Pathetic. If Microsoft wants to offer a new OS, fine. But they've gone out of their way to make it almost impossible to get a new, legal copy of XP, just so they can boost Vista's market penetration.
what OS they want?
I don't think it's Microsoft that is making it impossible for Windows XP to be available, OEMs like Dell and others still offer Windows XP on their business side. It's likely market economics, the number of people that knowingly WANT Windows XP is going to be much much lower then the users that want Windows Vista, or simply don't care one way or the other which OS their computer is running, as long as it runs.
As a VAR/OEM I can still order Windows XP Pro, as a consumer you can still purchase Windows XP Pro both OEM and retail. It's just that fact that the Windows XP and Windows XP machines aren't likely to move, so stores don't want to stock very many if any copies of Windows XP, and Windows XP machines. Even major CTO companies like Dell don't want to keep 2 more supply lines of Windows XP drives and stickers in their consumer product factories, and have to deal with the related issues.
So I don't think this is a grand conspiracy my Microsoft to boost penetration of Windows Vista, I think more likely it's market economics of supply and demand, along with the cost of keeping a slower moving product in the warehouse in place of a product that is going to move more quickly.
This problem isn't confined to just Windows Vista. When Windows XP first came out it had the exact same problem, most of the value systems (even until SP2 came out) were 128 MB RAM with on-board graphics that consumed 16-32MB of that precious RAM. Sure it ran Windows, but it didn't run it well.
A great example of why thats an issue is this, Windows XP SP 2 clean install with just the usual drivers took 70-90MB of RAM on average, lets low ball all the numbers. After 16MB graphics you have 112 MB of RAM left, take out 70MB for the OS and related stuff you have 42MB of RAM. Thats 42MB to run all your applications, IE takes 15-20MB for each window, Office takes 30-40MB for the average application if you factor in the helper application, iTunes takes the same.
The base RAM of these value machines up until recently (only in the last couple of years have 512MB+ machines enter the low end of the price scale) was no where near enough to run Windows XP smoothly, and know you want to give these users Vista. You got to be kidding me. But that being said Vista does run fairly well on the low end machine much better then Windows XP did when it was released. Also at Dell and others in the business machines you can still get Windows XP and likely will be able to get it for the next year or so, you just aren't likely to see the choice in the consumer machines, and not at all at the big box stores.
Finally the problem isn't just confined to Windows, I heard the same thing about the early low-end Mac Minis and OS X.
But now we are used to being able to play video discs on our computers. Times have changed, or haven't you noticed?
Even without the DRM paths you can still play them on your computer, but you are going to be limited to 540p. The DRM is required to get full HD resolution on ICT enabled content. I think you are over estimating the time frame for the content uptake. One of the format will be firmly established for the drives become common place, just like CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. The people that rely on their computer to play content (excepting HTPCs of course) aren't likely to be the people that would get a high end computer with one of HD dics drives before they get established.
Heck many people consider me an early adopter and even I am waiting on HD-DVD and Blueray for the second edition of the LG dual format player.
Not likely BSA audits are more painless then people think. One of my clients underwent a BSA audit, it wasn't nearly as painful as people claim, and they were in the exact situation described, no proof of OEM copy of Windows on hand, these were Windows 98 machines before the COA sticker became common place. They simply pulled up the paperwork to show that they purchased it with the computers, and it was all hunky dory.
Computer support for the format won't make or break them. Though DVD-ROMs have existed for many years DVDs were firmly established long before a DVD-ROM was standard equipment on a computer.
ICT will likely be on most every discs after 2010, which is how long they agreed not to have it on for the transition period.
Wouldn't work, the school would be able to show that they purchased Windows with the machines by showing the Dell invoices. And even if they were found in non-compliance the BSA tells you how you were in non-compliance and asks you to fix it first.
On the contrary. Microsoft decided that they would implement the DRM because they believed it was necessary to get the media industry onboard.
Actually it's the other way around, at least for HD content, if you want to play ICT HD content at anything above 540p you need all the DRM paths that MS implemented. This rule applies to both Blueray and HD-DVD, and it applies to computers and set top players equally.
