Microsoft takes on the free world

Well, since I´m very fond of gaming, it´s not realistic for me to abandon Windows. Even if I now running unix (solaris) as OS for my servers and would like to use it as a full-time desktop OS, none of the *nix OS can replace Windows in this area (gaming), not today anyway. /Cerxes.

 

I hear ya, and that's about the only reason I use XP on one of my boxes, but check this out:
http://transgaming.org/

 

Thank you for the link, but I´ve already checked that out I´m afraid it doesn´t run to well with my favorite game: Medieval II TW, and furthermore, you have to subscribe for being able to use it. There is an open source alternative for those who are lucky enough to have their favorite games on the platinum/gold lists: WineHQ. There´s also the alternative to use a VM, but that will decrease the game performance. So I´ll stick with Win XP for my desktop until things improves...

 

I take exception with only this part of that reply. You simply cannot equate Windows 98/Me in that sort of analogy given the fact it is not been that very long ago if you count years since XP first release.

I know (and many of you) that i'll be hammering away at this till the moon goes blue, but you have to understand it's not that critically important to me personally; (I have XP Pro remember?)... but from a business & global reputation standpoint i view microsoft's abandonment of them as a grave mistake. Plus theres revenue galore that they are thumbing their nose at from not redressing those O/S's one final time instead of running headlong into Longhorn/Vista like they've done only to suffer yet another black eye from both industry and consumers together.

Why don't they do themselves AND their bottom line a favor and ACT like a computer technology leader and take responsibility for their actions?

They created 98/Me and drew on those proceeds to launch themselves at a level yet unmatched. Theres a lot to be said about a corporation that hurrys something together for profit and when the chips are down divert attention elsewhere.

Thats all i'm saying.

 

Hi Guys,

Nicely said Peter! Software is an always evolving product, with many permutations of hardware software combinations. It's impossible to test all scenarios. Hence errors in code occur, some large, some small, when shipped. A small company, not hindered by the constraints, of wall street etc. may have the flexibility to not ship, until its product is highly polished & virtually error free. Microsoft must publish its financial quarterly + annual audit, like all publicly traded companies. Wall st lives & breathes these numbers, & may or may not reward, the numbers. Perception of sustained growth is more important, than a cash cow. With a healthy company & good share price, Microsoft & others can recruit the, cream of the crop, of code writers. Bottom line is Microsoft's products & other companies software improves, gets better over time. Anyone who bashes M$,stop & think a moment, they do not intentionally write schlock, when a hole is found, they patch. Microsoft works very hard, to please all customers. I really don't think, anyone here could run Microsoft better, than its being currently run. The bashing of Microsoft, is akin, to bashing a professional ballplayer for making an error, you can't play ball better than the pro. If you can write better code than Microsoft, take a trip to Redmond, WA & submit your resume. I'm sure no one will criticize you.

 

That is true, but Unix is 30 years old and it's concept is still okay. There are more examples of operating systems that are decades old and still a de facto standard for their users.

The feeling I have is that Microsoft is creating greed and creating market. It creates market by withdrawing Windows XP this year.
Nobody has explained to me why I work with higher quality when the frames of the windows are translucent.
And features that could really make a difference, like winFS, are pulled out! Because that can be nicely wrapped in another box with it's own pricetag.

What provokes irritation is that Microsoft is slinging mud to the Open Source world or to any other competitor for that matter.
No one ever rose by degrading others.

 

From a business perspective, should Microsoft support OSes that combined have approximately 2% of the market (and continually declining), have many security issues, are technologically dated, etc.?

Eventually, the time comes when you have to move on and leave the past behind. This applies both personally and from a business perspective.

 

Hi Guys,

Microsoft should do this, no they should do that, your armchair quarterbacking, does not help! Microsoft may or may not, become an also ran, in the industry. Competition (like rust never sleeps) the challenge to Microsoft is to maintain, what it has & to improve. Should they fail, by missing important aspects, (like Wilbertnl alludes to) of there products, they will inch there way, to the status of also ran's, wall st. will fall out of love, & DJ will drop them from the mighty 30.

As far as Microsoft's products are 'technologically dated' & 'have many security flaws.' The former is IMHO false & definitely arguable, more correct statement would be; do they have the best product, & that's an opinion, left up to the user & his/her pocketbook. As for the later, have you heard about patch Tuesday's, they plug holes, on a regular basis. Plus because of the many security flaws, Microsoft gave birth to a new industry.

