[Coco] OT: Vista and MS patent application, Linux

[Roger Taylor]

Although I depend on Windows like many, I agree with you on some of 
your statements.

MS does try to compete across the board.  As long as the hardward 
their OS runs under (a PC) can do anything a modem, an MP3 player, a 
DVD player, a TV, a radio, a fax machine, a router, a telephone, etc. 
can do, they will continue to put those features in Windows so you 
can do it all from one place.

We know another big company doing the same thing to our towns as MS 
does to other companies.  They are Wal-Mart.  One of their powers is 
knowing that people get attached to an idea that works for them and 
the older we get the harder it is to change our ways, even if a 
similar store moves right next door and has the same items for less.

Linux can be free for all, and shipped to us for free, but that's not 
going to be the reason people ditch Windows, nor will they give up 
their addictions, ways of thinking, simplicity, habits, business 
requirements, etc. for an OS that doesn't have a "just make it work" 
concept.  I love Linux, but it is just the opposite of "just make it 
work".  It's more like, "learn how to program, then recompile the 
kernel or drivers and see if that makes it work".  ;)  Not gonna happen.

Also, I think most people have the idea that if they pay for the OS, 
it must be worthy of the cost or at least some of it, and along with 
it comes an amount of support from the company, like automatic 
updates, patches, bug fixes, security fixes, etc.

This is just my 2 cents on the OS world, where obviously the vast 
majority of the public leans towards the beast that MS is and will 
remain to be.  I don't like it that MS rules the roost, but there's 
nothing I alone or a group of 20,000 people can do about it 
now.  Some of "Gates" last evil words in the movie Pirates of Silicon 
Valley was, "You're too late...".  Kinda makes you want to kick the 
screen, but then it's back over to the Windows computer to check your 
e-mail.  :)







