Ok, I hate Microsoft but...

[Sooner_Havok]

really? (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/22/microsoft-china)


Chinese internet users have reacted with fury after Microsoft launched an anti-piracy tool to combat the widespread sale of fake software.

People have flooded blogs and bulletin boards to complain it violates their right to privacy - with one lawyer even reporting the firm to security officials for "hacking".

Microsoft dominates the Chinese market and even the president, Hu Jintao, has said he uses its products. But with software piracy as a whole said to stand at over 90%, the firm's profits fail to reflect its popularity.

The new version of its Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy programme turns the on-screen background black every hour if the installed software fails a validation test. Previous versions simply notified users their product was counterfeit.

But the software giant's attempt to protect its intellectual property sparked angry denunciations.

"The computer is mine!" one angry blogger wrote on the popular Chinese web portal Sina.com. "Microsoft has no right to control my hardware without my agreement."

Dong Zhengwei, 35, a Beijing lawyer, has complained to the public security ministry, describing the software giant as the "biggest hacker in China, with its intrusion into users' computer systems without their agreement or any judicial authority".

He told the official China Daily newspaper that he believed the measure breached China's criminal law, adding: "I respect the right of Microsoft to protect its intellectual property, but it is taking on the wrong target with wrong measures. They should target producers and sellers of fake software, not users."

The China Software Industry Association said it also planned to take action against Microsoft, with director Chen Chong telling China Daily that the measure was "very bad".

Critics said Microsoft was putting their information at risk by accessing their computers.

Microsoft says that it collects minimal information. It argues that counterfeit software poses a far greater risk to information security and says that it is helping users who may not be aware that they are using a fake product - and who risk problems such as data corruption or even identity theft.

Yesterday the company claimed that software piracy was costing the United States tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars.

Bitching cause your pirated version of Windows in messing up after the latest update? Maybe I should write a letter to Metallica, the album I got off of the pirate bay was jacked up :rolleyes:

[SicEmBaylor]

I doubt Communists are familiar with the finer points of property rights.

[Sooner_Havok]

I doubt Communists are familiar with the finer points of property rights.

Granted, but do they think they will get anywhere bringing legal action against Microsoft?

[yermom]

morons

that's hilarious

[Sooner_Havok]

Do EULA's not translate well into Chinese?

[yermom]

i don't know why M$ doesn't just give away their OS and make people buy Office, etc... and pay for support

[Sooner_Havok]

i don't know why M$ doesn't just give away their OS and make people buy Office, etc... and pay for support

Cause Open Office is pretty darned good for a free Productivity Suite

[jage]

i don't know why M$ doesn't just give away their OS and make people buy Office, etc... and pay for support

Dude, do you have any idea the kind of engineering that is put into an Operating System?? Building advanced kernels and processes that interact with the hardware for you is a lot harder than most people think, they just don't know it because they turn their computer on and it "works". It takes some very very skilled programmers to write the types of advanced operating systems we have today. Why should people just get it for free??

If you want a free OS, go with Linux and write your own applications or download ones other people have written for free. If you want a free Office like product, check out Open Office 3.0.

[yermom]

Cause Open Office is pretty darned good for a free Productivity Suite

until you try to use it :P

i was trying to edit a resume with it FTL

i'm almost all Unix anymore anyway

[yermom]

Dude, do you have any idea the kind of engineering that is put into an Operating System?? Building advanced kernels and processes that interact with the hardware for you is a lot harder than most people think, they just don't know it because they turn their computer on and it "works". It takes some very very skilled programmers to write the types of advanced operating systems we have today. Why should people just get it for free??

If you want a free OS, go with Linux and write your own applications or download ones other people have written for free. If you want a free Office like product, check out Open Office 3.0.

then you'd think they'd do a better job...

[Sooner_Havok]

until you try to use it :P

i was trying to edit a resume with it FTL

i'm almost all Unix anymore anyway

I got my hands on some of the leaked windows code a while back:eek: :eek: :eek:

M$ needs to go the Mac route and build a whole new OS. include a "Classic Windows" that can emulate the builds since NT to allow people to still use their dated software for a while.

The code in windows right now is ridiculously bloated.

[jage]

then you'd think they'd do a better job...

Just out of curiosity, what parts do you not like about your OS?

I'm not defending MS btw, I like OSX and Linux because of their UNIX security, but I own Vista and find it a pretty cool OS.

