What will break the cycle is when people can walk into/browse the website of a PC vendor and purchase a PC with whatever OS they want on it. As long as the vendors/manufacturers are locked into agreements with MS then the average PC buyer has no choice and the dominance of MS on the desktop continues. Many PC users are too lazy to install a new browser or patch their existing OS let alone install a whole new OS. Until they can buy a PC without Windows installed they simply won't bother to change. Trouble is few manufacturers are prepared to take the risk (to their profit margin) of challenging their MS agreement and we end up in a cause-effect loop.
OEMs don't make money by not selling what customers want. If they could make money selling machines with Linux on them, they would - wild conspiracy theories notwithstanding. These aren't stupid people. The reason OEMs put Windows on the machines they sell is because the people who buy their computers want every piece of hardware and software at the store to work. That means the webcams, the mp3 players, the toddler games for their kids with the USB playset attachments, and all of the other games, applications, and utilities that they buy at the store. Sorry, but the computer dork demographic is simply not what Dell is aiming for.
Like it or not, every godamn thing at CompUSA is going to work on a Windows PC. As far as Vista failing against Linux, even if someone tries to bring something like say, vendor supported hardware support, to Linux (ala Linspire), the Linux fan club gets mad because "oooohhhhh they're using binary only drivers."
Windows Vista may or may not fail, but if it fails, it's certainly not going to be against any variation of Linux on the desktop. Linux wants to fail there. The only OS developers who know what customers actually want are Apple and Microsoft.
--
Yeah, I know.. "Linux is getting popular." I've been hearing that for 15 years.
Windows Explorer can browse the web.. even if you disable Internet Explorer.
I can't believe I'm replying to this. Just what do you think "Windows Explorer" is rendering the page with? Was everyone absent the day Microsoft integrated IE into the shell?
The only way to disable Internet Explorer is to format and install Windows 95 Gold.
Yeah. Microsoft has the gall and audacity to tell computer manufacturers that if they want to ship Windows on their machines that they actually have to include parts of Windows and not hack it apart. What nerve.
Nothing is stopping manufacturers from installing Firefox, Opera, Netscape, Netcom Netcruiser, Mosaic, or anything else; and if you want people to use Firefox, either accept the fact that they're gonna need IE already in the OS in order to download it, or maybe they should get off their ass and put it in a store so people can buy it. Oh wait. Making money is evil, I forgot.
"I am sure there are some that I missed. Let me do a quick browser check of WinXP SP2:
Internet Explorer 6
Pretty small list. Nothing like choice, eh Microsoft?"
Boo fucking hoo. Is Microsoft holding a gun to your head preventing you from downloading Firefox or Opera?
No. Have they ever? No.
I'd use Firefox if it didn't allocate RAM from nearby computers through osmosis.
Opera's the best browser anyway. And guess what -- I'm using it under Windows. OMFG!!!! BUT HOW COULD I BE USING OPERA IN WINDOWS?!!?!? ISN'T MICROSOFT FORCING ME to USE IE ?!?!?!?!??!
Go ahead and mod me troll. I'm proud to be labeled a troll on Slashdot. God knows I wouldn't want to be in the same category as most of the shit you guys label as "insightful"
Let's not forget that it's Bill Gates' Fault that developers intentionally ignore the reams of documentation Microsoft has published on writing applications that run properly under a limited user account, while at the same time, those same vendors seem to have no problem following the instructions for doing the same under *IX.
Wow 30+ processes. my Linux box that's only a BIND DNS server, with the bind process and all of the minimum required processes, Getty's, and daemons, I have 35 process. Linux must suck.
And wow -- you used a 6 year old operating system that Microsoft replaced four years ago as a gauge of how Vista is going to be. That's some intelligent reasoning there.
I'd honestly feel sorry for your stupidity if I didn't already know that you just made the whole damn thing up just to look cool in the eyes of the slashdotters.
Here are a few tips:
-- Breaks should be taken every 30-45 minutes for at least 5 minutes.
-- Stretch your arms, hands, neck, and back during breaks.
-- Maintain posture alignment. Don't slouch on the couch with the laptop.
-- Work stations should be reviewed initially and with each office move.
--Shift your gaze from the computer screen to the distance. And don't forget to blink!
--Limit non-essential computer use.
