Seriously, what if she read the NYT article and got this brainwave? We must remember that the antitrust case was filed during the Clinton rule. If P2P becoming legal, and MS getting broken up become election issues, things could get real interesting.
If an election were to be held for the president today, and Ms.Clinton sided with the P2P sentiments, she's assured of atleast 43 million American votes! Maybe much more, if the article is accurate enough.
The document mentions only Finder, Vendor etc. What about the user? Suppose the Finder tells the vendor, "Hey, there's this bug in Passport Password Reset". Now the vendor (Microsoft) works in conjuction (collusion?) with the finder, and says, Look - this is a trade secret. Wait for a few months, and we'll watch if anyone's using this bug except us.
Poor Joe ServicePack is the one affected, and he figures nowhere in this scheme of things.
Yes, you are correct. Grandmas, Suzy and Joe ServicePack are the users that Linux should focus on. ssh, telnet, cp, rcp etc should be removed from the kernel and substituted with GUIs.
Do you even know the MS FUD about telnet and copy? The very fact that these commands exist, indicates that there are users who can't be bothered to use GUIs and clicks, and get enslaved to a gorilla in return. Grandmas, Suzies and Joe ServivePacks better start learning Linux fast.
Unless they can afford $500 every year to license crapware and subscribe to nonsense.
It's unlikely this email will wake up the Windozers from their slumber. Ballmer's mulling on a few better wakeup calls:
1. Linux! Linux!! Linux!!! (message comes out the speaker at full volume at every reboot, or logout!) 2. Sells a million shares a day! 3. Sends money to Linus - a million a day, for his IP! 4. Decides to work from home, to cut costs. 5. Hires Indians exclusively - that should wake up everyone!!
"So, don't just sit back, point your finger, and laugh; take a good look within the open source world and see what needs fixing."
is that they can do exactly that! Sit back, point finger and laugh - when (and if) MS does anything notewirthy, simply implement it in open source, and repeat!
I mean, if something were wrong with Open Source, would MS and SCO be raising such a hue and cry. Don't fix Open Source, simply lie back and relax - it's perfect already.
The issue for Microsoft, is that ANY strategy they adopt could backfire. Let's see:
1) Putting license key schemes in place on their OS's
OTOH, when Joe SericePack gets pissed by the license-key thing, he's likely to switch over.
2) I imagine the same thing will happen with MS Office soon
Joe ServicePack is already running OO.o
3) Hope to god the console business takes off...
That's like retiring from the bread and butter business, and hope to sell lots of jam. Won't work.
4) Come up with a DRM scheme and convince the record companies
Too late, and too little. Apple's already done a good job. And music buffs already have MP3 firmly entrenched. Zero sum game.
5).NET - next big thing....
Only drawback being, MS is shit scared to brand anything with.Net, except for the Vis Studio. Developers are the only ones who can proudly stay ignorant of what they're letting loose on their customers! BTW, what is.Net?
6) Palladium - next big thing....
They've already hit a raw nerve with that one, it's got them tons of negative publicity. Renamingit as NGSCB will not make it better.
Now we know why His Baldness sold a million shares.
Actuallt the problem seems to be with the codebase - NT. Guess it stands for Not Trustworthy. If MS wants to stop leaky emails, they'd have to rewrite the entire code from scratch. Probably explains the SCO license:-)
"Ballmer will increase marketing budgets significantly"
I wonder how the list of beneficiaries would read. Something like this?
1. AOL-TW (CNN - a 1 hour slot on CNN daily - War against IP terrorists!) 2. SCO - Proxy war against Linux 3. Corel - to keep doing less. 4. Borland - introduce addons to J#++ etc..
"Ballmer promised that the company would âoeincrease our advertising budget"
Isn't that the strategy used by MS at all times? Fix bugs by advertising. Release patches through the media. Release new versions through the media. Release performance reports, Aberdeen reports, Gartner reports, 'studies' CERN reports etc. through the media.
If anything, Linux has proved that you can't fool all the people all the time. Even Gartner has woken up to Linux these days.
E-Sys has launched Linux PCs in India some 2 months ago - priced from $200 onwards (no monitor). The highest model comes in at about $300 which includes a financial accouting package as well.
LUGs are very active in India - and the recent drives by MS thru NASSCOM (like the BSA) is forcing lots of folks to switch over. Every day, new firms spring up offering Linux support for Home PCs as well as business segments.
