MS's Windows Validation Program.... Be Afraid.... be VERY Afraid

[ulTRAX]

Some of you may remember Intel's plans to place a unique ID in the P3. Privacy advocates finally got Intel to disable the feature. It would have been a unique identifier across the web. It would have destroyed all privacy and allowed an unparalleled amount of tracking and data mining.

Microsoft has started what must be a new program to validate your copy of Windows as genuine. http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx?

I thought the registration for XP was intrusive and onerous enough. But it seems MS believes that's not sufficient. This new program works by placeing an ActiveX module in IE. It can be read by MS when you go for downloads. But why would they stop there?

My real concern is that regardless of what they claim, this will be a universal identifier that will be abused. What's to stop MS to merge this program with MS Passport? Many have Passports in their real names. It would allow someone to determine that multiple Passport users were on the same PC. Passport beacons could be added to non Passport sites?

I think this program has to be opposed and fast.

[yurbud]

1. buy a mac

they're easier to use, last longer, and far less prone to viruses and spyware.

The mac is to a pc what what japanese cars are to american cars.

[ulTRAX]

4. easier said than done...

I have too much of an investment in Windows-based software... not just in money but time invested in learning to use it all. Migrating is not an option. Fighting MS is.

[SemperEadem]

48. Passport is being tabled because it doesn't interface well

with other applications.

[Deja Q]

17. Two words, honey: GET. REAL. 8 reasons:

Witness some reality and weep:


1. COST OF MIGRATION.
1a. Any Mac worth using will cost $1500, at least, per unit. (tee-hee. I said 'unit'.) Your comparable PC? $800, or even less. The cost of renovation would be HUGE. And, let's not forget, corporate america loves cutting corners. It's their fact of life.

1b. Software. It's amazing how all the Mac zealots forget this little detail. Unless they know of a program where Apple pays its customers for every piece of software that needs to be replaced. (Pardon me while I laugh in hysterics for an hour... there, the hour's passed.) Your Windows-come-Mac user will have to re-purchase everything. EVERYTHING. Cost? $0 - $20,000-or-more, per user (or per seat), depending on what can be purchased or re-programmed. And it won't be $0, that's for sure.

2. SUPPORT.

3. Other alternatives currently exist that already work on the SAME HARDWARE, thus reducing costs. That alternative is best known as Linux. Linux plus OpenOffice.Org. Hell, ditching Microsoft (henceforth known as Craprosoft) would only be a benefit because they now have these asinine licensing programs where you MUST keep paying them every x years or your licenses become terminated. What a fucking joke.

4. Not all Windows programs can be re-compiled in Mac-friendly language. So much for the efficacy of the C programming language. (or Java for that matter, which is another joke best left for cute web animations...)

5. Not all WIndows programs can be emulated. And your Windows emulator on the Mac runs slow as shit on a front porch doorhandle in January because it has to emulate an alien processor. Any Windows emulator for PC-based Linux saves a LOT of overhead, but that doesn't mean a Windows program able to run under Linux will run just as fast. Depends on if one is using WINE, Win4Lin, or that crappy VMWARE program.

6. Corporate america. They will NOT switch. They love this guilty-before-innocent fascist shit. They've been that way for decades, or hadn't anybody else noticed? They want this. Craprosoft will deliver. It's a bit of a pity...

7. COST OF MIGRATION. It's such a good reason, I thought I would mention it twice.

8. I am so frigging sick of mac users flaunting their SHEER HUBRIS about viruses and spyware. Assuming the Mac ever gets above 2% of the market share (pardon me while I go laugh some more), they WILL get targeted. Linux, especially for servers, now gets targeted because it's an increasingly popular operating system. Doi. You mac fellas don't seem to understand REALITY: It's not always platform as it is popularity. Craprosoft just made it easier for hackers to do their thing. Heck, I'd almost applaud any mac-oriented hacker, though I'd wonder why he'd waste his time for such a small crowd. (well, they'd put Apple out of business by proving OS X isn't that much better... but why bother? Given COST OF MIGRATION, Linux will do the work of destroying Apple. No pretty transparent blue case can save Apple this time. Sorry.)