-- If pain occurs or persists, see your doctor, who may recommend wrist brace, ice packs, anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, cortisone injections, physical therapy, and most importantly, rest to allow healing.
OMFG!!!! I've been hearing about this Carpel Tunnel Stuff for 20 years and I always thought it was BS and all the tips I kept hearing I ignored. But now that GOOGLE has weighed in, I better look into this.
No, not at all. I was simply saying what Everyone already knows for a fact: that the Wine developers are forced to build their implementation of the Win32 API but brute force reverse engineering, whereas Apple, on the other hand, only needs to open their file drawer that says "Win32 API Source Code from Microsoft."
Wow... a new Star Trek movie that takes place when Kirk and Spock are at the academy..... again.
Every single new series and every single new movie announced, this has always been the plotline everyone has assumed it was going to be.. and it never happens. I don't care where this information came from, it's BS.
MS and Apple have very different attitudes about backwards compatibility. MS's attitude is, "If you got it running on X platform, it's our responsibility to make sure it continues to run, regardless of the awful undocumented things you've done." This attitude is understandable, since the less the developers have to fix, the less you have to tell them about how your software actually works.
Microsoft doesn't do this to keep developers from understanding how the APIs work. Microsoft doesn't make money by selling an operating system that doesn't run applications. Microsoft puts these compatibility shims in place because if you upgrade from Windows 98 to Windows XP and the $130,000 accounting package, which relied on side effects of the older API, stopped working, Microsoft would be blamed instead of the software developer who didn't pay attention when Microsoft told them it was "deprecated."
It's a double standard. If Apple tells people 'hey, we're deprecating this', people stop using it. When Microsoft tells people, 'hey this is deprecated', the developers ignore them, say "Microsoft sucks" and continue using the deprecated features.
"This will be accomplished not by using compatibility middleware like Wine, but rather by Apple implementing the Windows API directly in OS X 10.5."
Wine *is* an implementation of the Windows API.
Wrong. WINE is an API which pretends to be the Windows API through reverse engineering the Windows API. Apple, on the other hand, does not need to reverse engineer, as they have access to the real API implementation.
If Windows users weren't logged in as admin the hosts file would be off limits.
The blame for this lays squarely on the shoulders of software vendors who flat out ignore the reems of documentation and white papers that Microsoft publishes on how to write software for Windows such that it runs properly under a limited access account.
Problem is, Even Windows has problems with the limited user accounts. I tried setting up internet connection sharing, and I can't even connect to my ISP using a limited account.
Then you did something wrong because there are a billion other people who it works fine for.
Try and put a good Cisco WiFi card in the mini-pci slot of a HP, Compaq, or IBM laptop. "Unauthorized wireless network card detected. System halted..."
The article isn't entirely clear whether the app reports back to MS your web surfing locations. Granted, it could be useful to see what the user is commonly misspelling, but at the same time, I really have no interest in relinquishing this information.
Yeah, because behind everything Microsoft does, it just has to be because they're spying on us.
I have a feeling the "next generation" office suite will permit online collaboration. Imagine and online office suite that allows real-time collaboration between editors. With more and more laptops coming ready made with webcam/mic setups, I don't think it would be hard to imagine an online MS Word with a "teleconference" going on in a side-panel.
You mean like what Microsoft Office System does now? Oh wait, that's right, end users don't want all those bloated features that they never use.
On the other hand, using XUL to do user interfaces for web apps seems like a great idea. I'd like to see more of it - besides, the more XUL usage there is the more people will need to use Firefox unless Microsoft adds XUL support.
Yeah. Forcing people to use Firefox is good. Forcing people to use IE is bad.
bzzt wrong gg nextmap You can't compare Apache to IIS from a security point of view because they're not even the same thing. Apache is a web server. IIS is a web server, mail server, FTP server, DNS server, *2* scripting languages and a whole load of other stuff besides. For anything approaching an accurate comparison regarding security, you'd have to compare IIS to Apache, Sendmail, ProFTPd, Bind, PHP, Perl (or Python). And I'd like to see anyone try and make that comparison with a straight face. Bind or Sendmail alone have probably been responsible for more security breaches than IIS.
