Something is missing here in the conversations and the fact is that if the amount to circumvent the filters is only $1400, then consider this. The spammers are not going away because there is too much of a financial incentive for them to continue. This being said; assuming the spammer can make probably $5000-$10000 from a single client to send their junk out, this could be factored in as simply a "cost of doing business". Then with that said; your Inbox again becomes populated with the next pharmaceutical offering from another offshore entity. And with the usual careful crafting of the mail, it gets past even the advanced filter in Outlook or Thunderbird, and your left having to delete it anyway. Remember; it doesn't matter how much we talk about it to people, many still patronize these spammers clients and hence this cycle perpetuates. As long as the clients are willing to pay the spammers, that means they're getting a return on investment.
This to me is sort of promoting the spammers that are actually making a living at their chosen trade.
Yup. I'll give you that then. I stopped liking Dell's laptops with the Inspirons' getting so cheap and flimsy. I own a Compaq EVO (to replace my old Latitude) that has been satisfying my needs amply for some time now. And;... it don't even feel anywhere near as *cheap* as the Inspiron did. A friend bought an Inspiron and wound up sending it back twice because of *issues*. He ultimately bailed on the Dell and went with a Sony Vaio probably because he's passionate about anything Sony.
At least one saving grace out of that is you have an O/S that will be light-years more stable than Windows can every be, and not have the license encumbrances that go with it. My Compaq has pluggable hard drives so I can pull the one drive out and shove another in with Linux, or still yet another with another O/S on it. I have 1gb of RAM in it so it works with anything I put on it. Two gigabyte would be nice but I'll reserve that for the next *upgrade*.
There is something wrong with the tag line. If they want to offer the free upgrade on a windows machine only, then it doesn't say that the Ubuntu configuration costs more. You just don't get the free upgrade. Did you really need the upgrade in the first place??? Remember the Linux boxes are very much more conservative in demands than Windows is so that kind of "moots" that out.
The fact is that there hasn't been anything really "invented" in this country for years, probably going back to the 60's or 70's. Part of the problem is that here, everything *must* have a profitability schedule attached to it and it's return on investment must be steep and fast or its killed off. Free-Market idealogical thinking is responsible for this. I thought there was supposed to be a balance with this against a worth to the populous as a whole, but I guess something got lost in the translation somewhere.
Hence this is why a lot of stuff is invented elsewhere and even if something is invented here, it ultimately doesn't come here until much later after these people start realizing whats going on in Europe and other parts of the planet, and decide to bring it here.
I don't care if the iPhone sold for $100, I would not touch it because it's *locked* into AT&T. Sorry but I am for freedom of choice and this doesn't give me that.
I bet some lawyer for the company is itching to see if the LGPL is up for a court test. I wonder if they're ready to put up hard cash in the form of billable legal hours and a challenge in court on the basic legal grounds point, value, and weight of the LGPL against American copyright law. It doesn't generate a large sum of money profit for someone so it must be challenged.
This is a possible scenario. Of course the contrary of this is also possible and they ultimately release the changes back to the rest of us.
I betcha!!! Just read the EULA before you sign up for the *free* service. A requirement buried in the document will state that at any time they can seize your documents or files and use them for any purpose what-so-ever without any responsibility to you--not even financially. And the lawyers will make sure of that.
Better not put anything up there that is important!
This would be a neat idea if they can implement it correctly. I would rather see them put this in place nationally and use it when an accident happens, instead of states banning cell use while driving. There really are many of us out there that can safely use one and continue to operate in a very safe manor. Banning cell use while drive inevitably leads to more revocations of our civil and constitutional rights and freedoms.
The idea would be good if placed correctly by making the person who can't talk and drive, pay the higher insurance costs, deductibles, consequential, and punitive damage costs for causing an accident while talking on the phone. Right now in Minnesota, there are many people who not only talk and drive, but are also simultaneously driving very very fast, and weaving in and around traffic in such dangerous ways, that a TA is almost bound to happen. Then there are the others who wind up dropping their speeds to around 40mph almost instantly when they receive a phone call on the freeways. These guys almost always cause so much frustration and annoyance to other legitimate drivers.
