I think it's called Political Correctness. Or perhaps it's the notion that you're never wrong on an issue - you're just "misunderstood." Because of this, it's a wonder they can still teach an exact science like mathematics anymore!
And lastly, the Judge found that Microsoft competes unfairly and has a monopoly on OPERATING SYSTEMS. Last I looked, Office is not part of the OS...
Well, as far as Windows 95 was concerned, neither was the browser. Now with Win98, the browser is (as far as MS will tell you) part of the OS. Now, we all know what BS that is, but that's what they will tell you. Look for MS-Office features in an upcoming version of Windows.:)
Why do you think the OS guys talk to the app guys today?... It's because they're part of the same company, and thus, when the company profits because its office-suite product has a monopoly or near-monopoly on the market, the OS guys benefit as well.
And it'll be called collusion when (if) the two separate companies continue this pattern. Now I get it. Is collusion itself illegal, or is it just the resultant activities that are illegal?
The arguement would be that widely used, proprietary formats were gained as a result of MS's auti-competitive practices. Without these practices they wouldn't have been able to force a closed format on the market.
So I'll as an ignorant question: aren't Borland's or Intuit's or Lotus's file formats closed? If not, OK. If so, is this another difference between a monopolist and another, regular, competing company? Serious question - I really don't know...
I was referring to portability in my area - BellSouth area in the southeast. BellSouth hasn't opened their markets yet, but they still charge me that damn Local Number Portability charge. As a good friend of mine says, "what EVER." I have no option but BellSouth, unless I want mobile only...
The trial wasn't about MS being having a monopoly because they are the market leader. It was about MS using their market dominance to lock out competitors. It was about making people who offer Windows offer Office to. This is what the trial was about, and this is what the ruling is meant to fix.
Perhaps several of us had forgotten that. Maybe I'll have to retract my notion that the Windows group should be split into three companies. Hmm... I'll just go and ponder some more.
Agreed. The settlement/ruling should mandate that the file formats of Word, Excel, etc. should be opened up to the world.
I have a problem with this solution: it forces Microsoft to release its intellectual property, and I think this is wrong. I wouldn't want the government coming to my company (top in its market) and saying, "You need to open up your file types and show us your goods." It's just not right. There are, I think, other viable alternatives which would solve the major problems at hand (though not necessarily this one).
Perhaps one solution to this problem would be to take the Apps group and split it into three companies, much as I've advocated splitting the Windows group into three companies. (See my other postings in this thread.)
I've heard this argument many times before, and I still don't quite understand it. Pray tell me: what would exist in this scenario to keep the OS guys from talking to the Apps guys like (presumably) they do today? I just don't get it.
As far as a solution, I like the idea of splitting them up into several companies: three for OS, one for apps, and one for the rest (or any other groups). The idea is that the Windows groups all start with the same base code, and they expand from there. That way, competition in the Windows market is created, and no single one of the Windows groups has a stranglehold on the market.
we in the US will soon see competition for local phone service.
Eventually. Soon is, of course, a relative term. I cannot wait for my local telco to have competition. I can't stand that company - they charge too much, their product offerings are crap, and their customer service is the pits.
Local number portability - my ass. SHOW me another telco to which my number is portable! There's no competition - and it SUCKS!
Why don't you just vote with your dollars? That's what we always do anyway. For example, I'll never again sign up for 1) analog cellular service, and 2) mobile phone service that requires a contract. NEVER. I've purchased a GSM phone (BellSouth Mobility DCS) and CDMA phone (Sprint PCS). Both because I refuse to sign a contract requiring a year of service - it's ridiculous! (As an aside, I hate CDMA - I wish Sprint used GSM! It's such a superior technology.)
When I was in college, I voted for SCSI, OS/2, and NeXT (still have a Cube - way cool machine). Unfortunately only SCSI won.
This is similar to the Star Wars: Episode I on DVD issue from the other day. You guys are wanting to vote with your dollars. Unfortunately you can't vote for a non-existant product (e.g. SW:TPM on DVD).
As has been stated many times before, please read the article. The Chinese government is not mandating that Win2000 be banned from shelves or from personal use - they're simply stating that the Chinese government will not be using Win2000. This is standard procedure for governments and large (and small) companies worldwide.
See, I think it's really this feel-good America thing where everyone wants to celebrate the millennium this year. Hey, I'm all for partying (changing all 4 digits of the year is cool, and we should be proud to be living to see it happen) but I can count to 1000. Anyway, wasn't it an even bigger deal last Millennium when they actually ADDED a fourth digit!!
Here's the way modern-day Americans count Millennia: (stating the last year of each Millennium) 1000, 1999, 2999, etc.:)
By a similar lack of logic, most modern-day Americans also count centures wrong: (again, listing the last year of each century) 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 1999, 2099, etc.:)
Contrary to popular belief, the 1900s (as in, 1900-1999) - while being a century (100 years) are not the same as the 20th century, which is indeed 1901-2000.