Really? Because I put in hard drives, replaces the optical drive, replaced the RAM, replaced the video card, added a video card, added a TV, tuner, etc. and none of those parts were made by Apple or purchased from Apple. The same goes for CPUs cases, and power supplies according to people I know that replaced them. The only part you might not be able to find is the motherboard. Since most copies of Windows are tied to hardware (legally) as well that means I can buy a machine with an OS tied to it from Apple of from Dell, but if I replace parts on the Apple it works, while if I replace parts on the Dell it might or might not work.
You are confusing other components with the core of the system, the motherboard, which like Apple it's the only part that the OS is tied to, but unlike Apple I can change the motherboard out as long as I am willing to call Microsoft and explain that the board died and had to be replaced. Apple OTOH unless you are a repair show it is very hard to get replacement motherboard. There are a few shops that sell them, but even then it's hard to find the top of the line board.
I know exactly what Apple is selling, better than you it seems. Their crown jewels are their OS. Since the OS market is monopolized, they can't sell their OS. Instead they sell hardware, using the OS as incentive. They sell bundles of hardware and software, the same as Dell, but bypassing MS as a component supplier.
I was speaking from a profit motive, they make very little on the OS so they are much less worried about piracy, while Microsoft makes no money on the hardware so someone pirating their OS is something they care about. Also Apple knows that if someone pirates their OS, they are very likely own Apple hardware so they already made their money from them.
here is no software on my machine legally licensed to remove software from my computer, certainly not without my direct intervention. Now Vista includes such software and can you even turn it off? 'm not going to trust my machine to their decisions.
Yes you can turn it off, Microsoft made a descision, and I believe that they made the right one. If Windows Defender didn't delete automatically then people would whine "It doesn't do anything about the software with the default install." Microsoft can't do anything right according to you and the rest of slashdot.
Actually, several video editing programs on OS X now support the creation of and playback of blueray discs and OS X does not seem to have those same DRM hooks.
I forgot to add the qualifier, those are required once the ICT is enabled on production discs starting in 2010. Apple will likely have one or two more major OS releases between now and then. Microsoft has a much longer development cycle and has to get PC makers to ramp up to provide the hardware changes required, while Apple has full control of the hardware and can simply make the changed with the hardware at the same tune as the OS is changed. That is assuming that the hardware isn't already HDCP compliant.
So? I don't download or use them. This has nothing to do with the platform or the issues I have with Vista, as they were described in TFA, and as I enumerated them.
Then you wouldn't have any issues with Vista because you said, "If my files were being DRM'd so I could not move to something else or if Apple was restricting me in any way, maybe I'd care." The content protections that you are decrying in Vista will be coming to Mac OS if they want to play HD disc content after the ICT goes into effect.
Another idiot talking out of his rear. Lets take this step by step.
Do I have to worry about my computer becoming unusable if I change hardware? Do I have to worry about re-registering? Do I have to worry about registering in the first place?
Actually your computer does become unusable if you change your hardware if the hardware isn't Apple, OS X will not run. And you mistaken what you are buying from Apple, the hardware is what Apple cares about, they are and always will be a hardware company when it comes to profit margins. And yes the computer does bug you for registration, at least my Mac Book Pro did.
So is there a chance Apple will delete software off of my computer without my permission as MS's built in security will?
It's not the DRM that could remove the software it's the Windows Defender and a false positive, Adaware can do the exact same thing if it mistakes a wanted program with an unwanted one. Any program can do that, though I find the chance of it happening quite rare unless you are one of those people that likes Weatherbug.
There is a chip with an encryption key on it in the box?
Not yet there isn't but if Apple wants to support playing full resolution HD content (and I am sure they will want to since they are known for their content production value) they will have to implement the same restrictions as Windows Vista, which are also the same restrictions that all the set top box companies have to comply with.
If my files were being DRM'd so I could not move to something else or if Apple was restricting me in any way, maybe I'd care.
You see that's the thing, the only files that will have DRM that most people will see are protected content that they downloaded (either for free or at a cost), and recordings that have the content flag enabled. The same files would have DRM on the Apple computers also.