Ultimately, those that cannot afford the higher expenses because of these infractions will discontinue or alter their use of the cell phone while driving. Of course the flip side of this coin also is that there are plenty of people out there who have plenty of money and could wind up being 3 or 4 TA's caused by driving and chatting, and just absorbing the "costs" while denying someone else their life.
We live in a free country and as such, a law banning the use of a cell phone while driving is not appropriate, but instead make the perpetrator pay for it if they cause an incident. This company, if they have a workable product, could help us all to that end.
Frankly, if they are getting paid for something that they have no legitimate right to, it would sure indicate how far reaching Microsoft is into our pocket books! If its true, does the FTC know about this??? Does the states governors know about it?? Hmmm... Does Apple even know about it???
Of course this is also so far fetched that I wonder if it's flame bait..
At one time, I rather liked McCain but since mention of this, if it's true and he does want to engage Ballmer, then this is done and over. God help us if Ballmer gets anywhere near governmental power. This is the guy who thinks that all of us with iPods are music thieves!!!
So; who left in the campaigns..??? We're slowly and steadily whittling them off..
Bring it! Bring it bastards! You are probably the biggest bastards of copyright law mangling.
This is designed specifically to first force anyone developing software for free under the cover of a corporation to spend gobs of corporate cash defending themselves against frivolous lawsuits in the hopes that they drop any and all free projects and stop helping the Linux camps.
Secondly, those of us beginning to embrace Linux (especially Ubuntu), doing so on a private level; and NOT paying Micro$oft for a Vista license will be threatened in much the same fashion as the RIAA is going after people with frivolous suits. This all under the pretense of "Guilty Until Proven Innocent". So a lot of people will be ponying up license fees to Microsoft for an OS that they will not use.
You should also know that there will be very few lawyers willing to defend individual clients against Microsoft because they know that it will be tied up in courts for years and they won't be able to charge the client anything in reality for billable hours because most people don't have it in the first place. So many will be forced into signing agreements with Microsoft and paying them large sums of money to avoid the litigation.
I know where this is going people. This smells and it smells bad if it turns out to be true.
You will bow to the will of the lawyers here who are the real villains taking advantage of the law to make money. That is all this is about is "free money".
I am going to sue all of you now because I developed communications models that are still in use today with the modern browser that was designed on a CPM computer. It's still in use today, so you ALL owe me some serious cash. My lawyers will be contacting you soon for negotiations.
Does anyone see how much of a farce this DMCA really is???!!! Utter nonsense designed specifically to generate revenue for the lawyers. Its getting to be time to abolish lawyers.:-)
IBM has succeeded in pimping and prostituting the IT services fields, to the point now that they are soon to be going the way of the TV and Stereo repair shops. They could no longer get people to come in and work for damned near free and give all the money to the conglomerate IBM, so they will take it on the road overseas and use and abuse the various Europeans.
I saw the light early on with them and got out. I hope most of my friends still employed there are also seeing the light and finding the door before its too late.
Of course from what I know and what I am hearing, IBM didn't do that nifty of a job with their clients either. They bring in contractors and temps to do the services contracts and with such a high turnover of temps and contractors, how on earth can you seriously to expect that you'd ever meet SLA, much less keep your customer??!!!!
How can you expect IBM who only *hires* managers and team leads, and then brings on "temps" and contractors to do the actual work and *dirtywork* on the client site, to actually succeed?? The one customer I was at was sorely pissed at IBM many times over for many things. Some justified, some not. Almost all the justified reasons were because the only people to provide the legitimate valued service to the client were done by people who were good, skilled, and knowledgeable;... and quickly left the temp gig with IBM and their clients for a real full-time permanent day job elsewhere with benefits and all that comes with it. That usually left the the client rather lacking and pissed. I watched it many times and finally a door opened for me and I left. This is only going to get worse people.
Wake up and smell the economic sh** they are shoveling your way.
What have I been saying all this time!!! The only people doing anything here is the lawyers are making all this money, and the consumer still gets ripped. Microsoft will most likely just pass this cost along to the consumer in higher prices and consider it part of doing business. It's like the lawyers have some kind of grip on the monetary system of this country! What is it that makes these people grab all the money and leave nothing for the so-called group that they are representing??? I don't understand that one!
