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Quoth the subject: "If I may interject". |
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|
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The term "slaveryware" is a little extreme, but not out of reality. |
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Microsoft does take steps to make themselves the *only* operating system out |
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there (heck, they are even putting Windows on Macintosh!). They do not |
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physically harm you if you switch Operating Systems, but they make it as |
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hard for you as you can. For instance, the moment Windows XP sees ANYTHING |
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else in the MBR of it's current HDD, it shuts down, and will not work until |
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you replace the MBR with it's own code. This is obviously to make it harder |
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for Linux users to share a HDD with Windows. As far as NTFS, they are |
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keeping that code to themselves (last I checked). Why? So other people have |
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a much more difficult time reading and writing NTFS from another OS (Linux). |
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Another big hook to keep you on Microsoft, is DirectX. Most of the big games |
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are DirectX, and will not run on anything but DirectX. (I know, UT, DOOM, |
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and Quake are for OpenGL). These keeps all gamers nailed down into Windows |
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(Cedega/Wine help, but my experience has been less than satisfactory. Only |
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Starcraft works well under Cedega for me, but that's another story). I'm a |
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gamer, I know a lot of gamers, and guess what? We all have a windows OS. |
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Only a few other people I know run Linux, but even so, we still using |
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Windows for gaming. If windows would release the numbers on DirectX, |
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everyone that I know (at least, the gamers), would be running linux (as they |
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are all interested, but don't want to dual-boot). There are a few other |
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examples, but I think you all get the point. |
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|
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In short, Microsoft tries to pull you into using their products over a 3rd |
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party product, even if the latter is much better. Half of this is greed, |
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since you have to pay for most Microsoft software. If you *have* to use this |
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certain kind of DVD burning app on Vista, since that's the only one |
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Microsoft will support (or else the computer will lock, on purpose, or |
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something tricky like that), then Vista users are forced to pay Microsoft to |
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get that application if they want to burn DVDs. Apple employs similar |
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strategies, but that's another thread (which I'd be glad to have a |
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discussion about, email me off gentoo lists.) |
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|
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As far as flamewars, they do nothing but take up time, anger, and email. |
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However, not every argument is a flamewar. A flame war is the typical "KDE |
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vs. GNOME, which is better". This has no basis in reality, as "better" is a |
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subjective term. Perhaps someone likes the look better for KDE. You don't |
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argue taste. A real argument would be "Which has better support for... CD |
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burning applications". Or "Which runs faster at a certain system |
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specification." Or even "Which has a wider choice of customization (with |
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every "aspect" having equal value to the next)". A good, logical argument is |
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a very good thing, since all parties generally leave enlightened, usually |
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bringing out the truth and destroying the falsehoods. |
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|
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-- |
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Samuel (shardz) |
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|
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Noha+Shardz Productions: nsproductions.co.nr |
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|
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Registered Linux User #410639 |
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|
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amarok.kde.org |
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usmc.mil |