Take Care
Rico

 

In the true meaning of the word "vista", it would be easy to fathom Microsoft taking a nose-dive, at least as far as end-user OS's go. With hardware becoming more powerful to run virtualization without any discernible lag apart from the native install, and with Linux versions getting better at entertainment apps, I can just see the honchos at Microsoft passing bricks. Game developers will go where the money is, and we already have PS3 and the Wii eating away at the X-Box and PC gaming. Add to that the fact that there are zero DX10 games currently available (a prime selling point of Vista), and software companies scrambling for Vista-comnpatible API's to force "upgrades" down end-users' throats. "Joe Average" PC user buying a new PC is realizing that his/her favorite apps (or hardware) don't run on Vista, and the performance "increase" isn't there, either, despite shelling out big bucks for new, more powerful hardware. Installing a MS OS to run games and apps virtually on Linux is already here, and getting better continually (VirtualBox, VMWare). XP runs games and high-end entertainment apps (for now). Linux and other *nix's run everything else better. Office apps have just become an ingrained MS habit and part of corporate culture, but corporations look at the bottom line, and the only guaranteed "constant" is change to insure said bottom line being black. Even mainframes are now being emulated and run virtually on Linux on x86 hardware. "Patch Tuesdays" don't apply to Linux and other Open Source *nix OS's.
Sure, it can be easy to say MS helped bolster the tech sector in the early-to-mid 90s, but so did the Web, Moore's Law, and a confluence of the right factors at the right time. It sure wasn't innovation on MS's part, but rather marketing. Fast-forward to the present - Vista has been in the works, what, 5+ years? .. and got released as nothing more than a beta OS at best.
When it comes time for MS to chase after the Open Source community, you know things can't be rosy in Redmond. They've used bullying tactics before (system hardware vendors as just one example), but with Dell starting to ship Linux OS's to the end-user, the mainstream winds are changing. Virtualization has quietly been around for a very long time, but it's big now and gaining momentum. The true "vista" doesn't look too bright for MS as far as being a "do-all giant"... they've matured, times are changing, and I don't see growth coming from Redmond on the horizon, unless they stop the FUD tactics and learn the true meaning of innovation. Bullying won't cut it, and idle threats will remain idle, lest they get a reality check from the likes of IBM.

 

How many are OEM's that came with the new computers?

 

While somewhat of a digression from this thread, this is nevertheless an interesting notion, one that has curious implications. Much of the demand fueling the computer security market comes directly from insecurity of Microsoft software. Without such insecure software dominating the market, the computer security market would likely diminish. What if Microsoft never (virtually) monopolized the software market? Would any of us have become the computer security enthusiasts that many of us are? Probably not. But one could argue that the main reason Microsoft software is so insecure is simply because it is the (major) market leader and thus is targeted primarily (almost solely) by the 'bad guys'. One could further argue that if, for example, Apple (Mac) was or became the market leader, their software would be similarly targeted on such a widespread scale and would similarly be rendered insecure. This can already be seen to some extent. There was a longstanding and widespread misconception that Apple software wasn't vulnerable to malware and exploits like Microsoft is/was, but of late that has been proven false by numerous examples of vulnerabilities in Apple software. Granted it is on a much smaller scale than Microsoft software, but that isn't the point. The point is that such vulnerabilities exist, and that if Apple were to become market leader their software would be constantly targeted by hackers and malware writers, and more vulnerabilities would likely surface. However, this notion that the market leader in software, whoever it may be, will be targeted by the bad guys and will thus be rendered insecure, or at least significantly less secure than if it wasn't the market leader, could potentially be challenged with the example of linux and its affiliates as it seems to be inherently more secure than others. However, my knowledge in this area is limited so I will end here. For those who are intimately familiar with all the operating systems from a security persective, do you think linux is indeed an counterexample to this notion? or do you think that if it became the market leader it would similarly fall in line with this notion?

 

Well, I'm not a security enthousiast, I'm a software enthousiast.
It has been years ago that I saw the last security warning popping up, and I tend to install minimum and resource friendly security software.
Also my inbox is free of spam.
I tend to think that user habits play an important role in this area.

 

I didn't mean to imply that everyone here was a computer security enthusiast, perhaps that isn't the best word to use, I only used it because it is commonly used by others and thus I figured it would best capture what I meant in a manner that others would understand it. What I meant was that that most everyone here has some interest in computer security, and significantly more interest in such matters than most people. But really this doesn't matter as it is beside the point of my post.

 

You are right, it would be very boring if everything worked perfect.

 

Want to switch this forum to a medical one? LOL


I remember when shareware was a major part of many computer systems before Microsoft became so prevalent in the PC industry. How times has changed. A lot of corporations use MS products exclusively (mine included) although I thought that other software programs were better (but of course, my opinion doesn't count). MS seems to be always looking around for something to fight with, but I guess that goes with trying to stay on top of the industry. As you read in the news, GM is no longer the top selling auto maker since Toyota surpassed them. So I guess we shall see how long the king can stay on the throne......

 

That's one way to look at it but consider this also, your past has also fashioned you to the way you are today and where you are too.

If you don't look back and make some effort to rectify past mistakes PROVIDED YOU WERE WISE ENOUGH TO PONDER OVER THEM by addressing them, then you are certainly doomed to repeat them again at some point in the future and perhaps even more so.