Then theres the line they put in the suit that says something to the effect that you are considered inclusive to the suit unless you *explicitly* write in and opt-out. And; as part of that suit, you are agreeing to surrender all your rights and awards over to these lawyers to be part of the class. What kind of judge allows that???
Frankly, if the powers that be just left well enough alone, we wouldn't have much of this going on. I bought MP3 players years ago as hardware devices, and still have them. Then Apple gets on the scene, and then all the rest of them with the damned DRM managed devices.
I think that if Apple did away with their DRM in their product, I would still buy it hands down as the quality is still well known and even their 128 bit format is as good as MP3's 160 bit! I don't know why that is, but just that fact alone would make me continue to use it and patronize iTunes music store.
The whole root reason for all of this is the Music industry trying to crack down on sites such as then; Napster, and all the free sharing going on around the Internet. Its draconian and on the virge of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater".
The whole premise of MP3 is NOT going to go away because its a fabulous means of carrying a lot of content with you in a small amount of space. I plan on using my iPod in my car and around my neck like many others. I would like it a whole lot better if I didn't have to deal with DRM clouding up my sound.
This really is the same thing as a kid having his or her blanket and becoming attached to it. Only later getting attached to something more substantive such as a bear or dog or cat even. I think this would be a bad investment if it goes that way, and I would have serious questions about any software program meddling in the emotional wellbeing of my kids.
And this is the very reason why these spammers should be jailed for very very long periods of time. Technically this could be prosecutable by the SEC since it is dealing with the stock market. This is artificially propping up stock values on an anticipated predictable return and if you do enough of these, you stand to make some money!
What really torques me off to no end is that these bastards are sending out this crap in JPG and GIF file formats embedded in the emails as an end means around the filters. So; you inevitably get slammed with these. I've had days go by where you can get anywhere from 10 to 20 of these and all from the same characters or group. And worse yet is that not any 2 of them will be identical. They all are pushing different small stocks from unknown and often unheard of companies or businesses.
I didn't see anywhere in there were you stated the current *correct* earnings these people are making doing these jobs. Like most of us, they are now valued at 1/5th what they made when the jobs were here.
Truth is that business is deliberately turning the IT jobs into the equivalent of a Micky-D's burger flipper in wages. Remember that when you can reduce your labor costs, this savings goes back into the business' bottom line. Last I looked, the only folks making large sums of personal income are CEO's CFO's, CTO's, et al. At least the ones that have not been challenged in court for the extra perks they give themselves from backdating books.
This really is more of the same old; "Follow the Money".... Some greedy bastard decides he wants money for something and gets a lawyer involved. They'll screw it up every time.
I have already tried Vista out when it was RC2 and noticed that all but one program would either no longer function properly, or would no longer work at all. Sonar, the only app to start and run, failed to find my MIDI interfaces and hence couldn't talk to my external Yamaha tone modules, nor my Gigasampler machine. It certainly wasn't a driver issue since it could find and install a driver for my MIDI interface. I guess Yamaha and Tascam/Teac must be on Mr Balmer's "shit-list" this year.
I bailed on all this as soon as I discovered several other "gotcha's" to it, and decided it wasn't worth the expenses to upgrade everything else around it. It appears to me that Microsoft is more and more looking to control everything and I do not like it.
Most everyone I know that ordered a new computer recently, especially from Dell, specifically requested XP and NOT Vista. Dell immediately goes into this tirade about how wonderful Vista is and will really try and dis-swade you from the purchase without Vista. One friend ordered a machine with XP Pro on it, and Dell somehow actually sends them one with Vista installed--specifically against this users wishes. She had to have them pick up the machine and send another one with XP on it like they had asked for. This user was NOT AT ALL HAPPY with Dell.
I believe that this is the year that the Macintosh will have dramatically improved sales especially in the "arts" areas. I am a working musician and between music and graphic arts, Windows is once again headed for the dumpster. Right now I am still continuing to use Windows XP on my laptop with Cakewalk software mostly because that is what IS currently working and in use. When the laptop does eventually die, I think a Powerbook is in the future and back to software that doesn't try to own the musician.
