Microsoft Taking Official Petitions to Keep XP Alive

Canuck57 wrote:
"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article 3sA0k.80$ze2.10@pd7urf1no,
"Canuck57" wrote:

SNIP

Here is a clue, how about dropping RRS from the distribution where this
is off topic?

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

If you are policing, hunt up the one who added it to the off topic group,
which was not I. And I assume you mean rec.radio.shortwave? Could be some
ISP has a poorly configured news server too. I certainly didn't add that
in.



Nor me

Anyway, it is a change to have some rational discussion on the subject.
One consideration I have with regard to operating systems is that
Microsoft do employ a large number of people in the US and do have
resources to experiment, that is to take on innovative projects that are
not financially disastrous to the company if they fail to find a large
market. Many smaller companies who might develop similar projects would
fail because they would face too much time to market. So yes Microsoft
definitely has a place, no problem with that, but it is going to get
tougher to keep it because until some really new technology appears
there is a limit to what can be added to any operating system, Vista for
example does not add that much to the functionality of XP, but if people
have trouble with it then it actually takes something away from them.

Personally I have found that users quickly get used to the newer Linux
distributions and for work these are just fine. For games of course not
so good, but then you don't want people playing counter strike at work eh?

A side effect of my messing with it at work is that now, maybe 20 people
know there is an alternative OS they can put on the old machine they
can't use because XP/ME is broken and they lost or damaged the CD. As
they haul that out of the closet for the kids to use or as a spare
machine their friends will see it and use it.

This is why I say that MS need to be careful, because at some future
date the rise in the use of alternatives could become exponential,
Linux' problem has been that nobody got familiar with it in their day to
day life. As they do that things could change. Computer stores will have
to offer it, techs will have to learn it, etc.

My IT pro will not adopt Vista if he can avoid it because the company
has no real use for the "Extra" features it offers over XP. Most work
related stuff requires only internet access and text entry with some
spreadsheet work thrown in. Basically we have to have W2003 on one
server per facility, but could equally well use a Linux with open office
for everything, including access to the server (The main data entry
program used is Windows only).

Why would we spend say $1500 each for all new machines in order to do
just what we do now? Over time maybe, IF we could get the networking
between Vista and "Something else" reliable, but that is another issue.

Personally, were I Mr Gates or Mr Ballmer, I think I'd rather see pirate
copies of XP used than have Linux appearing on random desktops, but I'm
not

So I don't really advocate anything, only state what appears to me to be
the obvious. That there is plenty of hardware out there that can be
refurbished, and with the financial situation many people are in now I
can see that happening.

I mean what is XP going to cost, assuming you can get it legitimately in
the future, couple of hundred? Then something like MS Office? Couple of
hundred?

Ubuntu and Open Office - nothing - zilch, maybe the price of a blank CD
of you want to be picky.

Now I happen to like XP, but hey, I am not the one "Taking it away". I
like Vista, but I also have older machines it simply cannot run on,
where XP runs just fine for most things. Debian and Ubuntu run well on
just about anything - although to be honest I did find one old one that
ran XP but not Linux and cannot explain that because it was really too
old anyway and I trashed it.

So you know, it's got to be a valid decision for Microsoft to make -
what happens to XP?

I think my inclination would be to keep selling it, gradually reducing
the price. If not, people will steal it or worse still (IMHO) look
elsewhere. I don;t think you can declare million of machines obsolete in
the space of a year or two.

I don't know any IT pro who really wants to rush out and buy a new OS
the day it is released, especially when the "Core" is radically
different from the previous version. As someone (you?) suggested the
progress on the Linux core should hold far fewer surprises being more
incremental. However to be fair I have noted more "Glitches" in the
current release of Ubuntu than in the version I have at work which is
now maybe 2 years old. Debian is harder to get set up, but rock steady
by comparison. This suggests that as more "Glitz" is added to any OS
more things get unreliable.

So yes, many people like Windows and will continue to do so, those who
don't really care as long as it works reliably may reconsider, and guess
what, those are often the people with hundreds of machines to maintain.

