What about Microsoft?? What about Real.com, and all these others that require you to license their wares, and these wares send user metadata back to the mother ship! what about all this???
I bet because of all the Micro$oft(tm) money(tm) floating round in Washington, this will never ever get addressed!!!
Yup. Another pointless law just to fill lawmakers time up before holiday.
Well. They've finally done it. Obsoleting everything from Windows 2000 on back! What a concept. Frankly with as many holes as XP has compared to 2000, I think I'll stay where I am, and use good prudent judgement, a good firewall, and only enable java and javascript on known safe web pages. Not to mention using a browser that doesn't have as much holes in it as IE does. I have to admit that after using Firefox now on my XP Pro laptop, that browser ROCKS!!!!
Ladies and Gentlemen; It's time to bail on IE!!! Rescript your web sites to disallow IE browsers!:-)
Boy. Talk about marketing! I wonder who paid him so much to hype this all up.
Lets think about this. Unless Redmond is planning to again consolidate and control the marketplace with respect to USB devices, this whole story is much ado about nothing.
Fact is that Microsoft and Intel MUST PUBLISH THE SPECIFICATIONS to the "new" USB standard. They have to, otherwise, the board and device manufacturers will never use it, and it will die much like many of the older so-called standards were. Like Microchannel!!!:-)
Here's another tip of the berg too. If they only release the spec's to "some" vendors, and only with a non-disclose and/or non-compete clause, then they'd (Microsoft and possibly Intel too) be legally guilty of collusion. Ask your friendly lawyer to research that one!
Ahh Go on Microsoft. Threaten all you want! We'll make more!!!
The major issue I had with a lot of this is "marketing". They are generally the problem. Marketing is entirely the reason behind the VHS vs Beta war, and to this day, are behind much of the current day issues of products. Quality of an item or service anymore means absolutely nothing. It's all in how you market, and how hard you do it. You can be selling crap-on-a-stick, and people will buy the heck out of it all day long if you market it in the right way.
The current bit with Sony buying all this is much ado about nothing. Fact is that when DVD's started becoming favor over VHS for rentals and purchase, many companies licensed the material and migrated a good percentage of it to the "current" format(s), such as DVD. We even saw this with Laserdisc's.
This stuff will more or less be around for quite some time. Maybe not in a format you'd particularly want, but it'll be here.
What are you expecting??? This is pay to play! This rule applies everywhere you go.
The trick here is to just turn off stuff that you know is a problem, keep it updated as stuff comes along, don't go to those "sites of ill repute", and you'll be more or less fine.
Apparently there is a lot of talk here about involving law enforcement, the law, etc.
What a lot of you don't know, which I learned via hard knocks, was that unless you are a large corporate entity with gross yearly earnings in excess of $500k, there is NOTHING that you can do with any judge, law enforcement, or the FBI. They simply tell you to "deal with it".
This is why the issues of hacking and open spam relays, and all the other jazz will never go away, because it's not profitable or should I say; "chargable" under current statutes.
I don't know what all the hoopla is about anyway. There are only two formats I use and they are MP3, and iTune/iPod lossless formatted. I've heard Real's player, and their formats, and frankly, they suck. They suck bad.
Most anyone who gets a decent pair of headphones, or a good amp and speakers, and listens to them will discover that they really do suck. For a voice book or something like that, I suppose they're acceptable. But when I can play that same book in iTunes or on the iPod, why bother with Real???!!!
Why would you want to listen to iTunes stuff on Real Networks player is beyond me??!!!
If your not picky about picture quality, the Hauppauge USB TV works fine on my laptop's 15" screen albeit, a little fuzzy when I blow it up to full screen.
Better however is the newer Hauppauge (http://www.hauppauge.com) PVR USB offerings as they have built in hardware compression and can deliver a rather stunning picture at full screeen. The downside is to make sure you have USB 2.0 and not the 1.1 as that would create problems.
I have both of these models, and also use a program called "Beyond TV3" with it which allows me to do "VCR" like operations when I'm not home or using the computer. I can time-shift all my favorites. And soon when the IR emitter gets here, I can have it control my DISH (tm) reciever as well to take care of changing channels for me.
Too Late Microsnot!! I have removed links to, and changed permissions to the executables in 3 of the machines at my home for IE. Windows XP has been weened. Mozilla user now.
Whats even nicer now is dumb ass vendors that rely on activeX controls to support their stuff now has no support in IE... but we don't care what they think.
You know too all that almost all of these patches and updates that come down the pike are because of broken IE!!!! I don't use Win Media player either so why am I messing with this anymore???!!!
Disable IE, Media Player, and automatic updates and your set!!! Use Winamp or iTunes for Windows, and Mozilla or Opera for browser and a decent firewall (Sygate/Zonealarm), and a decent AV product like Grisoft. Don't use norton cause they call up IE components.. at least mine did. It's gone now!
