Yes, and I photographed 15 XP licenses in a classroom where all machines ran Win2000. Still, using them is pirating, (Never managed to use them, since they seem to be locked to HP installation media)
Hey, don't look at me. I don't know. I just know that an OEM license is non-transferable. Alas, when the sticker is on the case of the computer, it usually is a OEM license.
The license keys of a retail version are either on the CD case or on a separate paper (with hologram and all). At least those that I've seen.
I'm pretty sure that your company is in pretty big trouble if Microsoft finds out about this. (If it's an official policy of the company, otherwise it's you that is "to blame")
True, but if the fine print said "$XYZ won't work", the customer should be able to comprehend that when he'll put Vista on that machine, he won't get the full experience.... even if he doesn't know what $XYZ means.
I was not clear enough: the Vista Capable sticker, including the fine print was on the exterior of the cardboard box containing the computer which I could inspect as long as I wanted since I bought it in a shopping mall. What I call fine print as also quite large, like 10pt Arial or so, but on a cardboard box that looks small.
I still regret to this day that I didn't copy the fine print and/or photographed it in order to see what it was like. For me it was hilarious because to me it said "crap machine (for Vista), don't buy it".
It was on the cardboard box (which also had a "Vista Capable sticker"), not on the machine itself. Just for clarification. I also live in the EU, which is perhaps why they covered their asses.
Are you going to tell me that a consumer who purchased a machine with a "Vista-ready" sticker would seriously have expected or understood that it could only run the most basic version of Vista?
In January 2007, I bought such a "Vista Capable" computer and I'm usually not the one to defend Microsoft. However, on the box of the machine there was a sticker saying "Vista Capable", but the text next to it clearly identified the fact that it wouldn't run Aero and that it will be Vista Home Basic at best. [Relevant Journal Entry]. It was very clear to me: I can read....
That said, that machine was never meant to run a Microsoft product. The preloaded version of Windows XP MCE (the journal entry says Windows XP Home, but I was wrong), lived on it for a few months and then made place to Ubuntu.
Yes, indeed, just going by the sticker was quite misleading.... Actually reading the fine print was not. But then, I am a computer Geek and did understand what the fine print said.
I see you got the point. Our nice text-oriented BIOSes are too hard for todays kiddies... Nothing like searching for the right jumper combination..... Times have changes, just admit it... If I'd be born early 90-ties, I wouldn't have become a computer scientist, for sure...
You were simply lucky to live in a time where computers were simple and easy to understand for those that had an interest. Just like I was. Now kids think they're specialists because they can use a restore CD. I kid you not.....
Oh, my first server was a P120.... It's just that I got better hardware over time (from the dumpster, decommissioned desktops) and I replaced the older hardware with it. That said, the P120, couldn't do IMAP.... The P-III 800MHz can do that without a problem.
No, you said that "You're going to waste years of a child's life that could be used to learn essential skills for today's world by restricting access to computers like that". You said that by not exposing them to computers will diminish their chances in later life. I have news for you: computer skills are not essential skills and can be learned quite quickly at later age. Computer knowlegde should not take the time we could use to educate language, maths, science, history and geography.
I have been an IT teacher in highschool. After that experience I'm convinced that a computer has nothing to do in classrooms where kids are younger than 16.
I have been like, you... I also learnt computers from being exposed to them at a (relatively) young age, About 12. What is different is that computers now can be used without understanding them! I wanted to do calculations, but I didn't have the "Windows Calculator". No my dad showed me "PRINT 1+1", and from there it evolved. These days computers are immensely functional without knowing squat about files, programs, basic logic. Back in the day we simply hadn't that luxury.
Kids these days are just going to use the computer. A few might get hooked to coding or similar. Back in the day, the only ones that stayed were the latter. The former gave up after typing in the 5th command at the DOS prompt.
No, really? What is old? If you've got a couple of P-III in de 600MHz++ range, or even a couple P-IVs, you're golden. This is not going to be a heavy load system. It can't be, it's for you alone. I've got a couple of servers, an AMD64 3000+/2Gig which I got from a dumpster (originally 256Meg, but I had some RAM lying around), my old desktop, a P-III 800MHz/768Meg RAM serves as my parents server and I built a Duron 800Mhz/512Meg RAM for my sisters business running Debian/postgresql/SQLLedger.
Depending on what you call old, you have tons of options. However, if you want to talk power efficiency. In that case, buy a good (but not monster, those eat power) machine and virtualize. You'll realise soon enough how much power your virtualised "server" requires. It might be as little as 256Meg RAM running Debian-stable for your "test" servers.
You're locked in dude.... The iPod connector is, as far as I know, licensed to 3rd party accessories manufacturers. No way in hell, is Apple going to license it to a competitor.
And, yes, a connector can be patented without any problem. After all it is a physical device, where you can give schematics etc....