I think the other story about drivers being tied to specific firmware is another "backdoor" trend that Microsoft might be using to lock in the next generation of hardware away from OSS/FS. Just my hunch though for what it's worth. I really need to take some more looks at putting a machine together under Linux that can do Audio and MIDI production work.
I would not have any issue taking a Laptop for free from Microsoft. I would however dig into the fine print to see if there is some legal lock on that asset to Vista and if not, would almost immediately wipe the drive and load up my current flavor of Fedora Core 5 or whatever is current.
No sir; I have no qualms, no shame, etc... I'm not proud... Acer laptop???... Not the toughest in the planet but definitely something to bang around on. Linux would more than likely scream on it!
This is absolutely true. The whole "ghist" of this is that marketing rules out no matter what you are selling. VHS was so bad back then but you had salespeople who quite adamantly would disagree that the sharper more defined images from a beta format tape were better. It was all about pushing the VHS machines instead because they had much higher profit returns than Betamax did. It wasn't long after this that you couldn't have the two formats in a store together. Marketing wanted to quash out the Betamax decks where ever they could. Then the prices began dropping on VHS decks. It wasn't an issue because you were still making money hand over fist with VHS decks. Sony never followed suit but left things as they were. Eventually Beta machines were only in the hands of videophiles and select markets around the country.
These MP3 players are coming into the same marketing strategy. I hope this time that Apple reads the writing on the wall and begins to make models that are better value than they are now. They are still high priced mostly to pay for the name. The quality isn't any different than the competition because you can find all the broken iPods up on Ebay as out of warranty; "It does not work and I don't know whats wrong with it, but you can have your very own iPod for a cheap price. Bid now!". They've already been to service and the repair price exceeds the cost of a new one.
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Something is missing here in the conversations and the fact is that if the amount to circumvent the filters is only $1400, then consider this. The spammers are not going away because there is too much of a financial incentive for them to continue. This being said; assuming the spammer can make probably $5000-$10000 from a single client to send their junk out, this could be factored in as simply a "cost of doing business". Then with that said; your Inbox again becomes populated with the next pharmaceutical offering from another offshore entity. And with the usual careful crafting of the mail, it gets past even the advanced filter in Outlook or Thunderbird, and your left having to delete it anyway. Remember; it doesn't matter how much we talk about it to people, many still patronize these spammers clients and hence this cycle perpetuates. As long as the clients are willing to pay the spammers, that means they're getting a return on investment.
This to me is sort of promoting the spammers that are actually making a living at their chosen trade.
Yup. I'll give you that then. I stopped liking Dell's laptops with the Inspirons' getting so cheap and flimsy. I own a Compaq EVO (to replace my old Latitude) that has been satisfying my needs amply for some time now. And;... it don't even feel anywhere near as *cheap* as the Inspiron did. A friend bought an Inspiron and wound up sending it back twice because of *issues*. He ultimately bailed on the Dell and went with a Sony Vaio probably because he's passionate about anything Sony.
At least one saving grace out of that is you have an O/S that will be light-years more stable than Windows can every be, and not have the license encumbrances that go with it. My Compaq has pluggable hard drives so I can pull the one drive out and shove another in with Linux, or still yet another with another O/S on it. I have 1gb of RAM in it so it works with anything I put on it. Two gigabyte would be nice but I'll reserve that for the next *upgrade*.
Cheers
There is something wrong with the tag line. If they want to offer the free upgrade on a windows machine only, then it doesn't say that the Ubuntu configuration costs more. You just don't get the free upgrade. Did you really need the upgrade in the first place??? Remember the Linux boxes are very much more conservative in demands than Windows is so that kind of "moots" that out.
Misleading tag.
The fact is that there hasn't been anything really "invented" in this country for years, probably going back to the 60's or 70's. Part of the problem is that here, everything *must* have a profitability schedule attached to it and it's return on investment must be steep and fast or its killed off. Free-Market idealogical thinking is responsible for this. I thought there was supposed to be a balance with this against a worth to the populous as a whole, but I guess something got lost in the translation somewhere.