[Solon]

22. I take exception to number 6 on your list...

I largely agree with all your other points. However, as far as number 6 goes, many corporations are beginning the switch, but not to Mac, to Linux. The amount of savings you get when you don't have to shell out 150 dollars per machine for Windows Server 2003 for licensing really adds up. Plus the fact that Linux is getting much better at usability for newbies and is much easier to install as well. I use Mepis, and it was easier to install, and quicker, than Windows XP. Look to IBM or Sun and see how two of the biggest players are supporting open platforms now.

[Melynn]

62. I work for a large corporation

and they want to switch to Unix and Linux servers because of the cost benefit. On the other hand, they will still run Windows on the desktop, (boo).

[aePrime]

24. Don't listen to HypnoToad

Every time somebody makes a positive statement about Apple, he spouts off his ill-informed Windows-loving biased propaganda. I'm starting to believe that he's paid off by Bill himself.

To preface what I'm about to say, just so you know, I have a B.S. in computer science, and am halfway through my master's degree in the same. I'm not a Mac fanatic; in fact, I run Linux on my three desktops, but I do have a Mac laptop.

I will now address his points.

1a. The new Mac costs $500, and HypnoToad has already asserted that they are not powerful enough. He needs an education in chip architecture. The PowerPC, which the Macs run, is a RISC vector processor, shoving more instructions through that the x86. Plus, if he knows anything, he knows that processor speed is hardly the measure of a computer's speed. The processor is not the bottleneck in modern systems. He'll point out that the new base Mac only comes with 128 megs of memory. Memory is cheap, and you don't even have to buy it from Apple. Well, that's assuming you can open up these new boxen; I really have no idea. I know that for my laptop, it's easy to install memory.

1b. Who wants Windows software anyway? The Mac comes with much more software than Windows. Want a web server? With Mac you have it. Want a C++ compiler? The Mac comes with one. Even better, want a complete integrated development environment? The Mac has that too. How much is a good IDE on Windows? $500? $1000? Want native support for PDF? Everything on Mac is a PDF. Want a usable FTP client? The Mac as a command-line version that's comparable to ncftp. Windows comes with a command-line FTP client that craps on your shoes if you want to use it. Want a web browser that doesn't install crap without your permission? Comes with that too. Makes it a lot more difficult to put Adware/Spyware on your machine that way, especially since root is disabled by default under the Mac. To run Windows efficiently, you have to be logged in as an Admin at all times. Whoo! That's secure. I'm sure HypnoToad will then go on to mention that you'll need to buy MS Office to do anything. Well, he's already shot himself in the foot on this one by mentioning OpenOffice. Guess what? It runs on the Mac. Guess what? It's good. Guess what? It doesn't have Clippy. Guess what? It's free.

2. Support? WTF? I have called Apple support before. I have little reason to doubt that they are worse than MS. I don't see any substance in this one line argument.

3. Hey, as aforementioned, I love Linux. Primary OS. Is it for everybody? I don't think it's quite there yet. My wife, not too technical, loves the Mac. It just works. And me? It's based on BSD, so it's just as powerful as my Linux box, but prettier.

4. See 1b. As for Java being a joke, this again just shows his ignorance. I'm a big C++ guy. My main language, but I've written my fair share of Java, and believe me, a lot of things are a lot easier in Java than in C or C++. And he'll probably take the time to point out that Java is slow. Used to be, sure. I'll give him that the start up times can be a little slow, putting that virtual machine into memory, but with just in time compiling, most Java apps are nearly as fast as their C++ counterparts. I will say that I hate Swing, however.

5. See 1b and 4. He really doesn't have many arguments here. He's a little redundant. Redundant I say.

6. HypnoToad again shoots himself in the foot by mentioning MS's new licensing. Corporations are looking for MS alternative now more than ever.

7. Redundant, redundant, redundant. When people don't have arguments, they tend to repeat themselves.

8. Granted, there is the possibility of the Mac not getting targeted by viruses as often as MS, but there are other fundamental differences. OS X does not have Active X controls turned on in web browsers. OS X does not have the asinine Outlook problems. OS X does not even have the root account open by default! It's really hard to run OS X as root, making it much harder to do bad stuff. OS X is built upon BSD, one of the most secure operating systems you can find.