I am just sick of people throwing senseless crap out, I use a computer, I don't use the OS, it's just the interface. Of course before you start calling me a Windows fan boy I use OS X as my main desktop OS, but I also have 3 Windows XP machines (one running Windows MCE), 1 Windows Vista laptop, 4 Windows Server 2003 machines, and 2 test machines that run whatever I feel like playing with (often a version of Solaris or FreeBSD). I also run Windows XP on my Mac under Bootcamp and Parallels (mostly so I can use Outlook directly on Mac OS because Entourage Exchange support is sucky).
Don't have a modern set top box do you. When I hooked up my latest DirecTV reciever I had to install 3 seperate updates before it stopped nagging at me, each one took 10-15 minutes, and the entire time no sat TV.
My Media Center PC OTOH required 64 updates, but those were all downloaded at the same time, with a single reboot, and during that time I could still use the computer except during the reboot.
The last version was 3.0 and that was released in 2006. Being that it's a web product it's a lot easier for them to push out versions as needed, their are less dependencies compared to what you would get with a traditional product.
He needs no source, he's a Mac fanboy. Anything that Steve Jobs does is saintly. Note the use of Steve's excuse, from the last conference, for not being able to show uncompleted features.
Meh I own a Mac I don't get where all this rabid fanboyism comes from.
Multi-year contract that makes the phone Cingular only which means that you either have to switch (easier said then done) or wait a few years before you can get one.
Also the keypad seems cool, but in my experience touch screens are flunky, you can't tell which button you are on my feel, you get fingerprints on them which makes them harder to read, and finally even in direct sun light, even the best anti-glare screens are hard to read in direct sun light. I'll wait for until they improve it a lot. Finally 4-8GB is a little small to hold both music and video.
I'm a consultant I have to carry everything that I would need for the job in a bag of some sort. A half a dozen might be stretching it a little, but not by much. Floppy drive, serial adapter, modem, parallel adapter, USB hub (because it has less ports on it then all other laptops that I have owned in the past). It's one off, but I am sure that I can pull a few more gadgets out of my bag.
As far as being legacy, not so much serial is pretty much the only way to deal with a malfunctioning router, switch, or Sun web appliance. For day to day work one can terminal in, or use a web interface but I'm a troubleshooter I don't do day to day work except for the initial configuration.
The question was how well was the transition handled? How much did they budget for locking the network down?
As a consultant I have dealt with many shops that have one admin type person for up to 100 PC's. It just requires pre-planning and a good initial infrastructure. Of course that won't solve hardware issues, but software issues can be nipped in the butt.
For me setting up a new shop of about 100 PC's would be easy. And I could easily have it done by a single person on day to day activities with 3 maybe 4 servers (DC, file server and secondary DC, SMS/AV server, and an ISA server with filtering software to prevent spyware sites) But then again I have years of Windows experience, and enough Mac experience to know my way around them.
Sure serial, modem, and floppy adapters are available, but that's another 2 little adapters that we have to carry with us, combine that with the fact that it only has two USB ports (where we are often holding it, and typing one handed in a router closest).
Most of us are trying to cut down the crap we have to carry with us. With older laptops all I had to do was throw in the console adapter and console cable of the right type for the router and I was good to go. Now I have to carry a half dozen little adapters and such to do the same job. But I can't really blame Mac except for the removal of the modem, most PC makers are removing those ports.
I agree with that ditoa says. The new Office interface may take a week or two for a user to figure out where all the functions were, but once you figure it out it's so much more usable. When I create documents, I do it in stages, outline it, write the text, insert objects (images, tables et al), and then format for printing.
Office was designed around this, because more often then not you are working with one or two related functions 30 or 40 times in a row. In the older UI if you were lucky you could turn on a menu bar of some sort, but many options were still in the menus. With 2007 I select the tab with the functions that I need and I am good to go.
The only thing that I don't agree with is the moving of the file functions to that start button like thing, I personally prefer having a file, edit, and options menu. But that is one minor problem compared to the improvements that are being brought to the table.
It depends on the bulb. In my house I use 5 different CFLs, 3 of the brands have none noticeable delay if any (one was a 150 watt bulb from Wallys world, the other was part of a six pack of 60watt bulbs from a company that sounds like General Electric). One has a very short delay. And the final one is the most annoying as it has a delay of 2 seconds for it to fully warm up, and it's in the staircase where it's rarely on for more then a few minutes a day.
