How much abuse will you take from Microsoft?

htt
p://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6131985793.html

Sep. 20, 2006

Seriously, how many times must users and businesses be
kicked in the face 
before they buy a clue? Before they realize that they don't
have to stay in 
the abusive Microsoft relationship. The answer seems to be:
an unlimited 
number of times.

Take, for example, Internet Explorer. In the latest bad
news, the newest 
zero-day flaw in the Internet Explorer implementation of the
Vector Markup 
Language has opened up a gaping wound in Windows. Through
that wound, every 
kind of garbage imaginable -- bots, Trojan down-loaders,
spyware, rootkits -- 
are pouring into Windows systems.

You think you're safe because you do all the right things
in patching your 
systems? Think again, this hole exists even in fully-patched
version of 
Windows XP SP2 running IE 6. Right now, this very moment, if
you go to the 
wrong site with IE 6, your system is going to get as sick as
a dog and You 
Can't Do Anything About It.

Well, actually, there is one thing you could do. You could
switch from 
vermin-ridden Windows to a desktop Linux. For businesses, I
recommend SLED 
(SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) 10. For home users, Ubuntu
6.06, SimplyMEPIS 
6.0, Xandros 4, or Freespire are all excellent choices.

Not sure how to do it? No problem. IBM has just published a
free 376-page 
book, the Linux Client Migration Cookbook, on how to jump
from Windows to 
Linux.

OK, so you're not ready to do that. Fine, then would you do
yourself the favor 
of at least dumping IE and using Firefox instead? Yes,
Firefox has security 
problems, too. But, you know what? They tend to be fixed
fast -- and there 
has never, I repeat, never been a significant Firefox-based
malware attack of 
any kind.

Internet Explorer? It takes forever for some problems to be
fixed. Worse 
still, even when Microsoft "fixes" a problem
they sometimes can't get it 
right the first time, or even the second time. They finally
did get it right 
the third time... but, of course, it was only after that,
that the 
floodwaters of filth came pouring into the hole the folks
from Redmond hadn't 
patched.

What will it take?

Some Microsoft users swear that they trust Microsoft to get
it right. Is that 
the same kind of right as when Microsoft tried to slip by us
the fact that 
the Zune, their answer to the iPod, won't play Microsoft's
own PlaysForSure 
media files?

The only thing I'm sure of about Microsoft is that they
believe that there's a 
sucker born every minute. So far, it seems that they're
right, as users 
continue to stand by their shoddy goods, without even
seriously considering 
the competition.

My only hope for most of these poor fools is that Vista's
price tag will make 
them at least consider an alternative to Windows on their
desktops. And, 
since Microsoft doesn't have a strangle-hold on the
portable music market, 
buyers will have the good sense to not give Zune a chance to
trap their music 
in a new Microsoft DRM (digital rights management) prison.


-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

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Apparently, Linux users just can't get enough windows
either, why do so many
distros include the BSOD, in case you get homesick? 

The fellow should have included Debian, it and it's
variants are very popular
in Europe.   ---Jim

