or are almost all telephone ringtones *overpriced*. I mean, come on, they are selling crappy midi files for outrageous (comparatively) prices. Perhaps its all just good business, but I get irritated at such extreme profit turns.
It might sound better if you wrote " moddo appu onegai". The pronoun "me" made it sound awkward to me. It would sound fine in English without the pronoun (e.g. "mod up please"), and since the Japanese dislike pronouns in the first place, you might as well take it out. Plus, without the pronoun it sounds like more traditional katakana usage rather than forced English.
JuK is nice, but as an Apple fan boy I have 2 things I dislike about the way it searches;
1. JuK search only matches a continuous string of characters. For example, if I have the album Nevermind by Nirvana, I have to search for it by typing in either "Nevermind" or "Nirvana". If I were to type "nev nir", the song wouldn't match. With iTunes, as long as you seperate words by a space, and any part of the song's tags contain that the letters you type, the song will match. This is very useful in narrowing down the songs I'm looking for.
2. (this isn't directly to do with the search function) When the search field is active, I'd really like a single tab to take me to the song list, so I can immediatley use the up and down arrow to select from the songs.
If I'm wrong on either count forgive me. I'm not currently on my Linux box so I can't verify.
If you're only going to school for free downloads, take your tuition money and spend it buying albums and movies instead of using it for school. You'll get much more bang/buck than paying 20 grand a year (or $20,060:) for an overpriced college.
Ads are the most important source of revenue for almost all media outlets. The larger the readership of a particular media outlet, the more they can get in ad revenue. That is why magazine subscriptions are so low compared to the newstand price ($20 for a year vs $5 an issue for quite a few magazines) -- they really want you as a subscriber so they can provide some solid circulation figures to paying advertisers.
I assume the same logic is at work for online news sources as well. You'd be surprised how many people give their real info when registering. Yeah sure, wannabe rebel Slashdot readers might put in junk for the info, but I'm sure that most people who want to read the New York Times don't really mind giving a little bit of personal info beforehand.
That sounds really unscalable- just as soon as you have more than a handful of "applications".
The "Applications" folder on my Powerbook contains 102 items, a very manageable and navigable amount imo.
A press of the tab button in the terminal reveals that I have 1602 command-line apps.
If I had to wade through a directory with 1704 (the sum of my command-line and/Applications apps) executable programs to find the GUI program I wanted to use, I would go insane.
The way Apple laid it out is very practical, and might be an important pattern to follow as more and more 3rd party developers ship GUI driven apps to the Linux platform.
I use OSX everyday and spend a fair amount of my time in the Terminal. I'm well aware that OS X has a standard (but hidden to the Finder) Unix directory tree.
Mac OSX has a/usr directory, a/etc directory,/bin, etc. just like any other unix.
I guess I was a bit vague when I said "you'd have to make the directory structure much more browse-friendly than it is". I didn't mean that you'd have to change all the directories around, but that you'd probably want to hide your typical Unix dirs from the filebrowser, and make Gui apps easily accessible and executable from the filebrowser (just like in OSX, which I tried to imply). In Unix, unlike OSX, GUI apps and command line apps reside in standard Unix paths (/bin/usr/bin etc). My point was something like this:
* To emulate the Mac OS feel, you'd have to create a filebrowser that could execute GUI apps easily (e.g. opening firefox in konqueror).
* As the current Linux directory structure stands however, this isn't feasible. Firefox (or the symlink to the shell script that executes it, if you want to get technical) resides in/usr/bin, and/usr/bin no matter how you cut it, is not a filebrowser friendly directory (I would never in a million years point my grandma to/usr/bin). I'm not saying you would need to do away with standard Unix directories, but it would be advisable to hide them from the filebrowser (ala Finder in OSX)
* Currently, most Linux Desktop Environments emulate the Windows way of launching programs (a startbar clone that hides the true location of the programs), which works just fine for the present setup, but not for a Mac interface. Since a true Mac interface would be GUI driven, windowed apps would need to reside in a filebrowser friendly directory (e.g./Applications).
Five years ago, Apple faced the same problem that any would-be OSX Gui cloner faces today: wrapping a Mac interface (driven by a filebrowser) around a Unix core. I think they succeeded marvelously, but its certainly not an easy task to accomplish, and I don't believe that it is really feasible for an OSS project to do (see my first post) unless it was being spearheaded by a company with a lot of respect, time, and money.