[sweetheart]

35. Ok, so from a windows user considering mac

Similarly, i'm considering taking that step. These are my concerns
as if i can't use things, i'll have to boot up an old windows PC.

Excel - lots of spreadsheets, and software architectures in spreadsheets
(great place to test expert systems)

Word (VISIO) - lots of word documents with visio diagrams that i'll
not be able to edit anymore.

So, it seems i'd have to buy office and visio AGAIN! (like i've been
stuck 4 times already with each of them) and that if it even runs on
macos.

Otherwise, i'm very open to the idea, as i save in viruses, and all
the hastle of adminmistering the arcane silly system that windows has
desigend, with its poor round robin loop and bad UI design.

So what is the net cost of migration, and is it really just to
cut over and keep a windows PC in the back room upstairs?

[MadHound]

36. OK, you would have to buy Office for the Mac,

But you would indeed be able to run all of those programs. Any documents created by these programs in a Windoze enviroment will be fully recognizable by a Mac using Office.

[Rooktoven]

56. If you run linux, you can buy Crossover for Office

by Codeweavers for $50. (www.codeweavers.com)

This will allow you to run many windows programs (like Office) in the linux environment. No need to buy new CDS.

Of course I like OpenOffice as well, and even more I like AbiWord-- but then I don't use most obscure features of a word processor.



I find most office programs are pretty freaking bloated anyway,

[Occulus]

42. Download linux and try OpenOffice

In fact, there's a version of linux (several versions, actually; they are commonly called 'distributions' or 'distros' for short) called Knoppix which runs directly off a CD you boot from. It doesn't touch the hard disk and is a great way to safely learn about linux.


http://www.knoppix.org/

What is KNOPPIX®?

KNOPPIX is a bootable CD with a collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. KNOPPIX can be used as a Linux demo, educational CD, rescue system, or adapted and used as a platform for commercial software product demos. It is not necessary to install anything on a hard disk. Due to on-the-fly decompression, the CD can have up to 2 GB of executable software installed on it.

--

The on-the-fly decompression *will* make things run signifigantly slower than if the OS were installed to the hard disk (which I believe Knoppix allows you to do if you like). The thing to remember about installing linux to a hard disk is that if it's going to coexist on the same disk as Windows (but on a different partition on the disk), it must be installed after Winodws. There are many, many FAQs and HOWTOs on linux installation out there... be prepared to read about it before you do it.

There's a similar distro of linux that includes a LOT of hacking tools. It's called PHLAK- the Professional Hacker's Linux Assault Kit:

http://www.phlak.org/modules/news/

Which has official, declassified documentation produced by the NSA on the use of such tools, and procedures for tracking people down. Both the distros I've referenced above run directly from a CD *or* from the hard disk, depending no whether you inatll it or simply boot from the CD (which, in both cases, is a free download you then burn to a cdrom).

However, I will warn you: linux is difficult for Windows users to 'get used to', especially people who have only used WinXP and have never dealt with a DOS prompt. The directory structure is vastly different; there's no "Program Files" folder, for example, but you do have a /usr/local/bin. Much of the power in linux comes from what one can do at a command prompt, so sometimes you have to be willing to type at your computer to tell it what to do. Further, the structure of the GUI is different, installing applications can be very interesting (some you'll actually have to build from their source code; this is not difficult, it's just a matter of typing specific commands), but I've found that on balance learning how to use linux has been a valuable experience.

Give it a shot; with the links I gave above you can't hurt the PC by trying them out. :)

[aePrime]

47. OpenOffice

OpenOffice does a reasonable job of opening up Office files, and even saving them out, but yes, if you're really Office-bound, you'd have to buy it again. The good news is that the licensing is better on the Mac. (I believe) If you buy Office for the Mac, you can use the same license to install it on multiple computers (I can't remember the limit).

I do not believe that Visio is available for the Mac, but there's a program called OmniGraffle that's supposed to blow it out of the water (I have no experience with either program). OmniGaffle Pro will import Visio documents from the XML format.

http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/

I cannot believe how much MS charges for Office. That alone will almost double the cost of migration, if you went with the new cheap Mac.

