Reasons to Avoid Microsoft

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MS Windows XP

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• Government should block XP release (Mercury News, 2001.Aug.02)
  This sounds like an extreme move, and in a way it is. But it's vital. The alternative is further abuse by a company that keeps demonstrating, in word and deed, utter contempt for the law and fair competition.
  

• Why Windows XP will be the Denial of Service Explotation Tool of Choice for Internet Hackers Everywhere (Gibson Research Corp., 2001.Jul.19)
  Any system whose fundamental architecture prevents applications from gaining 'Raw' access to the Internet will be MUCH harder to exploit. ... full Raw Socket support is absolutely unnecessary for the use of ANY benign Internet applications.
  

• Microsoft Cracks Down on Sharing Windows XP (Wall Street Journal - Personal Technology, 2001.Jul.05)
  If you're one of the millions of consumers with multiple PCs in your household, and you plan on upgrading them to Microsoft's forthcoming Windows XP operating system, you're in for a rude surprise. For the first time, Microsoft plans to force families to buy a separate, full-price copy of Windows for each PC they upgrade. Each copy is expected to cost around $100. Not only that, but [you are required] to let Microsoft create and store a profile of the configuration of every PC on which you install Windows XP ... If you don't allow Microsoft to collect this information, your copy of Windows XP will simply stop working ... [it] might still stop working at some point if you make a lot of changes to your PC's hardware. I am not making this up. ... What if your PC malfunctions, and you have to reinstall ... you'll have to explain the situation to Microsoft...
  

• New Windows XP Feature Can Re-Edit Others' Sites (Wall Street Journal, 2001.Jun.7)
  One key test of Windows XP will be whether its features do more to benefit consumers or Microsoft's business plan. ... The feature ... allows Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser ... to turn any word on any Web site into a link to Microsoft's own Web sites and services, or to any other sites Microsoft favors. ... [Smart Tags] mean that the company that controls the Web browser is using that power to actually alter others' Web sites to its own advantage.
  

• Windows XP may steer users' Web choices (C|Net News, 2001.Jun.6)
  'Wouldn't that be something?' [Gartner analyst Michael Silver] said. 'You spend millions of dollars designing a Web site, and Microsoft has a Smart Tag that sends (users) to one of (Microsoft's) own sites.'
  

• Windows XP and Incompatibilities with Multi-Booting? (Slashdot.org, 2001.May.20)
  ...this could be seen by many as another move to stifle competition in the PC market.
  

• Rivals Upset at Windows XP Features (Associated Press, 2001.May.11)
  Rivals and some state attorneys general are complaining that with its Windows XP system, Microsoft is engaging in the same sort of product bundling that gave rise to the current federal antitrust case involving the company's Internet Explorer browser.
  

• Microsoft to keep software meeter running? (C|Net News, 2001.May.07)
  Microsoft may be changing its licensing practices, potentially compelling large companies to pay up every three years to continue using a piece of software.
  

• The Microsoft jinx (Yahoo! News, 2001.Apr.20)
  Microsoft could step into a pothole if the upcoming Windows XP operating system polices users.
  

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