Unknown wrote:
Aren't YOU keeping up with technology. Did you buy a plasma or LCD TV set.
Are you going digital?
Crippled shareware indeed. I don't use virus programs either. I don't shell
out hundreds of bucks every 3 or 4 years. Your words not mine. If you do
that's your business. Media playthings?? Are you a child?

I have always been ahead of technology, not "keeping up". And yes, when
it comes to making music, I am a child.

Microsoft has nothing going for it other than the DirectX graphics
library and strong-arm deals with mass-marketers of inferior hardware.

Unknown wrote:
Very stupid comment. Ever stop to think what causes the crashes?

I shouldn't have to.

Billy Smith wrote:

Consider that a good backup drive from Western Digital costs maybe
100-200 USD and that would protect you from system crashes should they
occur.

How does a mass storage device prevent crashes?


What is quite interesting to me is that often I have Windows Media
player working at the same time as doing QuickBooks, website
development, and working on business projects at the same time. Not to
mention a multitiude of other pop up things like Weatherbug, etc.

Talk about yer power users...


Also, it might be prudent to use some good quality software from a
recognized vendor. The usual cheap way of doing things is not the best
way no matter how much you may save.

I've found that the best software costs nothing.


It isn't always the system that is at fault. In fact, with the new
patches coming up over time the operating systems generally improve.
This isn't precision parts manufacturing for the military jet fighter
brigade.

In broadcasting we don't tolerate crashes and freezing, because it tends
to annoy the audience. On the front lines, computers are very
mission-critical.

That's the indication you have tunnel vision and do not understand the real
problem. It (your tunnel vision) can be caused by
your very negative attitude.
"Adam Albright" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 17:45:47 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

Very stupid comment. Ever stop to think what causes the crashes?

Sure, poor design, bugs and sloppy, bloated untested code.

That's more stupid than the first.
"dave" wrote in message
...
Unknown wrote:
Very stupid comment. Ever stop to think what causes the crashes?

I shouldn't have to.

Easy-------too dumb to keep a job.
"Adam Albright" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 18:03:29 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

If you have to wonder about that you have no business sense whatsoever.

Really? Then maybe you can explain how I managed to retire nearly 20
years ago just a little past 40.

On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:40:23 -0700, dave wrote:


In broadcasting we don't tolerate crashes and freezing, because it tends
to annoy the audience. On the front lines, computers are very
mission-critical.

Talk about annoying the audience, a somewhat new trend in live local
TV news broadcasts in Chicago and I'll assume elsewhere the last few
years is to have a long shot showing the anchors in the foreground
while passerby on the street are shown since it now seems to be the
"in" thing to have a showcase studio at street level. Invariably some
yahoo stares or just has to wave or jump or down or do something dumb,
which in my options totally destroys the anchor's creditability making
the news, suppose to be a serious show, look more like a circus.

Even dumber is the director of CNBC's popular "Fast Money" show that
features motor mouth anchor Dyland Ratigan and four "experts" giving
stock tips each trying to out talk each other. While I find the banter
often interesting, the director constantly makes fast cuts to show one
of the experts not talking while you still hear the one that is. This
probably was a accident originally, but now it seems to be a "feature"
of the show with whoever the director switches to as soon as they're
aware the camera is on them they ham it up, like smirk or roll their
eyes or do something else silly while the other guy is still heard
talking. I don't get it.

Unknown wrote:


Very stupid comment. Ever stop to think what causes the crashes?

I shouldn't have to.

That's more stupid than the first.


(top posting fixed to ensure clarity)


Why should he HAVE to worry about what causes crashes? Any properly
running appliances, such a refrigerators, alarm clocks, etc., cause no
worry OR a need for detective work.

You plug them in and they do their job.





mike

--
Due to the insane amount of spam and garbage, this filter
blocks all postings from Gmail, Google Mail and Google Groups.

http://improve-usenet.org/

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:46:23 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

O.K. You built it and it keeps crashing. That describes you.

I built the system. Microsoft built the operating system. That is what
crashes and has so many security holes in it. Funny thing, I'm not
alone. Check it out:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...Vista+problems

I guess the "WOW" Microsoft use to use to describe Vista must be they
knew Google would find millions of people having problems.

