You can't turn off XP Media Player and Microsoft saays we should trust them with our private music and move watching habits.

Bill, get out of our computers! We pay you to provide software, not to try to control our lives. If you have all of this time to spy on us, maybe instead you could make your software run correctly?

By the way, you can suppress the mention of multiple pages from the same site. It is an option to check on or off somewhere.

Where is the Linux OS replacement when you need it. We really need a good competitive OS to Windows. And then there's Apple but then all of my software won't run on it either.

I often wonder how the latest Apple Macs stack up against the Windows box counterparts. Apple needs to upgrade their computer mouse to the 3 button mouse. Quick-keys are just not as handy.

It's not just one site reporting on it. Microsoft persists in trying to get something over on the public. All they are doing is trying out our trust and eventually the public will get really fed up with them and abandon them. It will be their demise and it will be their fault. I predict that within 10 years, if MS doesn't stop trying to mess with our privacy, they will find their Windows OS no longer the dominant OS. I for one am just waiting for a Good Windows replacement.

Anyone want to step up to the plate and create an OS that will run all of my Windows based software? The company that can do a better job than Microsoft will find a quick and ready following. I'm waiting for that day to happen. I'd do it myself if I had the technical expertise, but I'm too dumb in that area .

We need a Windows OS Clone soon, very soon.

Do you run a Mac? If you do, what do you think of it? I use to work on Mac OS system 7.x and 8.x, but that was the last Mac OS I had touched and they were PowerMacs with 120Mhz chips.

The thing I remember is that they were very slow in rendering Web pages in comparison to a Windows computer counterpart. When it came to surfing the net, my little 100Mhz Windows machine rendered Web pages about 2-3 times faster than the comparable PowerMac with 120Mhz RISC chip.

I wish Macs would switch to the 2 or 3 button mouse too—something else that Apple should incorporate into their computer—don't know why they do not go that route.

With a windows version, it's possible to get a 1.5Ghz AMD chip, CD-RW, ZIP Drive, 40GB SCSI HD drive, ergo keyboard, 19" monitor and a decent inkjet printer for about $1,600. The price for Macs are still too high.

I have a PowerPC mac that I use for checking pages and any disign work I do for clients.

BTW: The above "LSD" was a typo. Should have been "LCD". Oops!

Yes, we desperately need some competition on the OS market. And the funny thing here is that if there was an alternative to Windows, even Windows users would benefit from it, because MS would be forced to invest heavily in improving their software.

Looks like you and I are thinking on very similar lines on the OS bit. The next day after posting about my wish to find another Windows-like OS, I found Lindows.com. Problem is I can't seem to convince the representative from Lindows to participate in the thread about Lindows.

I told the person that people here would be interested in hearing more about Lindows and that forum interaction would be helpful to the members here. Unfortunately, someone over there does not understand public relations or just doesn't have the time (or worse does not care—don't know the real reason for them not posting). Perhaps the other posts scared them away or something and they figured that the people here are too skeptical. I figured the person would want to answer our questions and help us understand.

At any rate, I did invite the person to post. Jim, you don't mind if the Lindows rep. posts here do you?

I know one thing and it's that we do need some real Windows-like OS competition and not the fake browser competition that Microsoft and AOL are trying to pass off as “real competition”. As far as I can see MS and AOL are buddies behind the scenes but act out some WWF wrestling match on the front lines—boy do I hope I'm wrong about that or we're all in some deep doo-doo if the big boys are faking the competition bit.

It should be illegal to collect information about a user through a program without the consent of the user (and how to opt out of providing that info should be writ large.)

If I was injured due, say, to a defective tire blowing out, I could sue the maker or the tire for providing defective product.

The same should apply to software makers.

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The price for Macs are still too high.

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Yea, but WHY is the price still too high? Okay, there’s actually several reasons, but the biggest single reason is probably simple economics. My first PC, was an XT and roughly the same price as a comparable Mac (which were also brand new at the time, if you don’t count the earlier Lisa). As more and more and more people bought PC’s, the relative gap widened. Because mass production is a big factor in setting prices (at least when accompanied by competition).

In other words, if you want the price of Macs to drop, go buy one. If everyone buys a Mac, the prices will drop until they’re competitive with PC’s.

(p.s. No, I am not a Mac enthusiast. I don’t even own one. I’m still waiting for YOU to get the prices lowered for me. )

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Anyone want to step up to the plate and create an OS that will run all of my Windows based software?

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Unless we’re willing to give up those Windows-based packages, I doubt we’ll ever see a truly competitive OS. Anything that could run your existing software would be in danger of infringing Microsoft copyrights, and the only way that threat would go unanswered is if MS didn’t feel threatened. It wouldn’t even matter if the infringement was real. If you were 99.99 percent of a ruling in your favor (you can never 100 percent sure), would YOU want to go up against the deep pockets of Microsoft? Even if you win, you’d go broke in the process.

Microsoft’s power comes from the simple fact that almost no one is willing to give up that huge software base.

Besides, what make you so sure anyone else could it better? Ever hear of OS/2?

It would be akin to Microsoft making their own computer and then yanking all the licensing to sell their OS to other computer manufacturers and keep Windows only for their own brand of computer. Microsoft could charge a high price for a computer if it were so.

Apple doesn't seem very interested in letting other computer makers into the arena on the Mac OS side in order to lower the cost of Macs. Buying more Macs will not lower the cost of Macs. They already sell enough Macs to charge cheaper prices--they choose not to because some are willing to pay a premium for a Mac.

Our choices are:
• Apple: double the price, more privacy, software incompatible with Windows, software can be more expensive and harder to get for Macs.

• Computers w/Windows: cheaper, much less privacy, more compatibility with other computers, software easier to find, forced to be under the control of MS if MS wants to enslave us.

Not much of a choice if you ask me.

The only way to beat both out is to create a Linux machine that has the functions of a windows environment with plenty of inexpensive software to use that does exactly (or close to it) what windows software does.

OK, I'm pulling my head out of the sand now and getting back to reality.

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At any rate, I did invite the person to post. Jim, you don't mind if the Lindows rep. posts here do you?

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I'd love it. How about posting his email address so more members can send him words of encouragement?

If Apple goes forward with their plans to license the OS and let others build the hardware, that could be the alternative we've all been dreaming of. Most standard software packages already exist for Mac. The hardware (other than iMacs) is not as profitable as the OS can be. I hope this comes to be.