You guys forget that many of these companies including HP, have contractual language spelling they won't "compete" with Micro$oft for software and many other seemingly unrelated avenues. The only real threat to Micro$oft right now still continues to be MacOS and that doesn't even run on Intel hardware!!!
I went to the page link to see HP and Mandrake only to find the page is gone. Might be they were getting too many hits and thought they should pull it out for fear that Micro$oft would find out. Then the greedy Micro$oft legal machine would come to their door with subpoena's in hand.
I don't think there will ever be anything other than Micro$osft owning the desktop because nobody is challenging them on their legal and binding contractual agreements they enter into with many companies including HP! Too bad.
This is a joke right??? Your asking the wolf to guard the hen house??? Yea.. right.
This issue has been a problem for a long time and Microsoft asserts that if you call complaining about it, you are instructed that IE is the ONLY browser to be used as everything links to it, and not other browsers.
Frankly, I think there is more going on here politically than anything else... but thats my opinion.
I could never get most other MS software to call up Opera or Netscape... only crappy IE.
We all know Micro$ofts tactics of buy up the small companies and technologies, and turn round and claim it their own and claim they invented it... Thats been around since the Windows 95 and Netscape debacles...
Besides, this is just more proof in the puddin' about the tangible mangling of US laws, and our constitution. Eventually, it will all be discovered, and nullified.
This is probably only the tip of the iceburg. Apparently if you haven't yet seen Micro$oft's EULA's that they now include in all their updates, you have missed the boat off this island.
They now are installing software to "check your license validity" with all the updates, and you have to agree to this in order to install and use the updates.
I happened to paruse the EULA's with Directx 9 and Media Player 9, and both of them contain these requirements that you click through and allow them to spy on you, and what you have in your computer. On one machine, I allowed it and had Sygate installed to catch stuff, and sure enough, some stuff was trying to get out to the internet as soon as stuff was finished loading. I didn't have time or a way of looking at the packets, and what DLL's were doing it but suffice to say my suspicions were raised when the machine starts up and takes an unusual amount of time to boot, and my HD light was on for a really long time.
Talk about the "New World Order" or what???!!!!!!!! Bastards.
I'm very closely scrutinizing my Laptop since it has Windows XP Pro on it, and already discovered NOT to trust the Microsoft firewall that comes with XP!!! Apparently they might be caught with the pants down if you have Sygate, or ZD's firewalls, and if people are actually willing to try them also.
I have to try the new browsers soon as I'm going back to experimenting with Linux and BeOS (rogue versions and my legit Pro 5 ed).
Actually that is right. Microsoft DOES think themselves better than anyone else. And worse yet; that 25 mil... is just a drop from the bucket. It will hurt them NOT!
Microsoft will continue its tredge of killing any and all competing systems via underhanded means. They have so much power and clout now that they are pretty much unstoppable.
You CANNNOT buy a laptop from anywhere (except used) without a manditory copy of Windows XP installed on it... Pretty sad... paying all that Micro$oft tax and all.
I think he's right. Seems to be with all the "new" laws and such, going on the books, and even ones that were put up a few years back, it looks more and more like you are giving up your freedom.
I just reloaded my laptop freshly with Windoz and Linux and "EXCLUDED" real player from both. It has also been removed completely from 2 other machines in my home when they were "cleaned up".
I have had nothing but trouble with Realplayer taking over and screwing up my machines. Its performance was always substandard compared to Quicktime and I even lost quicktime once it started "Gathering demographical data on the sly".
I can just imagine the litigation costs alone let alone the stuff going through congress right now.
If they allow this to go through without a challenge... Then our country's government has completely gone astray and is no longer in and of the people.
I remember Jpeg as being developed for the "community" and source code and examples abound... They can't all of a sudden "call in the reins" on this and start charging everyone.... Ludicrist...
I smell a corrupt government... big time... someone was either bought off or is bought in on this to make hoards of money...
Slashdot Mirror
Back then, I purchased one item that "draped" around your neck... call the "Bone Fone"!
Not much anew about nothin' here. Probably also just as dangerous as they declared the Bone-Fone just as damaging to the skeleton.
Thats ok Microsoft... I'll just print to my Adobe Acrobat writer, and live in PDF land. Nothin' you can do about it either... So sad. Too bad.
What about Microsoft?? What about Real.com, and all these others that require you to license their wares, and these wares send user metadata back to the mother ship! what about all this???
I bet because of all the Micro$oft(tm) money(tm) floating round in Washington, this will never ever get addressed!!!
Yup. Another pointless law just to fill lawmakers time up before holiday.
