Microsoft is first and foremost a marketing company.
You are completely ignorant. Microsoft is first and foremost a software development company. They have a marketing department to promote their products. Any company that produces goods or services attempts to market those goods or services. This is a very simple concept.
On to more trolling...
Forth has become the application submittal for as many patents as
they can get, even stupid stuff that is clearly not patentable. In
the battle against open source this will become combined with the
third priority more and more.
Does Microsoft sue over patents? Of course not. Try this search to see for yourself. What you'll find (and what the knowledgeable segment of the IT industry has known for years) is that Microsoft obtains patents for protection from ridiculous lawsuits from litigious companies that use patents for offensive purposes. Again, this is an extremely simple and widely-known fact that has mountains of evidence to support it.
What you don't see in any of the above is genuine innovation.
I don't doubt that your fanboyism blinds you from seeing any innovation from Microsoft. Instead of spouting typical Slashdot anti-Microsoft garbage, though, perhaps you might want to peruse http://research.microsoft.com/ and decide based on actual fact.
What sickens me most about trolls like you is your inability to even post supporting material to back up your ridiculous claims. All you have is a collection of gross misinformation spread by your fellow anti-Microsoft trolls.
I like your idea, but it's not quite accurate. Consider this instead:
Mac drives onscreen in some trendy car (bug, hybrid, whatever). Pop music.
PC drives onscreen in a wood paneled station wagon with a bicycle the back and a pile of luggage strapped on top (with bits of shirt flapping in the breeze). Music plays, but cuts out and comes back in at the wrong speed.
Linux drives onscreen in a jeep.
Cut to Mac "Nice jeep".
Cut back to Linux in a limo. "I liked it, but right now I want this."
PC "How do you change so fast?"
Cut back to a Linux user in his parents' basement. "I just had to download a new window manager, figure out its dependencies, download them, compile them, compile the window manager for my specific distribution, edit 18 different configuration files, and... voilà!"
I work at Microsoft, I can get Vista for practically free but I refuse to even touch Vista with a bargepole and dont recommend it to others. They dont need it anyway even if it was "finished" and secure.
I strongly agree with your statement. Many of my classmates don't like to speak with me, or even "look down" on me for my un-Christian views. In addition, I've had multiple girls refuse to date me simply because I'm not Christian. Although one could argue that the girls are using that as an excuse to just not date me, I'm talking about the cases when I've become very close to the girl, and the next logical step would be to date.
Whatever the case may be, I certainly have heard people at least claim that they don't want to spend time/go out/talk with me because I'm not Christian. People think it's wrong to discriminate based on race, but when discrimination occurs based on religion (on a small scale, I'm not talking about the holocaust), it's suddenly justified because that's part of the religious doctrine?
Funny- I've had the opposite experience. I became a Christian several years into my software engineering career. As a result of my acceptance of Christ, I lost several friends. Since then, my opinions on non-spiritual matters have been rejected by certain individuals merely due to my belief in Christ. My intelligence has been called into question simply due to my religion. Heck, some moron even claimed that I suffered a stroke! Yet somehow this is justified because it's part of atheistic doctrine. I can guarantee you that many women won't date me because I'm Christian because (a) I won't sleep with them outside of marriage, (b) I choose to donate large sums of money to charity rather than shower women with extravagance, (c) I believe aborting a fetus is murder,... and the list goes on. Now do I cry "prejudice"? Of course not. Why date someone who adamantly opposes what you stand for? I stand for Christ; non-Christians stand for something else.
Ever installed XP without any service packs? Do you know how many minutes it takes before the machine is pwn3d? IMO that's not a functional OS any more.
Come on, troll. Have you ever tried installing an old version of Apache without any patches? How many minutes before it's compromised? But wait- you would never install an old, unpatched version of Apache, would you?
So, how hard might it be to generate random but valid data to fill out this XML? And then have a little daemon that does nothing but post it over and over 24/7? "Wow. Looks like a NAT/proxy server with millions of users behind it who really don't like WGA."