Hence this is why a lot of stuff is invented elsewhere and even if something is invented here, it ultimately doesn't come here until much later after these people start realizing whats going on in Europe and other parts of the planet, and decide to bring it here.
I don't care if the iPhone sold for $100, I would not touch it because it's *locked* into AT&T. Sorry but I am for freedom of choice and this doesn't give me that.
I bet some lawyer for the company is itching to see if the LGPL is up for a court test. I wonder if they're ready to put up hard cash in the form of billable legal hours and a challenge in court on the basic legal grounds point, value, and weight of the LGPL against American copyright law. It doesn't generate a large sum of money profit for someone so it must be challenged.
This is a possible scenario. Of course the contrary of this is also possible and they ultimately release the changes back to the rest of us.
I betcha!!! Just read the EULA before you sign up for the *free* service. A requirement buried in the document will state that at any time they can seize your documents or files and use them for any purpose what-so-ever without any responsibility to you--not even financially. And the lawyers will make sure of that.
Better not put anything up there that is important!
This would be a neat idea if they can implement it correctly. I would rather see them put this in place nationally and use it when an accident happens, instead of states banning cell use while driving. There really are many of us out there that can safely use one and continue to operate in a very safe manor. Banning cell use while drive inevitably leads to more revocations of our civil and constitutional rights and freedoms.
The idea would be good if placed correctly by making the person who can't talk and drive, pay the higher insurance costs, deductibles, consequential, and punitive damage costs for causing an accident while talking on the phone. Right now in Minnesota, there are many people who not only talk and drive, but are also simultaneously driving very very fast, and weaving in and around traffic in such dangerous ways, that a TA is almost bound to happen. Then there are the others who wind up dropping their speeds to around 40mph almost instantly when they receive a phone call on the freeways. These guys almost always cause so much frustration and annoyance to other legitimate drivers.
Ultimately, those that cannot afford the higher expenses because of these infractions will discontinue or alter their use of the cell phone while driving. Of course the flip side of this coin also is that there are plenty of people out there who have plenty of money and could wind up being 3 or 4 TA's caused by driving and chatting, and just absorbing the "costs" while denying someone else their life.
We live in a free country and as such, a law banning the use of a cell phone while driving is not appropriate, but instead make the perpetrator pay for it if they cause an incident. This company, if they have a workable product, could help us all to that end.
Frankly, if they are getting paid for something that they have no legitimate right to, it would sure indicate how far reaching Microsoft is into our pocket books! If its true, does the FTC know about this??? Does the states governors know about it?? Hmmm... Does Apple even know about it???
Of course this is also so far fetched that I wonder if it's flame bait..
At one time, I rather liked McCain but since mention of this, if it's true and he does want to engage Ballmer, then this is done and over. God help us if Ballmer gets anywhere near governmental power. This is the guy who thinks that all of us with iPods are music thieves!!!
So; who left in the campaigns..??? We're slowly and steadily whittling them off..
All I have to say to Microsoft is;...
Bring it! Bring it bastards! You are probably the biggest bastards of copyright law mangling.
This is designed specifically to first force anyone developing software for free under the cover of a corporation to spend gobs of corporate cash defending themselves against frivolous lawsuits in the hopes that they drop any and all free projects and stop helping the Linux camps.
Secondly, those of us beginning to embrace Linux (especially Ubuntu), doing so on a private level; and NOT paying Micro$oft for a Vista license will be threatened in much the same fashion as the RIAA is going after people with frivolous suits. This all under the pretense of "Guilty Until Proven Innocent". So a lot of people will be ponying up license fees to Microsoft for an OS that they will not use.
You should also know that there will be very few lawyers willing to defend individual clients against Microsoft because they know that it will be tied up in courts for years and they won't be able to charge the client anything in reality for billable hours because most people don't have it in the first place. So many will be forced into signing agreements with Microsoft and paying them large sums of money to avoid the litigation.
I know where this is going people. This smells and it smells bad if it turns out to be true.
Good day Comrades...
:-)
You will bow to the will of the lawyers here who are the real villains taking advantage of the law to make money. That is all this is about is "free money".
I am going to sue all of you now because I developed communications models that are still in use today with the modern browser that was designed on a CPM computer. It's still in use today, so you ALL owe me some serious cash. My lawyers will be contacting you soon for negotiations.