Put another way, when I say "count to 1000" why do you stop at 999? You don't get to 1000 until you've actually counted it!
It's truly sad.
Beagle
P.S. I wonder if we'll have Millennium sales and Millennium travel deals next December for those of us who can actually count... hmmm.... regardless, it'll be nice to be able to travel for the New Year next year without worrying about Y2K issues...
At least it's a lot easier to believe than "forward this to 50 of your friends and Bill Gates and Walter Disney Jr will give you $5k cash and a trip to Disney World" or "forward this to 90 people and get a free Honda Civic."
Re:What about the lemmings in modern-day USA?
on
The Year 1000
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I'll just be happy when people start realising that the millennium doesn't turn until January 1, 2001! Millenia are counted 1-1000, not 0-999. (i.e. the current millennium began in 1001, NOT 1000, so it ends in 2000, not 1999) Just like centuries are counted 1-100, not 0-99 (1901-2000, not 1900-1999), and decades are counted 1-10, not 0-9 (1991-2000, not 1990-1999).
See http://www.millennium321.com for more info. Click on the link "When Does The New Millennium Actually Begin?" for a detailed explanation.
It's truly sad that people want to celebrate a year early just because four numbers change on the year. I know it's exciting, but it's just not the turn of the Millennium. Get over it.
we (as a country) are so dependent on [Microsoft], that destroying them would hurt the economy.
This is one of the problems with the company. It's a terrible thing that this single company is so large that people are afraid of reprimanding it for fear of adverse, widespread consequences. A single company should not have that much control of our economy - it's dangerous.
Can you imagine the backlash if Intuit decided to harvest the account names, numbers, institutions, and other information of users of its popular Quicken program?!
I've never trusted those online options in Quicken, but probably there's no need to distrust that company - you pay for the software. This is also precisely why I refuse to use their online tax submission system.
Anyway, wasn't Microsoft's Windows NT, circa v3.51, sending a UDP packet to Microsoft every several minutes? Anybody ever decode that?
There simply isn't going to be any real need for color on such a small device anytime soon.
Come on, man!:) Don't you see what's going on? Microsoft can't beat the Pilot technologically or speed-wise, so they attempt to beat it with toys. Just like with WinXX. They're attempting to appease upper-level management types and such, who like toys on their computers (a la Solitaire), animated file copy (files fly from folder to folder), etc.
It's disgusting, ain't it!
(For the humor-impaired, I totally agree with this guy. There's no need for color!)
Much as I dislike MS, my current choice would be WinCE simply on these grounds.
Ugh. It's not that I like or dislike MS that I chose a Pilot. It's simply product superiority. Just as with their WindowsXX OS. Linux is superior. Pilot is superior.
I tend to judge products based on how much I need to refer to a manual to use them. With a Pilot, I picked up Graffiti in about half an hour (except I still don't remember some of the special chars) and was able to use every app that came with the thing - immediately!
I frequent places like CompUSA. One passtime is to go to the counters where they sell that Windows CE crapola and just TRY to use them. That blasted Win95-like interface is all over the place. It's not obvious how to change apps or enter a new appointment or address entry. I'm not talking about a cursory examination either (unless you call 30 minutes cursory). The thing is just hard to use.
Graffiti might be hard to get used to - at first. Give it 30 minutes and you'll get it. And, the only thing you'll use the manual for is to learn the extent of the apps' capabilities.
Slashdot Mirror
I think it's called Political Correctness. Or perhaps it's the notion that you're never wrong on an issue - you're just "misunderstood." Because of this, it's a wonder they can still teach an exact science like mathematics anymore!
Well, as far as Windows 95 was concerned, neither was the browser. Now with Win98, the browser is (as far as MS will tell you) part of the OS. Now, we all know what BS that is, but that's what they will tell you. Look for MS-Office features in an upcoming version of Windows. :)
And it'll be called collusion when (if) the two separate companies continue this pattern. Now I get it. Is collusion itself illegal, or is it just the resultant activities that are illegal?
So I'll as an ignorant question: aren't Borland's or Intuit's or Lotus's file formats closed? If not, OK. If so, is this another difference between a monopolist and another, regular, competing company? Serious question - I really don't know...
I was referring to portability in my area - BellSouth area in the southeast. BellSouth hasn't opened their markets yet, but they still charge me that damn Local Number Portability charge. As a good friend of mine says, "what EVER." I have no option but BellSouth, unless I want mobile only...
Perhaps several of us had forgotten that. Maybe I'll have to retract my notion that the Windows group should be split into three companies. Hmm... I'll just go and ponder some more.
I have a problem with this solution: it forces Microsoft to release its intellectual property, and I think this is wrong. I wouldn't want the government coming to my company (top in its market) and saying, "You need to open up your file types and show us your goods." It's just not right. There are, I think, other viable alternatives which would solve the major problems at hand (though not necessarily this one).