Petty, I know, but fun.
What you described is a denial of service attack. Not smart.
However, the one difference is that all of my big donations have been anonymous.
Not any more, they're not. You sure don't have a problem touting your hefty donations here when you want to claim yourself to be a better person than someone else. Why not shout from the rooftops, "I'm the humblest man alive!"
I have never claimed what I give to charity/research.
And that's just stupid. Jesus said "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's...". Why pay any more taxes than are required? You could donate the savings themselves.
I would save about 3-4 million (USD) for myself and give the rest away.
And that statement alone proves that you're a hypocrite. 3-4 million in savings for someone under 50 (or possibly even older) is an abundance. Why would you even keep that much? Give sacrificially, otherwise don't even bother.
But if someone came up to my door and said, instead, "We're from XYZ church down the street and we're trying to get some people to help with ABC event. The event is not associated with our church or any religion; we're just out here trying to get some people in our community together to help out," I would actually seriously consider doing it.
Consider this a virtual knock at your door. I know Iraq isn't exactly your neighborhood, but there are people in severe need of help there.
postulated that this "ability to believe" was the result of something breaking as a result of a month of 20 hours a day at work
Fortunately I never needed to work 20 hours a day at work. My development manager at the time stressed the importance of an adequate home and work balance, and subsequently mandated that we work no more than 8 hours per day, 5 days per week. Why God chose to change me at that time I simply don't know. Likewise, why God chose to change Paul (a persecutor of Christians) on the road to Damascus I don't know either.
You are 100% correct. I have only been a Christian for 4 years. Up until my conversion, I neither believed nor wanted to believe in any higher being. I was a typical software engineer- I believed I was too intelligent and educated to believe in God. God changed all that, however. In an absolutely miraculous series of events, God transformed my mind and enabled me to have faith. I'm still a software engineer- the difference now is that God granted me the ability to believe.
Your grossly overgeneralized comments could be said about anyone in any profession (remember, the developer isn't there to help you, their just there to keep their jobs). Puleeze, anyone past the 4th grade can see how simplistic (but apparently popular) statement that is.
...and anyone past the 4th grade knows the difference between "they're" and "their." Consider taking a few seconds to proofread before pressing "submit" to post your next idiotic insult.
All you need to do (or can do, for that matter) is accept Jesus Christ as your savior. Accept that he is the only son of God who was sacrificed on the cross as an eternal atonement for your sins. There are no rituals or no works to be performed. This simple (yet crucial) acknowledgment and acceptance is all you need. Read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and you will see that Jesus knows the heart of man perfectly. His offer of salvation is the only way to correct our sinful nature and make us right with God so that we can spend eternity with Him in heaven. This offer is open to all.
God will fuel your desire to follow Christ and change your heart.
And just because someone is Islamic doesn't mean they are, or act like Islamics.
If you look back at my post you'll see that I made no such claims to the contrary. I was merely addressing a statement about "Christians" committing atrocities.
Alas, I don't have a hotline to God, so I can't verify you partook in God's heart and mind recall, nor can I verify anyone else's participation in this program.
True- you can't possibly know my relationship with God. No one but God can. However, you can see my faith revealed through my actions (1 John 2:3 "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands."; also refer to James 1:19-27 and James 2:14-26). This was the point I was making. If my actions are clearly contradictory to scripture, you can most certainly doubt the sincerity of my faith. Just as when I shoot 114 on the golf course, you can correct me when I claim myself to be an experienced golfer.
I would also say that those who Molest children in the name of God are not acting in accordance with the Christian Bible. I would also say they are sick bastards, not just because they feel the need to have sex with those who haven't developed any seconadary sexual attributes, but those who commit such acts seem to think God wants them to.
