Why I don't use the Windows Operating System

[formercia]

http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/409

Windows genuine disadvantage
Mark Rasch, 2006-07-05

A recent lawsuit filed against Microsoft should have all companies reexamining their privacy policies to determine what information they are actually collecting about customers, and what they can possibly do with it.
Click here for Core!!

“ Indeed, the EULA here is more onerous and less clear than that which the FTC found actionable for online spyware manufacturer Odysseus, who purported to allow people to download software to make Kazaa P2P software anonymous, but which actually collected personal information and sent adware to the users. In plain terms, spyware EULAs aren't enforceable, and the WGA license sure sounds like a spyware EULA. ”

What would you call a computer program that surreptitiously installed itself onto your computer, collected personal information about you without your knowledge or effective consent, was difficult or impossible to remove, installed pop-up banners that constantly harassed you, and presented significant security vulnerabilities?

-snip-

Indeed, those who were the "victims" of software piracy and who presumably wanted to "get legal" were the ones who purchased OEM products that were unlicensed – and they were the ones being forced by Microsoft to "walk the plank." Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh. It's not like Microsoft was going after the OEM manufacturers and distributors of unlicensed product, obtaining monetary judgments and then giving that money to the purchasers of the products. No, the enforcement actions were aimed at obtaining license fees and civil and criminal sanctions for the company, all the while the company was claiming that the unwitting purchasers were the victims. In fact, even if the Redmond giant successfully squeezed license fees or other sanctions from the OEM selling the unlicensed software, they still retained the right, through the WGA program, to go after the individual (and possibly unwitting) purchasers for the license fees again. Well, life 'aint fair. Deal with it.

-snip-

So, you say, "this doesn't apply to me. I bought my computer before this program was announced.

Remember those annoying little bubbles that pop up and tell you that updates are ready to download? Yup, that's how the program was installed on your machine. Too late....

Decide for yourself....

[Warpy]

1. Hey, it gets to be a problem

I go to Linux.

It hasn't been a problem thus far.

[Deja Q]

2. There's a part of WPA that frequently scans the system and sends info back

and never mind how a recent "high priority" upgrade was Microsoft Spyware that infringes users' rights.

I've got Windows 2000 and XP legal, which I use under emulation Linux if I must. Most apps out there are Linux native (and don't use WINE, thank goodness.)

Linux is there, is stable, FreebSD is Mac OS X sans the cost. There is no excuse on the part of people, unless it's indolence or basic stupidity, in order to make an effort to switch.

[formercia]

3. It's not that difficult once you see how it's done.

The new versions of open software are much easier to set up. The new Xorg video set up utility works great and the use of the Hardware Abstraction Layer to determine what devices are connected is better than Windows in a lot of cases.

The best way to learn is go to a user group meeting and have someone show you the ropes, especially software. UNIX geeks can be a bit cryptic when naming programs. It's a status symbol to have as few characters possible in a program name.

[LaurenG]

6. In my case it could be basic stupidity or indolence

Linux just seems foreign, like a language I have no way to interpret. Admittedly I backed off before I had a clue about how to even load it. It scared me.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. Well..... if you look at these.... you mightn't find it too awful scary,

then again, you can use a Windoze based unit to do your office stuff on and a Linux based unit to surf and chat with all of us.

Another option is to load windows, DISABLE the network card in Windoze only, and then load Linux and choose which OS to boot at the startup menu "Lilo".

[Irreverend IX]

34. Those are some archaic desktops...

For a look at modern Linux desktops, check out this desktop thread in a Linux forum:

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=206839

[formercia]

11. Linux and the BSDs work on old hardware

The computer i'm using now, I cobbled together about 10 years ago and it still runs faster that my wife's Windows powered laptop with 250% more cpu speed and it starts up and shuts down just as fast as when first set up. It started out as a Windows machine but when Microsoft went to XP/2000, I turned my back and walked away.

and it's free, so is software except for a few and far between specialty software titles. None that I use.

[yellowjacket]

28. Um, get a clue.

Linux is an operating system designed by nerds for nerds. This is not a critique on any version of Windows or Mac OS. What I'm talking about here is strictly usability issues with Linux.

I have run many different flavors including Red Hat, SuSE, Mandrake, among others and I can honestly say that if Linux mongers think their OS is going to gain any kind of market share over Windows or Mac because it's "easy to use" they're in for a big surprise.

It's easy enough to install, as long as you understand the concept of a boot sector and logical vs. physical drives and are willing to blindly partition magic your drive at the risk of all your other data. I'll do it without problems but I've been using computers at a high level for 15 years now.

So you get it installed, now what?