This reminds me of when a friend proclaimed that he hated Linux (KDE to be specific), because it "feels like a shoddy copy of Windows"... It's funny for me to hear that from a Windows user, because that's how Mac users have felt for the past 10+ years in regard to Windows (shoddy copy).
Seriously though, I really don't believe an OSS project could have the focus or resources to take on the task of keeping up with Apple's design. They might get the "look" right, but the "feel" is something much much harder to grasp. In the end all you'd have would be a dock clone, and a clunky interface. The Mac OS has always thrived on having the best UI consistency and a very intuitive feel, which is something that Linux just can't really compete with.
Unix and Windows are much more similar to eachother than they are to the Mac OS. For one, both Win and *nix hide programs down deep in an arcane directory structure that you aren't expected to learn (you can, but most don't). On a Mac, you are expected to navigate the file system to access what you need (if you want to open an App for example, you open the Finder, go to the Applications folder and then open your app). Win and *nix don't really expect you to have to move to where you want ago, hence the usage of the Start menu and Shell PATHs which give quick access to what you need.
An OSS project that copied the Mac would really be copying the Finder and the directory structure. In order to get the Mac feel down pat, you'd have to make the directory structure much more browse-friendly than it is. You can't expect grandma to navigate to usr, bin, and then select from a long list of programs what she wants. Unless a developer/distro with some major clout (i.e. one that wouldn't be completely shunned by the Unix world) decided to revamp the directory structure (or hide the standard tree in favor of a simpler user oriented one), I would recommend that *nix Desktop Environment developers stick the Windows-esque start bar clones that they already have.
For now, if you want the Mac look and feel in a Unix environment, your only and best option is OS X.
With all these governments considering OpenSource software, is there any talk of them donating money to some of the more important projects -- e.g. KDE and other Desktop and Office oriented software that will be critical for corporate adoption. Do any of the major distros (besides this one) help fund many OSS projects? Just curious.
I hope they don't count a dual G5 as 2 "CPUs" in their sales report. Talk about a way to skew numbers. Technically it would count as 2 cpus, but it would be very easy for Apple if they had a bum quarter, to switch the units from "computers" to "cpus" so they could double the numbers on all their dual processor stuff.
One of the fun parts about Slashdot is when you make a factual error, there's no shortage of people to fix your mistake..
No kidding. I could say that version 1.03.46-r3 of program X had a bug, and someone would chime in telling me I was an idiot and that it was actually 1.03.47-r3 that contained the bug. And that it wasn't really a bug, but a problem that only arose if users of the program were lazy. And that I must be a stupid, lazy retarded Windows user cause I didn't know that.
No seriously:)
An on-topic note: The people I really feel sorry for are the Russians who had to test nuclear weapons. From what I've heard, safety precautions were atrocious and the radiation was (and is) an extremely bad problem in some parts. Of course we've had similar problems, but I can't imagine they are on the scale of Soviet Russia.
Umm, In Soviet Russia, YOU kill radioactive poison's babies?
So let me get this straight? If you use and like Microsoft Windows software, you're stupid?
Gah, I'm sick of these posts. They all follow the same pattern -- "Microsoft Windows users are the stupid and unwashed masses, let's not cater to their stupity".
Home PCs are quite new in the world, and didn't really take off until the nineties. A fair majority of the world did not grow up with computers in the home, and if you're anywhere over 30, odds are that you didn't get your first PC until after you became an adult.
People in their sixties, for example, might not have gotten their first PC until they their life was already half over. Are they idiotic for unquestioningly using Windows? If you grew up your whole life without computers, went to college without them, worked for decades without them, lived without them until you were in your fifties, why do you deserve to be called stupid for not being an expert in them.
There a lot of things that you are most likely not an expert in, but does that make you stupid? No. Perhaps the lock on your front door is easy to pick. Would I be justified in robbing your house, and leaving a note saying how stupid you are for using that brand? Maybe a safe that you have in your garage is of low-quality. Does that make you part of the stupid and unwashed masses if someone opens/steals it?
Fact is, not everything we use can be "best of the best" or "most secure", we use what we can because it works. Microsoft software works quite well and is certainly adequate for most people, but it does not mean you're "stupid" if you use it.
On the other hand, if someday I do a freelance job these companies that have unwittingly supplied me with a learning tool will be the first to receive my money.
