A group of state attorneys general urged a federal judge on Tuesday to hold Microsoft to a 2002 antitrust settlement another five years so that the company can't stymie embryonic Web 2.0 rivals of its Windows operating system. According to six states - California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Massachusetts - and the District of Columbia, Microsoft could use its Internet Explorer browser as a 'chokepoint' to block moves that might unseat Windows dominant position on the desktop. 
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Member since:2006-03-12
"have absolutely 110% nothing against Linux. I do however get quite annoyed by many of the users who seem to only use Linux simply because they hate Microsoft, which is idiotic to say the least. It seems quite apparent that even in 2007 the Linux community would prefer to just whine and cry about Microsoft, instead of focusing on improving Linux."
I object to your post for two reasons. The first being I object to an on topic-comment followed by an off-topic rant.
The second being the lie about the myth that people use linux because they hate Microsoft, or that any criticism of Microsoft is driven by hate. Why can't linux users like the greater maintainability, the fact that they get a new OS in Ubuntu's case every 6 months, or like the greater maintainability, or the cheaper cost, great applications like k3b, greater security or stability, or replace a broken Microsoft install, greater choice of applications, or even a little bit of fun, but for all these reasons Millions of users are now using Linux, Many Companies are building products with it and on top of it. Growth in Linux is through the roof, even with all the monopolistic abuses, not because of them.
Thats ignoring the second part that Microsoft is a monopoly and an abusive one, who use lock-in everywhere, recent news involving patent threats *again*, and the outrageous abuses of the iso standard, or unpleasant things like WGA(sic); OGA(sic); DRM(sic); trusted computing(sic) etc etc. or the simple fact that Vista is not WOW, and I posted in this very thread people forget that 95 was, and had none of this garbage.
The crazy thing is as someone locked into the monopoly why arn't you complaining more than me.
Now alternative genuine concern about interoperability with 90+ OS's out their when we want to use Video chat; play music/video, or even attach a machine to their network, swap Office documents; browse the Net. These are not whines these are real concerns, and are brought up by Windows Users as *advantages* of *all* Monopolistic Software products.
The bottom line is unless you have had your eyes closed the open-source desktop is here...and improving rapidly while Vista is approaching its first birthday, and even runs on BSD look at the latest BSD distributions. Thats ignoring alternative proprietary Apple OS which has a changes to be envied. The right phase is perhaps "velvet handcuffs", although I don't think the phrase is strong enough.
...but then these concerns are not just limited to one kernel but all alternative OS's and applications/services/hardware that compete with Microsoft ones.
Edited 2007-10-20 06:36
Member since:2007-02-22
I think you mean 'maintenence costs' here -- how often does Linux break things between build? How often does a trivial fix require a recompile just to work again?
And more installation headaches for anyone in a sad enough position to have to maintain them.
A point well made by the engineers who know they will be difficult or impossible to replace (especially if they have 'customized' their OSs) when they ask for another raise.
Which, of course, have no comparison nor superiors in other OSs...
As created by Linux's design goal of using passive security (as opposed to active security)... and then subverted by releasing the source code no-questions-asked to anyone, including the people looking for ways to override it...
No mean feat; if you've managed to break a Windows install, how the heck are you going to get any OS installed in the first place?
(By 'Microsoft' I assume you mean 'Windows'.)
No significant program for Linux has not been ported to other operating systems, while Linux's minders actively try to prevent other programs from working with their operating system; thus, Linux functionality and choice is a subset of the functionality and choice available for all other operating systems.
Hehe. Enjoy your Penguin Solitaire, I only have about twenty thousand games to choose from...
Ah, yes, the all-purpose justification for Linux faults; it's not us, they're just a mean old monopoly, honest.
It can't possibly be the outdated design model, nor the outdated OS architecture, nor the vicious in-fighting over obscure points, nor the decentralized design system causing much duplication of effort, nor the number of mutually exclusive and mutually incompatible options for nearly every part of the OS, nor the clinging to idealism, justification, and zealotry instead of facing the cold harsh reality of your competitors offering superior design and superior enabling technologies... no, all our flaws are because Microsoft has a monopoly. Who are we to point out the king has no clothes?
Member since:
2006-04-22
I find this quite ironic that you would insult someone on their education, then proceed to show a complete lack there of. Microsoft is NOT a convicted monopolist, simply because this does not exist. Then a continuation of merely blind observance of how a corporation operates.
I have absolutely 110% nothing against Linux. I do however get quite annoyed by many of the users who seem to only use Linux simply because they hate Microsoft, which is idiotic to say the least. It seems quite apparent that even in 2007 the Linux community would prefer to just whine and cry about Microsoft, instead of focusing on improving Linux.