Perhaps one solution to this problem would be to take the Apps group and split it into three companies, much as I've advocated splitting the Windows group into three companies. (See my other postings in this thread.)
As far as a solution, I like the idea of splitting them up into several companies: three for OS, one for apps, and one for the rest (or any other groups). The idea is that the Windows groups all start with the same base code, and they expand from there. That way, competition in the Windows market is created, and no single one of the Windows groups has a stranglehold on the market.
Eventually. Soon is, of course, a relative term. I cannot wait for my local telco to have competition. I can't stand that company - they charge too much, their product offerings are crap, and their customer service is the pits.
Local number portability - my ass. SHOW me another telco to which my number is portable! There's no competition - and it SUCKS!
That is exactly how many of us feel about Microsoft.
When I was in college, I voted for SCSI, OS/2, and NeXT (still have a Cube - way cool machine). Unfortunately only SCSI won.
This is similar to the Star Wars: Episode I on DVD issue from the other day. You guys are wanting to vote with your dollars. Unfortunately you can't vote for a non-existant product (e.g. SW:TPM on DVD).
As has been stated many times before, please read the article. The Chinese government is not mandating that Win2000 be banned from shelves or from personal use - they're simply stating that the Chinese government will not be using Win2000. This is standard procedure for governments and large (and small) companies worldwide.
Don't you mean season? After all, since it's no longer the Christmas season, eToys doesn't care about the lawsuit anymore!
Here's the way modern-day Americans count Millennia: (stating the last year of each Millennium) 1000, 1999, 2999, etc. :)
By a similar lack of logic, most modern-day Americans also count centures wrong: (again, listing the last year of each century) 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 1999, 2099, etc. :)
Contrary to popular belief, the 1900s (as in, 1900-1999) - while being a century (100 years) are not the same as the 20th century, which is indeed 1901-2000.
Put another way, when I say "count to 1000" why do you stop at 999? You don't get to 1000 until you've actually counted it!
It's truly sad.
Beagle
P.S. I wonder if we'll have Millennium sales and Millennium travel deals next December for those of us who can actually count... hmmm.... regardless, it'll be nice to be able to travel for the New Year next year without worrying about Y2K issues...
At least it's a lot easier to believe than "forward this to 50 of your friends and Bill Gates and Walter Disney Jr will give you $5k cash and a trip to Disney World" or "forward this to 90 people and get a free Honda Civic."
See http://www.millennium321.com for more info. Click on the link "When Does The New Millennium Actually Begin?" for a detailed explanation.
It's truly sad that people want to celebrate a year early just because four numbers change on the year. I know it's exciting, but it's just not the turn of the Millennium. Get over it.
Or try...http://www.linuxcrypt.com/pilot/ws/.
This is one of the problems with the company. It's a terrible thing that this single company is so large that people are afraid of reprimanding it for fear of adverse, widespread consequences. A single company should not have that much control of our economy - it's dangerous.
That depends on what the definition of is is. Or what you mean by non-Microsoft browser.
One must wonder if the "patch" was created in the last twenty-four hours, or if they already had the "patch" ... just in case they got caught.
I've never trusted those online options in Quicken, but probably there's no need to distrust that company - you pay for the software. This is also precisely why I refuse to use their online tax submission system.
Anyway, wasn't Microsoft's Windows NT, circa v3.51, sending a UDP packet to Microsoft every several minutes? Anybody ever decode that?
beagle
Come on, man! :) Don't you see what's going on? Microsoft can't beat the Pilot technologically or speed-wise, so they attempt to beat it with toys. Just like with WinXX. They're attempting to appease upper-level management types and such, who like toys on their computers (a la Solitaire), animated file copy (files fly from folder to folder), etc.
It's disgusting, ain't it!
(For the humor-impaired, I totally agree with this guy. There's no need for color!)
(b)eagle (the 'b' is only for Slashdot)
Ugh. It's not that I like or dislike MS that I chose a Pilot. It's simply product superiority. Just as with their WindowsXX OS. Linux is superior. Pilot is superior.
I tend to judge products based on how much I need to refer to a manual to use them. With a Pilot, I picked up Graffiti in about half an hour (except I still don't remember some of the special chars) and was able to use every app that came with the thing - immediately!
I frequent places like CompUSA. One passtime is to go to the counters where they sell that Windows CE crapola and just TRY to use them. That blasted Win95-like interface is all over the place. It's not obvious how to change apps or enter a new appointment or address entry. I'm not talking about a cursory examination either (unless you call 30 minutes cursory). The thing is just hard to use.
Graffiti might be hard to get used to - at first . Give it 30 minutes and you'll get it. And, the only thing you'll use the manual for is to learn the extent of the apps' capabilities.
Daniel - first non-AC post