[Frozen Sooner]

Heh. "How dare that the operating system that I stole in order to operate my computer do things with my hardware that I didn't want it to do! RIPOFF!!!!"

[yermom]

Just out of curiosity, what parts do you not like about your OS?

I'm not defending MS btw, I like OSX and Linux because of their UNIX security, but I own Vista and find it a pretty cool OS.

"my" OS?

you mean OS X or Fedora? :D

OS X pisses me off the least

M$ basically makes you buy their crap with a new PC, then if you need to reinstall, they treat you like a criminal

then there are the virus/adware/bloating/sluggish issues

[King Crimson]

i switched to ubuntu on my laptop and after this semester is over i'm going to put it on my home machine.

i use vista at my work computer and it's OK...but, i also don't pay for it to be "not a problem".

[jage]

"my" OS?

you mean OS X or Fedora? :D

OS X pisses me off the least

M$ basically makes you buy their crap with a new PC, then if you need to reinstall, they treat you like a criminal

then there are the virus/adware/bloating/sluggish issues

Yes, but part of the sluggish issue is with people who do not upgrade their hardware and expect Vista to be fast. The reason OS X runs so fast is because it runs on Apple's own hardware, which makes it easier for developers to interact with it. If you think OS X wouldn't be sluggish on some machines that people complain about Vista on, you'd be wrong.

The downfall to that though, is that you pay out the a$$ to buy Apple products because of this, where as Microsoft is selling just the OS that can work on any hardware you want.

Viruses and adware are a problem with Microsoft, but that's because Microsoft's OS's out number Macs by such a huge proportion. If you're going to write a virus, why would you target 10% instead of 80, especially when there are plenty of examples on how to do it to Windows?

Unix is definitely easier to make secure, but it is in no way as secure as people like to brag about it being.

The problem I have with Linux, is that it is way too hard to use for the average computer user. It is never going to catch on because of this.

You seem informed and intelligent, I just get tired of people bashing Vista if they haven't tried it. The Mac intelligence level scares me. My sister even told my wife (a photographer) to get a Mac just because she's a photographer. When I asked her why a Mac would be better, she tried to tell me because it has Photoshop...well, so does Windows!

Ok, I know I'm blabbing now...sorry :D

[SoonerInKCMO]

You seem informed and intelligent

Yeah, he fooled a lot of us like that when we were new too. ;)

[jage]

Yeah, he fooled a lot of us like that when we were new too. ;)

Lol :bsmf:

[soonerboomer93]

The only problems I have with Vista involves visual studio 2005, only because we haven't upgraded to 2008 (we have it, just aren't sure what may or may not break in the upgrade). We do plan to roll it out though.

I actually have a 64 bit version I'll be installing this weekend.

Because of the size and number of users, Microsoft tends to build in far more backwards compatability in their OS then Apple does.

Also, the Vista problems are far overblown. A computer built for vista will work fine with vista. People just like to install a bunch of crap that they shouldn't (i.e. most freeware). ****ty addin software is what breaks Windows far more often.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

M$ basically makes you buy their crap with a new PC, then if you need to reinstall, they treat you like a criminal


buwahahaha, i worked on that IVR application :texan:

[yermom]

The only problems I have with Vista involves visual studio 2005, only because we haven't upgraded to 2008 (we have it, just aren't sure what may or may not break in the upgrade). We do plan to roll it out though.

I actually have a 64 bit version I'll be installing this weekend.

Because of the size and number of users, Microsoft tends to build in far more backwards compatability in their OS then Apple does.

Also, the Vista problems are far overblown. A computer built for vista will work fine with vista. People just like to install a bunch of crap that they shouldn't (i.e. most freeware). ****ty addin software is what breaks Windows far more often.

i don't remember even mentioning Vista...

i remember when i was using XP on a PII and it was bearable

i can barely surf the web on a Pentium4 now running XP, it seems

[Boarder]

Bring Back TRSDOS!

[OUHOMER]

I dont know **** about OS, I use MS because thats all I know. I only read this thread because no one mentioned politics :D

[Sooner_Havok]

I dont know **** about OS, I use MS because thats all I know. I only read this thread because no one mentioned politics :D

:mad:

You ruined it!

[1890MilesToNorman]

contor-art-derete to restart your Chinese version of Windows.