Well, CS wouldn't exist if it weren't for Church, Turing, Kleene, Godel, etc. (mathematicians) either.:)
And I love to talk about those poeple. What you have to understand is that CS is maths... In the same way that biology is physics. That's perhaps not the best analogy, but we're just lower on the abstraction ladder.
But computer science is just maths, a part of it. It's discrete maths, computability, and many things more. You have no idea how much this confuses employers when I bring this up. There is a reason that computer science is a part of the Math department at the University I went.;-)
Both open source and closed source have holes, but open source provides you with the source code to explore as well.
So, you like security through obscurity. I had to laugh out recently during a presentation when a coworker said "Rename the admin.php page to something else in order to add another layer of security." The rest of the meeting was not amused, but I couldn't help it.
Mathematicians are insanely more intelligent than CSers.
No doubt, and I say this as a CS. However, you won't implement a secure system without a good CS. The maths and the crypto, leave it to the mathheads. A secure architecure, with people that know how to avoid the typical security pitfalls... that's where you fine computer science people.
So, yes, they're smarter.... they still need to rely on us.
If you really have a shady background, the internet will surface the truth. So, either you deny and have the consequences, or you admit your faults and people might start to respect you that you're an upstanding person.
As I said, it all makes sense within the historical context. One thing I want to add: the EU is nothing like the US. If anything in Europe is comparable to the US, it is... Germany! The Bunderländer are equivalent to your States. So, while indeed geographically, Europe is similar to the US, politically it is not. As such, in practice every country has its own operators. Sure, they are owned by one multi-national company, but the subsidiaries have to observe local laws (taxes, etc...) This simply is not true in the US, making things way simpler.
I don't think it's because the markets. I'm pretty sure that the US could function perfectly fine with the caller pays structure. To me this is entirely historical, so I don't buy your arguments.
Oh, and just that you know... The fact that it is politically very different does bring us to the EU which is going to regulate roaming charges. That's the nice part about living in a customer-protected environment;-) That said, they overdid it a bit. I live in a tiny country and over 30% of the revenue of providers comes from roaming. They are very pissed at these political decisions. However, from a consumer point of view, I say: bring it on baby!;-))
I think you would have gotten FTTH/FiOS, if you would have been willing to pay the (very high) price. Normally Cable or ADSL (pretty much to be had everywere) covers the needs of the customers well enough. I don't know a single person still on dial-up, but indeed no private person using fibre.
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I'm a dumpster diver... I love it when people throw away their computers. :-)
Yes, and I photographed 15 XP licenses in a classroom where all machines ran Win2000. Still, using them is pirating, (Never managed to use them, since they seem to be locked to HP installation media)
Hey, don't look at me. I don't know. I just know that an OEM license is non-transferable. Alas, when the sticker is on the case of the computer, it usually is a OEM license.
The license keys of a retail version are either on the CD case or on a separate paper (with hologram and all). At least those that I've seen.
I'm pretty sure that your company is in pretty big trouble if Microsoft finds out about this. (If it's an official policy of the company, otherwise it's you that is "to blame")
Was it an OEM license for your work PC? If yes, then, sorry, you can't do that. Your Vista machine is for all intents and purposes illegal.
Assuming you mean Windows XP... Where did you get a valid license? At the pirate bay?
True, but if the fine print said "$XYZ won't work", the customer should be able to comprehend that when he'll put Vista on that machine, he won't get the full experience.... even if he doesn't know what $XYZ means.
I was not clear enough: the Vista Capable sticker, including the fine print was on the exterior of the cardboard box containing the computer which I could inspect as long as I wanted since I bought it in a shopping mall. What I call fine print as also quite large, like 10pt Arial or so, but on a cardboard box that looks small.
I still regret to this day that I didn't copy the fine print and/or photographed it in order to see what it was like. For me it was hilarious because to me it said "crap machine (for Vista), don't buy it".
It was on the cardboard box (which also had a "Vista Capable sticker"), not on the machine itself. Just for clarification. I also live in the EU, which is perhaps why they covered their asses.
Well, he could run Linux on it and it wouldn't be an email machine ;-)
In January 2007, I bought such a "Vista Capable" computer and I'm usually not the one to defend Microsoft. However, on the box of the machine there was a sticker saying "Vista Capable", but the text next to it clearly identified the fact that it wouldn't run Aero and that it will be Vista Home Basic at best. [Relevant Journal Entry]. It was very clear to me: I can read....
That said, that machine was never meant to run a Microsoft product. The preloaded version of Windows XP MCE (the journal entry says Windows XP Home, but I was wrong), lived on it for a few months and then made place to Ubuntu.
Yes, indeed, just going by the sticker was quite misleading.... Actually reading the fine print was not. But then, I am a computer Geek and did understand what the fine print said.
I see you got the point. Our nice text-oriented BIOSes are too hard for todays kiddies... Nothing like searching for the right jumper combination..... Times have changes, just admit it... If I'd be born early 90-ties, I wouldn't have become a computer scientist, for sure...