If you're not a student or a teacher, Word and Excel will cost you about $400. Add another $200 for Omnigraffle. You may want to see if there's a way to "upgrade" the office version you have -- I don't know if they'll let you do that cross-platform.

The new Mac starts at $500, but you'll probably spend $650 or so with additional memory, maybe a keyboard. If you have a current USB mouse, that should work. Your current monitor should also work.

So, that puts an estimate at $1260.

[Occulus]

40. None of that changes the fact

that I will never be able to, say, play Half-Life 2 on a Mac (or linux, for that matter).

As a gamer, Mac is a useless nonchoice. Sorry- Apple just isn't gamer-friendly. Never has been, likely never will be. And while it used to be the platform of choice for computer graphics, Photoshop and the GIMP for Windows have long since erased that distinction. Development of applications like Maya, Softinage, Lightwave, etc. on the Windows platform and the Unix and IRIX platforms have made Mac less of a leader in the graphics industry as well.

Not that I have anything personal against Macs; I sort of would like to get one if for no other reason than having OSX. However, I also like to upgrade my components myself, and I don't like proprietary computer technology at all (the concept itself, actually). It's like buying a Ford that's been designed to only accept Ford parts.

Terrible idea, and it's that proprietary technology that's been holding Apple down for so many years, IMO.

[alfredo]

43. What Mac only parts are you referring to?

All upgrades I bought off the shelf. I am considering a third party processor upgrade.

They went open architecture a long time ago.

I have 96 games on my Mac.



The PS2 is still my choice of a gaming platform.

[Occulus]

45. Huh. My bad.

That doesn't change my having to repurchase all my games. I don't make enough money to do that!

[alfredo]

53. Use the PC for games, and the

Mac to get things done.

[Occulus]

59. Ha! Typical.

Windows is about good for games and that's it. i prefer linux to get things done, but I need a new HD before I can devote the space to it I want to.

[idiosyncratic]

60. For a new hard drive, check out this price

80 Gig Maxtor for only $62.40 with free shipping.

I've always used Maxtor and have never had a problem with them.

[alfredo]

61. It's OK until you try to go online.

I am a fan of consoles. My PS 2 is fine.

[alfredo]

46. Open Office is great, but for the Mac, try Neo OfficeJ.

Since I started using Fink, I have little use for Linux. All the software I used on Linux runs on the Mac. I use GIMP, Scribus, Inkscape, and Bluefish. They work well, and are free.

Do consider Neo OfficeJ. It doesn't need X11 to run.

Apple support has been rated high in the past few years.

[jmowreader]

54. The new Mac comes with 256MB

I think the main reason virus writers target Windows is that it's so easy to do massive devastation to a Windows machine. Try reformatting the boot volume (not *a* boot volume, but the one you brought the machine up from) on a Windows machine and on any Mac. You can do it on a Windows box; you can't do it on a Mac.

And you can even do it through a script file! Oh joy! Why in FUCK would you need a script to reformat a hard drive?

I don't know about y'all, but if I was a hacker I would target Microsoft machines even if MS had three percent marketshare--I'd only hit three out of 100, but those three people are gonna be really, really pissed.

[DrWeird]

26. #8 reminds me of those little antenna balls...

people put on their cars so they can find them easily in parking lots.

Every car should have one of those balls.

[ArkDem]

63. Right on the nose

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Linux runs on commodity PC hardware

[Tinoire]

3. That's it. I'm going Mac now. Screw Microsoft & their little deal w/ Bush

Macs are at an excellent price too now.

Thank goodness Steve Jobs hung in there!

[dweller]

5. but Linux is free, isn't it?

i just picked up a copy of Linux 7.3 at the local recycling center...anyone know how stable it is?

dp

[yella_dawg]

7. I'm running 7.3

word is, it's got some problems. I never noticed. I love it.

Fuck you, Bill!

