Guys, you all know that almost nobody ever reads the EULAs, TOSs or other stuff like that. They are considered to be a legal defense for the company, so no one could abuse the service.
Now, what makes you think that the writers of these things would take it any more seriously? This kind of stuff is usually copied over from the previous version or another product.
Hotmail, Passport and all kinds of different MSN services used to be separate entities with separate TOSs. I'm 95% convinced that when MS started to integrate them more tightly, nobody really checked carefully enough the legal texts (they are so boring, after all), and this created a situation where the strictest one happens to seem to cover other stuff also. It's a blunder but it's certainly not an attempt to take over the world. Microsoft is still a software and gadgets company, it doesn't have the means or reasons to read your e-mail and check if you are quarreling with your mother-in-law. If it wants to take over the world then it would use other ways to do it, not some silly conspiracy to peek into your private life. So don't panic.
Exactly my point also. If someone posing as a Microsoft employee would write you a bad check, would you then post a story saying that 'Microsoft has a bad credit history' or something similar? I'm exaggerating here a little but you get the idea.
For some reason/. is assuming that Nerd=='someone who hates MS' and News for Nerds==Microsoft-bashing, using any means possible?
Get a life and realize that there are actually many many pro-microsoft (or at least neutral) geeks out there also, who would sometimes rather like to read something where the primary goal would be to tell people about some interesting/cool stuff done by MS, not just bashing. Right now you are just missing all these potential readers who are getting news from more balanced sources elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I think/. is very cool but it's really harming itself more this way.
Slashdot Mirror
Now, what makes you think that the writers of these things would take it any more seriously? This kind of stuff is usually copied over from the previous version or another product.
Hotmail, Passport and all kinds of different MSN services used to be separate entities with separate TOSs. I'm 95% convinced that when MS started to integrate them more tightly, nobody really checked carefully enough the legal texts (they are so boring, after all), and this created a situation where the strictest one happens to seem to cover other stuff also. It's a blunder but it's certainly not an attempt to take over the world. Microsoft is still a software and gadgets company, it doesn't have the means or reasons to read your e-mail and check if you are quarreling with your mother-in-law. If it wants to take over the world then it would use other ways to do it, not some silly conspiracy to peek into your private life. So don't panic.
For some reason /. is assuming that Nerd=='someone who hates MS' and News for Nerds==Microsoft-bashing, using any means possible?
Get a life and realize that there are actually many many pro-microsoft (or at least neutral) geeks out there also, who would sometimes rather like to read something where the primary goal would be to tell people about some interesting/cool stuff done by MS, not just bashing. Right now you are just missing all these potential readers who are getting news from more balanced sources elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I think /. is very cool but it's really harming itself more this way.