Actually, it's more like buying a book titled 'Sex' for $10,000, and fantasizing, dreaming and visualizing.... while the real thing can be had for much less.
At $2,500, plus annual updates does MS expect that CEOs would drool over this stuff and take notes? They'd hire smart secretaries instead. Wrong market analysis, IMO.
Tablet PC running into Major Problems or Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC edition running into major problems. or Majority of top-shot CEOs refuse to buy Tablets or Viagra tablets sell faster than PC tablets or Tablets giving headaches to HPaq, Acer, Microsft or etc...
The Code Cleaning group has come up with a brillinat idea! Instead of releasing buggy code and fixing it with Service Packs later, the new technique is to release Service Packs first... typically in the form of leaks. Once this is done, then the 'previous' versions are leaked. After a while, the code reaches the users.
This way, users are sure to get fully patched OSes from day one. Similar strategies are being adopted by anti-virus s/w writers as well.
"it's not important that Microsoft fix the majority of their security flaws, but that they imply they will."
Let's have a debate at Ask Slashdot. Is it EVER possible to make Windows secure? Not maybe in the same league as Linux or Unix, but even marginally better than what entails now?
The challenges: 1. An integrated all-in-one tightly coupled design - anything breaks, everything compromised. 2. Proprietary standards (if that isn't an oxmoron) 3. Newer OS releases atleast once a year, to break competing code. 4. Newer releases to support existing apps (3 and 4 directly contradict) 5. Code size and complexity - I doubt anyone, even at MS has access, let alone modification rights to the variuos code bases.
"The new group is called Security Engineering Strategy"
A weak name, I suppose. Some suggestions:
1. Next Generation Secure Computing Strategy. 2. Social Engineering Strategy. 3. Brainwashing Services (BS, for short). 4. Severe Acute Repair Services Group (SARS group) 5. Purity Enhancing Networked Information Services. (figure it out)
"What barriers exist to working in the UK for a non-UK (e.g. US) employer.What barriers exist to working in the UK for a non-UK (e.g. US) employer."
1. Cricket: Learn the rules of this (supposedly) gentleman's game. And no, this is not baseball played with a smaller heavier ball. It isn't a chirping insect either.
2. Conversation: Folks in the UK are quick to note when you're being sarcastic. They're also a bit more relaxed, and can laugh at themselves. Not so high strung as the folks across the pond.
3. Beer: The local flavors are so different, and the temperature varies a lot.
4. Dating: More 'F' geeks around, more opinionated as well.
5. Football hooliganism: Forget NBA, this is the UK. Don't venture miles near a match, especially the big leaguers.
6. Getting online: is much more expensive, but lots better and smoother in the UK.
Excuse me, but can someone explain how the parent post is modded 5 Funny? I guess the moderators are just stupid, or totally incompetent or both. How many moderators can name the capital of India?
How many know that India has their own satellite launch systems? Their own aerospace and research firms? Their own nuclear reactors, scientists and so forth? How many know that the current president, before his assignment, was the top scientific advisor to the Cabinet?
I recall the debate in Slashdot reg Munich being the capital of Germany, and shooting aero-baloons with guns. Time to moderate the moderators, surely!
"This is really great statement to be made, but I wonder how well taken by the students it will be."
Considering that Indian students are respected the world over, even by His Billness, while presiding over a meeting of IIT alumni in Clifornia recently, one would assume the students would be clever enough to understand the import of the statement.
"A lot of the students who attend IIT attend so that they can be marketable in a big business like Microsoft."
For your info., ALL IIT students run Linux on their systems in the campus. All the IITs host the local LUGs (Linux User Groups). No self-respecting IITian would touch an MCSE with a bargepole. IITs and indeed most of India have been using computers since the past 15 years or more. Companies like Wipro Infotech even developed their own OSes (WDOS - a menu based OS with Cobol) long ago - 1987. And again, the average MCSE earns less than $100 a month. I'm not joking or trolling here. No wonder Indians consider MSware as expensive disposable junk.
"I seriously doubt in a country where many are trying to break free of poverty that they will work for next to nothing on OSS."
Kudos for making 2 mistakes in 1 sentence! Indian geeks are much sought after by the girls here, make more money, have more fun, and are well respected in society. They live in luxurious apartments, enjoy about 70 channels of television at $3 per month (incldg. CNN and BBC).