The Computer Industry is certainly no exception to this rule of life.

 

Hey "RICO". I'm not trying to start a flame war or
any other nonsense. Please let's remain Civil.

But I thought I would comment on some excerpts
from one of your previous posts.

Ready? Here we go.


"Microsoft & others can recruit the, cream of the crop, of code writers."

Yes. And this Exactly is why I expect higher quality output from them.



"they do not intentionally write schlock"

Yes they do. To keep the shareholders happy.


"when a hole is found, they patch."

Most of which should have been found during BETA Development
and therefore non existent in the final release!


"Microsoft works very hard, to please all customers."

And that is a major part of their problem.
Keep EVERYONE Happy, Everyday, All the time!
The shareholders being at the head of the line of course.
Everyone else can just take a number and wait.


"The bashing of Microsoft, is akin, to bashing a professional ballplayer for making an error, you can't play ball better than the pro."

No. I'm not a professional Ball player nor am I a professional
writer of computer programs. These people ARE supposed to
be professional Software writers therefore I DO expect higher
performance from them. And rightly so.

Read my response again to the first entry on this list.

"If you can write better code than Microsoft, take a trip to Redmond, WA & submit your resume. I'm sure no one will criticize you."

See above.



And they used to laugh at "Open Source" ten years ago.

They're not laughing anymore are they?


No. They're Afraid.


And with just cause but their reaction now is just childish.

 

Well since no one is responding to my post and given that it is somewhat off-topic in this thread I've created a new thread about it. Mods feel free to delete my post in this thread if you deem it redundant.

New thread: Computer Security Environment

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=174913

 

Hi Guys,

I have not been cinged by, your lack of flames, likewise my exhaust is flame free. I find it stimulating to converse, without name calling. Hopefully I have stretched your thought & imagination process, with my minority support of M$, you & the other posters, have stretched mine.


Originally Posted by Rock Smasher: Numbers added by Rico

1. It stands to reason that if M$ 'did not' get the cream of the crop, there products would be worse than they are!

2. Examples! I use XP Home & Office, Those products work fine for me.

3. How many beta testers, compared to the installed non beta user. Perhaps 10 : 1? For every 1 person who 'beta' 10 users will have the non beta program installed. I believe that many errors will be discovered post beta, that did not have a chance, at showing up in beta.

4. Agreed! Any business should target there product to the widest audience possible. Sophisticated users 'RockSmasher, Wilbertnl, etc.' Will have more complaints, than the average user like Rico (see #2). If you were a pro ball player, watching a game, your level of sophistication (pro) would be more acute than, the armchair Qback sitting next to you. The population, of users with minimal skills (software) far outnumbers, the expert level folks. M$ is targeting products, to be easy & friendly, for that person searching for "ANY KEY" on his/her keyboard. Fill a stadium (50,000) users, perhaps all will have a computer, ask 'what's 'Rootkit' on the scoreboard. Most people won't know. Multiple choice it: The winning answer would be: 'Tools a dentist uses to fix your tooth.'

5. Congratulations! Wow I had trouble with 'Hello World' in VB. Well to be honest I did get that app running in VB, it was the amoritizing calculator, that crashed my machine. How many code writers work for you? Can you imagine trying to coordinate thousands of code writers, writing code at the OS level, have it all work 'flawlessly' (for RockSmasher), keep it simple (for Rico, still looking for "any Key"), stay ahead of the competition, please shareholders, make it work worldwide. Wow! That's a tall order!

6. Which above?

7. Open source, will perhaps trump Gates & Ballmer, that's a work still in progress.

Take Care
Rico

 

"RICO" obviously has difficulty understanding the
concept of "Please let's remain civil".

I did NOT even number my entries. He did so in "quoting" me
and may not have sequenced them correctly. Go figure.
He has therefore Bastardized any quotes he claims to
be from me and so I disavow any credit for his nonsense.

I'm willing to bet that he didn't even READ all of my post
before whining and crying about it.

Put down the Crack pipe for just a moment and READ
what you've posted before hitting the "Submit reply"
button next time huh Jimmy?

Thank you for playing. Next caller please?

 

I think this is where LowWaterMark or mod should make an entrance and refer to Paragraph 1 of the Terms of Service before doing the obvious, but thats just my $.02.

 

Hi RockSmasher,

Sorry to see you took my lat post the way you did. The numbers were intended for easy reference. No insult or disrespect, was aimed at you or anyone else. ~~<snip>~~ byPeter2150

Take Care
Rico

 

You know what? I'm agreeing with "COOLBLUEWATER"


Hey. I got all Bitchy and stupid but enough is enough.

Rico! (Internet handshake extended,)

Let's stop being stupid. O.K.?

We both have our own opinions of OSs and stuff
but I never wanted this to get ugly.