[lisa]

Originally posted by mbpark
It's a really good OS. Other than the following characteristics:

1. There is a Microsoft Support account in there with LocalSystem privs. This means that Microsoft already has access. No, it cannot be disabled.

Personally, this is sufficent to me to negate the "It's a really good OS" statement.

Microsoft is doing EXACTLY what many other software companies have been doing and have not been crucified for. Just because it's Microsoft, people are going nuts. If this is so bad, why didn't they hold congressional hearings for CA, Autodesk, Rational, and Alias/Wavefront as well? Why not drag SCO/Caldera, QNX, or Verisign up as well?

AFAIK, Microsoft is NOT being investigated or harassed (by the government, anyway) for trying to make people pay for their software, the main complaint has been that they have been using monopolistic power (and they are a monopoly, no reasonable person can deny that) to keep others from entering the market and driving out those who are there.

It's pretty clear that Microsoft has been doing this for quite some time -- way back to the day when they modified Windows 3.1 so that you couldn't run it under DR-DOS. Code was found that clearly served no other purpose than to prevent this and to "force" anyone who wanted to run windows to use MS-DOS and not DR-DOS.

As a software developer whose money comes from selling software products, I can't say I disagree with MS for protecting their rights. The company I work for would do exactly the same thing, if not more harsh and nasty. When you sell software products, you look at the world a lot differently.

True, but apparently not always the same way you do. The ends do not always justify the means. Most computers sold are sold with a registered, legitimate, copy of windows on them -- whether you want it or not (if I wanted to go through the trouble, I could quickly find legitimate, unused copies to give to at least 10,000 people who want to legitimize themselves -- many more if I felt a need to). I don't know the real numbers (I doubt that anyone does) but I think that most computers running windows have a legitimate copy of windows -- they may have illegitimate upgrades, but if the upgrade prices were reasonable, I doubt that would be much of an issue either.

I doubt that many people disagree that Microsoft has a right to collect a reasonable price (directly or indirectly) from people running their software. What many of us disagree with is the means that they subject ALL users of their software to in order to catch those who use it illegimately. Add to that the fact that many of us have paid for their software who don't use or it want it.

If Microsoft were a government entity, I'd say they were damn close to (if not already over) crossing the line of the consitutional protection against "illegal search and seizure" of the many to try to catch the few. (But they're not, so this isn't a constitutional issue)

My choice is to avoid the whole problem and just use Linux. Others feel that it's better to fight these issues and stick with MS products. To each his/her own.

And, BTW, I also make my living selling software.