GreyGeek wrote:
> htt
p://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6131985793.html
> 
> Sep. 20, 2006
> 
> Seriously, how many times must users and businesses be
kicked in the face 
> before they buy a clue? Before they realize that they
don't have to stay in 
> the abusive Microsoft relationship. The answer seems to
be: an unlimited 
> number of times.
> 
> Take, for example, Internet Explorer. In the latest bad
news, the newest 
> zero-day flaw in the Internet Explorer implementation
of the Vector Markup 
> Language has opened up a gaping wound in Windows.
Through that wound, every 
> kind of garbage imaginable -- bots, Trojan
down-loaders, spyware, rootkits -- 
> are pouring into Windows systems.
> 
> You think you're safe because you do all the right
things in patching your 
> systems? Think again, this hole exists even in
fully-patched version of 
> Windows XP SP2 running IE 6. Right now, this very
moment, if you go to the 
> wrong site with IE 6, your system is going to get as
sick as a dog and You 
> Can't Do Anything About It.
> 
> Well, actually, there is one thing you could do. You
could switch from 
> vermin-ridden Windows to a desktop Linux. For
businesses, I recommend SLED 
> (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) 10. For home users,
Ubuntu 6.06, SimplyMEPIS 
> 6.0, Xandros 4, or Freespire are all excellent choices.
> 
> Not sure how to do it? No problem. IBM has just
published a free 376-page 
> book, the Linux Client Migration Cookbook, on how to
jump from Windows to 
> Linux.
> 
> OK, so you're not ready to do that. Fine, then would
you do yourself the favor 
> of at least dumping IE and using Firefox instead? Yes,
Firefox has security 
> problems, too. But, you know what? They tend to be
fixed fast -- and there 
> has never, I repeat, never been a significant
Firefox-based malware attack of 
> any kind.
> 
> Internet Explorer? It takes forever for some problems
to be fixed. Worse 
> still, even when Microsoft "fixes" a
problem they sometimes can't get it 
> right the first time, or even the second time. They
finally did get it right 
> the third time... but, of course, it was only after
that, that the 
> floodwaters of filth came pouring into the hole the
folks from Redmond hadn't 
> patched.
> 
> What will it take?
> 
> Some Microsoft users swear that they trust Microsoft to
get it right. Is that 
> the same kind of right as when Microsoft tried to slip
by us the fact that 
> the Zune, their answer to the iPod, won't play
Microsoft's own PlaysForSure 
> media files?
> 
> The only thing I'm sure of about Microsoft is that
they believe that there's a 
> sucker born every minute. So far, it seems that
they're right, as users 
> continue to stand by their shoddy goods, without even
seriously considering 
> the competition.
> 
> My only hope for most of these poor fools is that
Vista's price tag will make 
> them at least consider an alternative to Windows on
their desktops. And, 
> since Microsoft doesn't have a strangle-hold on the
portable music market, 
> buyers will have the good sense to not give Zune a
chance to trap their music 
> in a new Microsoft DRM (digital rights management)
prison.
> 
> 
> -- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
> 
> ----
> Husker Linux Users Group mailing list
> To unsubscribe, send a message to huskerlug-requestfreelists.org
> with a subject of UNSUBSCRIBE
> 
> 
> 

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--- GreyGeek <jkrepsneb.rr.com> wrote:

> htt
p://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6131985793.html
> 
> Sep. 20, 2006
> 
> Seriously, how many times must users and businesses
> be kicked in the face 
> before they buy a clue? Before they realize that
> they don't have to stay in 
> the abusive Microsoft relationship. The answer seems
> 

So very accurate...

I have a 1300 Duron computer, with 1Gb of RAM.  I
booted the LiveCDrom of Linux  http://pclinuxos.com
(based on Mandriva), in the CDrom, and activated it to
run in RAM.
 Then, I copied my /home folder from my second drive,
over to a Firewire drive.

That said it would take < two hours.
Meanwhile, I pressed the "Install PCLinuxOS"
icon
button on the desktop, and told the system to install
to the first hard drive.

Then, while those things were occurring, I surfed on
another desktop, and did work on a fifth desktop,
email in two browsers on a sixth and seventh desktop.

The install was complete in less than 30 minutes. Upon
completion of the transfer of my /home diretory of
tens of Gigabytes of data, I booted into the installed
PCLinuxOS. 

Try that in "Microsoft XP"!  Impossible.  

I fix Macs, in a franchised service center, and,
PCLinuxOS does so much more, so much better, than the
proprietary Mac!  

 


__________________________________________________
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around 
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On Thu, 2006-09-21 at 21:19 -0500, Jim Worrest wrote:
> Apparently, Linux users just can't get enough windows
either, why do so many
> distros include the BSOD, in case you get homesick?

> 

I do know from experience..  BSOD is not the screen saver of
choice
(although funny) when putting a linux samba server in a
traditional
Windows office.  

I've put quite a few samba servers in customers offices for
smb share
and network backups and have had a few phone calls that the
server has
crashed. 