[Klapaucius]

33. Depends on the distribution...

Is it RedHat or Fedora, or Mandrake? Mandrake is my favorite so far, and I'm kind of a newb when it comes to knowing how to do stuff there. I may try some other distributions like Suse or Debian, but inasfar as a beginner distribution, Mandrake has done pretty well by me. I'm doing it with an intent to building a skillset, as well as weaning myself off MS. I'm also looking into the new Mac, just to play around with it, and if it warrants it, switch over. Granted, it will likely not run the games that I like, but maybe as a good solid workhorse/surfing machine, I wouldn't mind using one.

Failing licensing OSX for Intel\AMD hardware, this is probably a good move by Apple to get some mindshare. I'm all for the reduction of the huge marketshare that MS has.

K.

[Solon]

34. You could always try live CD versions of Linux...

You boot a CD straight off, don't worry about installation, and can test the system out without fear of screwing up what you have. The easiest free distros I can think of are Knoppix, Kanotix, and Mepis. All are Debian based distros, and 100% compatible with Debian packages. Also, just for your FYI, many games nowadays have Linux ports, Doom3 has a Linux installer, believe it or not. And I play Neverwinter Nights on my system.

[Occulus]

44. see my post #42, there's also PHLAK n/t

[Deja Q]

18. Like I said, check out prices before you blindly buy... net cost is going

to be rather higher than the sticker price.

TCO. Businesses hype the TCO concept like a pimp does his favorite ho. And rightfully so. Your $500 Mac might cost you three times as much in the end. (no monitor, no keyboard, no mouse, no software, underpowered hardware, no ability to predict the foreseeable future. I've seen a lot of blind praise for that $500 rip-off, yet far fewer people taking the time to ask "What's in the thing for only $500?" Caveat emptor...)

[Tinoire]

20. Will do... Though Bpilgrim was telling me about a switch

that would allow the new $500 Mac to work with my existing monitor. I was dead tired and didn't note the details but anyway, I will pay attention to your advice.

Last thing I want to do is throw more money out the window on computers. Thanks

[Rooktoven]

58. As a mac administrator

I can tell you there are cable adaptors that allow VGA monitors to connect to your mac. CAble + USB keyboard+mouse, should be $80 total AT MOST.

Don't let anyone scare you into not trying macs (or loading linux-- the more frugal alternative). As far as TCO-- that only applies to corporate environments, and even then the ONLY TCO studies that show Windows being the better buy are the ones sponsored by microsoft.

It IS a political decision, as well as a practical one. Get a mac if you don't want to think about things to much, go with Linux if you don't mind learning a small amount.

[salvorhardin]

6. Passport is dead

Microsoft has given up on Passport.

However, this is just part of a disturbing trend. For instance, your color printer embeds a unique serial number in every (color) page you print. Your scanner either won't allow you to scan money or degrades the image. DRM (digital rights management) is starting to be built directly into CPUs (Intel's PXA270).

All of this comes under the Orwellian term trusted computing.

[ulTRAX]

11. RIP Passport? Not so fast........

Well not just yet... the articles ends: "With more than 200 million users, Passport will continue to be the method for logging on to some Microsoft-owned services, including the free Hotmail e-mail system."

And the welcome failure of Passport to live up to expectation doesn't mean it still can't be abused. MS might go into the data mining business. Aside from the fact that Passport has 200 million accounts... not necessarily people... I have 6 Passports... I still wonder about Passport beacons being added to non-MS sites.

If something can be abused it will be.

[Deja Q]

19. Wasn't that in the color laser printers only, because its output is

comparatively permanent?

If they have designed the same output for inkjets, I wouldn't be surprised though.

[salvorhardin]

21. AFAIK just color lasers (for now)

Dutch track counterfeits via printer serial numbers
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1002274598

"Canon takes the issue of security extremely seriously," said Anna McIntyre, PR manager at Canon Europe. "That is why Canon feels that early prevention is crucial and has fitted all its color machines with anti-counterfeit detection technology."

"Canon works closely with the relevant national and international authorities to ensure that the opportunities for its products to be misused are minimized. With security becoming increasingly important to businesses, Canon strives to ensure all its products leave organizations confident in the knowledge that its printer/copiers can only be used to produce legal documentation."