Geeks hese days get work only on OSS. The hot thing in India today is embedded devices and mobile phone tech, both of which use OSS as their basis. Indians think little of the 'gratis' WinCE licensing and free access to the VS.Net bait.
Guess you'd do well to take a $2,000 flight to India and watch for yourself.
"I wonder how these changes in the political climate of software will affect Microsoft's Indian software development division?"
Neither India nor MS seem to be indesparate need of each other, atleast for the software development. The total no. of emps in MS- India is less than 500, an insignificant fraction of the IT manpower of India.
Except for SFU and now a command-shell with.Net elemnts, MS does not do it's core development in India. Even if this got relocated to the US, I doubt if any significant cost escalation could accrue to MS.
The only reasons (as I understand) that MS does development in India could be PR and to promote their brand of IP and respect to IP. All in all, this development could affect sales of MSware and ruffle a few diplomatic feathers, but is unlikely to do anything to MS s/w development efforts.
"what Ghandi would say about the president of India having helped design nuclear missiles?"
Actually, Gandhi believed in the doctrine of Ahimsa, or non-violence. His brand was a bit different from that of the Jesus "Slap-my-left-cheek-and-I'll-show-you-my-right" brand.
While advocating tolerance to evil, Gandhi also extolled self-defence and defence-preparedness. To sum up, Gandhi would've approved the design of nuclear misiles, but with a rider - to be employed after all other peaceful avenues (Ahimsa - non-violence, satyagraha - The path of Truth) etc. were exhausted.
With reference to MS, this could have meant - If MS lives and lets Open Source live - no worries. If they adopt an either-you-or-me attitude, then it's time to act positively and decisively.
Slashdot Mirror
" She's not a candidate, she said yesterday."
:-)
But that was before this article came out
Seriously, what if she read the NYT article and got this brainwave? We must remember that the antitrust case was filed during the Clinton rule. If P2P becoming legal, and MS getting broken up become election issues, things could get real interesting.
"43 million people lose the right to vote?"
OTOH, if the cards are played right, you're assured of 43 million votes! Too good to resist.
If an election were to be held for the president today, and Ms.Clinton sided with the P2P sentiments, she's assured of atleast 43 million American votes! Maybe much more, if the article is accurate enough.
5 of 6 Americans know about viruses and anti-virus software for Windows.
5 of 6 Americans think Windows IS the computer.
5 of 6 Americans think Microsoft is a microscopic kind hearted firm, like the MSN flutterby.
5 of 6 Americans know about spam, RIAA, MPAA etc.
Only 1 of 6 actually know how to use their computer. The rest are used by their computer.
The document mentions only Finder, Vendor etc. What about the user? Suppose the Finder tells the vendor, "Hey, there's this bug in Passport Password Reset". Now the vendor (Microsoft) works in conjuction (collusion?) with the finder, and says, Look - this is a trade secret. Wait for a few months, and we'll watch if anyone's using this bug except us.
Poor Joe ServicePack is the one affected, and he figures nowhere in this scheme of things.
Yes, you are correct. Grandmas, Suzy and Joe ServicePack are the users that Linux should focus on. ssh, telnet, cp, rcp etc should be removed from the kernel and substituted with GUIs.
Do you even know the MS FUD about telnet and copy? The very fact that these commands exist, indicates that there are users who can't be bothered to use GUIs and clicks, and get enslaved to a gorilla in return. Grandmas, Suzies and Joe ServivePacks better start learning Linux fast.
Unless they can afford $500 every year to license crapware and subscribe to nonsense.
It's unlikely this email will wake up the Windozers from their slumber. Ballmer's mulling on a few better wakeup calls:
1. Linux! Linux!! Linux!!! (message comes out the speaker at full volume at every reboot, or logout!)
2. Sells a million shares a day!
3. Sends money to Linus - a million a day, for his IP!
4. Decides to work from home, to cut costs.
5. Hires Indians exclusively - that should wake up everyone!!
"So, don't just sit back, point your finger, and laugh; take a good look within the open source world and see what needs fixing."
is that they can do exactly that! Sit back, point finger and laugh - when (and if) MS does anything notewirthy, simply implement it in open source, and repeat!
I mean, if something were wrong with Open Source, would MS and SCO be raising such a hue and cry. Don't fix Open Source, simply lie back and relax - it's perfect already.