Why is a recovery CD "easier to support"? It's FUCKING CUSTOMIZED! Is that easier than supporting a standard, uncustomized install CD direct from Microsoft?
The Microsoft CD doesn't automatically install software and drivers. Where as the recovery discs generally install those automatically. Thus making reinstallation easier for users that aren't technically adept, and often don't read instructions (like putting in an application and driver CD after installation).
As for the Windows OEM CDs, the partner program at the lowest level requires an Action Pack subscription and the software supplied is strictly for internal partner use only. You're paying $300 for software you CANNOT USE on a client's PC! I assume the license also includes not using it for even running a System File Check on the client's PC using your CD.
Actually the versions that come with the action pack, or the MSDN Universal subscription are retail versions and VLK versions. I am talking about the OEM CDs that come separately with the monthly box. Other then preparing disc images the OEM CDs are useless except for customer support because the licnces that partners get are VLK versions. I asked my partner rep about this and he said it was ok as long as we aren't installing it, and the customer owns a copy of the said software. Pulling out your own disc is easier the having a customer search around for a disc that they have displaced.
How recovery CDs are implemented is up to the OEM as long as it meets Microsoft's guidelines for assuring the media can only be used on the type of system with which it originally shipped.
Dell at first got around this by having their CDs check to see if you have a Dell, other companies can easily do the same. Though most companies have gone to recovery CDs because they are easier to support. I know with Dell though if you badger them enough they will send you a real CD though it still has the Dell hardware check on it.
Another example of excellent reporting, that is if you like blaming Microsoft for every problem. As far as I am aware there is no Microsoft policy that prohibits the shipping of Windows CDs with the computers. It's just that the companies don't like them because they are a pain to support compared to restore discs.
All the blame here lies on one company, HP. They didn't ship them a Windows CD which would have fixed it right up. But any good computer tech would have had a Windows XP Pro OEM CD that they could have used to install the OS (Microsoft sends an entire album of current OEM CDs to partners). Sure you would have to call up to activate the OS, but it would have gotten him up and running.
Therefore, your assertion that "the margin is getting tighter" is incorrect.
Hmm got the two Jennings confused, either way it's annoying locals. When I said the margin was getting tighter I was referencing for the seat over the past few elections, not this election itself. Before the seat was pretty much in the bag for the Republicans, now not so much, as we can see from this race being down to a few hundred votes.
Your a moron, and whoever modded you up is one too.
1. Most independents don't win for a number of reasons. First most are built around a single person, that person can only run in a single race, and thus is geographically limited, which limits the amount of votes that he can win. Second few independent parties are winners, people like to back winners. The last two parties that stood even a remote chance of winning a national election was the Green party under Nader, and the Reform party under Perot. Also currently there are 3 Independent Congressman in the incoming congress (there were 4 in the outgoing).
They also don't last long because if either party sees an independent that is cutting into their votes, they extend their platform in an attempt that bring those voters back into the fold, it generally works enough that it makes that independent crumble because it's base of support erodes.
2. It's not always a close battle, but it's best that way, it keeps the parties on their toes, they always have to appeal to a broader spectrum of votes to keep their party in power.
3. I don't know, why don't you tell me?
Only a handful in the US knows who brought down the twin towers eh? Why don't you enlighten me, because I was under the impression that it was 19 Islamic terrorists from Bin Laden's al-Qaeda. You are probably going to tell me it was the Jews, or the Bush administration I bet. Also don't believe the polls that say a majority think that 9/11 was caused by Iraq we have those that think it was the Germans that bombed Pearl Harbor.
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I don't think it's Microsoft that is making it impossible for Windows XP to be available, OEMs like Dell and others still offer Windows XP on their business side. It's likely market economics, the number of people that knowingly WANT Windows XP is going to be much much lower then the users that want Windows Vista, or simply don't care one way or the other which OS their computer is running, as long as it runs.
As a VAR/OEM I can still order Windows XP Pro, as a consumer you can still purchase Windows XP Pro both OEM and retail. It's just that fact that the Windows XP and Windows XP machines aren't likely to move, so stores don't want to stock very many if any copies of Windows XP, and Windows XP machines. Even major CTO companies like Dell don't want to keep 2 more supply lines of Windows XP drives and stickers in their consumer product factories, and have to deal with the related issues.