Does anyone see how much of a farce this DMCA really is???!!! Utter nonsense designed specifically to generate revenue for the lawyers. Its getting to be time to abolish lawyers.
IBM has succeeded in pimping and prostituting the IT services fields, to the point now that they are soon to be going the way of the TV and Stereo repair shops. They could no longer get people to come in and work for damned near free and give all the money to the conglomerate IBM, so they will take it on the road overseas and use and abuse the various Europeans.
I saw the light early on with them and got out. I hope most of my friends still employed there are also seeing the light and finding the door before its too late.
Of course from what I know and what I am hearing, IBM didn't do that nifty of a job with their clients either. They bring in contractors and temps to do the services contracts and with such a high turnover of temps and contractors, how on earth can you seriously to expect that you'd ever meet SLA, much less keep your customer??!!!!
How can you expect IBM who only *hires* managers and team leads, and then brings on "temps" and contractors to do the actual work and *dirtywork* on the client site, to actually succeed?? The one customer I was at was sorely pissed at IBM many times over for many things. Some justified, some not. Almost all the justified reasons were because the only people to provide the legitimate valued service to the client were done by people who were good, skilled, and knowledgeable;... and quickly left the temp gig with IBM and their clients for a real full-time permanent day job elsewhere with benefits and all that comes with it. That usually left the the client rather lacking and pissed. I watched it many times and finally a door opened for me and I left. This is only going to get worse people.
Wake up and smell the economic sh** they are shoveling your way.
Actually it isn't stupidity either. One word;....
Sheep.
Sheep are dumb animals and they are following a herder... Steve Balmer. Let them eat Windows!
What have I been saying all this time!!! The only people doing anything here is the lawyers are making all this money, and the consumer still gets ripped. Microsoft will most likely just pass this cost along to the consumer in higher prices and consider it part of doing business. It's like the lawyers have some kind of grip on the monetary system of this country! What is it that makes these people grab all the money and leave nothing for the so-called group that they are representing??? I don't understand that one!
Then theres the line they put in the suit that says something to the effect that you are considered inclusive to the suit unless you *explicitly* write in and opt-out. And; as part of that suit, you are agreeing to surrender all your rights and awards over to these lawyers to be part of the class. What kind of judge allows that???
"greenhouse gas emissions from human activity were largely to blame"...
Well; if you want to stop this from happening, stop "tootin'" in your office chairs after those huge hoagies, and chilli-dogs for lunch!!
Frankly, if the powers that be just left well enough alone, we wouldn't have much of this going on. I bought MP3 players years ago as hardware devices, and still have them. Then Apple gets on the scene, and then all the rest of them with the damned DRM managed devices.
I think that if Apple did away with their DRM in their product, I would still buy it hands down as the quality is still well known and even their 128 bit format is as good as MP3's 160 bit! I don't know why that is, but just that fact alone would make me continue to use it and patronize iTunes music store.
The whole root reason for all of this is the Music industry trying to crack down on sites such as then; Napster, and all the free sharing going on around the Internet. Its draconian and on the virge of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater".
The whole premise of MP3 is NOT going to go away because its a fabulous means of carrying a lot of content with you in a small amount of space. I plan on using my iPod in my car and around my neck like many others. I would like it a whole lot better if I didn't have to deal with DRM clouding up my sound.
This really is the same thing as a kid having his or her blanket and becoming attached to it. Only later getting attached to something more substantive such as a bear or dog or cat even. I think this would be a bad investment if it goes that way, and I would have serious questions about any software program meddling in the emotional wellbeing of my kids.
And this is the very reason why these spammers should be jailed for very very long periods of time. Technically this could be prosecutable by the SEC since it is dealing with the stock market. This is artificially propping up stock values on an anticipated predictable return and if you do enough of these, you stand to make some money!
What really torques me off to no end is that these bastards are sending out this crap in JPG and GIF file formats embedded in the emails as an end means around the filters. So; you inevitably get slammed with these. I've had days go by where you can get anywhere from 10 to 20 of these and all from the same characters or group. And worse yet is that not any 2 of them will be identical. They all are pushing different small stocks from unknown and often unheard of companies or businesses.