That's what is so great about the Alias guys. They supply a free, fully featured version of Maya as a learning tool -- Maya Personal Learning Edition. There is a watermark on all the renders (and they obviously prohibit commercial use), but aside from that, its pretty much the real deal. I wanted to learn a little about Maya, so I downloaded it off of a p2p network. Then when I found out about Maya PLE, I ditched the p2p one and started using their free version, complete with snazzy tutorials. One downside: no linux version of the PLE.
Can any Tekken fans enlighten me on what exactly the draw is with this game? I've played and enjoyed the game in the past, but I'm at a loss as to why there are so many sequels. Is it just the fact that there are new characters in each one? Do the fighting styles change often? What would you consider the major selling point of the franchise? (i.e. what keeps you putting the quarters/100yen in)
Is it really possible to teach the soldiers enough Arabic -- basically in their free time -- to communicate with the "villagers." Seriously, people spend years studying foreign languages, and usually only come out with mild fluency.
Never doubt the power of knowing just a little bit of another language. It's the thought that counts. Yeah sure, our soldiers aren't gonna become fluent, but it would show the Iraqis that the soldiers actually do have some respect for the culture and customs, and aren't mindless killing machines.
If you're ever abroad and happen to strike up a conversation with a stranger, bring up some obscure local custom of theirs (e.g. perhaps their is a local festival taking place, or a type of food made only in the area), and you'll be amazed at how excited they might become just at the fact that you know of it. We don't even think of such things here because America is so gigantic and omnipresent, and almost everyone has a cusory knowledge of American culture.
(btw, I'm assuming you're American... if you're not, then:P)
Apt-get does work. You have to uncomment some lines in/etc/apt/sources.list, and then you can apt-get to your hearts content. You don't have to use click-n-run at all if you don't want to, but if you want something reliable and that won't break, it can be a nice feature. Not to mention the fact that you get many discounts on commercial apps by being a paying subscriber.
Been playing the Spiderman 2 game, and in it, after fighting the boss mysterio (for the first of several times I presume), he says "you have no chance to survive, make your time". Thought it was pretty funny....
I have a reprinting of the first spider man comic (Amazing Fantasy issue 15). He uses little gadgets attached to his arms. Here are some quotes of him talking to himself (in sequential order, omitting a few for context).
"Now let's see -- a spider needs a web! This little device should just do the trick"
"I'll fasten one to each arm -- it'll operate by the slightest pressure of any finger!"
"I'll need a name -- well, guess SPIDER-MAN is as good as any! Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself!"
"With some strong liquid cement at the end, I can pull myself up anywhere with my little web! And my costume is thin enough to wear, unseen, under my street clothes!"
btw, the outfit spidey wears when fighting the wrestler for the money, is a white sweatshirt, bluejeans, brown shoes, and what appears to be fishnet stockings over his head.
As far as the megahertz myth, there was some truth to it, but not as much as Apple claimed.
AMD has given much more press to the "megahertz myth" than Apple ever did. They've just done it a little more actively and been much more sly about it. There's a reason AMD can call a 2.4 GHz processor a 3800+ (implying the speed equivalent of a 3.8 GHz P4) and not get roasted for it.
The most Apple did was just try to explain the reality -- that clock speed means different things for different chips (performance wise).
They are so far out of whack with reality, what's another year? who cares?
What reality? A captalist reality? A shareholder reality? It may suck that they don't have the newest stuff, but it's awesome that we have to the ability to choose something else, and still use the same great software. Debian is Debian. If they tried to always be fast and up-todate (and thus, more insecure), we might as well call it Gentoo or Fedora.
Yeah, on a sidenote - if Kerry wins the election, his will be the wealthiest family to ever live in the whitehouse... by far.
Re:Am I safe just running Microsoft stuff?
on
Indemnification Roundup
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
In legal terms, never assume a company will come to bat for you, or that an entity suing will pick Microsoft and not you -- especially if you look like an easier target for a win that will set some precedence for them.
And what type of precedent do you think that would set? One that discourages using Microsoft products? Microsoft is in the business of making money. If Microsoft's customers were being sued left and right you can sure as hell bet that they wouldn't just sit there with their thumbs in their butts, especially with the free competition breathing down their neck.
Slashdot Mirror
or are almost all telephone ringtones *overpriced*. I mean, come on, they are selling crappy midi files for outrageous (comparatively) prices. Perhaps its all just good business, but I get irritated at such extreme profit turns.