Oh guess what? The reason your CD-ROM drive doesn't work is because you have to write scripts to mount and unmount your drives. What, you didn't know that? You must be indolent and stupid. Is writing the scripts hard? Not really, but most people would assume that they're broken if the things won't open when you hit the eject button.

Want to print something? Sorry, CUPS blows, especially if you have a USB printer. My HP PSC 750 is not recognized by hardly any flavor of Linux out there. I can't print, but at least I'm safe from those evil viruses and hackers.

Internet? What's that? There's no native support for wireless Internet cards in most versions of Linux. What? You don't know whether your card has an ORINOCO or Prism chipset? Why you must be indolent or stupid or something! Go get those TAR balls and get cracking!

You see, Linux is slick and it's probably fun to play with for a little while, but when simple features like wireless Internet and printing don't work out of the box, people just aren't going to use it. It's designed for people who want to tweak the kernel and basically just geek out all day. I think that secretly most of the Linux community wants to keep it this way because they like having something exclusive.

Honestly, the only redeeming thing about Linux I've experienced so far is LBreakout2, which is very addictive. Other than that, gimme Windows XP any day. At least stuff works.

[Irreverend IX]

33. Tried Ubuntu Linux lately?

The problem with most Linux criticism I read is that it reflects Linux as it was 2-4 years ago. Writing scripts to mount your CD drives? That's been automatic for a long time with the major distros, including Ubuntu, which I use. Ubuntu also handles most wireless cards and I've heard printing is pretty easy, though I don't print myself. For people who want a general-use computer to browse the net, work on documents, email, IM and so forth, Linux is more than enough. The only places it falls short are in games and specialized apps like CAD, graphics work, etc., and since the system practically takes care of itself (no defragging or antivirus subscriptions and automatic updates with Ubuntu) users don't have to worry about continually tweaking and patching their system as in Windows.

[politicat]

4. Yep. Mac user.

Not because I especially like Apple (they have their moments of Microsoft greediness too) but because it's stable, doesn't spy on me and didn't cost me any more than a comparable windows box would have. And I'm not patient enough to deal with Ubantu or some other flavor. (I've had yellow dog on some of our macs. It's okay.) I just want the stupid thing to work.

I've got a legal copy of XP Home installed on the bootcamp partition, but only because I have 1 app that I use for work that requires IE in a windows environment. (Oh, and the occasional game, but that doesn't count.)

[Poiuyt]

15. Yep. Me too

How is running XP on a Mac working for you? Better than Virtual PC I presume.

[formercia]

19. Just bought an older I-Book

Since OSX is derived from FreeBSD. Nice for travel and the Power PC chip makes it even more resistant against malicious code. Lots more overhead for the extra eye candy.

I wonder about them going to the Intel Processor though....

[politicat]

25. Seriously so.

There's still the concern about viri and spyware and such, so it's not perfect, but since I'm willing to blow away the installation once a month (I only NEED Windows at month-end), I'm not terribly worried. I'm also pretty sure that I'm going to put my next install on an external hard drive instead of on my laptop.

Here's the thing: If you gotta buy a Macbook or a Macbook Pro and you don't desperately need the PCMCIA (or whatever they're calling it now), get the Macbook, and buy it with the top of the line processor, but the bottom end hard drive and minimal RAM. Then get the hard drive from Other World Computing and the RAM from Small Dog. You'll save about $500, and have the same machine as a MBP. The MB and the MBP have the same motherboard, processors, optical drives, ports, bus and resolution; both can dual-head (external monitor) and both have bluetooth and wireless. The Macbook is a little more robust, being built for students, and a LOT cheaper. RAM and Hard drives install almost as easily as inserting a CD (they took me 10 minutes for both). The major difference other than the PCMCIA is that the MBP has a somewhat faster video card, but with the RAM maxed out and a fast hard drive, it really doesn't show.

One other thing - the MB shows dirt. I've got blue stains on mine from hair dye.

[davidwparker]

17. I'm heading in that direction too. The last Mac was a Powerbook. The

next one will be a desktop. I'm thinking about pursuing my Comp Sci masters and would really like to have a powerful machine with the 30" monitor. Bootcamp allows me to invest more in Mac hardware for those times when work also requires that I use MS.

[Minnesota Libra]

5. I use the Firefox browser but how would I switch to Linux for a.....

.....total operating system without loosing everything such as software and personal files??

In case anyone needs to know in order to offer advice I'm using Win XP Home right now. I can't say I'm disappointed in the performance of XP (although I absolutely hated 2000) but my main gripe is Windows being able to snoop on my system enough to know when/if I need updates.