At 09:37 AM 2/4/2007, you wrote:
>Because of the compatibility, pricing, and hardware issues, my next 
>upgrade will likely be to Linux. I've been meaning to play with a 
>Simply MEPIS or FreeSpire installation for a while now, but haven't 
>found the time. Took the time to work on trying to get a CoCo3 
>emulator working on my old laptop yesterday instead -- priorities!
>
>Pricing has been a problem to me with all the MS stuff from the 
>start. They sell enough copies that pricing could be substantially 
>lower and they'd STILL make one heck of a profit -- partially 
>because there would be fewer pirated copies with a more reasonable 
>price. I don't think anyone should work for free or pennies, but 
>that's hardly the case here! It's not like they don't have the OS 
>market wrapped up either, regardless of the failure of the 
>government anti-trust law suit results. One big player and a few 
>strugglers is still pretty much a monopoly. The worst thing is MS 
>tries to compete across the board, not just in the OS field. I have 
>no problem with Windows being packaged with basic to mid level tools 
>to get someone started right out of the box. It's great that you can 
>buy Windows and be able to at least get by without buying a lot of 
>additional software like back in "the old days" when you had to buy 
>a disk defragmenter, telecom program, etc., just to be able to use t
>  he com
>puter. But to package in such a way as to eliminate competition is 
>borderline criminal, and no help. IMHO the full version of Internet 
>Explorer should be an add-on, giving people more incentive to 
>consider what to spend their money on rather than keeping what was 
>provided. I'm sure many would disagree, but tings like that is one 
>reason the price is so high, and security is an issue. If 80% of 
>Windows users also use IE, what would you target if you were 
>inclined to write a virus? If there was a greater spread, browsers 
>would be a little more secure. MS just goes after every somewhat 
>successful competitor in a crushing wave. Redmond can afford to lose 
>money on one or two products for several years while they bleed the 
>competition out, then up the prices. Smaller companies can't. IMHO 
>MS should have been broke up into divisions with specific items 
>(such as IE) split off to encourage a bit of competition in some areas.
>
>I have to agree with one thing -- we (computer users in general) are 
>so entrenched in Windows now that it would be detrimental to the 
>computer industry to makie Windows a totally open environment. 
>Everyone touts the openness of Linux as a strong point, and it is to 
>a degree, but there are so many distributions that work differently 
>that there is no stable base or standard. There needs to be a 
>*COMPLETE* standard installation that will work for the average 
>computer *USER* that will simply load and run similar to Windows. 
>*THEN* there can be custom distros subtracting and adding to that, 
>NOT the core kernal.
>
>When there's something I can buy or download and install, then 
>expect it to work with 90% of the software and peripherals I buy 
>without a lot of tweaking and fiddling with settings from a command 
>line, then Linux will take it's place BESIDE windows as a real 
>alternative. But did you catch what Clifford said about his new job 
>with MS, working with Linux/UNIX guys? MS is moving on Linux, I 
>think, because Linux is starting to become something that can 
>eventually be a real competitor. That's there modis operandi -- when 
>something looks like real competition, beat it out or buy it. Linux 
>can't be bought out, so it must be beaten down.
>
>Might have something to do with the patent application for a modular 
>operating system... like Linux... If MS gets a US patent, that could 
>be a problem. Even if it's not a full patent, but just grants 
>exclusivity to some portions or ideas about a modular system, MS 
>will viciously protect it. They don't have to be right, or to win. 
>They just have ot have enough of a "foot in the door" to have a 
>viable suspicion to claim infringement to get a court order to 
>"cease and desist" then take a small company to court. That will be 
>enough. MS pockets are deep enough to drag a case out long enough to 
>bankrupt the competition, or prevent anyone from even trying to 
>compete for fear of being dragged through court. That's a typical 
>big business practice. There are law firms who have purchased older 
>patents simply to go after infringers that the orignal holder 
>couldn't afford to take to court. We'll have to wait and see what 
>happens here...
>
>The hardware requirements for Vista are way up there. The first 
>articles I read were from PC Magazine, and the writer was obviously 
>a "power user" (I figured that out later!) who just had to have the 
>latest and greatest. His recommendations to "get the most out of 
>Vista" were way up there! I just built two mid level computers. No 
>dual core processors, but bought motherboards capable of supporting 
>dual cores for a later upgrade. There's no way either would run 
>Vista according to that clown! Then Vista was released, and I saw 
>the minimum recommended hardware. That was more like it. I've got 
>more than the minimum, but nowhere near what was recommended to "get 
>the most" out of it. Even to run Aero you don't have to have a dual 
>core processor, but do have to have a graphics card that's on the 
>low side of high end ($150+). Not too unreasonable like the article 
>indicated -- dual core a must, and $200+ graphics cards.
>
>
>------------------
>Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007 16:37:36 -0600
>From: "Roger Taylor" <operator at coco3.com>
>
>To those who've upgraded to Windows Vista...
>
>The Rainbow IDE and M.E.S.S. emulator system seem to work great.  You should
>be able to upgrade to Vista and continue your IDE projects as usual, but
>with a better experience.
>
>Btw, Vista rocks like no other, but we're in the early compatibility problem
>stage.  Get the Home Premium or above version to experience the Aero window
>effects.  There's a 3-D flip window mode that shows you a 3-D stacked view
>of all open programs and you can see those programs running in the 3-D view,
>even the CoCo window in M.E.S.S.  Also, the program preview thumbnails that
>pop up when you hover over the taskbar is excellent, and the blurred glass
>effect that shows portions of any underlying windows or the desktop is
>pretty cool.  The gadget sidebar feature is nice and I plan to make some
>Rainbow IDE gadgets that can be installed automatically from the IDE, such
>as a mini programmer's calc, and M.E.S.S. emulator tools.  This kind of
>feature will allow portions of the Rainbow IDE to appear on the sidebar of
>Vista so they are always visible if you like.
>
>If I can give my 2 cents about Vista, to get the best deal, buy a new
>computer/laptop with Vista on it, since the price alone of the upper
>versions of the OS is ridiculous considering it has compatibility issues
>with a great number of software titles (at this time).  This was a problem
>with XP as well and it can literally stop you in your tracks if you run a
>business or do a lot of work from home.  Luckily, some versions of Vista
>come with complete multimedia solutions like DVD making/burning, which I
>will have to convert the CoCo TV project to soon.  Vista and Nero don't mix
>at this point unless you upgrade Nero for a cost.
>
>So far, the IDEs that I use for all of my development work well under Vista
>with no changes required.
>
>--
>Frank Swygert
>Publisher, "American Motors Cars"
>Magazine (AMC)
>For all AMC enthusiasts
>http://farna.home.att.net/AIM.html
>(free download available!)
>
>--
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>Coco at maltedmedia.com
>http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco


-- 
Roger Taylor