Wrong. IIS is a Web and FTP server only. DNS and Mail are entirely different processes/applications on the Windows platform (the default POP and SMTP servers are configurable through the IIS configuration tool, and share some configuration stores, but they are not IIS). Additionally, you can't say comparing IIS to Apache is unfair just because IIS has a scripting language built in. Almost all Apache installations have PHP installed. Additionally, ASP and ASP.NET are off by default, just like PHP is off by default on (some) default Linux OS installations.
It's easier to install software with Xandros then it is with windows. First of all it's all in one place. You don't have to search the web to find it, you just fire up the gui and search. Secondly there is no download, save to disk, double click, unzip, answer click OK 5 times, input a 30 digit CD key or anything like that. Just click and go. The best part is the updating is done the same way. Way better then windows.
If it were that easy in Windows, people would complain that it's a security flaw that allows software to install too easily.... oh wait...
Slashdot Mirror
What will break the cycle is when people can walk into/browse the website of a PC vendor and purchase a PC with whatever OS they want on it. As long as the vendors/manufacturers are locked into agreements with MS then the average PC buyer has no choice and the dominance of MS on the desktop continues. Many PC users are too lazy to install a new browser or patch their existing OS let alone install a whole new OS. Until they can buy a PC without Windows installed they simply won't bother to change. Trouble is few manufacturers are prepared to take the risk (to their profit margin) of challenging their MS agreement and we end up in a cause-effect loop.
.. "Linux is getting popular." I've been hearing that for 15 years.
OEMs don't make money by not selling what customers want. If they could make money selling machines with Linux on them, they would - wild conspiracy theories notwithstanding. These aren't stupid people. The reason OEMs put Windows on the machines they sell is because the people who buy their computers want every piece of hardware and software at the store to work . That means the webcams, the mp3 players, the toddler games for their kids with the USB playset attachments, and all of the other games, applications, and utilities that they buy at the store. Sorry, but the computer dork demographic is simply not what Dell is aiming for.
Like it or not, every godamn thing at CompUSA is going to work on a Windows PC. As far as Vista failing against Linux, even if someone tries to bring something like say, vendor supported hardware support, to Linux (ala Linspire), the Linux fan club gets mad because "oooohhhhh they're using binary only drivers." Windows Vista may or may not fail, but if it fails, it's certainly not going to be against any variation of Linux on the desktop. Linux wants to fail there. The only OS developers who know what customers actually want are Apple and Microsoft.
--
Yeah, I know
Microsoft invented much of what we call "AJAX" now. Outlook Web Access for Exchange 5.5 was the earliest implementation.
It doesn't mention it, but it also deletes the damned file you just downloaded. Pretty sad, eh?
This is a lie.
I can't believe I'm replying to this. Just what do you think "Windows Explorer" is rendering the page with? Was everyone absent the day Microsoft integrated IE into the shell?
The only way to disable Internet Explorer is to format and install Windows 95 Gold.
Yeah. Microsoft has the gall and audacity to tell computer manufacturers that if they want to ship Windows on their machines that they actually have to include parts of Windows and not hack it apart. What nerve. Nothing is stopping manufacturers from installing Firefox, Opera, Netscape, Netcom Netcruiser, Mosaic, or anything else; and if you want people to use Firefox, either accept the fact that they're gonna need IE already in the OS in order to download it, or maybe they should get off their ass and put it in a store so people can buy it. Oh wait. Making money is evil, I forgot.
IE7 has innovations. Too bad Opera already 'innovated' them 10 years ago.
"I am sure there are some that I missed. Let me do a quick browser check of WinXP SP2: Internet Explorer 6 Pretty small list. Nothing like choice, eh Microsoft?" Boo fucking hoo. Is Microsoft holding a gun to your head preventing you from downloading Firefox or Opera? No. Have they ever? No. I'd use Firefox if it didn't allocate RAM from nearby computers through osmosis. Opera's the best browser anyway. And guess what -- I'm using it under Windows. OMFG!!!! BUT HOW COULD I BE USING OPERA IN WINDOWS?!!?!? ISN'T MICROSOFT FORCING ME to USE IE ?!?!?!?!??! Go ahead and mod me troll. I'm proud to be labeled a troll on Slashdot. God knows I wouldn't want to be in the same category as most of the shit you guys label as "insightful"
Let's not forget that it's Bill Gates' Fault that developers intentionally ignore the reams of documentation Microsoft has published on writing applications that run properly under a limited user account, while at the same time, those same vendors seem to have no problem following the instructions for doing the same under *IX.