So I don't think this is a grand conspiracy my Microsoft to boost penetration of Windows Vista, I think more likely it's market economics of supply and demand, along with the cost of keeping a slower moving product in the warehouse in place of a product that is going to move more quickly.
I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
A great example of why thats an issue is this, Windows XP SP 2 clean install with just the usual drivers took 70-90MB of RAM on average, lets low ball all the numbers. After 16MB graphics you have 112 MB of RAM left, take out 70MB for the OS and related stuff you have 42MB of RAM. Thats 42MB to run all your applications, IE takes 15-20MB for each window, Office takes 30-40MB for the average application if you factor in the helper application, iTunes takes the same.
The base RAM of these value machines up until recently (only in the last couple of years have 512MB+ machines enter the low end of the price scale) was no where near enough to run Windows XP smoothly, and know you want to give these users Vista. You got to be kidding me. But that being said Vista does run fairly well on the low end machine much better then Windows XP did when it was released. Also at Dell and others in the business machines you can still get Windows XP and likely will be able to get it for the next year or so, you just aren't likely to see the choice in the consumer machines, and not at all at the big box stores.
Finally the problem isn't just confined to Windows, I heard the same thing about the early low-end Mac Minis and OS X.
Even without the DRM paths you can still play them on your computer, but you are going to be limited to 540p. The DRM is required to get full HD resolution on ICT enabled content. I think you are over estimating the time frame for the content uptake. One of the format will be firmly established for the drives become common place, just like CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. The people that rely on their computer to play content (excepting HTPCs of course) aren't likely to be the people that would get a high end computer with one of HD dics drives before they get established.
Heck many people consider me an early adopter and even I am waiting on HD-DVD and Blueray for the second edition of the LG dual format player.
Not likely BSA audits are more painless then people think. One of my clients underwent a BSA audit, it wasn't nearly as painful as people claim, and they were in the exact situation described, no proof of OEM copy of Windows on hand, these were Windows 98 machines before the COA sticker became common place. They simply pulled up the paperwork to show that they purchased it with the computers, and it was all hunky dory.
ICT will likely be on most every discs after 2010, which is how long they agreed not to have it on for the transition period.
Wouldn't work, the school would be able to show that they purchased Windows with the machines by showing the Dell invoices. And even if they were found in non-compliance the BSA tells you how you were in non-compliance and asks you to fix it first.
Actually it's the other way around, at least for HD content, if you want to play ICT HD content at anything above 540p you need all the DRM paths that MS implemented. This rule applies to both Blueray and HD-DVD, and it applies to computers and set top players equally.
You are confusing other components with the core of the system, the motherboard, which like Apple it's the only part that the OS is tied to, but unlike Apple I can change the motherboard out as long as I am willing to call Microsoft and explain that the board died and had to be replaced. Apple OTOH unless you are a repair show it is very hard to get replacement motherboard. There are a few shops that sell them, but even then it's hard to find the top of the line board.
I know exactly what Apple is selling, better than you it seems. Their crown jewels are their OS. Since the OS market is monopolized, they can't sell their OS. Instead they sell hardware, using the OS as incentive. They sell bundles of hardware and software, the same as Dell, but bypassing MS as a component supplier.
I was speaking from a profit motive, they make very little on the OS so they are much less worried about piracy, while Microsoft makes no money on the hardware so someone pirating their OS is something they care about. Also Apple knows that if someone pirates their OS, they are very likely own Apple hardware so they already made their money from them.
here is no software on my machine legally licensed to remove software from my computer, certainly not without my direct intervention. Now Vista includes such software and can you even turn it off? 'm not going to trust my machine to their decisions.
Yes you can turn it off, Microsoft made a descision, and I believe that they made the right one. If Windows Defender didn't delete automatically then people would whine "It doesn't do anything about the software with the default install." Microsoft can't do anything right according to you and the rest of slashdot.
Actually, several video editing programs on OS X now support the creation of and playback of blueray discs and OS X does not seem to have those same DRM hooks.