It might sound better if you wrote " moddo appu onegai". The pronoun "me" made it sound awkward to me. It would sound fine in English without the pronoun (e.g. "mod up please"), and since the Japanese dislike pronouns in the first place, you might as well take it out. Plus, without the pronoun it sounds like more traditional katakana usage rather than forced English.
:)
I'm not a native speaker though, so ymmv.
while I wrote the search code for both of those
JuK is nice, but as an Apple fan boy I have 2 things I dislike about the way it searches;
1. JuK search only matches a continuous string of characters. For example, if I have the album Nevermind by Nirvana, I have to search for it by typing in either "Nevermind" or "Nirvana". If I were to type "nev nir", the song wouldn't match. With iTunes, as long as you seperate words by a space, and any part of the song's tags contain that the letters you type, the song will match. This is very useful in narrowing down the songs I'm looking for.
2. (this isn't directly to do with the search function) When the search field is active, I'd really like a single tab to take me to the song list, so I can immediatley use the up and down arrow to select from the songs.
If I'm wrong on either count forgive me. I'm not currently on my Linux box so I can't verify.
Thanks for listening.
If you're only going to school for free downloads, take your tuition money and spend it buying albums and movies instead of using it for school. You'll get much more bang/buck than paying 20 grand a year (or $20,060 :) for an overpriced college.
Ads are the most important source of revenue for almost all media outlets. The larger the readership of a particular media outlet, the more they can get in ad revenue. That is why magazine subscriptions are so low compared to the newstand price ($20 for a year vs $5 an issue for quite a few magazines) -- they really want you as a subscriber so they can provide some solid circulation figures to paying advertisers.
I assume the same logic is at work for online news sources as well. You'd be surprised how many people give their real info when registering. Yeah sure, wannabe rebel Slashdot readers might put in junk for the info, but I'm sure that most people who want to read the New York Times don't really mind giving a little bit of personal info beforehand.
That sounds really unscalable- just as soon as you have more than a handful of "applications".
/Applications apps) executable programs to find the GUI program I wanted to use, I would go insane.
The "Applications" folder on my Powerbook contains 102 items, a very manageable and navigable amount imo.
A press of the tab button in the terminal reveals that I have 1602 command-line apps.
If I had to wade through a directory with 1704 (the sum of my command-line and
The way Apple laid it out is very practical, and might be an important pattern to follow as more and more 3rd party developers ship GUI driven apps to the Linux platform.
How long has it been since you've used a Mac?
/usr directory, a /etc directory, /bin, etc. just like any other unix.
/usr/bin etc). My point was something like this:
/usr/bin, and /usr/bin no matter how you cut it, is not a filebrowser friendly directory (I would never in a million years point my grandma to /usr/bin). I'm not saying you would need to do away with standard Unix directories, but it would be advisable to hide them from the filebrowser (ala Finder in OSX)
/Applications).
I use OSX everyday and spend a fair amount of my time in the Terminal. I'm well aware that OS X has a standard (but hidden to the Finder) Unix directory tree.
Mac OSX has a
I guess I was a bit vague when I said "you'd have to make the directory structure much more browse-friendly than it is". I didn't mean that you'd have to change all the directories around, but that you'd probably want to hide your typical Unix dirs from the filebrowser, and make Gui apps easily accessible and executable from the filebrowser (just like in OSX, which I tried to imply). In Unix, unlike OSX, GUI apps and command line apps reside in standard Unix paths (/bin
* To emulate the Mac OS feel, you'd have to create a filebrowser that could execute GUI apps easily (e.g. opening firefox in konqueror).
* As the current Linux directory structure stands however, this isn't feasible. Firefox (or the symlink to the shell script that executes it, if you want to get technical) resides in
* Currently, most Linux Desktop Environments emulate the Windows way of launching programs (a startbar clone that hides the true location of the programs), which works just fine for the present setup, but not for a Mac interface. Since a true Mac interface would be GUI driven, windowed apps would need to reside in a filebrowser friendly directory (e.g.
Five years ago, Apple faced the same problem that any would-be OSX Gui cloner faces today: wrapping a Mac interface (driven by a filebrowser) around a Unix core. I think they succeeded marvelously, but its certainly not an easy task to accomplish, and I don't believe that it is really feasible for an OSS project to do (see my first post) unless it was being spearheaded by a company with a lot of respect, time, and money.