Sources familiar with the printer industry confirm this built-in security is in fact a unique number that is printed on every color page. The code, in yellow, can be printed on a line as thin as 0.1 millimeter.

Yes. Let's make sure you can never "misuse" your printer... or scanner, or computer, or mp3 player or TV or...

On edit: I own a Canon Pixma iP4000 color inkjet and absolutely love it and thanks to the folks over at turboprint.de it even works in Linux. However, things like the statements above and the fact that apparently one needs to send it to the factory to have what basically amounts to a sponge replaced (takes up excess ink) makes me far less likely to buy another Canon product in the future. If I had more space I'd seriously consider picking up an old HP Laserjet 4.

[idiosyncratic]

8. Never, never use M$IE. The Opera browser is great

and it doesn't allow ActiveX. I've used it for more than two years and it makes my Internet browsing safe and fun!

Opera

[slutticus]

27. Opera's awesome.

I've used it for a couple of years now.

[idiosyncratic]

55. You are right. Awesome is a great adjective to use for Opera!

I use the Notes feature all the time, and I had lots of fun customizing the .ini files . . . something I had never done before.

[alexisfree]

9. Get Mac.. It Rocks. Screw Micro$oft

Just like cell phones we can triangulate your posisition to withen 10-15 feet. IN LIKE 30 Seconds..

[ulTRAX]

10. if something can be abused....... it WILL be abused.

Here's MS's reassurance to the public that this program will not seek personal data http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/PrivacyInfo.aspx?displaylang=en

If there is ANY simple truth when it comes to privacy..... if something can be abused, it will be abused. We should have learned that from DoubleClick which once was happy with tracking cookies and promised it really did not want any personal identifiable info. Then in 98 it changed its policy and said it would merge all databases, connect personal data to tracking data, and considered it all their own to sell as they wished.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

12. Another reason I switched to Firefox

Drop IE and Go to FireFox! It's free and better!

[ulTRAX]

16. It may not matter

if you read the MS material... they are saying they might REQUIRE Windows Validation to get Windows updates. If true then using FF is no protection unless they have an alternate way to validate without the ActiveX plugin.

[pinniped]

13. No Internet Exploder for me either. Opera/Firefox.

What is all this validation crap?

I never had to validate shit but I don't download from M$ either.

[Solon]

14. Microsoft is full of a bunch of control freaks...

I swear it pushed me to Linux with that activation crap that they pulled with XP. Bunch of stupid bullshit that they pull, I could only hope they go out of business, or lose a shitload of marketshare because of this crap.

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Never, EVER use Active-X...

and if a site requires it, there's another site just as good that doesn't. Usually.

Here's my solution-- one machine of whatever type strictly for online work. A cheap Mac or Linux box will do. Or Win98. Good mail, browser and usenet apps available, and many of the best are cross platform.

If you got the big investment in Windoz, then have a seperate box just for the important work. They can be safely connected to share data, printers, etc without the big box being exposed to prying eyes.

[Elwood P Dowd]

23. You can buy an early/recon eMac for $599.00

or one of the older iMac G3s for about $400.00 if you want something safe and reliable for online work.

[TreasonousBastard]

29. Been looking at the mini-Mac...

that Apple's now got on their site for sale.

500 bucks gets you a G-4 and pretty much everything else you need. I've got boxes of keyboards, mice, and monitors lying around, so that's no big deal. Only 2 USB ports, but that can be dealt with. Drivers for my printers and cameras shouldn't be any problem. Nor should file sharing over the network be a problem.

iWork looks like it will do just about everything I use WordPerfect for, too. Eudora and Opera and/or Mozilla for the Mac pretty well rounds out things. I don't think there's a Mac newsreader comparable to Agent, but that's the least of my worries.

I've got the GIMP, various versions of Picture Publisher, and a whole slew of downloaded free stuff and all the crap that came with cameras, scanners and printers for graphics, so I don't really have to spend money on a Mac for graphics stuff they don't give you with the system.

Yeah, I think I just might get me a mini-Mac.

[linazelle]

28. What's the deal with ActiveX?

:shrug: I see it all the time but never knew it was hazardous.