I forgot to add the qualifier, those are required once the ICT is enabled on production discs starting in 2010. Apple will likely have one or two more major OS releases between now and then. Microsoft has a much longer development cycle and has to get PC makers to ramp up to provide the hardware changes required, while Apple has full control of the hardware and can simply make the changed with the hardware at the same tune as the OS is changed. That is assuming that the hardware isn't already HDCP compliant.
So? I don't download or use them. This has nothing to do with the platform or the issues I have with Vista, as they were described in TFA, and as I enumerated them.
Then you wouldn't have any issues with Vista because you said, "If my files were being DRM'd so I could not move to something else or if Apple was restricting me in any way, maybe I'd care." The content protections that you are decrying in Vista will be coming to Mac OS if they want to play HD disc content after the ICT goes into effect.
Do I have to worry about my computer becoming unusable if I change hardware? Do I have to worry about re-registering? Do I have to worry about registering in the first place?
Actually your computer does become unusable if you change your hardware if the hardware isn't Apple, OS X will not run. And you mistaken what you are buying from Apple, the hardware is what Apple cares about, they are and always will be a hardware company when it comes to profit margins. And yes the computer does bug you for registration, at least my Mac Book Pro did.
So is there a chance Apple will delete software off of my computer without my permission as MS's built in security will?
It's not the DRM that could remove the software it's the Windows Defender and a false positive, Adaware can do the exact same thing if it mistakes a wanted program with an unwanted one. Any program can do that, though I find the chance of it happening quite rare unless you are one of those people that likes Weatherbug.
There is a chip with an encryption key on it in the box?
Not yet there isn't but if Apple wants to support playing full resolution HD content (and I am sure they will want to since they are known for their content production value) they will have to implement the same restrictions as Windows Vista, which are also the same restrictions that all the set top box companies have to comply with.
If my files were being DRM'd so I could not move to something else or if Apple was restricting me in any way, maybe I'd care.
You see that's the thing, the only files that will have DRM that most people will see are protected content that they downloaded (either for free or at a cost), and recordings that have the content flag enabled. The same files would have DRM on the Apple computers also.
I am just sick of people throwing senseless crap out, I use a computer, I don't use the OS, it's just the interface. Of course before you start calling me a Windows fan boy I use OS X as my main desktop OS, but I also have 3 Windows XP machines (one running Windows MCE), 1 Windows Vista laptop, 4 Windows Server 2003 machines, and 2 test machines that run whatever I feel like playing with (often a version of Solaris or FreeBSD). I also run Windows XP on my Mac under Bootcamp and Parallels (mostly so I can use Outlook directly on Mac OS because Entourage Exchange support is sucky).
My Media Center PC OTOH required 64 updates, but those were all downloaded at the same time, with a single reboot, and during that time I could still use the computer except during the reboot.
The last version was 3.0 and that was released in 2006. Being that it's a web product it's a lot easier for them to push out versions as needed, their are less dependencies compared to what you would get with a traditional product.
Meh I own a Mac I don't get where all this rabid fanboyism comes from.
Also the keypad seems cool, but in my experience touch screens are flunky, you can't tell which button you are on my feel, you get fingerprints on them which makes them harder to read, and finally even in direct sun light, even the best anti-glare screens are hard to read in direct sun light. I'll wait for until they improve it a lot. Finally 4-8GB is a little small to hold both music and video.
As far as being legacy, not so much serial is pretty much the only way to deal with a malfunctioning router, switch, or Sun web appliance. For day to day work one can terminal in, or use a web interface but I'm a troubleshooter I don't do day to day work except for the initial configuration.
As a consultant I have dealt with many shops that have one admin type person for up to 100 PC's. It just requires pre-planning and a good initial infrastructure. Of course that won't solve hardware issues, but software issues can be nipped in the butt.
For me setting up a new shop of about 100 PC's would be easy. And I could easily have it done by a single person on day to day activities with 3 maybe 4 servers (DC, file server and secondary DC, SMS/AV server, and an ISA server with filtering software to prevent spyware sites) But then again I have years of Windows experience, and enough Mac experience to know my way around them.