As far as I know Firefox, Opera, Linux, etc do not snoop at all - in fact they prevent snooping.

So, if someone can help me out here - on how to get rid of Win XP if I choose to - I would definitely appreciate it.

Thank you ahead of time for any/all advice.

[blogslut]

7. you might try this

Get a program called X-Setup. It's a system tweaker that will allow you to set Windows Update as "DONE". Then get a program called BigFix that will search your comp and provide links for Windows updates without ever having to log onto the Windows Update site.

http://www.x-setup.net/
http://www.bigfix.com/

[Minnesota Libra]

13. Thank you so much for these links. I will indeed download.......

.....and use them.

:applause: Thank you again. :applause:

[Madrone]

20. Your best solution = Ubuntu.

Download Ubuntu (or find someone on a broadband connection that can do it for you) and burn it as an ISO. Boot your computer from the cd.

The best thing about this is Ubuntu will run from the cd and leave your Windows install untouched. When and if you choose to install it to your hard drive you can do so easily from an icon the the desktop.

When you boot Ubuntu you will find it very usable. It includes (among many others) Firefox, the Evolution mail/PIM client, OpenOffice, Gimp for photo editing, etc.

I believe this would be your best option, it allows you to dip your toes in the water and become comfortable with no complication or fear of losing everything you're already somewhat comfortable with (ie: windows).

[Minnesota Libra]

26. Cool, thanks much!!! I will try that - this sounds.............

.....like my best bet. Thanks so much for this advice.:hug:

on edit: The more I read about this the more I like it. I already have Firefox and absolutely love that so this just fits right in. I didn't know the Ubuntu even existed so I thank you again for passing this along to me.

[formercia]

38. There's also a version for the Mac n/t

[formercia]

39. This reply is via Ubuntu

I downloaded the PC version yesterday with my I-Book and burned a CD that I used today to boot up on my 10 Year old homebrew PC. It takes a while on the old CD-ROM, but it works fine.

Try breaking into my machine now you government rat bastards.

You do need a lot of memory, though. I have 256 MEG and it's barely enough. Just ran top and I have 2233K free.

[blogslut]

24. No problem

I'm not a Tech. I'm not a programmer. I know just enough about computers to make mine work. Believe it or not, I am writing this from a 133MGHZ laptop running Windows 95 and am connected through a 56K modem. My other comp has more RAM and a faster chip with a DSL connection and it's running on Windows 98. I plan to upgrade to Win 2000 but that's as far as I will go. When Win 2000 gets to a point where it's unsupported by most software, I'll buy a MAC.

As for other operating systems, I will continue to learn about them and when I find one I can figure out, I'll give it a shot as well.

[formercia]

44. If you have an older computer

There is a version of Ubuntu called xubuntu which will run on 128Megs of RAM. It's what i'm using now. It uses the xfce desktop which has lower overhead than the GNOME desktop used in Ubuntu.
Booting from a CD-ROM is slow but once loaded is pretty snappy.
Nice for working in hostile environments. Once you power down, everything disappears since it all runs in RAM. Turn off the power while running does no harm and leaves no trace.

[WiseButAngrySara]

8. How does one get rid of those frigging pop ups? I have tried to eliminate

them by deleting MS Windows update information files, after searching for all files with these key words, but to no avail. Every time I log on to the internet, I have to check the 'notify me again in 24 hours'!!! It is frustrating beyond all belief!

[Minnesota Libra]

12. First of all get rid of Internet Explorer and Netscape, go to...........

....http://www.mozilla.com and download Firefox, you will be so much happier once you get rid of IE and Netscape. You can set Firefox to black all but the ads you allow. I never see any ads at all - ever.

[WiseButAngrySara]

14. I tried that, but AOL was somehow incompatible and I had to reset to

IE. Currently I'm subscribed to both AOL and PeoplePC, and I hope to be able to get rid of AOL (I hate it!) and I'm in the process of changing over to PeoplePC, but they require IE or one other option...not Firefox!

I just want to get rid of all of the Windows Update Pop-ups! The People PC has Pop-Up blocker for all other ads.

[Minnesota Libra]

16. Check out post #................

.....# 7 and see if that addresses your issue.

[petersjo02]

21. I use People PC also

and use Firefox with it without any problems. So I think you have a misunderstanding about compatibility of People PC and Firefox, for some reason.

[magellan]

30. I believe you need IE for the PeoplePC install to work

But once installed you can use whatever browser you like! And Firefox's pop-up blocker and Adblock extension are far better than PeoplePC's blocker alone.