> The fellow should have included Debian, it and it's
variants are very popular
> in Europe.   ---Jim
> 
> GreyGeek wrote:
> > htt
p://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6131985793.html
> > 
> > Sep. 20, 2006
> > 
> > Seriously, how many times must users and
businesses be kicked in the face 
> > before they buy a clue? Before they realize that
they don't have to stay in 
> > the abusive Microsoft relationship. The answer
seems to be: an unlimited 
> > number of times.
> > 
> > Take, for example, Internet Explorer. In the
latest bad news, the newest 
> > zero-day flaw in the Internet Explorer
implementation of the Vector Markup 
> > Language has opened up a gaping wound in Windows.
Through that wound, every 
> > kind of garbage imaginable -- bots, Trojan
down-loaders, spyware, rootkits -- 
> > are pouring into Windows systems.
> > 
> > You think you're safe because you do all the
right things in patching your 
> > systems? Think again, this hole exists even in
fully-patched version of 
> > Windows XP SP2 running IE 6. Right now, this very
moment, if you go to the 
> > wrong site with IE 6, your system is going to get
as sick as a dog and You 
> > Can't Do Anything About It.
> > 
> > Well, actually, there is one thing you could do.
You could switch from 
> > vermin-ridden Windows to a desktop Linux. For
businesses, I recommend SLED 
> > (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) 10. For home
users, Ubuntu 6.06, SimplyMEPIS 
> > 6.0, Xandros 4, or Freespire are all excellent
choices.
> > 
> > Not sure how to do it? No problem. IBM has just
published a free 376-page 
> > book, the Linux Client Migration Cookbook, on how
to jump from Windows to 
> > Linux.
> > 
> > OK, so you're not ready to do that. Fine, then
would you do yourself the favor 
> > of at least dumping IE and using Firefox instead?
Yes, Firefox has security 
> > problems, too. But, you know what? They tend to be
fixed fast -- and there 
> > has never, I repeat, never been a significant
Firefox-based malware attack of 
> > any kind.
> > 
> > Internet Explorer? It takes forever for some
problems to be fixed. Worse 
> > still, even when Microsoft "fixes" a
problem they sometimes can't get it 
> > right the first time, or even the second time.
They finally did get it right 
> > the third time... but, of course, it was only
after that, that the 
> > floodwaters of filth came pouring into the hole
the folks from Redmond hadn't 
> > patched.
> > 
> > What will it take?
> > 
> > Some Microsoft users swear that they trust
Microsoft to get it right. Is that 
> > the same kind of right as when Microsoft tried to
slip by us the fact that 
> > the Zune, their answer to the iPod, won't play
Microsoft's own PlaysForSure 
> > media files?
> > 
> > The only thing I'm sure of about Microsoft is
that they believe that there's a 
> > sucker born every minute. So far, it seems that
they're right, as users 
> > continue to stand by their shoddy goods, without
even seriously considering 
> > the competition.
> > 
> > My only hope for most of these poor fools is that
Vista's price tag will make 
> > them at least consider an alternative to Windows
on their desktops. And, 
> > since Microsoft doesn't have a strangle-hold on
the portable music market, 
> > buyers will have the good sense to not give Zune a
chance to trap their music 
> > in a new Microsoft DRM (digital rights management)
prison.
> > 
> > 
> > -- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
> > 
> > ----
> > Husker Linux Users Group mailing list
> > To unsubscribe, send a message to
huskerlug-requestfreelists.org
> > with a subject of UNSUBSCRIBE
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> ----
> Husker Linux Users Group mailing list
> To unsubscribe, send a message to huskerlug-requestfreelists.org
> with a subject of UNSUBSCRIBE
> 
> 


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On Friday 22 September 2006 6:32 am, Patrick wrote:
> --- GreyGeek <jkrepsneb.rr.com> wrote:
> > htt
p://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6131985793.html
> >
> > Sep. 20, 2006
> >
> > Seriously, how many times must users and
businesses
> > be kicked in the face
> > before they buy a clue? Before they realize that
> > they don't have to stay in
> > the abusive Microsoft relationship. The answer
seems
>
> So very accurate...
>
> I have a 1300 Duron computer, with 1Gb of RAM.  I
> booted the LiveCDrom of Linux  http://pclinuxos.com
> (based on Mandriva), in the CDrom, and activated it to
> run in RAM.
>  Then, I copied my /home folder from my second drive,
> over to a Firewire drive.
>
> That said it would take < two hours.
> Meanwhile, I pressed the "Install
PCLinuxOS" icon
> button on the desktop, and told the system to install
> to the first hard drive.
>
> Then, while those things were occurring, I surfed on
> another desktop, and did work on a fifth desktop,
> email in two browsers on a sixth and seventh desktop.
>
> The install was complete in less than 30 minutes. Upon
> completion of the transfer of my /home diretory of
> tens of Gigabytes of data, I booted into the installed
> PCLinuxOS.
>
> Try that in "Microsoft XP"!  Impossible.

Multi-tasking is so easy and reliable in Linux I don't give
it a second 
thought to start several tasks and work on another while the
others work in 
the background.  When I work on the W2K side of that very
same box I work on 
only one task at a time because lag is so great when
background processes are 
running that doing something as simple as clicking on a
directory in Windows 
Explorer can result in a one or two minute wait while
Windows "does its 
thing" before the contents of the directory display.  
 If the slowdown 
become too annoying I reboot the box.


>
> I fix Macs, in a franchised service center, and,
> PCLinuxOS does so much more, so much better, than the
> proprietary Mac!

PCLInuxOS is a great distro, that's for sure.  IMO it is
the most eye-pleasing 
of them all, and it's System Configuration GUI has no
equal.   If only it 
were Debian based ... or... had more than 5K apps in its
repository.

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