Well. They've finally done it. Obsoleting everything from Windows 2000 on back! What a concept. Frankly with as many holes as XP has compared to 2000, I think I'll stay where I am, and use good prudent judgement, a good firewall, and only enable java and javascript on known safe web pages. Not to mention using a browser that doesn't have as much holes in it as IE does. I have to admit that after using Firefox now on my XP Pro laptop, that browser ROCKS!!!!
:-)
Ladies and Gentlemen; It's time to bail on IE!!! Rescript your web sites to disallow IE browsers!
Yea!!!
Boy. Talk about marketing! I wonder who paid him so much to hype this all up.
:-)
Lets think about this. Unless Redmond is planning to again consolidate and control the marketplace with respect to USB devices, this whole story is much ado about nothing.
Fact is that Microsoft and Intel MUST PUBLISH THE SPECIFICATIONS to the "new" USB standard. They have to, otherwise, the board and device manufacturers will never use it, and it will die much like many of the older so-called standards were. Like Microchannel!!!
Here's another tip of the berg too. If they only release the spec's to "some" vendors, and only with a non-disclose and/or non-compete clause, then they'd (Microsoft and possibly Intel too) be legally guilty of collusion. Ask your friendly lawyer to research that one!
Ahh Go on Microsoft. Threaten all you want! We'll make more!!!
Hmmmm...
The major issue I had with a lot of this is "marketing". They are generally the problem. Marketing is entirely the reason behind the VHS vs Beta war, and to this day, are behind much of the current day issues of products. Quality of an item or service anymore means absolutely nothing. It's all in how you market, and how hard you do it. You can be selling crap-on-a-stick, and people will buy the heck out of it all day long if you market it in the right way.
The current bit with Sony buying all this is much ado about nothing. Fact is that when DVD's started becoming favor over VHS for rentals and purchase, many companies licensed the material and migrated a good percentage of it to the "current" format(s), such as DVD. We even saw this with Laserdisc's.
This stuff will more or less be around for quite some time. Maybe not in a format you'd particularly want, but it'll be here.
Cheers
Hay;
What are you expecting??? This is pay to play! This rule applies everywhere you go.
The trick here is to just turn off stuff that you know is a problem, keep it updated as stuff comes along, don't go to those "sites of ill repute", and you'll be more or less fine.
whoa...
I bet after the "you know what" hits the fan here, this guy is toast... fired.... gabye.... out the door... history.
You don't make that kind of revelation while working for Redmond!..
Apparently there is a lot of talk here about involving law enforcement, the law, etc.
What a lot of you don't know, which I learned via hard knocks, was that unless you are a large corporate entity with gross yearly earnings in excess of $500k, there is NOTHING that you can do with any judge, law enforcement, or the FBI. They simply tell you to "deal with it".
This is why the issues of hacking and open spam relays, and all the other jazz will never go away, because it's not profitable or should I say; "chargable" under current statutes.
Good luck!
I don't know what all the hoopla is about anyway. There are only two formats I use and they are MP3, and iTune/iPod lossless formatted. I've heard Real's player, and their formats, and frankly, they suck. They suck bad.
Most anyone who gets a decent pair of headphones, or a good amp and speakers, and listens to them will discover that they really do suck. For a voice book or something like that, I suppose they're acceptable. But when I can play that same book in iTunes or on the iPod, why bother with Real???!!!
Why would you want to listen to iTunes stuff on Real Networks player is beyond me??!!!
I have a couple recommendations.
If your not picky about picture quality, the Hauppauge USB TV works fine on my laptop's 15" screen albeit, a little fuzzy when I blow it up to full screen.
Better however is the newer Hauppauge (http://www.hauppauge.com) PVR USB offerings as they have built in hardware compression and can deliver a rather stunning picture at full screeen. The downside is to make sure you have USB 2.0 and not the 1.1 as that would create problems.
I have both of these models, and also use a program called "Beyond TV3" with it which allows me to do "VCR" like operations when I'm not home or using the computer. I can time-shift all my favorites. And soon when the IR emitter gets here, I can have it control my DISH (tm) reciever as well to take care of changing channels for me.
Cheers.
Too Late Microsnot!! I have removed links to, and changed permissions to the executables in 3 of the machines at my home for IE. Windows XP has been weened. Mozilla user now.
Whats even nicer now is dumb ass vendors that rely on activeX controls to support their stuff now has no support in IE... but we don't care what they think.
You know too all that almost all of these patches and updates that come down the pike are because of broken IE!!!! I don't use Win Media player either so why am I messing with this anymore???!!!
Disable IE, Media Player, and automatic updates and your set!!! Use Winamp or iTunes for Windows, and Mozilla or Opera for browser and a decent firewall (Sygate/Zonealarm), and a decent AV product like Grisoft. Don't use norton cause they call up IE components.. at least mine did. It's gone now!
Cheers;
Jeff
Quick...
How many criminals does it take to mess up a marketing promotion?
