I thought that the following was very blog post-worthy…

How to fix your Windows Application when it doesn’t work:

  (1) Stop and start the program
   (2) Log in and log out again
    (3) Reboot the machine
     (4) Reinstall the application again
      (5) Reinstall the operating system
       (6) Dance naked around the machine, waving a rubber chicken
        (7) “Take your machine back for servicing”
            – Chris Wedgwood

Bill Gates arrested in his younger days (photo in public domain)

ICROSOFT embracing aggressive and illegal practices?!?! You don’t say…! As unshocking as it may sound, Microsoft continue to use anti-competitive means to prevent a quicker penetration of GNU/Linux, or Open Source software in general.

One of their methods is to deter OEM‘s from supplying Linux, as recently confirmed in a Novell testimony. So what is involved exactly? The Redmond software maker is apparently allowed to penalise shops for offering a Windows alternative, for merely having it in stock. Put positively (negativity in disguise), Microsoft can always offer ‘benefits’ (a bonus) for supplying an all-Windows range. This can put free software in a position of disadvantage. This rebatement has virtually the same effect as a penalty, a fine. It illustrates the litigious subtleties which Microsoft rides on. When Compaq placed the Netscape icon for Web browsing on the Desktop, Microsoft threatened to break the contract, even though Explorer was right there among the menus (as it “cannot be uninstalled”, of course, as dangerous as it may be).

This leads to another discussion on the issue of bad practices. Back when Microsoft faced court to defend itself against Netscape, it argued that Internet Explorer could not be removed from the operating system. “It was too deeply rooted in the core”, they argued. As it finally turns out, owing to the many security issues, Microsoft have just decided to separate Internet Explorer from Windows Explorer, making it separate from the core. In other words, they lied in court and got away with it.

Lastly, let us consider the endless delays in release of Windows Vista. First, the release date was estimated at 2003, then 2005, then 2006 and now it is said to be February 2007. Similar tactics have been used in the (rather distant) past by IBM, as means to prevent the customer from defecting to competitors. Saying that you are “just there” when clearly you are not, is not just deceitful; it’s irresponsible, selfish and disrespectful.

On some older dirty tactics: Operating System Monoculture, Bill Gates crucified by a lawyer in 1998 (video)

OW that Windows Vista’s release has been delayed (due to security, drivers, etc.) and a revamped Office has been delayed too, certain predictions seem truer than ever before.

It was only a couple of days ago that Apache’s head permitted 10 years before the complete eclipse, wherein commercial software ceases to exist ‘in the wild’. Essentially, such a scenario would make commercial software (binaries) lose all value. It may serve no purpose as accompanying code will just lodge on the shelves to collect dust. This outlook must be the rationale behind Xara Xtreme going from commercial all the way to the GPL — a complete 180!

It seems ever more evident that any Windows ‘box booter’ and Visual Basic-only programmer could soon become obsolete, unless Open Source skills are quickly acquired. The next couple of years will be rather intersting as they will bring radical changes to the software development market.

Bill Gates recently stated very clearly that the future of computing is in services. This must the reason why many of his executives have already defected to Google and certain governmental departments are migrating to Open Source, which is independent from opaque packages. All that is left, on the face of it, are big budgets for brainwash of businesses and vendors, as well as IT managers and the public.

Related item: Windows Vista is Service Pack III (parody)

Some argue that this would be the last operating system from Microsoft

HE release of Windows Vista has been delayed until January 2007. This of course implies that its emergence will miss the holidays season.

Windows users: Now should be an excellent time to put resentment or fear aside and migrate to Linux.
Just because you dislike it or do not know it sufficiently well, does not make it evil. If you are still unconvinced that Vista (formerly Longhorn) will be disastrous, see the links below. This has been said time and time again, but funded advertisements begin to mask the truth. Be misled no more; put apathy and resistance to change aside.

Related items:

• Microsoft Back to Day One?
• Windows Today Worse Than Windows in 2001
• Vista Re-built From Scratch
• Vista Perils
• XP + New Colours = Longhorn
• Longhorn: A Trainwreck?

Bill Gates arrested in his younger days (photo in public domain)

HILE one of the biggest direct threats to Microsoft is Linux (among Linux laptops in poor countries, Google on Linux), IBM are yet the biggest threat. IBM continue to urge businesses to find cheaper solutions and make use of Linux. IBM’s revenue from Linux is expected to triple within the coming year, too.

Microsoft’s latest response is an initiative to challenge IBM on their own turf, according to last night’s news. In other words, making software recommendations to customers is a task the could be delegated to a vendor. This is worrisome, to say the least.

NCE again, a timely article that covers zombies (and so-called “bot armies”) — these which are being used to carry distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks — fails to point out an important and crucial fact. It is only Windows computers that get hijacked en masse as part of extortion schemes. Snippet from the article lies below:

A new kind of denial-of-service attack has emerged that delivers a heftier blow to organizations’ systems than previously seen DOS threats, according to VeriSign’s security chief.

Not even once did the author mention the culprit. This is the third such article I come across which neither includes the word “Windows”, nor does it allude to “Microsoft” in any way. Fortunately, CNET give the E-mail address of the author, so I voiced a complaint. I still get hammered by about a thousand Windows zombies a day, which costs bandwidth. As yet, there is no sign of abatement.

I am aware that most CNET readers are using Windows, so might behave defensively and demand respect for the platform. I am also aware that the Windows EULA forbids such criticisms. Nevertheless, I think the article is flawed.

Here’s my response to the author:

I am somewhat appalled that in your article, much like in many similar articles, the main culprit is not even mentioned. All zombies are Windows. I happen to have strong feelings about this because my site has been attacked since September. The BBC are yet the only ones to have mentioned Windows in this context.

Bill Gates arrested in his younger days (photo in public domain)

ILL Gates has found himself subjected to heavy criticism after he had mocked an initiative to give laptops to children in third-world countries. These Linux-powered laptops were mentioned several time before in this blog. They could potentially reach half a billion children within a few years and achieve connectivity in a peer-to-peer fashion, which makes them very affordable.

To make matters worse, while mocking the low-cost laptop, Gates pulled out his own little gadget and raved about Microsoft’s Origami, as if a circa $1000 computer could ever reach every children in Africa.