Topic: Windows Product Activation (WPA)

[Commander Maxillius]

<raises hand>  I ran back to Macintosh.  I tried Linux though, and found it to be more trouble that it's worth just to surf the web, talk to people, and watch movies and listen to music.  I remember using 5- and 6-year old Macs in middle school and later thought how good they were once I saw the PCs of the same age the high school had.  Since Apple started making the Mini, the first $500 Mac, they really are a viable option in direct competition with Windows PCs.  Besides, the typical Windows drone will never open their case, so the fact that most Apples (except the PowerMac series) are sealed shouldn't bother them.

[prometheus]

I just switched from "the dark side" to Linux a little over a month ago and only boot into Windows whenever I have to use a particular Windows program (usually 3ds max), I screwed up something in Linux and am trying to learn how to fix it (I still have a lot to learn), or want to play one of my games that I can't run in Linux.  How many other M$ refugees are here?

Me for one...  and even using Windows, I use firefox, Open Office, Audacity, The Sygate Firewall instead of the Windows One, Avast Antivirus scanner insead of Norton, all of which are free programs... 

Anyone who would pay several hundred dollars for MS Office when Open Office does the same thing, can import and export MS file formats is mad...  And Firefox throws up far less bullsh*t than Internet Explorer... 

The only closed source software I use is stuff I have got free versions of from the front of magazines, or stuff that I really loved so much I just had to buy, like the Eagle 3D Lander Simulator, Thief the Dark Project and Quake, which is still one of the most atmospheric games I've played...  I also have a copy of MS 98 flight simulator, which I must admit to having a fondness for...

[Mr_Tricorder]

Even before I started using Linux, I had been using Firefox, Open Office, Zone Alarm, and AVG Antivirus, all of which I have been using for free.  Texas A&M University has a special deal with Microsoft which allows students (like me) to purchase the latest version of MS Office for $15, so the price really isn't an issue for me.  Even so, I have found Open Office to be far more stable, less annoying, and generally makes more sense than MS Office.

Two weeks ago, my roommate and I were finishing up papers for a class an hour before they were due.  I was using Open Office and he was using MS Office.  I had no problems, got to class on time, and turned in my paper without any problems.  However, MS Word crashed on my roommates computer and his paper was lost.  He tried to open up Word again to see if he could recover it (the auto-recover feature in Word is one of the few things I like about it), but then Windows XP crashed.  He did not have time to mess with this, so he headed for the computer lab (which was almost completely full) to rewrite his paper.  Because the computer lab was so busy, it took half an hour for his paper to print out, sorted out by the student workers, and made available for him to take to class.  By the time he got to class, it was already over and the classroom was empty.

I have had similar problems with MS Office applications, but I have yet to see Open Office crash or lose a document.

[prometheus]

Even before I started using Linux, I had been using Firefox, Open Office, Zone Alarm, and AVG Antivirus, all of which I have been using for free.  Texas A&M University has a special deal with Microsoft which allows students (like me) to purchase the latest version of MS Office for $15, so the price really isn't an issue for me.  Even so, I have found Open Office to be far more stable, less annoying, and generally makes more sense than MS Office.

Two weeks ago, my roommate and I were finishing up papers for a class an hour before they were due.  I was using Open Office and he was using MS Office.  I had no problems, got to class on time, and turned in my paper without any problems.  However, MS Word crashed on my roommates computer and his paper was lost.  He tried to open up Word again to see if he could recover it (the auto-recover feature in Word is one of the few things I like about it), but then Windows XP crashed.  He did not have time to mess with this, so he headed for the computer lab (which was almost completely full) to rewrite his paper.  Because the computer lab was so busy, it took half an hour for his paper to print out, sorted out by the student workers, and made available for him to take to class.  By the time he got to class, it was already over and the classroom was empty.

I have had similar problems with MS Office applications, but I have yet to see Open Office crash or lose a document.

Yeah, I concur, although I must say I always found MS Office reasonably stable too...  Avast Anti Virus Scanner (which is free for non commercial use) I found to be better than Norton's, which frankly was letting a lot of malware slip through the net (no pun intended).  The only other closed source software I have which I absolutely swear by and is not for sound engineering work is System Mechanic 4, which is an excellent piece of kit, although I'm sure there are plenty of other OS products that can do the same jobs...

Linux generally seems to be a lot better at cleaning up after itself than windows... 

From a historical perspective the OS I've used which I thought was a cut above everything else for being clearly laid out and easy to understand is Amiga OS...

[SkyFlyer]

Avast Anti Virus Scanner (which is free for non commercial use) I found to be better than Norton's, which frankly was letting a lot of malware slip through the net (no pun intended).

I will say that is true, but I haven't had good workings with avast. It bogged down my PC and never caught a virus. I ended up having to reformat. I wasn't going out of my way to get a virus, this all happened over a years time or so.

