07-02-2007, 03:47 PM

Ballmer knows everything about you.

Activation, Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP), Device Manager, Driver Protection, Dynamic Update, Event Viewer, File Association Web Service, Games Folder, Error Reporting for Handwriting Recognition, Input Method Editor (IME), Installation Improvement Program, Internet Printing, Internet Protocol version 6 Network Address Translation Traversal, Network Awareness (somewhat), Parental Controls, Peer Name Resolution Service, Plug and Play, Plug and Play Extensions, Program Compatibility Assistant, Program Properties—Compatibility Tab, Program Compatibility Wizard, Properties, Registration, Rights Management Services (RMS) Client, Update Root Certificates, Windows Control Panel, Windows Help, Windows Mail (only with Windows Live Mail, Hotmail, or MSN Mail) and Windows Problem Reporting are the main features and services in Windows Vista that collect and transmit user data to Microsoft.

This extensive enumeration is not a complete illustration of all the sources in Windows Vista that Microsoft uses to gather end user data. . . .

07-02-2007, 03:53 PM

Vista = MS evidence gathering technology at its finest.
Yes but do they know what colour under wear I'm wearing? Oh wait, I'm not so it must have been a trick question.

07-02-2007, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by MaDDoG

Vista = MS evidence gathering technology at its finest.
Yes but do they know what colour under wear I'm wearing? Oh wait, I'm not so it must have been a trick question.

Well, if you sit at the computer in your underwear and have a Web Cam hooked into the Vista machine.......

07-02-2007, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by dtravis7

Well, if you sit at the computer in your underwear and have a Web Cam hooked into the Vista machine.......

But he said he's not wearing any, which makes me wonder...

07-02-2007, 05:31 PM

Nice. So my sister works for MS and I went to the store to pick up a copy of XP Pro. Funny thing is that they're all sold out of XP, but have TONS of Vista copies available. Pricing is nice though. The full edition XP Pro w/ SP2 is only $35. Vista Ultimate is $45.

Office Pro for mac is $65. Standard version is $45.

Oh and xbox 360 games are around $20. The thing about the store is that it's for personal use only. If you're caught selling anything, you're terminated immediately no questions asked.

07-02-2007, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by jotdess

Funny thing is that they're all sold out of XP, but have TONS of Vista copies available.

I don't get it...

07-02-2007, 05:56 PM

Well, Vista sux and XP is ok. So people don't buy Vista and bought out all of their copies of XP.

07-02-2007, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by dtravis7

Well, if you sit at the computer in your underwear and have a Web Cam hooked into the Vista machine.......

I've seen the webcams on Windows, and I'm not impressed. They'd probably get the color, brand, and type wrong and MS's marketing machine would end up sending Victoria's Secret ads to middle aged guys with beer-guts.

Now if Apple used iSight camera tech to gather info, I don't even want to think about the kind of spam I'd be getting. I'd probably be compelled to buy it.

07-02-2007, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by jotdess

Well, Vista sux and XP is ok. So people don't buy Vista and bought out all of their copies of XP.

By that logic, OS X 10.4 is the least desirable OS that Apple has ever made since it is the only thing still on the shelves...

07-02-2007, 07:31 PM

I'm just saying that it's not very popular at the MS store. That's all. :p

07-02-2007, 08:44 PM

After all the negative buzz about Vista, and all of my reservations, I finally bit the bullet and tried it out. Of course, it helps that I didn't have to pay for it - my company has a volume license, despite the fact that we didn't roll it out yet.

I'm currently running it on a test machine at work. What amazes me about it is the product activation - even on corporate, volume license editions. You have to maintain a licensing server that all of your machines "check in" with on a regular basis. If you have folks who work in the field, or are off the network for extended periods of time, then you need to contact your volume licensing rep and get a special activation code.

I don't know about you, but if I were a CIO and knew that I'd have to dedicate resources to establish and maintain a licensing server, not to mention worry about how my users were using their machines - or if they might be offline for awhile, I think I'd stick with XP for as long as I could.

I can't imagine this kind of attitude toward big business customers can persist, especially if companies start taking a serious look at alternative OSes on the desktop.

07-02-2007, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by jotdess
Funny thing is that they're all sold out of XP, but have TONS of Vista copies available.

Hmmmmm . . . Maybe those MS employee know something . . . .

Originally Posted by walkerj
I've seen the webcams on Windows, and I'm not impressed. They'd probably get the color, brand, and type wrong and MS's marketing machine would end up sending Victoria's Secret ads to middle aged guys with beer-guts.

Now if Apple used iSight camera tech to gather info, I don't even want to think about the kind of spam I'd be getting. I'd probably be compelled to buy it.

HAHAHA!! Priceless!

07-03-2007, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by jotdess

I'm just saying that it's not very popular at the MS store. That's all. :p

jotdess,
I think the point mynameis is trying to convey is that XP is sold out because MS doesn't really restock it anymore. XP is a part of their past now and they're trying to push Vista. When a copy of Vista is sold, there are dozens more in the backroom to replace it, where as when a remaining copy of XP is sold, it doesn't get replaced and it's inventory numbers dwindle. It'd be like Apple restocking Tiger months after Leopard is released. Just a waste of money.