As for Windows Update pop-ups, those don't come from your browser but your OS. You can turn them off by going to START-->CONTROL PANEL-->AUTOMATIC UPDATES. Then choose "Turn off automatic updates", but be aware, you still have to go out to Micro$oft to check for updates if you want to keep your system up to date -- and that still involves a scan of your computer. The only way to safely avoid Windows updates looking at your computer is to stop using Windows, unfortunately.

[WiseButAngrySara]

31. Thanks so much for ALL of your info! I've had so much trouble

getting rid of AOL (I'm still working on it) and it has prevented me from adequately installing PeoplePC.com. I'll definately retry Firefox once I get rid of AOL for good---if that's possible! They intentionally imbed their files all over the place, and I was told that I have to delete all of AOL files from the regedit, which I'm scared to death to do---AOL lied to me not once, but twice about how easy it was to uninstall! Their files have contaminated so much! My Internet Explorer still reads that it is 'provided by AOL' for example, after uninstalling AOL, and deleting adapters, dial-up networking files and deleting many others! I'm surprised that a class action law suit has not been filed against AOL. There are tons of unhappy ex-AOL users out there!

I don't have automatic updates files in my control panel. I might have deleted them thinking that would rid me of those annoying pop-ups!

Thanks again!

[magellan]

37. Oh, the dreaded AOL

If I'd known you were facing the slog of uninstalling AOL I would have sent flowers and valium! :crazy:

Okay, on the off chance that you're using AOL 9.0 on something like XP, here are uninstall instructions I found that were put together by people as frustrated as you...and it seems quite straightforward. Or let me know what version of AOL you're running and I'll hunt around some more. Give me your Windows version as well because I can help you deal with Windows Updates. PM me if you prefer!

People, Here it is, the correct way to unistal AOL 9.0 SE

Before I unistalled ANYTHING.. I deleted all the icon links on the desktop just to be safe as I read someone ran into a problem that they were unable to delete the icon once the program was removed. This probably wouldn't be the case, but why not take a small precaution to prevent a future potential headache.

First do the obvious. Control Center> Add/Remove Programs> Uninstal AOL. This will remove the BS that the program installs. I believe there is 4 optional programs that are available to remove at this point. The Virus Scan crap, and 3 other items that you check to have removed. After it is removed RESTART YOUR COMPUTER!

After you computer boots up, go back to the same place and remove the other 4 AOL products that are in the list. AOL DIALER, AOL Photo Album, AOL Connectivity Services, and some other odd AOL program. You will see the "Uninstall AOL" option still, but first remove this crap. RESTART COMPUTER after you have removed these items!!

Now one last thing! After reboot, Go back to that "Uninstall AOL" in the Add/Remove Programs section. You should only have one AOL item in your list at this point. That Item is the "Uninstall AOL" option with the little annoying AOL icon. Click on that baby one last time!

Now the screen will read "searching for AOL crap" while it is doing that pay close attention to the bottom right corner of your monitor where the time is, this area is called the "notification area". Here you will find programs that are running in the background. Here you will also see a new icon appear as the AOL Unistall is "searching" for whatever it is searching for. RIGHT CLICK ON THIS NEW ICON THAT APPEARS. A menu pops up and asks you what AOL product you want to uninstall. If you already removed every damn addon AOL sneaks on your computer, then you should only have one choice..." AOL 9.0 SE"

Check this box, and click uninstall.. reboot and voila, gone. Check your add/remove programs and you will not see anything, well, unless you decided to keep AIM, which I did, as it is how 75% of the world comunicates these anti-social days.

I briefly went through the registry and did not see any left over AOL crap.

++++++

Oh yea, 1 more thing. If you go to the Start Menu, then to "Search" then "files or folders" Search "My Computer" and type AOL in the "all or part of a file name" field and type: AOL

This will pull up anything on your computer that is AOL related. You will be amazed where they hide install files and random crap. Delete it right from this screen. I had about 40 AOL related items to remove. Some were folders AOL created for saved items, some were Install files in case you change your mind and want to reinstall (HAH!!!) and some are documents with AOL script that you dont want. I deleted it all, restart my PC, and it's blazing fast again. YAY for AOL sucking the fat one.

Siqbeatz

[joeunderdog]

18. I sometimes have trouble getting pictures to load because of my

Security and Mozilla. Since I changed to Firefox, when I rightclick to show a pic thatt's X'd out it brings me to a blank screen. Can't figure it out.

[Minnesota Libra]

29. Yes, I occasionally have the same experience...........

.....and sometimes if I click on the options tab it doesn't do much. I may be wrong but I assume it's because those sites may be dangerous because other sites indeed open. So I don't try to change anything if I've clicked on "options" with no success.

