On the Fence -- Need truth

[James]

Hi,

Let me get right to the point. I have been a Windows user for some
time, I have used 3.1, 95, 98, ME, but in 2001, I started using... yes I
will say it, Linux. (Is that a dirty word here?)

I liked it a lot and stuck with it until now. Now I am not a full time
coder, I am more of a hobbyist coder who has some decent
experience with C++ OpenGL and yes even some DirectX. I want to
code some apps and games, but I want the world to see it, not just
the niche group of Linux users that I have found.

Now let me get to the point... I invested some money (a lot for me),
and bought a copy of Windows 2000 Pro -- heard it was the best
version for coding, stability without the fluff of XP -- I also bought
Borland C++ Builder 6 (sorry VC fans but I have more experience
with Borland tools).

My problem is, my Linux friends have told me some serious horror
stories about the newer versions of Windows, about Palladium and
the TC initiative and DRM. they have also pointed me to this FAQ:

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html

Which tells of downright scary things... e.g. Microsoft remotely
deleting documents they think are stolen.

Now, I am all for copyrights and stuff. I have released some
programs in the past and have had them reverse engineered and
cracked, and I know how much it sucks, but the stuff I have heard is
off-the-wall. I need to know the truth about all this before I make a
decision, so i come straight to the source of it all.

I have a relative who owns a small music studio, and I got him to
make me some rpivate music for my upcoming game, how will
Microsoft know that the music is mine and not something I stole?

That's just one of the many fears I have and hopefully it can be set
straight.

Thanks for your time and responses.

 

[Dan Seur]

James - I believe that's a lot of hogwash. Guff, if you prefer. Sounds
like urban legend, right up there with alligators in the sewers and fuel
pumps exploding when your cellphone rings. And with a well-protected
system it's very unlikely that unauthorized browsing will occur. As far
as MS is concerned, they've got enough on their plate securing their own
systems against the ad hoc evil empire. I'd not lose any sleep over this
(of course, check that there's nothing under the bed before retiring

 

[James]

Yes I thought it sounded a bit far-fetched too... Until I read this from
Mr. Gates himself:

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/execmail/2002/07-18twc.asp

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

That link you cited is so obviously rabidly biased that I'm
surprised you felt the need to ask the question.

If you do come up with any serious concerns, however, please feel
free to bring them up.

Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

Hi,

Let me get right to the point. I have been a Windows user for some
time, I have used 3.1, 95, 98, ME, but in 2001, I started using... yes
I
will say it, Linux. (Is that a dirty word here?)

I liked it a lot and stuck with it until now. Now I am not a full time
coder, I am more of a hobbyist coder who has some decent
experience with C++ OpenGL and yes even some DirectX. I want to
code some apps and games, but I want the world to see it, not just
the niche group of Linux users that I have found.

Now let me get to the point... I invested some money (a lot for me),
and bought a copy of Windows 2000 Pro -- heard it was the best
version for coding, stability without the fluff of XP -- I also bought
Borland C++ Builder 6 (sorry VC fans but I have more experience
with Borland tools).

My problem is, my Linux friends have told me some serious horror
stories about the newer versions of Windows, about Palladium and
the TC initiative and DRM. they have also pointed me to this FAQ:

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html

Which tells of downright scary things... e.g. Microsoft remotely
deleting documents they think are stolen.

Now, I am all for copyrights and stuff. I have released some
programs in the past and have had them reverse engineered and
cracked, and I know how much it sucks, but the stuff I have heard is
off-the-wall. I need to know the truth about all this before I make a
decision, so i come straight to the source of it all.

I have a relative who owns a small music studio, and I got him to
make me some rpivate music for my upcoming game, how will
Microsoft know that the music is mine and not something I stole?

That's just one of the many fears I have and hopefully it can be set
straight.

Thanks for your time and responses.

 

[Carl Fenley]

Well, I"ve been running Windows 2000 on two computers here at home for
several years now, and I use the windowsupdate site exclusively to update my
systems. I'm also a big fan of debian-linux and have done some socket
programming on linux systems. I'm impartial when it comes to the
linux-vs-windows holy war; I simply use the tool that best gets me where I
want to go.

I cannot believe, for one second, that Microsoft would remove anything from
someone's hard drive. Do you know how many desktops have Windows installed?
There must be millions of illegal installations of Windows in homes where
users have taken their corporate copies home and loaded it on their own
computers.

This probably accounts for much of the security holes on the internet as we
have relatively ignorant home users running a copy of Advanced Server they
brought home from work, but that's a different gripe for a different thread.

Anyway, Microsoft is not the great all-seeing eye, scanning everyone's hard
drive for illegal music files... or even illegal copies of Windows or Office
for that matter. Microsoft has its hands full with supporting its products
without trying to play god to hundreds of millions of desktops across the
globe.

I wouldn't even hesitate to use Windows 2000 if it was the operating system
that I thought was the best option for what I wanted to do with it.

- carl

Hi,

Let me get right to the point. I have been a Windows user for some
time, I have used 3.1, 95, 98, ME, but in 2001, I started using... yes I
will say it, Linux. (Is that a dirty word here?)

I liked it a lot and stuck with it until now. Now I am not a full time
coder, I am more of a hobbyist coder who has some decent
experience with C++ OpenGL and yes even some DirectX. I want to
code some apps and games, but I want the world to see it, not just
the niche group of Linux users that I have found.

Now let me get to the point... I invested some money (a lot for me),
and bought a copy of Windows 2000 Pro -- heard it was the best
version for coding, stability without the fluff of XP -- I also bought
Borland C++ Builder 6 (sorry VC fans but I have more experience
with Borland tools).

My problem is, my Linux friends have told me some serious horror
stories about the newer versions of Windows, about Palladium and
the TC initiative and DRM. they have also pointed me to this FAQ:

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html

Which tells of downright scary things... e.g. Microsoft remotely
deleting documents they think are stolen.

Now, I am all for copyrights and stuff. I have released some
programs in the past and have had them reverse engineered and
cracked, and I know how much it sucks, but the stuff I have heard is
off-the-wall. I need to know the truth about all this before I make a
decision, so i come straight to the source of it all.

I have a relative who owns a small music studio, and I got him to
make me some rpivate music for my upcoming game, how will
Microsoft know that the music is mine and not something I stole?

That's just one of the many fears I have and hopefully it can be set
straight.

Thanks for your time and responses.