The issue for Microsoft, is that ANY strategy they adopt could backfire. Let's see:
.NET - next big thing....
.Net, except for the Vis Studio. Developers are the only ones who can proudly stay ignorant of what they're letting loose on their customers! BTW, what is .Net?
1) Putting license key schemes in place on their OS's
OTOH, when Joe SericePack gets pissed by the license-key thing, he's likely to switch over.
2) I imagine the same thing will happen with MS Office soon
Joe ServicePack is already running OO.o
3) Hope to god the console business takes off...
That's like retiring from the bread and butter business, and hope to sell lots of jam. Won't work.
4) Come up with a DRM scheme and convince the record companies
Too late, and too little. Apple's already done a good job. And music buffs already have MP3 firmly entrenched. Zero sum game.
5)
Only drawback being, MS is shit scared to brand anything with
6) Palladium - next big thing....
They've already hit a raw nerve with that one, it's got them tons of negative publicity. Renamingit as NGSCB will not make it better.
Now we know why His Baldness sold a million shares.
Actuallt the problem seems to be with the codebase - NT. Guess it stands for Not Trustworthy. If MS wants to stop leaky emails, they'd have to rewrite the entire code from scratch. Probably explains the SCO license :-)
"Ballmer will increase marketing budgets significantly"
I wonder how the list of beneficiaries would read. Something like this?
1. AOL-TW (CNN - a 1 hour slot on CNN daily - War against IP terrorists!)
2. SCO - Proxy war against Linux
3. Corel - to keep doing less.
4. Borland - introduce addons to J#++
etc..
"Ballmer promised that the company would âoeincrease our advertising budget"
Isn't that the strategy used by MS at all times? Fix bugs by advertising. Release patches through the media. Release new versions through the media. Release performance reports, Aberdeen reports, Gartner reports, 'studies' CERN reports etc. through the media.
If anything, Linux has proved that you can't fool all the people all the time. Even Gartner has woken up to Linux these days.
Linux! Linux! Linux!
Stop Windozing....
Linux users are apathetic
Windoze users are pathetic!
E-Sys has launched Linux PCs in India some 2 months ago - priced from $200 onwards (no monitor). The highest model comes in at about $300 which includes a financial accouting package as well.
LUGs are very active in India - and the recent drives by MS thru NASSCOM (like the BSA) is forcing lots of folks to switch over. Every day, new firms spring up offering Linux support for Home PCs as well as business segments.
Actually, it's more like buying a book titled 'Sex' for $10,000, and fantasizing, dreaming and visualizing.... while the real thing can be had for much less.
At $2,500, plus annual updates does MS expect that CEOs would drool over this stuff and take notes? They'd hire smart secretaries instead. Wrong market analysis, IMO.
Tablet PC running into Major Problems
or
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC edition running into major problems.
or
Majority of top-shot CEOs refuse to buy Tablets
or
Viagra tablets sell faster than PC tablets
or
Tablets giving headaches to HPaq, Acer, Microsft
or
etc...
The Code Cleaning group has come up with a brillinat idea! Instead of releasing buggy code and fixing it with Service Packs later, the new technique is to release Service Packs first... typically in the form of leaks. Once this is done, then the 'previous' versions are leaked. After a while, the code reaches the users.
This way, users are sure to get fully patched OSes from day one. Similar strategies are being adopted by anti-virus s/w writers as well.
"it's not important that Microsoft fix the majority of their security flaws, but that they imply they will."
Let's have a debate at Ask Slashdot. Is it EVER possible to make Windows secure? Not maybe in the same league as Linux or Unix, but even marginally better than what entails now?
The challenges:
1. An integrated all-in-one tightly coupled design - anything breaks, everything compromised.
2. Proprietary standards (if that isn't an oxmoron)
3. Newer OS releases atleast once a year, to break competing code.
4. Newer releases to support existing apps (3 and 4 directly contradict)
5. Code size and complexity - I doubt anyone, even at MS has access, let alone modification rights to the variuos code bases.
Put simply, Mission Impossible.
"The new group is called Security Engineering Strategy"
A weak name, I suppose. Some suggestions:
1. Next Generation Secure Computing Strategy.
2. Social Engineering Strategy.
3. Brainwashing Services (BS, for short).
4. Severe Acute Repair Services Group (SARS group)
5. Purity Enhancing Networked Information Services. (figure it out)
"Microsoft has decided to _beef_ up their security group by adding a code cleaning group "
As close to their admitting the code is full of bullshit!