[TreasonousBastard]

30. I'd have to dig out the details, but...

it's essentially an interactive system where the remote side can play with your computer. At least that's how I remember it.

It's one of Microsoft's ideas for the future of computing, and is supposed to make our lives more interesting and easier. It is entirely optional whether you want to use it or not, and not using it shouldn't make any difference in a legitimate or well designed website. Microsoft insists on it when diagnosing your machine, and there are some places, like PC Pitstop and maybe some hardware vendors, that use it for the same reasons.

Other than that, not that many web designers really use it for anything but some added overhead and glitz. It seems to be mainly used by script kiddies and porn sites to hack into your machine. Attacking your machine is so much easier when there's a huge, gaping window with a "Welcome" sign.

[Jack_DeLeon]

25. Somehow...

I suspect my version of Windows XP Pro Corporate will not have any problems with this if I take the proper precautions.

However people who actually pay for thier products will be hassled with this and loose more privacy.

[Brian_Expat]

31. I've had it, I'm switching back to Macintosh

I tried out Windows.

SP2 destroyed the hard disk on my PC and I had to reinstall EVERYTHING from scratch and revalidate everything from scratch. Goodbye Weekend.

Then IE let spyware get installed on my computer despite high security settings. I had to spend hours uninstalling spyware. I ended up switching to Firefox but IE is still invoked by every Microsoft application even though I've set Firefox as my default browser. Microsoft won't let me choose another browser!

There's a new "security" update every few days for some new hole. Viruses are everywhere. Spending $100 per year is REQUIRED just to keep your computer from getting nuked by viruses or security holes in Windows.

Microsoft seems more interested in getting my personal data than in getting my computer working the way it should. Every time I install extensions to the system there's some incompatibility between programs that makes the entire system run slow or crash all the time.

I've tried Linux -- it's very hard to use and restrictive in the hardware it works with. It couldn't drive my printer, for instance. It also suffers from lots of poor design. . . for instance, you have to open up "packages" to install software but about half the time, the software doesn't install because you're missing various pieces of software that you have to look up and install yourself. That's NOT intuitive, sorry. And Linux has less useful software for it than any other PC OS.

My next computer will be a Macintosh. Apple isn't perfect (one reason I tried out the PC in fact), but compared to Microsoft they're a breath of fresh air. Most of the stuff you read about software being hard to find or expensive isn't true -- in fact, I'm going to use the included software plus the Aqua-enabled version of OpenOffice -- a free software suite. My music files will move back to the Mac just as easily as they moved over to the PC before. And I won't have to put up with Microsoft's concern over introducing new privacy-killing "features" when they should be focused on making an operating system that isn't a welcome sign for viruses, trojan horse software, and hackers. :mad:

Frankly I cannot wait to upgrade.

[Solon]

32. What distro of Linux have you used?

I have Mepis, a debian based distro, recognized all my hardware instantly, plus its a live CD which means that you can boot off the CD-Rom, try it out, and then run the installer and install it on disk if you want. Linux has improved by leaps and bounds in how it handles usability. There are tons of distros, plus you can even play you favorite games on it, such as DOOM3, with less hardware requirements than Windows!

[phylny]

37. I've been unwilling to download SP2 for this very reason.

I know some people have no problem with it, but I'm very wary.

Has anyone here downloaded SP2 and NOT had a problem?

[ulTRAX]

38. No "Problems" With SP2.... But I HATE IT

It's a tacit admission of the security flaws in IE that the only way MS could "fix" IE was to sabotage it.

SP2 has this annoying security bar that blocks ActiveX and scripts unless you OK it. But SP2 is such a dumb bludgeon that it blocks harmless things like a simple Javascript "back" button. So each time you OK a page you get an annoying pop up asking if you're sure... then the entire page has to reload... infuriating for us dial up types. I tried to sign up for Napster and after going though this 4 pages in a row I gave up. I called SP2 support and the only way the Security Bar could be disabled was to manually change security setting to allow anything to happen. Ya right.