Wow. While I definitely agree that child molesters are most certainly not following the teachings of Christ, I highly doubt that those who do feel that it's Gods will that they molest children. You're referring to priests, which (as far as I know- I'm not Catholic) are required to possess detailed knowledge of Scripture, which in no way ever encourages anyone to molest children. Scripture clearly dictates that sexuality is God's gift to married men and women and refers to any sexuality outside marriage as adultery (noting that Jesus explicitly equated lust with adultery as well).
But if you are going to say Islamics blow up buildings, Christians do as well. To think otherwise is bigotry.
While it is possible for a follower of Christ to blow up a building (as we all are sinful), it is highly unlikely. The same may apply for Muslims as well. I simply don't possess a knowledge of Islam to know what its teachings are. I've actually suggested that our Sunday school class study other religions so that we can avoid the stereotypes perpetuated by the media and actually understand the basis for these religions. From what I do understand, Islam is a works-based religion where God requires service for salvation, which is a concept entirely contradictory to Christianity.
Which version of the Book of Romans? There are more translations than you can shake a stick at.
Yes, there are. The message remains the same across the board, though (barring any oddball translations). I'm primarily familiar with the NIV and the KJV. I've also seen The Message, the NAS, the NLT, and the NKJV, and have yet to see any discrepancies. Each gives the message of God's love and mercy despite man's continual rejection of His ways.
But no version of the bible is trully clear.
Do you mean entirely? If so, I find that hard to believe. If you haven't yet glanced at all the translations I've listed above, perhaps any one of them might be easier to understand. I prefer the NIV over the others and find it easiest to read. If you're speaking about portions of the Bible, I will agree that certain prophecies which have not yet come to pass are not truly clear (the end time prophecies in Revelation are a prime example). Fortunately, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been plainly stated for all to receive- and that's all that matters.
If I were to claim to be Christian I would have to accept that those who follow Islam are also brothers.
Ummm... yes they do. Someone else pointed out some fine examples... but aborition clincs are a big issue among many "Christian" groups.
And just as your statement shows- just because someone labels himself "Christian" doesn't mean he is Christian. Being a Christian means believing that Jesus Christ, the sole son of God, died on the cross to forgive the sins of mankind. It also means that you follow the teachings of Christ. Becoming born again is not an inward achievement- it is an act of God. God changes your heart and sets your mind on His ways rather than the ways of the world. I cannot simply claim myself to be a Christian and make it so- God performs the conversion. Subsequently, my actions (for the most part- we still have inner conflict with our sinful nature) reflect my dedication to Christ. Actions that endanger others' lives are not in line with Christ's teachings. Someone who blows up buildings in the name of God seems suspect to me because his actions don't reflect what Scripture teaches (and what God sets our hearts on). Read the book of Romans- it clearly spells out what being a Christian truly means. It's not simply a label. Otherwise, I'd claim myself to be an excellent golfer. My actions don't need to reflect my title, right?
But didn't Microsoft file this patent in 2005? Quividi only developed its methods in 2006. Also, Quividi explicitly calls out that its techniques do not use visual responses, whereas Microsoft's optionally may.
Slashdot Mirror
You made the same comment when the EU went after Microsoft as well, correct?
You are completely ignorant. Microsoft is first and foremost a software development company. They have a marketing department to promote their products. Any company that produces goods or services attempts to market those goods or services. This is a very simple concept.
On to more trolling... Does Microsoft sue over patents? Of course not. Try this search to see for yourself. What you'll find (and what the knowledgeable segment of the IT industry has known for years) is that Microsoft obtains patents for protection from ridiculous lawsuits from litigious companies that use patents for offensive purposes. Again, this is an extremely simple and widely-known fact that has mountains of evidence to support it.
I don't doubt that your fanboyism blinds you from seeing any innovation from Microsoft. Instead of spouting typical Slashdot anti-Microsoft garbage, though, perhaps you might want to peruse http://research.microsoft.com/ and decide based on actual fact.
