[ThePostman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('clueless', 'I') will refrain from quoting bible verses, but will say that is part of the decietfullness of riches spoken in the bible.

Gate's money will be worthless when he is unable to buy anything with it.

I suspect he will buy a self sustaining island or something like Mel Gibson did with his profits after the "Passion". Funny that his first movie just happened to be about Petrocollapse and his next movie is about the collapse of the Mayan civ.

Think he knows something the ignorant masses don't ?

[PolestaR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ThePostman', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('clueless', 'I') will refrain from quoting bible verses, but will say that is part of the decietfullness of riches spoken in the bible.

Gate's money will be worthless when he is unable to buy anything with it.

I suspect he will buy a self sustaining island or something like Mel Gibson did with his profits after the "Passion". Funny that his first movie just happened to be about Petrocollapse and his next movie is about the collapse of the Mayan civ.

Think he knows something the ignorant masses don't ?

[ThePostman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ThePostman', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('clueless', 'I') will refrain from quoting bible verses, but will say that is part of the decietfullness of riches spoken in the bible.

Gate's money will be worthless when he is unable to buy anything with it.

I suspect he will buy a self sustaining island or something like Mel Gibson did with his profits after the "Passion". Funny that his first movie just happened to be about Petrocollapse and his next movie is about the collapse of the Mayan civ.

Think he knows something the ignorant masses don't ?

[gg3]

Pea-jay speaks for me on this.

There is an additional facet of the dilemma of Bill, which is quite personal. Someone in his position can never be sure who his real friends are, and who is merely a charming parasite who has come along for the purpose of getting something.

Think of yourself in that position, suffering the latter-day version of the curse of Midas. It would gnaw at your soul the way a starving dog gnaws at a bare bone in the hopes of finding something nourishing.

What those people need most of all is friends and others (aside from their spouses) they can talk to honestly, about anything and everything, without fear of confidences being broken or relationships being exploited. One can hope they've found such people, perhaps among their long-term friends from back all the way to the days before their names became household words.

In every person's life, whether a dustman or a duke, there is something that deserves the compassion of others and unconditional love.

[newhunter-gatherer]

Maybe Mr Gates feels guilty about creating his digital empire that is currently consuming colossal amounts of a precious none renewable energy resource to power it all?

[Doly]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', '
')Think of yourself in that position, suffering the latter-day version of the curse of Midas.

[gigacannon]

As a bit of a philosopher, I've used Bill Gates as an example when demonstrating the importance of personal will to be powerful.

Bill Gates can afford to go on holiday on the moon, if he wants. Does he? No. So that means that with all that money, he can't go on holiday on the moon.

You can't do what you don't want to do, which means you can only do what you want. It's one of my methods of proving that we don't have free will. We don't choose to want things. You can't simply choose to want to kill someone, can you? Nope. Our desires form as a result of our interactions with the world itself. Like how I want a cigarette, but not because I choose to want a cigarette, it's because I've a nicotene addiction.

This is relevant to my opinions on corporatism, which, if you're lucky, I'll share with you another day.

[Mesuge]

You guys, have to realise that Mr. Bill can not cash out most of his money period. He can at the maximum and occasionaly transfer few hunderd millions here and there but that's all. That's exactly the same US-China relationship, the Chinese can't dump the trillion of USD reserves without serious consequences to the entire system itself, in other words you can't rock the boat.

That also means that he can't announce that he has or is planning to move for instance $10bln. to some cool project like space elevator or some renewables. The moment he goes into that direction his baby the Microsoft/Borg corp. goes belly up on the stock market..

It's the pyramid game, as long as everybody believes in the system it works, but you can't change the course it's to fragile..

[clueless]

Mesuge -

Good point, If Gates dumps the $ holdings he could crash the system.

We are living in a complete illusion based on the perception of unlimited growth.

So Bill, We put it to you again, How about supporting your small, poor independent P.O. causes ????

[12amps]

clueless, maybe you are a little too hopeful/clueless if you think Gates will actually come here on PO and read your thread and donate some $$$. I think Gates is down in the attic conjuering up his next Poison APPLE to use as a Google Killer. Or maybe he wanna re-Fuck IBM again. Either way, he is not interested in REVERSING the pyramid.

As clueless as clueless is, clueless should know that Gates is rich, but NOT THAT RICH. He cannot with his money save the world, he cannot with his money even help PO.

Gates, Gore, Bono, all these morons no realize that their very existence is based on the illusion of unlimited growth of the slaves at the bottom of the pyramid. What clueless no realize is that these dimi-Gods can do nothing to really help us, simply becuase they in reality are NOT THAT POWERFUL AT ALL.

[EROEI]

Hello, Truth be told, if it was up to me I'd still like to be running Windows 98 SE on my personal computer. I like to have CONTROL of MY PC, control of my hardware and software. Despite the dinosaur that is '98 I am reminiscent of the days when I actually had real access to my PC.