Warning: Slashdot is dissing Microsft. Watch out for monkeys and Gorillas.
"What barriers exist to working in the UK for a non-UK (e.g. US) employer.What barriers exist to working in the UK for a non-UK (e.g. US) employer."
1. Cricket: Learn the rules of this (supposedly) gentleman's game. And no, this is not baseball played with a smaller heavier ball. It isn't a chirping insect either.
2. Conversation: Folks in the UK are quick to note when you're being sarcastic. They're also a bit more relaxed, and can laugh at themselves. Not so high strung as the folks across the pond.
3. Beer: The local flavors are so different, and the temperature varies a lot.
4. Dating: More 'F' geeks around, more opinionated as well.
5. Football hooliganism: Forget NBA, this is the UK. Don't venture miles near a match, especially the big leaguers.
6. Getting online: is much more expensive, but lots better and smoother in the UK.
7. Driving, power voltage, frequency, etc..
A few more, but I'm in a rush.
Excuse me, but can someone explain how the parent post is modded 5 Funny? I guess the moderators are just stupid, or totally incompetent or both. How many moderators can name the capital of India?
How many know that India has their own satellite launch systems? Their own aerospace and research firms? Their own nuclear reactors, scientists and so forth? How many know that the current president, before his assignment, was the top scientific advisor to the Cabinet?
I recall the debate in Slashdot reg Munich being the capital of Germany, and shooting aero-baloons with guns. Time to moderate the moderators, surely!
"This is really great statement to be made, but I wonder how well taken by the students it will be."
Considering that Indian students are respected the world over, even by His Billness, while presiding over a meeting of IIT alumni in Clifornia recently, one would assume the students would be clever enough to understand the import of the statement.
"A lot of the students who attend IIT attend so that they can be marketable in a big business like Microsoft."
For your info., ALL IIT students run Linux on their systems in the campus. All the IITs host the local LUGs (Linux User Groups). No self-respecting IITian would touch an MCSE with a bargepole. IITs and indeed most of India have been using computers since the past 15 years or more. Companies like Wipro Infotech even developed their own OSes (WDOS - a menu based OS with Cobol) long ago - 1987. And again, the average MCSE earns less than $100 a month. I'm not joking or trolling here. No wonder Indians consider MSware as expensive disposable junk.
"I seriously doubt in a country where many are trying to break free of poverty that they will work for next to nothing on OSS."
Kudos for making 2 mistakes in 1 sentence! Indian geeks are much sought after by the girls here, make more money, have more fun, and are well respected in society. They live in luxurious apartments, enjoy about 70 channels of television at $3 per month (incldg. CNN and BBC).
Geeks hese days get work only on OSS. The hot thing in India today is embedded devices and mobile phone tech, both of which use OSS as their basis. Indians think little of the 'gratis' WinCE licensing and free access to the VS.Net bait.
Guess you'd do well to take a $2,000 flight to India and watch for yourself.
"I wonder how these changes in the political climate of software will affect Microsoft's Indian software development division?"
.Net elemnts, MS does not do it's core development in India. Even if this got relocated to the US, I doubt if any significant cost escalation could accrue to MS.
Neither India nor MS seem to be indesparate need of each other, atleast for the software development. The total no. of emps in MS- India is less than 500, an insignificant fraction of the IT manpower of India.
Except for SFU and now a command-shell with
The only reasons (as I understand) that MS does development in India could be PR and to promote their brand of IP and respect to IP. All in all, this development could affect sales of MSware and ruffle a few diplomatic feathers, but is unlikely to do anything to MS s/w development efforts.
"what Ghandi would say about the president of India having helped design nuclear missiles?"
Actually, Gandhi believed in the doctrine of Ahimsa, or non-violence. His brand was a bit different from that of the Jesus "Slap-my-left-cheek-and-I'll-show-you-my-right" brand.
While advocating tolerance to evil, Gandhi also extolled self-defence and defence-preparedness. To sum up, Gandhi would've approved the design of nuclear misiles, but with a rider - to be employed after all other peaceful avenues (Ahimsa - non-violence, satyagraha - The path of Truth) etc. were exhausted.
With reference to MS, this could have meant - If MS lives and lets Open Source live - no worries. If they adopt an either-you-or-me attitude, then it's time to act positively and decisively.