This reminds me of when a friend proclaimed that he hated Linux (KDE to be specific), because it "feels like a shoddy copy of Windows"... It's funny for me to hear that from a Windows user, because that's how Mac users have felt for the past 10+ years in regard to Windows (shoddy copy).
Seriously though, I really don't believe an OSS project could have the focus or resources to take on the task of keeping up with Apple's design. They might get the "look" right, but the "feel" is something much much harder to grasp. In the end all you'd have would be a dock clone, and a clunky interface. The Mac OS has always thrived on having the best UI consistency and a very intuitive feel, which is something that Linux just can't really compete with.
Unix and Windows are much more similar to eachother than they are to the Mac OS. For one, both Win and *nix hide programs down deep in an arcane directory structure that you aren't expected to learn (you can, but most don't). On a Mac, you are expected to navigate the file system to access what you need (if you want to open an App for example, you open the Finder, go to the Applications folder and then open your app). Win and *nix don't really expect you to have to move to where you want ago, hence the usage of the Start menu and Shell PATHs which give quick access to what you need.
An OSS project that copied the Mac would really be copying the Finder and the directory structure. In order to get the Mac feel down pat, you'd have to make the directory structure much more browse-friendly than it is. You can't expect grandma to navigate to usr, bin, and then select from a long list of programs what she wants. Unless a developer/distro with some major clout (i.e. one that wouldn't be completely shunned by the Unix world) decided to revamp the directory structure (or hide the standard tree in favor of a simpler user oriented one), I would recommend that *nix Desktop Environment developers stick the Windows-esque start bar clones that they already have.
For now, if you want the Mac look and feel in a Unix environment, your only and best option is OS X.
With all these governments considering OpenSource software, is there any talk of them donating money to some of the more important projects -- e.g. KDE and other Desktop and Office oriented software that will be critical for corporate adoption. Do any of the major distros (besides this one) help fund many OSS projects? Just curious.
If a dupe gets posted on Slashdot, but no one's there because of a "503 Service Unavailable", does it really exist?
I hope they don't count a dual G5 as 2 "CPUs" in their sales report. Talk about a way to skew numbers. Technically it would count as 2 cpus, but it would be very easy for Apple if they had a bum quarter, to switch the units from "computers" to "cpus" so they could double the numbers on all their dual processor stuff.
If only he'd said "ask Redmond about Virtual Boy"...
One of the fun parts about Slashdot is when you make a factual error, there's no shortage of people to fix your mistake..
:)
No kidding. I could say that version 1.03.46-r3 of program X had a bug, and someone would chime in telling me I was an idiot and that it was actually 1.03.47-r3 that contained the bug. And that it wasn't really a bug, but a problem that only arose if users of the program were lazy. And that I must be a stupid, lazy retarded Windows user cause I didn't know that.
No seriously
An on-topic note: The people I really feel sorry for are the Russians who had to test nuclear weapons. From what I've heard, safety precautions were atrocious and the radiation was (and is) an extremely bad problem in some parts. Of course we've had similar problems, but I can't imagine they are on the scale of Soviet Russia.
Umm, In Soviet Russia, YOU kill radioactive poison's babies?
So let me get this straight? If you use and like Microsoft Windows software, you're stupid?
Gah, I'm sick of these posts. They all follow the same pattern -- "Microsoft Windows users are the stupid and unwashed masses, let's not cater to their stupity".
Home PCs are quite new in the world, and didn't really take off until the nineties. A fair majority of the world did not grow up with computers in the home, and if you're anywhere over 30, odds are that you didn't get your first PC until after you became an adult.
People in their sixties, for example, might not have gotten their first PC until they their life was already half over. Are they idiotic for unquestioningly using Windows? If you grew up your whole life without computers, went to college without them, worked for decades without them, lived without them until you were in your fifties, why do you deserve to be called stupid for not being an expert in them.
There a lot of things that you are most likely not an expert in, but does that make you stupid? No. Perhaps the lock on your front door is easy to pick. Would I be justified in robbing your house, and leaving a note saying how stupid you are for using that brand? Maybe a safe that you have in your garage is of low-quality. Does that make you part of the stupid and unwashed masses if someone opens/steals it?
Fact is, not everything we use can be "best of the best" or "most secure", we use what we can because it works. Microsoft software works quite well and is certainly adequate for most people, but it does not mean you're "stupid" if you use it.