What sickens me most about trolls like you is your inability to even post supporting material to back up your ridiculous claims. All you have is a collection of gross misinformation spread by your fellow anti-Microsoft trolls.
I like your idea, but it's not quite accurate. Consider this instead:
Mac drives onscreen in some trendy car (bug, hybrid, whatever). Pop music.
PC drives onscreen in a wood paneled station wagon with a bicycle the back and a pile of luggage strapped on top (with bits of shirt flapping in the breeze). Music plays, but cuts out and comes back in at the wrong speed.
Linux drives onscreen in a jeep.
Cut to Mac "Nice jeep".
Cut back to Linux in a limo. "I liked it, but right now I want this."
PC "How do you change so fast?"
Cut back to a Linux user in his parents' basement. "I just had to download a new window manager, figure out its dependencies, download them, compile them, compile the window manager for my specific distribution, edit 18 different configuration files, and... voilà!"
And that's just stupid. Jesus said "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's...". Why pay any more taxes than are required? You could donate the savings themselves.
And that statement alone proves that you're a hypocrite. 3-4 million in savings for someone under 50 (or possibly even older) is an abundance. Why would you even keep that much? Give sacrificially, otherwise don't even bother.
Don't run as an administrator.
Young Girl: Mom, do you ever have that not-so-fresh feeling?
Mom: Only when I use Windows Vista.
Fade to black...
Brought to you by an Ubuntu douche.
Here's the point
Zing! Ouch! You got me!
God will fuel your desire to follow Christ and change your heart.
If you look back at my post you'll see that I made no such claims to the contrary. I was merely addressing a statement about "Christians" committing atrocities.
True- you can't possibly know my relationship with God. No one but God can. However, you can see my faith revealed through my actions (1 John 2:3 "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands."; also refer to James 1:19-27 and James 2:14-26). This was the point I was making. If my actions are clearly contradictory to scripture, you can most certainly doubt the sincerity of my faith. Just as when I shoot 114 on the golf course, you can correct me when I claim myself to be an experienced golfer.
Wow. While I definitely agree that child molesters are most certainly not following the teachings of Christ, I highly doubt that those who do feel that it's Gods will that they molest children. You're referring to priests, which (as far as I know- I'm not Catholic) are required to possess detailed knowledge of Scripture, which in no way ever encourages anyone to molest children. Scripture clearly dictates that sexuality is God's gift to married men and women and refers to any sexuality outside marriage as adultery (noting that Jesus explicitly equated lust with adultery as well).
While it is possible for a follower of Christ to blow up a building (as we all are sinful), it is highly unlikely. The same may apply for Muslims as well. I simply don't possess a knowledge of Islam to know what its teachings are. I've actually suggested that our Sunday school class study other religions so that we can avoid the stereotypes perpetuated by the media and actually understand the basis for these religions. From what I do understand, Islam is a works-based religion where God requires service for salvation, which is a concept entirely contradictory to Christianity.
Yes, there are. The message remains the same across the board, though (barring any oddball translations). I'm primarily familiar with the NIV and the KJV. I've also seen The Message, the NAS, the NLT, and the NKJV, and have yet to see any discrepancies. Each gives the message of God's love and mercy despite man's continual rejection of His ways.
Do you mean entirely? If so, I find that hard to believe. If you haven't yet glanced at all the translations I've listed above, perhaps any one of them might be easier to understand. I prefer the NIV over the others and find it easiest to read. If you're speaking about portions of the Bible, I will agree that certain prophecies which have not yet come to pass are not truly clear (the end time prophecies in Revelation are a prime example). Fortunately, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been plainly stated for all to receive- and that's all that matters.
You have to define your u
But didn't Microsoft file this patent in 2005? Quividi only developed its methods in 2006. Also, Quividi explicitly calls out that its techniques do not use visual responses, whereas Microsoft's optionally may.
Maybe instead of naming all your electronic devices you ought to go outside and make some real friends.