Most of us are trying to cut down the crap we have to carry with us. With older laptops all I had to do was throw in the console adapter and console cable of the right type for the router and I was good to go. Now I have to carry a half dozen little adapters and such to do the same job. But I can't really blame Mac except for the removal of the modem, most PC makers are removing those ports.
Have you ever tried it? It works, most of the time, but overall it's rather hit or miss.
Office was designed around this, because more often then not you are working with one or two related functions 30 or 40 times in a row. In the older UI if you were lucky you could turn on a menu bar of some sort, but many options were still in the menus. With 2007 I select the tab with the functions that I need and I am good to go.
The only thing that I don't agree with is the moving of the file functions to that start button like thing, I personally prefer having a file, edit, and options menu. But that is one minor problem compared to the improvements that are being brought to the table.
Yeah that's probably a good idea, and I might get around to do that.
It depends on the bulb. In my house I use 5 different CFLs, 3 of the brands have none noticeable delay if any (one was a 150 watt bulb from Wallys world, the other was part of a six pack of 60watt bulbs from a company that sounds like General Electric). One has a very short delay. And the final one is the most annoying as it has a delay of 2 seconds for it to fully warm up, and it's in the staircase where it's rarely on for more then a few minutes a day.
The Microsoft CD doesn't automatically install software and drivers. Where as the recovery discs generally install those automatically. Thus making reinstallation easier for users that aren't technically adept, and often don't read instructions (like putting in an application and driver CD after installation).
As for the Windows OEM CDs, the partner program at the lowest level requires an Action Pack subscription and the software supplied is strictly for internal partner use only. You're paying $300 for software you CANNOT USE on a client's PC! I assume the license also includes not using it for even running a System File Check on the client's PC using your CD.
Actually the versions that come with the action pack, or the MSDN Universal subscription are retail versions and VLK versions. I am talking about the OEM CDs that come separately with the monthly box. Other then preparing disc images the OEM CDs are useless except for customer support because the licnces that partners get are VLK versions. I asked my partner rep about this and he said it was ok as long as we aren't installing it, and the customer owns a copy of the said software. Pulling out your own disc is easier the having a customer search around for a disc that they have displaced.
How recovery CDs are implemented is up to the OEM as long as it meets Microsoft's guidelines for assuring the media can only be used on the type of system with which it originally shipped.
Dell at first got around this by having their CDs check to see if you have a Dell, other companies can easily do the same. Though most companies have gone to recovery CDs because they are easier to support. I know with Dell though if you badger them enough they will send you a real CD though it still has the Dell hardware check on it.
All the blame here lies on one company, HP. They didn't ship them a Windows CD which would have fixed it right up. But any good computer tech would have had a Windows XP Pro OEM CD that they could have used to install the OS (Microsoft sends an entire album of current OEM CDs to partners). Sure you would have to call up to activate the OS, but it would have gotten him up and running.
Hmm got the two Jennings confused, either way it's annoying locals. When I said the margin was getting tighter I was referencing for the seat over the past few elections, not this election itself. Before the seat was pretty much in the bag for the Republicans, now not so much, as we can see from this race being down to a few hundred votes.
1. Most independents don't win for a number of reasons. First most are built around a single person, that person can only run in a single race, and thus is geographically limited, which limits the amount of votes that he can win. Second few independent parties are winners, people like to back winners. The last two parties that stood even a remote chance of winning a national election was the Green party under Nader, and the Reform party under Perot. Also currently there are 3 Independent Congressman in the incoming congress (there were 4 in the outgoing).
They also don't last long because if either party sees an independent that is cutting into their votes, they extend their platform in an attempt that bring those voters back into the fold, it generally works enough that it makes that independent crumble because it's base of support erodes.
2. It's not always a close battle, but it's best that way, it keeps the parties on their toes, they always have to appeal to a broader spectrum of votes to keep their party in power.
3. I don't know, why don't you tell me?
Only a handful in the US knows who brought down the twin towers eh? Why don't you enlighten me, because I was under the impression that it was 19 Islamic terrorists from Bin Laden's al-Qaeda. You are probably going to tell me it was the Jews, or the Bush administration I bet. Also don't believe the polls that say a majority think that 9/11 was caused by Iraq we have those that think it was the Germans that bombed Pearl Harbor.