I seem to have discovered an example of conflict of interest between corporation and university:
A doctor recommended Terbinafine to kill toenail fungus. I did some research about this drug on the Internet, and discovered that the university research was funded by the drug company which makes Terbinafine.
Research showed that even small quantities of this drug kill fungus. The drug is fungicidal, not just fungistatic. The drug has a half-lifetime in the body of 200 to 400 hours.
However, the conclusions of the research were that the drug should be taken in doses of 2 capsules a day for months. The drug company sells Terbinafine for about $7 US per capsule.
It is unsettling to realize that the research was paid for by a company which has a strong financial interest in the results of the research.
What is necessary is to convince ABC that Windows is poor-quality software. The point of the article is that the author (Moody) was trying to make Microsoft look good. That was the real point, not that he was trying to make Linux look bad, even though that is what he says.
Once ABC realizes that Windows is poor-quality software (IMO), they will stop accepting poorly-informed pro-MS articles from any author.
Don't be shy! Write ABC News.com at: http://abcnews.go.com/service/Help/abc_contactus.h tml
Here is my letter to ABC News.com:
Category: Factual Error Regarding the article: Linux Sux Redux
Mr. Moody shows no understanding of operating systems.
An article like this does huge damage to your entire company and the ABC trademark. When an article that discusses things that I understand is completely uninformed, it makes me wonder if the other articles, that I can't check independently, are also completely uninformed.
In my opinion, the Microsoft Windows operating systems are buggy and quirky. They show a lack of caring for the users. More accurately, they show abusiveness toward the users.
I have found many, many bugs in Windows OSs. I don't report them because I would have to pay Microsoft to do so.
If I am already talking to a Microsoft tech. support person (and therefore would not have to pay extra to report a bug), I have found that many times MS tech. support will not accept a report! Apparently this has something to do with creating a hassle for the tech. support department.
Regards,
Michael Jennings Jennings _ Michael @ hotmail . com
Steve Gibson, author of SpinRite, OptOut, and the ShieldsUp! web site, sent out a security alert last Saturday which said,
"I verified the rumors... regarding [AOL]. [Some of their] programs immediately tag your computer with a unique ID, after which EVERY SINGLE FILE you download from ANYWHERE on the Internet... is immediately reported back to AOL where it is logged and recorded along with your machine's unique ID...
"This information is then compiled and used to create a detailed 'profile' about who you are based upon the web sites you visit and the files you have downloaded.
"Perhaps you don't mind being watched and tracked as you move around the Internet... and then having every file you download logged and cataloged and used to assemble 'your profile'. But the idea of this seems extremely invasive to me, and unless you have carefully read the program's license you might not be aware that this is going on or that 'you agreed to it' when you accepted the terms of the license!
"More than 14 Million people are already using the original NetZip Download Demon. NetZip knows the exact number, since every copy of their program [reports] what their users are doing! [This affects everyone who uses] Real Network's RealDownload and Netscape's SmartDownload... [which use the NetZip software].
"A Class Action lawsuit was recently filed against Netscape/AOL because of this privacy invasion, so perhaps the PC industry will begin to receive the message that this sort of secret spying and profiling is not okay with the rest of us, even if it is buried within a lengthy license agreement."
See the full technical story at http://grc.com/downloaders.htm
Fred Langa commented about this story:
"This is so wrong it's beyond words. Alas, it's also very, very typical of AOL's abusive approach to end-users; seeing them only as passive targets for advertising."
Fred Langa's articles appear in several industry magazines, including WinMag.com. (http://www.winmag.com/columns/default.htm)
This invasion of privacy is a very big issue for me personally. I will immediately delete all copies of Netscape and Real Player from my customer's computers.
Slashdot Mirror
I seem to have discovered an example of conflict of interest between corporation and university:
A doctor recommended Terbinafine to kill toenail fungus. I did some research about this drug on the Internet, and discovered that the university research was funded by the drug company which makes Terbinafine.
Research showed that even small quantities of this drug kill fungus. The drug is fungicidal, not just fungistatic. The drug has a half-lifetime in the body of 200 to 400 hours.
However, the conclusions of the research were that the drug should be taken in doses of 2 capsules a day for months. The drug company sells Terbinafine for about $7 US per capsule.
It is unsettling to realize that the research was paid for by a company which has a strong financial interest in the results of the research.
(Futurepower is a trademark.)
Actually, I think I got it right.
What is necessary is to convince ABC that Windows is poor-quality software. The point of the article is that the author (Moody) was trying to make Microsoft look good. That was the real point, not that he was trying to make Linux look bad, even though that is what he says.
Once ABC realizes that Windows is poor-quality software (IMO), they will stop accepting poorly-informed pro-MS articles from any author.
Futurepower is a trademark.
Don't be shy! Write ABC News.com at:
http://abcnews.go.com/service/Help/abc_contactus.
Here is my letter to ABC News.com:
Category: Factual Error
Regarding the article: Linux Sux Redux
Mr. Moody shows no understanding of operating systems.
An article like this does huge damage to your entire company and the ABC trademark. When an article that discusses things that I understand is completely uninformed, it makes me wonder if the other articles, that I can't check independently, are also completely uninformed.
In my opinion, the Microsoft Windows operating systems are buggy and quirky. They show a lack of caring for the users. More accurately, they show abusiveness toward the users.
I have found many, many bugs in Windows OSs. I don't report them because I would have to pay Microsoft to do so.
If I am already talking to a Microsoft tech. support person (and therefore would not have to pay extra to report a bug), I have found that many times MS tech. support will not accept a report! Apparently this has something to do with creating a hassle for the tech. support department.
Regards,
Michael Jennings
Jennings _ Michael @ hotmail . com
(Futurepower is a trademark.)
Steve Gibson, author of SpinRite, OptOut, and the ShieldsUp! web site, sent out a security alert last Saturday which said,
"I verified the rumors... regarding [AOL]. [Some of their] programs immediately tag your computer with a unique ID, after which EVERY SINGLE FILE you download from ANYWHERE on the Internet... is immediately reported back to AOL where it is logged and recorded along with your machine's unique ID...
"This information is then compiled and used to create a detailed 'profile' about who you are based upon the web sites you visit and the files you have downloaded.
"Perhaps you don't mind being watched and tracked as you move around the Internet
"More than 14 Million people are already using the original NetZip Download Demon. NetZip knows the exact number, since every copy of their program [reports] what their users are doing! [This affects everyone who uses] Real Network's RealDownload and Netscape's SmartDownload... [which use the NetZip software].
"A Class Action lawsuit was recently filed against Netscape/AOL because of this privacy invasion, so perhaps the PC industry will begin to receive the message that this sort of secret spying and profiling is not okay with the rest of us, even if it is buried within a lengthy license agreement."
See the full technical story at http://grc.com/downloaders.htm
Fred Langa commented about this story:
"This is so wrong it's beyond words. Alas, it's also very, very typical of AOL's abusive approach to end-users; seeing them only as passive targets for advertising."
Fred Langa's articles appear in several industry magazines, including WinMag.com. (http://www.winmag.com/columns/default.htm)
This invasion of privacy is a very big issue for me personally. I will immediately delete all copies of Netscape and Real Player from my customer's computers.
(Futurepower is a trademark.)