Bundling WMP within Windows my well remove the freedom of choice from users, however, let me pose this question:
A new user purchases a computer. This user has never used the internet in their life and therefore has no clue about "alternate" media players and obviously no way to research or even download a media player.
How do they start playing that new CD they bought at the weekend? How do they play that MP3 CD Auntie sent them (which they were assured by Auntie could simply be popped into the CD drive and would autoplay in WMP) ?
Yep, just in the same way someone with a car has paid already for the vehicle itsself but must still pay for additional services offered - such as gas, servicing, etc.
Re:Er... "20 Million users a week"??
on
Ceefax Turns 30
·
· Score: 1
You've obviously never used Ceefax - in the UK it's something which for the last 20-odd years has probably been used by anyone who has ever used a television. Pressing Text while watching TV (BBC) would simply bring up Ceefax and it's something which I'd actually say most TV viewers use on a daily basis.
You do make a good point - but a robots.txt file would be of negligable bandwidth and specific search engines the site owner wishes to use can be allowed whereas everything else can be disabled - problem solved.
What I do wonder - is it spammers with the hope of gaining e-mail addresses from unsuspecting people who don't actually want spam - especially perhaps corporate email addresses - and added onto a large list?
Presuming the code will have variable strings in at least some if not all of the files, it could surely be a case of simply changing the variable names in several locations and it could be determined that way where the leak came from.
Having used both Linux and Windows operating systems myself over the past few years and experimented with numerous configurations, I honestly don't see any reason why Microsoft should be worried about Linux on the Desktop.
Even taking out the technical issues, Microsoft has far more marketing funds available to itsself, and it actually advertises. It's all well and good saying you have a better desktop operating system (I'll not debate that point here) if you don't advertise your alleged better OS.
I almost agree with Access, but in honesty it's perfect for those small database-enabled functions I require without having to spend ages setting up the relevant database and access pages using PHP/MySQL (which I use for larger database projects.
Now, let's look at Excel - Excel in my opinion is a fantastic application. It's great for calculations, supports copy and paste from other applications with figures etc, and is a really handy application to have around - possibly even more useful that Word itsself.
Powerpoint is the bain of my existance. Suffice it to say, it empowers PHBs with capabilities to create huge, annoying, awful-looking documents with information which could be distributed in a two-line email.
I leave my PC switched on 24/7 for various reasons;
I run several cron jobs at varying intervals which require a PC to actual run the jobs. I'm also an online gamer and play a game which frequently requires me to be woken in the night by my allies in the game and having the PC switched on at this time so I can hop out of bed and straight to the PC is a very useful feature.
G:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>apt-get update mozilla-thunderbird
'apt-get' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
G:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>
I'm sure most small business who took your advice will encounter the same error.
is to convert an I.E. / outlook user to Mozilla / Thunderbird today...
Funnily enough, I'm reading this story at work while providing technical advice (amongst other queries) to our customers.
I've just accepted this mission, and I believe, suceeded. I took a call from a customer who had bought a new PC and was looking for some advice on getting her broadband connection up and running with it - having given the advice, I went into the "after-support" support, explaining the dangers on the internet and the benefits of using Firefox.
To cut a long story short - having downloaded and used Firefox, and guided her through tabbed browsing and my other favourite Moz features - she is now a very happy Firefox user.
Maybe so, however, even if you believe that selling support for software makes more sense it does not give one the right to pirate software, or should I say, "engage in illegal copyright infringement" (I understand you are against using the term piracy, and the term you suggested "sharing" is equally just as wrong. Illegal Copyright Infringement is the phrase you are looking for).
Can't say I've ever used recorded delivery to contact a politician. I've only had to contact my local MP on two occasions - once about the RIP issue in my original post, and secondly an issue about Family Tax Credit (that one was sent via e-mail). Both unfortunately received no response - automated nor "real".
The only response I've received from a politician was in response to a letter sent to John Major (then Prime Minister) regarding the Dunblane incident in the mid-90s.
This in mind, it may be worth sending letters either recorded delivery or similar, though it really shouldn't be an action I need to take when taking into account these are MPs who are meant to represent their local constituants.
I wrote a polite, finely worded letter to my local MP (Jim Murphy) in regards to the RIP bill a number of years ago before it was introduced within the UK - and I wasn't even given a response either explaining why the UK should go ahead with the RIP bill or discussing the points I made in further details.
I do intend to write to him again regarding this, however I do not expect to receive a reply or any notification my letter has even been read.
I'm sure if his DSL connection was being slashdotted, he would probably check what was happening when he realised it was taking him 60 seconds just to load a webpage.
What to remember, is that it's not the child molestors viewing child porn. It's the child molestors who produce the material.
Now, it's all well and good saying that if no-one views it then it'll stop the production - but child molestors will still get their "thrills" even if not selling/giving it away.
Common sense really - if you do something illegal you should always expect to be arrested/prosecuted if you're found out, whether doing it as a result of your own wishes or someone else's wishes.
Hard to tell - the number of different figures being paraded about these days make it difficult to work out just how much damage is being done to the copyright holders.
Of course, this dosn't make "pirates" any less liable for damages as prescribed by law.
Maybe so, however when the consequences of distributing copyrighted material (Read: Civil Suit) come around then you might very well pay the price of disobeying laws which you feel unjust.
Many people say the open-source option is all about choice - why is it I see so many posts like this where we're recommending offering other computer users have no choice in the operating system they use, instead forcing them to use a Linux-based operating system?