Since then I found you can place each site you trust on he safe list but this is still a pain in the ass. The MS anti-sypware beta tool seems a more intelligent tool to protect IE than the idiotic SP2.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

52. I have a mac at home- use a PC at work.

SP2 broke quite a few of my work programs. Wasted a day re-installing mapping software- (after having to find the CDs used for the install!) and trying their list of 50 different "fixes" that had helped previous users. . . I also had some shareware on that PC (yes- work related!) that no longer works, and is also no longer being maintained by the developer.
Oh well.

[ulTRAX]

39. TO CHECK YOUR ACTIVE X LIST

If you want to see what ActiveX plug-in's you have on your PC... doing the following:

In IE go to TOOLS
INTERNET OPTIONS

Under TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES go to
SETTINGS

Then VIEW OBJECTS

This will be a list of the ActiveX modules integrated into IE.

I have no intention of again letting the validation program on my PC but it downloads something called GenuineCheck.exe and the plugin, whatever its name was easily identifiable. Just right click to bring up the delete option on any plug-in you don't want.

[tiredofthisstuff]

41. You guys are missing to real problems.

Besides IE, Active X, and Passport Beacons there is a host of other dangerous modules in Windows XP. Here is a list of services that can be used to track your movement.

1. Automatic Updates (Windows & Norton)
2. Computer Browser (Used to browse for computers on your network- Also Easily Hackable)
3. Distributed Link Tracking Client
4. Error Reporting
5. Indexing Service
6. IPSEC Services
7. Messenger (Not the .net version- The built in Windows One)
8. Network DDE
9. Network Location Awareness
10.Network Provisioning Service
11.Performance Logs and Alerts
12.Portable Media Serial Number
13.Remote Registry (Most News Making Hacks Are Done Through This Service.)
14.SSDP Discovery Service
15.Windows Time (Connects To Microsoft To Update your time- Have seen this service send 1MB of data to Microsoft?? WTF

All of these services can safely be turned off (Because they rarely do anything for you.)

A great site with more information on these services is www.blackviper.com . The site goes in depth on the service, what they do, and how to turn them off.

[Solon]

57. Oh yes, I remember disabling all that shit...

Indexing in particular, but I did it for performance only, didn't think about security. Hell I'm still pissed that I bought Windows Crippleware, XP Home for $100 dollars, and I can't set file or folder permissions? :wtf: Fuck that shit, get linux and you'll be happier.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

49. What's to stop MS to merge this program with MS Passport?

Uhhhhhh, they have a mandate, I mean, they must, just look at how many rubes use their software!!!! Say hello to the penguin... I did, ain't looking back.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

50. If you get a copy of linux... I use Mandrake... you can install it onto yo

free space on your HD and it will coexist with Windoze. You will be given a boot menu to choose either Windoze or Linux to boot to. This would give you time to get familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Linux, learn its browser (a very good one, I was given three separate browsers with my install, Mandrake 10.1 beta) and you know... start to feel confident about it.

Linux will "see" all of your Windoze files, so you can still access your "stuff" in /mnt /win_c ... it's something to think about people.... nothing like competition to straighten out the behavior of a behemoth such as MS.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

51. Ibex Linux Systems Cheap

http://www.ibexpc.com/

http://www.ibexpc.com/linuxsystems.html

Customize your very own Linux compatible system online. Our professional team of technicians will then build your system to order using the specifications you have selected. Your custom computer system is fully tested for 24 hours prior to delivery. All hardware and software components are tested under heavy load to ensure reliability.

Our IbexPC computers come complete with a 1-year parts & labor warranty. Please allow 2-3 business days for assembly and burn-in before shipping.

If you wish to configure a system with specific hardware please give us a call at 1-877-438-4239.

[Ron Green]

64. MY EXPERIENCE: Windows sucked for years (3.1, 95, 98, XP) ... I got a Mac

and my life got so much better. I'm just a user, though. I just want the damn thing to work.

[The River]

65. I Was Just Given a Nearly New G3

and it's gathering dust. Maybe it's time to change?
Like you, I've been a PC user since 3.1
The only thing I do on line (these days) is read web
pages. Is a G3 adequate for web surfing only?
Which browser works best on a Mac?

[Ron Green]

66. I use Safari, which came with OSX 10.3. It's been great for me.