Today we received a notification from Windows Update that it was ready to install an update. I read about it, as I always do before I agree.

This particular one wanted to install a validation tool of some kind which would not only send Microshaft your IP number, it would enable them to randomly and repeatedly "sniff" your machine(s) to see if you had the tool and that your copy of XP was indeed valid. Over and over and over again.

The disturbing thing about this is that it also said that it would transmit data like your bios info, various softwares and versions, installed hardware, any changes to Windows registry, etc., and so forth ... AND ...

... the serial numbers of your hard drive(s) and other installed devices.

HELLO!?

What the hell is that?:dong:

Like I want Bill Gates and his buddies sniffing around my machine while I'm trying to WORK!

I mean, Goddammit, what are the underage, wine-swilling, pot-smoking, plutonium-guarding eunuchs supposed to do with Bill and them tangling up their Internet speed and spying on what kinds of media they're stealing via P2P clients?!*

If you get this notification, I'd suggest refusing it. I did.

If it comes up again, we "upgrade" to Windows 2000.

If that gets dicked up, we're going MAC.

-----

*sarcastic comment often used to entertain the wiretapper I have.

Paolo wrote: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:25 pm Today we received a notification from Windows Update that it was ready to install an update. I read about it, as I always do before I agree.

This particular one wanted to install a validation tool of some kind which would not only send Microshaft your IP number, it would enable them to randomly and repeatedly "sniff" your machine(s) to see if you had the tool and that your copy of XP was indeed valid. Over and over and over again.

The disturbing thing about this is that it also said that it would transmit data like your bios info, various softwares and versions, installed hardware, any changes to Windows registry, etc., and so forth ... AND ...

... the serial numbers of your hard drive(s) and other installed devices.

HELLO!?

What the hell is that?:dong:

Like I want Bill Gates and his buddies sniffing around my machine while I'm trying to WORK!

I mean, Goddammit, what are the underage, wine-swilling, pot-smoking, plutonium-guarding eunuchs supposed to do with Bill and them tangling up their Internet speed and spying on what kinds of media they're stealing via P2P clients?!*

If you get this notification, I'd suggest refusing it. I did.

If it comes up again, we "upgrade" to Windows 2000.

If that gets dicked up, we're going MAC.

-----

*sarcastic comment often used to entertain the wiretapper I have.

I've been thinking of going to Linux. I am starting to ditch Office and going over to OpenOffice. Why not the rest....?

"... we're going MAC."

Yea ... er ah ... Some here might be able to assist in such a transition

Either way, i do understand your misgivings of such E T phone home technique.

markle

I think that you will find that Apple is up to the same tricks!

Personally, I find Apple's tricks more offensive than Microsoft's.

MS may effectively hold a monopoly over your operating system, but Apple holds a monopoly over both the operating system and the hardware it runs on. That's the price you pay for their 'security'. Windows could easily be as secure as OSX if Microsoft had an equivalent stranglehold on what hardware Windows was allowed to run on, only users would completely freak.

For some reason, Microsoft is 'the great evil' for their monopoly on software, while Apple is seen as freedom, even though their monopoly is much more restrictive. It's amazing what a great dollop of PR can do.

If you're looking to break away from MS, and have no desire to give up control of the hardware your computer runs on, in addition to the operating system it runs, there is only one choice. Go Linux. You can find a Linux distribution to suit almost any need, and the support groups out there are amazingly impressive. Plus Linux will run on your current hardware, in most cases you can find ways to run your Windows programs, and to top it all off, it's free.

I know if I ever make the break from the Microsoft monopoly, it won't be to move to an even more restrictive one. A monopoly that prevents me from tinkering under the hood of my computer, modifying it as I (the owner) see fit. I'll be going straight to Linux. After all, why buy a Soviet station wagon when you can have a space-age tank for free (http://adam.shand.net/iki/library/in_th ... mand_line/). Best of all, if you have an older computer that isn't quite up to the task of running the latest Windows version, you can probably find a Linux version that will run on it more than happily.

Is it Microsoft on its own that is collecting this data, or is it George W. Bush and his merry band of snoops.

On the one hand, this DOES infuriate me.

On the other hand, there are so many sickos (particularly child porno freeks), criminals, and terrorists out there, that having this information can help our government track them down when they use the internet.

Not being a criminal, terrorist, or porno freek (on line or on my computers) there isn't anything for me to fear.........except for the government itself. If they want to frame you, they can do it in many ways including fabricating computer data.

When you live in a society controlled by fear and anxiety (such as ours) there is no escaping the "spies everywhere" life.

Mostly I fear someone cracking Microsoft's method of collecting data.

Thus, my internet use is done on a cheap laptop that has NO, I repeat, NO personal data on it at all. I will use anti-virus, anti-spyware software and scan often.

I will be upgrading to a phantom server service that will prevent my IP address from being known. (except of course to the government which can collect any data they want from anywhere, with or without a search warrant).

I ditched Microsloth Office years ago. The idea that on a regular basis I was expected to "upgrade" and in effect pay most of what I pay a year for a rewarmed version of all the crap I bought before made me insane.

Open Office is great. And this started me on the path of looking at open source for everything that I could.

I "upgraded" to Win2K after being sickened by Vista and then being told I was supposed to buy a new license for one of the XP machines I have that gets upgraded with new hardware once too often. I wasted most of two days arguing this and my reaction is that I will move as far from this crap as I can.

Linux has many flavours. The current one I'm playing with is Slackware. Open Office, Firefox thunderbird all the stuff I'm used to works. There is some head scratching about drives, directories and such that I'm still coming to speed on but truth be told I often forget what the OS is. There are nice programs available for Linux that you can't get on the WinDoze machines if your into heavy tech stuff.

And the best thing is that machines that I've carted into the junk heap because they were too "slow" for XP/Vista are perfectly great at running Linux. The primary purpose for new versions of Windows always has been (In my jaded opinion) to obsolete older machines...

Which is GREAT marketing! Why make new "improved" products when you can resell the same crap over and over and over and over and over with some minor cosmetic changes????

Ubuntu and it's variant Kubuntu are my favourites at the moment. I have yet to come across hardware they can't cope with.

I am running a dual system windows xp and Ubuntu. wonderful OS, I will move to it and chuck MS.

River

Personally Apple is to expensive and monopolistic for my taste. And Linux does not support my favorite games and Photoshop (sorry but photoGimp does not even come close), so I will stick with Microsoft.

If Uncle Gates and company want to look at my porno collection they are welcome to it because I am neither ashamed of having it nor embarrassed.