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Re: [LUG] (Another rant) [Fwd: Microsoft shuts down Windows 98]

 

On Tuesday 11 July 2006 21:16, Paul Weaver wrote:
> Remember, most machines running Windows 98 aren't powerful enough to run 2K
> or XP.

kettles, toasters, washing machines, microwaves, tumble drier, tumble driers, 
lawn mowers, and fridges to name but a few household appliances that all need 
replacing after some period of time/usage - generally, the price dictates the 
quality, and thus how long it's usable life is.

While my grandparents had a washing machine that lasted 25 years, my mother 
gets through one every 2-3 years (5 kids!).  I've only got through 2 kettles 
this year alone - but i blame the amount of coffee i drink.  my mother has 
had just one kettle in 4 years... or at least one that looked the same last 
time i was there.

Explain why computers are any different?  People seem to forget that windows 
98 is now 8 years old, and ME is 7 [1].  A very long time in computer terms.  
6 years before that we were lucky to have DOS, let alone windows.

Going back to the car analogy: i'd think you are a complete idiot for putting 
the public at risk if you were driving around a car lacking basic safety 
features.  even more so if you were actually advising the use of dangerous 
cars.  again, exactly the same thing with computers.

I'm heavily up for computers requiring a certain "software safety standard" - 
for both the software and the user [3] (the hardware already has in form of 
CE in Europe) before being allowed to connect to the internet. Hopefully a 
law will one day require this. 

I'm sure the same bunch of you will be complaining then, too. "Oh no the 
government are forcing us to use certain software/algorithms, ohh no! whine 
whine whine, microsoft mumble mumble mumble!".

it's exactly you people that will help cause the law in the first place (NO! 
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T UPGRADE!!!).

incedentialy, the same microsoft bashing attitude that a few of you appear to 
have is also causing linux users to be labelled as zealot, which i'd probably 
say some of you are.  especially with unfounded statements like:

  What you do not do is give large quantities of money to a company that
  makes the same mistakes over and over again - probably deliberately so mugs
  will upgrade.

 ~ Theo

1 - arguably, ME is just 98 anyway.
2 - despite the fact there were plenty of them until laws changed that.
3 - Cisco's NAC stuff (incl 802.1x to an extent, too) does this already.  I 
know a lot of large corperations are starting to use it - with massive 
benefits.

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