On the other hand, if someday I do a freelance job these companies that have unwittingly supplied me with a learning tool will be the first to receive my money.
That's what is so great about the Alias guys. They supply a free, fully featured version of Maya as a learning tool -- Maya Personal Learning Edition. There is a watermark on all the renders (and they obviously prohibit commercial use), but aside from that, its pretty much the real deal. I wanted to learn a little about Maya, so I downloaded it off of a p2p network. Then when I found out about Maya PLE, I ditched the p2p one and started using their free version, complete with snazzy tutorials. One downside: no linux version of the PLE.
Can any Tekken fans enlighten me on what exactly the draw is with this game? I've played and enjoyed the game in the past, but I'm at a loss as to why there are so many sequels. Is it just the fact that there are new characters in each one? Do the fighting styles change often? What would you consider the major selling point of the franchise? (i.e. what keeps you putting the quarters/100yen in)
Is it really possible to teach the soldiers enough Arabic -- basically in their free time -- to communicate with the "villagers." Seriously, people spend years studying foreign languages, and usually only come out with mild fluency.
:P)
Never doubt the power of knowing just a little bit of another language. It's the thought that counts. Yeah sure, our soldiers aren't gonna become fluent, but it would show the Iraqis that the soldiers actually do have some respect for the culture and customs, and aren't mindless killing machines.
If you're ever abroad and happen to strike up a conversation with a stranger, bring up some obscure local custom of theirs (e.g. perhaps their is a local festival taking place, or a type of food made only in the area), and you'll be amazed at how excited they might become just at the fact that you know of it. We don't even think of such things here because America is so gigantic and omnipresent, and almost everyone has a cusory knowledge of American culture.
(btw, I'm assuming you're American... if you're not, then
Apt-get does work. You have to uncomment some lines in /etc/apt/sources.list, and then you can apt-get to your hearts content. You don't have to use click-n-run at all if you don't want to, but if you want something reliable and that won't break, it can be a nice feature. Not to mention the fact that you get many discounts on commercial apps by being a paying subscriber.
Been playing the Spiderman 2 game, and in it, after fighting the boss mysterio (for the first of several times I presume), he says "you have no chance to survive, make your time". Thought it was pretty funny....
I have a reprinting of the first spider man comic (Amazing Fantasy issue 15). He uses little gadgets attached to his arms. Here are some quotes of him talking to himself (in sequential order, omitting a few for context).
"Now let's see -- a spider needs a web! This little device should just do the trick"
"I'll fasten one to each arm -- it'll operate by the slightest pressure of any finger!"
"I'll need a name -- well, guess SPIDER-MAN is as good as any! Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself!"
"With some strong liquid cement at the end, I can pull myself up anywhere with my little web! And my costume is thin enough to wear, unseen, under my street clothes!"
btw, the outfit spidey wears when fighting the wrestler for the money, is a white sweatshirt, bluejeans, brown shoes, and what appears to be fishnet stockings over his head.
As far as the megahertz myth, there was some truth to it, but not as much as Apple claimed.
AMD has given much more press to the "megahertz myth" than Apple ever did. They've just done it a little more actively and been much more sly about it. There's a reason AMD can call a 2.4 GHz processor a 3800+ (implying the speed equivalent of a 3.8 GHz P4) and not get roasted for it.
The most Apple did was just try to explain the reality -- that clock speed means different things for different chips (performance wise).
They are so far out of whack with reality, what's another year? who cares?
What reality? A captalist reality? A shareholder reality? It may suck that they don't have the newest stuff, but it's awesome that we have to the ability to choose something else, and still use the same great software. Debian is Debian. If they tried to always be fast and up-todate (and thus, more insecure), we might as well call it Gentoo or Fedora.
Whiskers are the first step towards sentience. Be ware...
Yeah, on a sidenote - if Kerry wins the election, his will be the wealthiest family to ever live in the whitehouse... by far.
In legal terms, never assume a company will come to bat for you, or that an entity suing will pick Microsoft and not you -- especially if you look like an easier target for a win that will set some precedence for them.
And what type of precedent do you think that would set? One that discourages using Microsoft products? Microsoft is in the business of making money. If Microsoft's customers were being sued left and right you can sure as hell bet that they wouldn't just sit there with their thumbs in their butts, especially with the free competition breathing down their neck.