My rule of thumb is that I'll always offer the option of Linux when helping to fix a PC problem, but if they reject that option (for whatever reason) and are unwilling to use it currently then I'll teach them how to properly use a Windows-based machine. I've had my current Windows installation installed for some time now, and it's because I know how to take good care of it. Not only are you proposing we remove choice from the user, but by refusing to help unless with a Linux-based OS, you're indirectly contributing to the number of Virus/Adware infested PCs.
Slashdot Mirror
A new user purchases a computer. This user has never used the internet in their life and therefore has no clue about "alternate" media players and obviously no way to research or even download a media player.
How do they start playing that new CD they bought at the weekend? How do they play that MP3 CD Auntie sent them (which they were assured by Auntie could simply be popped into the CD drive and would autoplay in WMP) ?
Yep, just in the same way someone with a car has paid already for the vehicle itsself but must still pay for additional services offered - such as gas, servicing, etc.
You've obviously never used Ceefax - in the UK it's something which for the last 20-odd years has probably been used by anyone who has ever used a television. Pressing Text while watching TV (BBC) would simply bring up Ceefax and it's something which I'd actually say most TV viewers use on a daily basis.
I press the "Start" button in Windows to begin the shutdown process, just as you would type "init 6" to begin run level 6.
I've always failed to understand the significance of the joke about pressing "Start" to begin the shutdown process.
You do make a good point - but a robots.txt file would be of negligable bandwidth and specific search engines the site owner wishes to use can be allowed whereas everything else can be disabled - problem solved.
What I do wonder - is it spammers with the hope of gaining e-mail addresses from unsuspecting people who don't actually want spam - especially perhaps corporate email addresses - and added onto a large list?
Presuming the code will have variable strings in at least some if not all of the files, it could surely be a case of simply changing the variable names in several locations and it could be determined that way where the leak came from.
And there was me thinking Windows was supposed to be bloatware, not Linux...
Even taking out the technical issues, Microsoft has far more marketing funds available to itsself, and it actually advertises. It's all well and good saying you have a better desktop operating system (I'll not debate that point here) if you don't advertise your alleged better OS.
Now, let's look at Excel - Excel in my opinion is a fantastic application. It's great for calculations, supports copy and paste from other applications with figures etc, and is a really handy application to have around - possibly even more useful that Word itsself.
Powerpoint is the bain of my existance. Suffice it to say, it empowers PHBs with capabilities to create huge, annoying, awful-looking documents with information which could be distributed in a two-line email.
I run several cron jobs at varying intervals which require a PC to actual run the jobs. I'm also an online gamer and play a game which frequently requires me to be woken in the night by my allies in the game and having the PC switched on at this time so I can hop out of bed and straight to the PC is a very useful feature.
'apt-get' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
G:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>
I'm sure most small business who took your advice will encounter the same error.
Funnily enough, I'm reading this story at work while providing technical advice (amongst other queries) to our customers.
I've just accepted this mission, and I believe, suceeded. I took a call from a customer who had bought a new PC and was looking for some advice on getting her broadband connection up and running with it - having given the advice, I went into the "after-support" support, explaining the dangers on the internet and the benefits of using Firefox.
To cut a long story short - having downloaded and used Firefox, and guided her through tabbed browsing and my other favourite Moz features - she is now a very happy Firefox user.
Maybe so, however, even if you believe that selling support for software makes more sense it does not give one the right to pirate software, or should I say, "engage in illegal copyright infringement" (I understand you are against using the term piracy, and the term you suggested "sharing" is equally just as wrong. Illegal Copyright Infringement is the phrase you are looking for).
And there was me thinking the word was "Keygen_REAL_notfake".
The only response I've received from a politician was in response to a letter sent to John Major (then Prime Minister) regarding the Dunblane incident in the mid-90s.
This in mind, it may be worth sending letters either recorded delivery or similar, though it really shouldn't be an action I need to take when taking into account these are MPs who are meant to represent their local constituants.
No, it's quite clearly these probes are trying to go past the edge of the map in this computer game setting we're a part of.
I wrote a polite, finely worded letter to my local MP (Jim Murphy) in regards to the RIP bill a number of years ago before it was introduced within the UK - and I wasn't even given a response either explaining why the UK should go ahead with the RIP bill or discussing the points I made in further details.
I do intend to write to him again regarding this, however I do not expect to receive a reply or any notification my letter has even been read.
I'm sure if his DSL connection was being slashdotted, he would probably check what was happening when he realised it was taking him 60 seconds just to load a webpage.
Now, it's all well and good saying that if no-one views it then it'll stop the production - but child molestors will still get their "thrills" even if not selling/giving it away.
Out of interest, which law would I be breaking for *not* looking at child porn (assuming there is no illegal content on the fake site) ?
Common sense really - if you do something illegal you should always expect to be arrested/prosecuted if you're found out, whether doing it as a result of your own wishes or someone else's wishes.
Of course, this dosn't make "pirates" any less liable for damages as prescribed by law.
Maybe so, however when the consequences of distributing copyrighted material (Read: Civil Suit) come around then you might very well pay the price of disobeying laws which you feel unjust.
My rule of thumb is that I'll always offer the option of Linux when helping to fix a PC problem, but if they reject that option (for whatever reason) and are unwilling to use it currently then I'll teach them how to properly use a Windows-based machine. I've had my current Windows installation installed for some time now, and it's because I know how to take good care of it. Not only are you proposing we remove choice from the user, but by refusing to help unless with a Linux-based OS, you're indirectly contributing to the number of Virus/Adware infested PCs.