here so naive to believe that once Windows locks and tells "You are a Pirate. Go to a software house and buy a licenced Windows, you wimp!" all those winusers will do exactly this? They'll most likelly call you, me or the nearest slashdotter to have his computer "fixed".
And unless the next WGA_Fixer.zip is avaible on Mininova you'll have to tell him that "You're a pirate. Go to a software house and buy a licensed Windows, you wimp!". Of course, you might add:
"... But till then I could have your computer up-and-running with this new operating system..." (takes an Ubuntu CD from the pocket). "just as a temporary fix, you know..."
If he can turn on his computer, check email on Thunderbird (or Hotmail via Firefox), logon in MSN (and even see those god damned custom smileys) on Gaim and write his cake recipes on OpenOffice he'll be happy like a dolphin (but not as smart as one).
Indeed, they'll find a hack. But let's assume they won't...
You're seriously out of your mind.
The is only one thing people praise most then conformity, and is their pocket, that's for sure. They won't spend anything beyond $50 to get their computer up and running. In fact, most people I know doesn't even know how much a fresh licensed copy of Windows costs and when I tell then "the facts" (pun intended) they mostly get surprised/scared. Right before that they change the subject.
The best thing ever Linux could have for its user base are effective counter piracy measures from Redmond.
But looks like MS is well aware of that, as all those attempts to turn the Pirate John Doe into a well trained customer are, for a lack of a better word, lame.
Yeah, it means someone got killed.
I can almost see the lines:
"World Cup event will cause shortage on electromagnetic waves, due to the high amount of TV devices turned on at the same time.
The massive number of TVs turned on for the upcoming World Cup will cause electromagnetic waves to be drained by billions of antennas worldwide. Specialists affirm that the huge demand for signal will suck up the waves from the transmitting antennas in the TV stations, causing an overload on those towers. 'Those circuits will eventually burn to ashes' says Dr. Doom a very known authority in the field.
That's not all: it is also speculated that even the satellites will get toasted and fall from their orbits. 'The deaths it can cause will make the Ragnarok look like a bathroom accident' Doom adds, despite the fact that 3/4 of the planet's surface if covered by water.
Few scientists go even further, by claiming that the TVs will also suck the magnetic field of the planet, triggering the series of events popularized in the movie The Core.
'No matter what we do, we're all just doomed by our own TVs.'"
"Polls are predicting a very large epidemic of too-sick-to-work during the World Cup."
Here in Brazil both private and government companies are already having extended working periods. It is almost common sense that the days Brazil will play will have half periods of work.
Usually my company is open 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:30.
Now we are working from 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 18:00.
During the first game it will open from 08:00 - 13:00 and nothing else.
"The only doom for me from the World Cup will be when England goes out."
I'm Brazilian. Imagine the doom that it will be for me when/if Brazil goes out.
"People who like to drum up a bit of publicity for themselves by fearmongering every time anything happens that might result in a bit more net traffic than usual."
One should not believe it is bandwidth-related only. I bet you all still remember the chaos and panic the media reported about the Y2K bug. It's all about doom, plain and simple, no matter what it is about.
Asteroids that may collide and extinguish life on Earth, a computer bug that will throw us all back to the middle ages, a World Cup that will cause a "meltdown" (SIC) and render all communication in the world broken.
Doomsayers. And, why oh why, "doomsaying" reflects in AUDIENCE.
The problem is that UAC has never done something good. Look at the mess they made in Mars...
Yes, but never doing like Duke Nukem Forever. I'm afraid that such delays, if caused by adding new features will cause the player to actually DIE, if Duke get shot.
MY EYES!!!
They can see again! Slashdot made this miracle!
(But as this was the same Slashdot that blinded me, there is no credit at all...)
IMHO every person capable of understanding what happened there should write him an email containing the city and country which this fact reached.
That's why I read your emails.
Because of the girls, of course!
In fact they sold the problem AND the solution together since a longe time agora, they are just upgrading the second, putting a fance face on it and billing for.
By the way, one is called "Windows". The other "format.com".
Looks like in the US, only old people don't "hack" open wifi networks.