You were simply lucky to live in a time where computers were simple and easy to understand for those that had an interest. Just like I was. Now kids think they're specialists because they can use a restore CD. I kid you not.....
Oh, my first server was a P120.... It's just that I got better hardware over time (from the dumpster, decommissioned desktops) and I replaced the older hardware with it. That said, the P120, couldn't do IMAP.... The P-III 800MHz can do that without a problem.
No, you said that "You're going to waste years of a child's life that could be used to learn essential skills for today's world by restricting access to computers like that". You said that by not exposing them to computers will diminish their chances in later life. I have news for you: computer skills are not essential skills and can be learned quite quickly at later age. Computer knowlegde should not take the time we could use to educate language, maths, science, history and geography.
I have been an IT teacher in highschool. After that experience I'm convinced that a computer has nothing to do in classrooms where kids are younger than 16.
I have been like, you... I also learnt computers from being exposed to them at a (relatively) young age, About 12. What is different is that computers now can be used without understanding them! I wanted to do calculations, but I didn't have the "Windows Calculator". No my dad showed me "PRINT 1+1", and from there it evolved. These days computers are immensely functional without knowing squat about files, programs, basic logic. Back in the day we simply hadn't that luxury.
Kids these days are just going to use the computer. A few might get hooked to coding or similar. Back in the day, the only ones that stayed were the latter. The former gave up after typing in the 5th command at the DOS prompt.
No, really? What is old? If you've got a couple of P-III in de 600MHz++ range, or even a couple P-IVs, you're golden. This is not going to be a heavy load system. It can't be, it's for you alone. I've got a couple of servers, an AMD64 3000+/2Gig which I got from a dumpster (originally 256Meg, but I had some RAM lying around), my old desktop, a P-III 800MHz/768Meg RAM serves as my parents server and I built a Duron 800Mhz/512Meg RAM for my sisters business running Debian/postgresql/SQLLedger.
Depending on what you call old, you have tons of options. However, if you want to talk power efficiency. In that case, buy a good (but not monster, those eat power) machine and virtualize. You'll realise soon enough how much power your virtualised "server" requires. It might be as little as 256Meg RAM running Debian-stable for your "test" servers.
Of course, I don't know what you want to do...
You're locked in dude.... The iPod connector is, as far as I know, licensed to 3rd party accessories manufacturers. No way in hell, is Apple going to license it to a competitor.
And, yes, a connector can be patented without any problem. After all it is a physical device, where you can give schematics etc....
And I love to talk about those poeple. What you have to understand is that CS is maths... In the same way that biology is physics. That's perhaps not the best analogy, but we're just lower on the abstraction ladder.
But computer science is just maths, a part of it. It's discrete maths, computability, and many things more. You have no idea how much this confuses employers when I bring this up. There is a reason that computer science is a part of the Math department at the University I went. ;-)
Sorry, I didn't read that comment, but I promise I will. Sounds like a very reasonable explanation to me.
So, you like security through obscurity. I had to laugh out recently during a presentation when a coworker said "Rename the admin.php page to something else in order to add another layer of security." The rest of the meeting was not amused, but I couldn't help it.
No doubt, and I say this as a CS. However, you won't implement a secure system without a good CS. The maths and the crypto, leave it to the mathheads. A secure architecure, with people that know how to avoid the typical security pitfalls... that's where you fine computer science people.
So, yes, they're smarter.... they still need to rely on us.
If you really have a shady background, the internet will surface the truth. So, either you deny and have the consequences, or you admit your faults and people might start to respect you that you're an upstanding person.
What about the fact that life is pretty much a series of unusual chemical reactions? ;-)
As I said, it all makes sense within the historical context. One thing I want to add: the EU is nothing like the US. If anything in Europe is comparable to the US, it is... Germany! The Bunderländer are equivalent to your States. So, while indeed geographically, Europe is similar to the US, politically it is not. As such, in practice every country has its own operators. Sure, they are owned by one multi-national company, but the subsidiaries have to observe local laws (taxes, etc...) This simply is not true in the US, making things way simpler.
I don't think it's because the markets. I'm pretty sure that the US could function perfectly fine with the caller pays structure. To me this is entirely historical, so I don't buy your arguments.
Oh, and just that you know... The fact that it is politically very different does bring us to the EU which is going to regulate roaming charges. That's the nice part about living in a customer-protected environment ;-) That said, they overdid it a bit. I live in a tiny country and over 30% of the revenue of providers comes from roaming. They are very pissed at these political decisions. However, from a consumer point of view, I say: bring it on baby! ;-))
Are you familiar with the concept of Leasing?
I think you would have gotten FTTH/FiOS, if you would have been willing to pay the (very high) price. Normally Cable or ADSL (pretty much to be had everywere) covers the needs of the customers well enough. I don't know a single person still on dial-up, but indeed no private person using fibre.