One. He's the guy that gets promoted to CFO in the next elections!...
You guys forget that many of these companies including HP, have contractual language spelling they won't "compete" with Micro$oft for software and many other seemingly unrelated avenues. The only real threat to Micro$oft right now still continues to be MacOS and that doesn't even run on Intel hardware!!!
I went to the page link to see HP and Mandrake only to find the page is gone. Might be they were getting too many hits and thought they should pull it out for fear that Micro$oft would find out. Then the greedy Micro$oft legal machine would come to their door with subpoena's in hand.
I don't think there will ever be anything other than Micro$osft owning the desktop because nobody is challenging them on their legal and binding contractual agreements they enter into with many companies including HP! Too bad.
Why does this smell... excuse me... wreak of Microsoft's embrace, muffle, muddy, and stomp...
I guess their business model is now real popular.
I think I'll just stick with the version that I have that works, and not update it... other than fix holes in my own source and recompile!
Take that SCO!!!
Just...
Whatever you do, with Google's IPO coming about, DO NOT INVEST IN IT IF YOU THINK MICROSOFT WILL GET THEIR HANDS ON IT.
If they do, it will get trashed out in real short order, and we'll be forced back to Netscape or something similar.... Ugh...
This is a joke right??? Your asking the wolf to guard the hen house??? Yea.. right.
This issue has been a problem for a long time and Microsoft asserts that if you call complaining about it, you are instructed that IE is the ONLY browser to be used as everything links to it, and not other browsers.
Frankly, I think there is more going on here politically than anything else... but thats my opinion.
I could never get most other MS software to call up Opera or Netscape... only crappy IE.
Junk
Cheers;
Jeff
You are acting surprised???
We all know Micro$ofts tactics of buy up the small companies and technologies, and turn round and claim it their own and claim they invented it... Thats been around since the Windows 95 and Netscape debacles...
Besides, this is just more proof in the puddin' about the tangible mangling of US laws, and our constitution. Eventually, it will all be discovered, and nullified.
Cheers
This is probably only the tip of the iceburg. Apparently if you haven't yet seen Micro$oft's EULA's that they now include in all their updates, you have missed the boat off this island.
They now are installing software to "check your license validity" with all the updates, and you have to agree to this in order to install and use the updates.
I happened to paruse the EULA's with Directx 9 and Media Player 9, and both of them contain these requirements that you click through and allow them to spy on you, and what you have in your computer. On one machine, I allowed it and had Sygate installed to catch stuff, and sure enough, some stuff was trying to get out to the internet as soon as stuff was finished loading. I didn't have time or a way of looking at the packets, and what DLL's were doing it but suffice to say my suspicions were raised when the machine starts up and takes an unusual amount of time to boot, and my HD light was on for a really long time.
Talk about the "New World Order" or what???!!!!!!!! Bastards.
I'm very closely scrutinizing my Laptop since it has Windows XP Pro on it, and already discovered NOT to trust the Microsoft firewall that comes with XP!!! Apparently they might be caught with the pants down if you have Sygate, or ZD's firewalls, and if people are actually willing to try them also.
I have to try the new browsers soon as I'm going back to experimenting with Linux and BeOS (rogue versions and my legit Pro 5 ed).
Cheers;
Jeff
Actually that is right. Microsoft DOES think themselves better than anyone else. And worse yet; that 25 mil... is just a drop from the bucket. It will hurt them NOT!
Microsoft will continue its tredge of killing any and all competing systems via underhanded means. They have so much power and clout now that they are pretty much unstoppable.
You CANNNOT buy a laptop from anywhere (except used) without a manditory copy of Windows XP installed on it... Pretty sad... paying all that Micro$oft tax and all.
Cheers;
Jeff
You really oughta get out more...!!!
I think we don't have these freedoms anymore, or at least they're quickly being taken away...
I think he's right. Seems to be with all the "new" laws and such, going on the books, and even ones that were put up a few years back, it looks more and more like you are giving up your freedom.
I just reloaded my laptop freshly with Windoz and Linux and "EXCLUDED" real player from both. It has also been removed completely from 2 other machines in my home when they were "cleaned up".
I have had nothing but trouble with Realplayer taking over and screwing up my machines. Its performance was always substandard compared to Quicktime and I even lost quicktime once it started "Gathering demographical data on the sly".
I will not have SPYWARE on my machines. Period.
Cheers
I can just imagine the litigation costs alone let alone the stuff going through congress right now.
If they allow this to go through without a challenge... Then our country's government has completely gone astray and is no longer in and of the people.
I remember Jpeg as being developed for the "community" and source code and examples abound... They can't all of a sudden "call in the reins" on this and start charging everyone.... Ludicrist...
I smell a corrupt government... big time... someone was either bought off or is bought in on this to make hoards of money...
I smell a rat...