[MrPrax]

10. Disable it?

It's not like there is a shortage of places to go for instructions on 'how to remove and/or disable WGA'...

http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/04/workarounds-to-disable-non-genuine.html
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/04/26/disable-and-remove-windows-genuine-advantage-notifications-nag-screen/
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/03/07/bypass-and-disable-genuine-windows-validation-check/
http://home19.inet.tele.dk/jys05000/use-automatic-updates-to-get-updates.htm

and from M$ concerning the 'pilot' version of WGA:
How to disable or uninstall the pilot version of Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=921914

or from PC Doctor taking issue with the MS version of the workaround and offering this correction:
http://www.pcdoctor-guide.com/wordpress/?p=3104

I mean it's Microsoft Windows for god sakes...they don't make anything that works right.

Stop whinning and get to work
(BUT IF YOU HAVE TO DELETE -- BACK IT UP or learn how to do a system restore prior to your tickering)

[ecoalex]

22. Dump Mr Bill

Get all open source software, free os, browsers security email all free.

Linux Mepis OS

Opera browser

Google email

Fastone image viewer

The list is endless, and FREE

So much all free, and much more secure and PRIVATE

Tell Mr Bill to take a Flying Leap =)

[MrPrax]

23. I give people advice to their

computer problems...I don't go fuck them around.

If your a Nux user you know damn well that this 'advice' is irresponsible and will only cause days and days of frustration for people who have every right to demand that their computers perform the simple tasks that they require.

In all honesty, windows is NOT -- repeat --is NOT a bad O/S for the general public that is not like us--Geeks...there have been substantial inmprovements and M$ has in many cases listen to it's sharpest critics. I don't like the way M$ does business--but I am realistic and I don't attack people for making the same choice as 92% of all the computer users on the planet.

I usually post this type of advice to people rather than piss them off with pointless personal attacks on CEOs.

[WiseButAngrySara]

32. I enjoyed your posts! Thanks for the links and info. Do you have any

advise and/or experience on the problems associated with uninstalling AOL? I have uninstalled AOL program files then rebooted, and uninstalled all AOL adapters, and rebooted, and I still had 143 files named AOL and 102 files containing text with 'AOL'after 'uninstalling.' In addition to the above steps it was suggested that I uninstall dial up networking by unchecking the check mark on communications in the Windows set up tab and then rebooting and replacing the check mark. And...I was told to regedit delete all AOL files...It would take me days to do this!

BTW, one of the sites that I checked into about 'how to uninstall AOL' suggested the site home6.inet.tele.dk for cleaning up unwanted stuff on your computer. I notice you have listed the same link but with a different numbe and function. I'm taking this as an approval for this site? If so, I'll check it out.

Thanks again for your useful info!

[SoCalDem]

27. I pay for my software, and have never had a problem

I know that lots of people hate MS, but someone like me would never have been able to use a computer without the ease of MS..

[rman]

36. When is the last time you tried a linux distro?

How do you know ms windows is so much easier to use?

Most modern linux distos allow you to try it without installing anything.

[kineneb]

35. happy and poor penguinista

Linux is great for those of us who have older hardware and are unable to afford expensive software. I still have, and use, an IBM Thinkpad 600E (366 Pentium II!) as well as my "new" desktop with a 1.8 GHz processor. Both are running versions of SUSE Linux. I am thinking about trying Ubuntu on the Thinkpad.

I can't afford MS products- my priorities include paying the monthly bill for the cable modem and affording gasoline. I learned to love Linux after breaking Win 98 once too often. Sure, it is not for everyone, but for those of us with older equipment and a strict budget, it is wonderful. It is also very popular in Third World countries for the same reasons.

[sg_]

40. Question....

is there any distro of linux that can read and write to ntfs drives?. Last time i checked, the ones i looked at could only read.

Any expertise appreciated!.

[negativenihil]

42. As it stands now

Linux support for working with NTFS is limited to reading and modifying *existing* files. For whatever reason creating new files on an ntfs drive is not yet possible.

As much as i hate to say this, the optimal way for sharing data on say a dual boot system would be to retain your windows data on a fat32 partition (*shudder*).

check this out btw- http://www.linux-ntfs.org/

[The Revolution]

41. You could just not install it.

When the little popup tells you updates are ready to install, just tell it not to install WGA...and if you already installed it, you can get rid of it (it's a little tricky, but it can be done).

[negativenihil]

43. Just as quickly as this was announced and released...

there were means to disable and work around this latest rev of WGA.

Also, having a properly firewalled network can help make sure no data is sent out to MS, but that's really outside the scope of this post :)