Wow 30+ processes. my Linux box that's only a BIND DNS server, with the bind process and all of the minimum required processes, Getty's, and daemons, I have 35 process. Linux must suck. And wow -- you used a 6 year old operating system that Microsoft replaced four years ago as a gauge of how Vista is going to be. That's some intelligent reasoning there. I'd honestly feel sorry for your stupidity if I didn't already know that you just made the whole damn thing up just to look cool in the eyes of the slashdotters.
Too bad this only works from the root directory.
OMFG!!!! I've been hearing about this Carpel Tunnel Stuff for 20 years and I always thought it was BS and all the tips I kept hearing I ignored. But now that GOOGLE has weighed in, I better look into this.
No, not at all. I was simply saying what Everyone already knows for a fact: that the Wine developers are forced to build their implementation of the Win32 API but brute force reverse engineering, whereas Apple, on the other hand, only needs to open their file drawer that says "Win32 API Source Code from Microsoft."
Wow ... a new Star Trek movie that takes place when Kirk and Spock are at the academy ..... again.
Every single new series and every single new movie announced, this has always been the plotline everyone has assumed it was going to be .. and it never happens. I don't care where this information came from, it's BS.
Microsoft doesn't do this to keep developers from understanding how the APIs work. Microsoft doesn't make money by selling an operating system that doesn't run applications. Microsoft puts these compatibility shims in place because if you upgrade from Windows 98 to Windows XP and the $130,000 accounting package, which relied on side effects of the older API, stopped working, Microsoft would be blamed instead of the software developer who didn't pay attention when Microsoft told them it was "deprecated." It's a double standard. If Apple tells people 'hey, we're deprecating this', people stop using it. When Microsoft tells people, 'hey this is deprecated', the developers ignore them, say "Microsoft sucks" and continue using the deprecated features.
Except for the fact that Apple doesn't have to reverse engineer the API or guess .. and they've been working on it for almost a decade now.
Wrong. WINE is an API which pretends to be the Windows API through reverse engineering the Windows API. Apple, on the other hand, does not need to reverse engineer, as they have access to the real API implementation.
The blame for this lays squarely on the shoulders of software vendors who flat out ignore the reems of documentation and white papers that Microsoft publishes on how to write software for Windows such that it runs properly under a limited access account.
Problem is, Even Windows has problems with the limited user accounts. I tried setting up internet connection sharing, and I can't even connect to my ISP using a limited account.
Then you did something wrong because there are a billion other people who it works fine for.
Try and put a good Cisco WiFi card in the mini-pci slot of a HP, Compaq, or IBM laptop. "Unauthorized wireless network card detected. System halted..."
That's bullshit. Come up with something else.
Yeah, because behind everything Microsoft does, it just has to be because they're spying on us.
You mean like what Microsoft Office System does now? Oh wait, that's right, end users don't want all those bloated features that they never use.
On the other hand, using XUL to do user interfaces for web apps seems like a great idea. I'd like to see more of it - besides, the more XUL usage there is the more people will need to use Firefox unless Microsoft adds XUL support. Yeah. Forcing people to use Firefox is good. Forcing people to use IE is bad.
Wrong. Microsoft Virtual Server does not run Mac OS X.
Glad to see Slashdot's up on the latest news.
Wrong. IIS is a Web and FTP server only. DNS and Mail are entirely different processes/applications on the Windows platform (the default POP and SMTP servers are configurable through the IIS configuration tool, and share some configuration stores, but they are not IIS). Additionally, you can't say comparing IIS to Apache is unfair just because IIS has a scripting language built in. Almost all Apache installations have PHP installed. Additionally, ASP and ASP.NET are off by default, just like PHP is off by default on (some) default Linux OS installations.
It's easier to install software with Xandros then it is with windows.
.... oh wait...
First of all it's all in one place. You don't have to search the web to find it, you just fire up the gui and search.
Secondly there is no download, save to disk, double click, unzip, answer click OK 5 times, input a 30 digit CD key or anything like that. Just click and go.
The best part is the updating is done the same way.
Way better then windows.
If it were that easy in Windows, people would complain that it's a security flaw that allows software to install too easily