Since you asked, consider this one:

http://security.itproportal.com/arti...rns-microsoft/

It seems Apple's popular browser Safari is a security risk on the
Windows platform and Microsoft just made an official request for
Windows users to stay away from it and not use it.

Oh this is indeed interesting. If you're a true blue Microsoft fan
you're trusting Microsoft crap like Defender and UAC to PROTECT you.

Well not so fast. This issue and THREAT is due to how Windows in both
XP and Vista handles executable files on the desktop, the most logical
place you would have a link to a browser.

Oh you remember, the very things Microsoft claims it wants to protect
you from with Defender and UAC. Guess those things don't work too
well. Surprise!

Honest, you Microsoft apologists make be laugh so hard my ribs hurt.

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:49:05 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

That's more stupid than the first.

This newsgroup is overflowing with stupid comments. Many of them seem
to be coming from guys like you that can't stand to see anyone being
critical of Vista. Sorry to inform you it sounds like you have been
inflicted with the same fatal disease the resident troll Frank has
where the person just rants and screams and keeps making excuses for
Microsoft releasing crap.

"dave" wrote in message
.. .
Unknown wrote:
Very stupid comment. Ever stop to think what causes the crashes?

I shouldn't have to.

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:49:52 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

Easy-------too dumb to keep a job.

My current job is to make idiots like you sound like crackpots. You
make it way too easy since you do all the work.

"Adam Albright" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 18:03:29 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

If you have to wonder about that you have no business sense whatsoever.

Really? Then maybe you can explain how I managed to retire nearly 20
years ago just a little past 40.

With approximately 180 million computers running Windows XP and you have a
problem, does that tell you anything?
"Adam Albright" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:46:23 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

O.K. You built it and it keeps crashing. That describes you.

I built the system. Microsoft built the operating system. That is what
crashes and has so many security holes in it. Funny thing, I'm not
alone. Check it out:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...Vista+problems

I guess the "WOW" Microsoft use to use to describe Vista must be they
knew Google would find millions of people having problems.

Since you asked, consider this one:

http://security.itproportal.com/arti...rns-microsoft/

It seems Apple's popular browser Safari is a security risk on the
Windows platform and Microsoft just made an official request for
Windows users to stay away from it and not use it.

Oh this is indeed interesting. If you're a true blue Microsoft fan
you're trusting Microsoft crap like Defender and UAC to PROTECT you.

Well not so fast. This issue and THREAT is due to how Windows in both
XP and Vista handles executable files on the desktop, the most logical
place you would have a link to a browser.

Oh you remember, the very things Microsoft claims it wants to protect
you from with Defender and UAC. Guess those things don't work too
well. Surprise!

Honest, you Microsoft apologists make be laugh so hard my ribs hurt.

Now YOU have a narrow mind. Do you constantly add new programs to an
appliance?
Do you infect them with the likes of Norton, Symantec or registry cleaners?
Wake up and compare apples to apples.
"m II" wrote in message news:9oT0k.496$7B3.76@edtnps91...
Unknown wrote:


Very stupid comment. Ever stop to think what causes the crashes?

I shouldn't have to.

That's more stupid than the first.


(top posting fixed to ensure clarity)


Why should he HAVE to worry about what causes crashes? Any properly
running appliances, such a refrigerators, alarm clocks, etc., cause no
worry OR a need for detective work.

You plug them in and they do their job.





mike

--
Due to the insane amount of spam and garbage, this filter
blocks all postings from Gmail, Google Mail and Google Groups.

http://improve-usenet.org/

Holy Cow-----Do you ever read your posts and criticize them? You should
talk.
"Adam Albright" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:49:05 -0500, "Unknown"
wrote:

That's more stupid than the first.

This newsgroup is overflowing with stupid comments. Many of them seem
to be coming from guys like you that can't stand to see anyone being
critical of Vista. Sorry to inform you it sounds like you have been
inflicted with the same fatal disease the resident troll Frank has
where the person just rants and screams and keeps making excuses for
Microsoft releasing crap.

"dave" wrote in message
. ..
Unknown wrote:
Very stupid comment. Ever stop to think what causes the crashes?

I shouldn't have to.