It really sucks that crime pays in this country!
I didn't see anywhere in there were you stated the current *correct* earnings these people are making doing these jobs. Like most of us, they are now valued at 1/5th what they made when the jobs were here.
Truth is that business is deliberately turning the IT jobs into the equivalent of a Micky-D's burger flipper in wages. Remember that when you can reduce your labor costs, this savings goes back into the business' bottom line. Last I looked, the only folks making large sums of personal income are CEO's CFO's, CTO's, et al. At least the ones that have not been challenged in court for the extra perks they give themselves from backdating books.
Welcome to Slashdot Mr. Ballmer. We support free speech here so if you have more opinions about this, please share! :-)
This really is more of the same old; "Follow the Money".... Some greedy bastard decides he wants money for something and gets a lawyer involved. They'll screw it up every time.
I think you ought to get on the phone to Dell and try an actual order of a machine bud!
I have already tried Vista out when it was RC2 and noticed that all but one program would either no longer function properly, or would no longer work at all. Sonar, the only app to start and run, failed to find my MIDI interfaces and hence couldn't talk to my external Yamaha tone modules, nor my Gigasampler machine. It certainly wasn't a driver issue since it could find and install a driver for my MIDI interface. I guess Yamaha and Tascam/Teac must be on Mr Balmer's "shit-list" this year.
I bailed on all this as soon as I discovered several other "gotcha's" to it, and decided it wasn't worth the expenses to upgrade everything else around it. It appears to me that Microsoft is more and more looking to control everything and I do not like it.
Most everyone I know that ordered a new computer recently, especially from Dell, specifically requested XP and NOT Vista. Dell immediately goes into this tirade about how wonderful Vista is and will really try and dis-swade you from the purchase without Vista. One friend ordered a machine with XP Pro on it, and Dell somehow actually sends them one with Vista installed--specifically against this users wishes. She had to have them pick up the machine and send another one with XP on it like they had asked for. This user was NOT AT ALL HAPPY with Dell.
I believe that this is the year that the Macintosh will have dramatically improved sales especially in the "arts" areas. I am a working musician and between music and graphic arts, Windows is once again headed for the dumpster. Right now I am still continuing to use Windows XP on my laptop with Cakewalk software mostly because that is what IS currently working and in use. When the laptop does eventually die, I think a Powerbook is in the future and back to software that doesn't try to own the musician.
I think the other story about drivers being tied to specific firmware is another "backdoor" trend that Microsoft might be using to lock in the next generation of hardware away from OSS/FS. Just my hunch though for what it's worth. I really need to take some more looks at putting a machine together under Linux that can do Audio and MIDI production work.
I would not have any issue taking a Laptop for free from Microsoft. I would however dig into the fine print to see if there is some legal lock on that asset to Vista and if not, would almost immediately wipe the drive and load up my current flavor of Fedora Core 5 or whatever is current.
No sir; I have no qualms, no shame, etc... I'm not proud... Acer laptop???... Not the toughest in the planet but definitely something to bang around on. Linux would more than likely scream on it!
This is absolutely true. The whole "ghist" of this is that marketing rules out no matter what you are selling. VHS was so bad back then but you had salespeople who quite adamantly would disagree that the sharper more defined images from a beta format tape were better. It was all about pushing the VHS machines instead because they had much higher profit returns than Betamax did. It wasn't long after this that you couldn't have the two formats in a store together. Marketing wanted to quash out the Betamax decks where ever they could. Then the prices began dropping on VHS decks. It wasn't an issue because you were still making money hand over fist with VHS decks. Sony never followed suit but left things as they were. Eventually Beta machines were only in the hands of videophiles and select markets around the country.
These MP3 players are coming into the same marketing strategy. I hope this time that Apple reads the writing on the wall and begins to make models that are better value than they are now. They are still high priced mostly to pay for the name. The quality isn't any different than the competition because you can find all the broken iPods up on Ebay as out of warranty; "It does not work and I don't know whats wrong with it, but you can have your very own iPod for a cheap price. Bid now!". They've already been to service and the repair price exceeds the cost of a new one.