[prometheus]

Avast Anti Virus Scanner (which is free for non commercial use) I found to be better than Norton's, which frankly was letting a lot of malware slip through the net (no pun intended).

I will say that is true, but I haven't had good workings with avast. It bogged down my PC and never caught a virus. I ended up having to reformat. I wasn't going out of my way to get a virus, this all happened over a years time or so.

Strange, I've never had a problem with it...   What do you use now?

[Nemesis]

John C. Dvorak gives an interesting view on Microsofts "protection" products.  His title "The Microsoft Protection Racket"

Link to full article

Microsoft has stayed away from the antivirus, antispyware game for a long time because it knew that there was this inherent conflict of interest unless it gave away such software for free. After all, the exploits utilized by malware are possible because of flaws within the Microsoft code base. There is no incentive to fix the code base if it can make additional money selling "protection."

It was also obvious that Microsoft was so far behind the curve with antivirus software that it would embarrass itself if it entered that game, although it did quietly come up to speed over the years. But that still begs the question: Why protect the users when you can fix the code?

Therein lies the rub. Microsoft cannot fix the code—that's the point. It apparently cannot be done. Get over it. And when the spyware epidemic appeared, the company had to throw in the towel. Spyware exploits the basic architecture of the operating system, and no amount of patches will change that. A barrier has to be erected that changes the way the computer works, by monitoring things more aggressively.

If  Microsoft sells products to protect you from flaws in Windows then do they not have a conflict of interest?  Fix the flaws and lose the revenue stream on the protection from those flaws.  Do you want a company with a vested interest in your system being vulnerable to be in control of your system?

[SkyFlyer]

Avast Anti Virus Scanner (which is free for non commercial use) I found to be better than Norton's, which frankly was letting a lot of malware slip through the net (no pun intended).

I will say that is true, but I haven't had good workings with avast. It bogged down my PC and never caught a virus. I ended up having to reformat. I wasn't going out of my way to get a virus, this all happened over a years time or so.

Strange, I've never had a problem with it... What do you use now?

NOD32 made by Eset.

[prometheus]

Interesting stuff...  I've bookmarked the page for further reading later on...

[SkyFlyer]

John C. Dvorak gives an interesting view on Microsofts "protection" products. His title "The Microsoft Protection Racket"

Link to full article

Microsoft has stayed away from the antivirus, antispyware game for a long time because it knew that there was this inherent conflict of interest unless it gave away such software for free. After all, the exploits utilized by malware are possible because of flaws within the Microsoft code base. There is no incentive to fix the code base if it can make additional money selling "protection."

It was also obvious that Microsoft was so far behind the curve with antivirus software that it would embarrass itself if it entered that game, although it did quietly come up to speed over the years. But that still begs the question: Why protect the users when you can fix the code?

Therein lies the rub. Microsoft cannot fix the code—that's the point. It apparently cannot be done. Get over it. And when the spyware epidemic appeared, the company had to throw in the towel. Spyware exploits the basic architecture of the operating system, and no amount of patches will change that. A barrier has to be erected that changes the way the computer works, by monitoring things more aggressively.

If Microsoft sells products to protect you from flaws in Windows then do they not have a conflict of interest? Fix the flaws and lose the revenue stream on the protection from those flaws. Do you want a company with a vested interest in your system being vulnerable to be in control of your system?

As long as they don't sell it or they bundle it with windows products I don't care.

[The Bar-Abbas Anomaly]

Two weeks ago, my roommate and I were finishing up papers for a class an hour before they were due.  I was using Open Office and he was using MS Office.  I had no problems, got to class on time, and turned in my paper without any problems.  However, MS Word crashed on my roommates computer and his paper was lost.  He tried to open up Word again to see if he could recover it (the auto-recover feature in Word is one of the few things I like about it), but then Windows XP crashed.  He did not have time to mess with this, so he headed for the computer lab (which was almost completely full) to rewrite his paper.  Because the computer lab was so busy, it took half an hour for his paper to print out, sorted out by the student workers, and made available for him to take to class.  By the time he got to class, it was already over and the classroom was empty.

You're roommate's computer was virused, infested with mal-ware, or otherwise improperly installed or configured.  Easy to fix by someone who knows what they're doing.  That you're computer was operating normally at the time in no way implies that there is anything wrong with MS Office.

[prometheus]

You're roommate's computer was virused, infested with mal-ware, or otherwise improperly installed or configured.  Easy to fix by someone who knows what they're doing.  That you're computer was operating normally at the time in no way implies that there is anything wrong with MS Office.

I can't say I've ever had any problems with MS Office except one.  The price.  Open Office is every bit as good, can import and export in MS formats, and is shipped as part of your SUSE Linux Distro...