Compared to XP and especially Vista, 98 has almost zero overhead and is super fast.
XP takes a little more control from the user, dumbs things down a bit and assumes we
don't know what the heck we are doing, and is generally a more bloated OS. But its
not up to me, these days no good apps have 98 support and generally 98 too
obsolete to be of any use. That's the nature of technology and the inherent and instrinsic property of computing/IT. We all understand that.... But still I wish it could have gone down a different path.

Vista, it goes without saying but I will say it anyway, is a nightmare. Now the user is
the virus and we are not supposed to trust overself, instead trust the GOD that is MICROSOFT... Everything is dumbed down and Vista assumes we are all noobs and this is our very first operation system. It locks us down and locks us up, not so much from viruses but from ourselves, it gives total control of our system to Redmond and Washington DC, and Hollywood. The entire operating system is compromised and the only 'security' there is is we are securely locked to M$FT and Big Brother....

Vista Starter Edition is really a Big Joke right? Vista Starter disables all incoming network connections and you can only have 3 programs running at the same time! WTF?! That's only two programs more than DOS ran, and we are talking about an Operating System that is almost 20 years advanced!! Now I fully understand Vista Starter is aimed for developing nations, but that just pores salt on the wound. You're supposed to pay more for more advanced features, not pay for a crippled OS and then pay more to UPGRADE to an uncrippled one....
These sames users in developing nations are much better off staying with XP than purchasing an half-ass handicapped and mentally retarded OS that reports every action back to Redmond and Langley, and one that slows down their computer to a crawl (if M$FT expects developing nations to be on a tight budget, then MOFT knows they wouldn't be running state of the art PCs) and then having to spend money on top of that to upgrade hardware just to run Vista as fast as XP, all that work just to get back to square one and not even... Am I the only one who sees Bill Gates has no clothes?

Its not just Vista, its the overall disturbing trend of Microsoft. I wonder if the next version in 2009 will require us to submit a blood sample to validate our identity with Microsoft as part of the Windows Genuine Advantage everytime we want to download a new wallpaper that has been digitally signed by Microsoft.

Speaking of Windows Genuine Advantage, its really been nothing but a total and complete DISADVANTAGE for me the user as far as my own personal experiences are concerned. I see how it is a hugh Genuine Advantage for Bill Gates at Microsoft, but Windows Activation and the likes really screwed me up not to long ago. I had to replace my motherboard because when I was flashing a new logo to my PC the power went out, I bought a new bios but my old one was soldered onto the board so I had to desolder it but damage some of the tracks so I ordered a new Mobo. A week later my Mobo comes in and I'm so happy to get back and going, everything went fine up to until XP loaded and at welcome screen it frooze just to tell me I have to reactive.... Now its midnight and I contact MSFT and needless to say its a freaking hassle to waste 30 minutes on the phone speaking to someone in India who I don't understand and who doesn't understand me, .... finally I got it to work with autophone activation after about 20 tries... Where is the advantage in that for being a GENUINE customer?! I might as well have gotten a pirated version from boot and never mess with this freaking hassles...... From a user practicality standpoint, it surely didn't pay to be Genuine... This is what I get for being a honest person? Know I understand why so many people pirate Windows, not just for saving money, but headaches down the road.

This is not 1998, and the age of upgrading to a newer OS just because its THEME looks prettier is pretty much over... For now and the far forseeable future, until at least 2012, I'm sticking with Windows XP Pro SP2 PERFORMANCE edition, no thanks to Bill Gates...

Vista is NOT an option.

to be continueed/ editted/updated/ etc

[leal]

Why not try other OS's?
I am using Linux, but there are other alternatives you can try such as a Mac or any of the BSD's. If you want to try Linux you can find a list of distributions here.

[gnm]

Linux here too buddy...

I can tell you what he was thinking though...

"ALL YOUR DATA ARE BELONG TO US"

-G

[Carlhole]

Just get rid of Vista and re-install XP. You can tweak away all the bells and whistles that slow it down.

Then,partition your drive and install Ubuntu, a Linux OS that's pretty easy on beginners. Linux is growing more and more popular and more and more ready-for-prime-time.

[gnm]

Mandriva linux is pretty slick and easy on noobs also...

-G

[Laughs_Last]

I've heard good things about Ubuntu. It was too big for my old win98 box, so I tried Xubuntu, it too was too big. Then I tried DamnSmallLinux. It works great.

[jasonraymondson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Laughs_Last', 'I')'ve heard good things about Ubuntu. It was too big for my old win98 box, so I tried Xubuntu, it too was too big. Then I tried DamnSmallLinux. It works great.

[TWilliam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', 'U')buntu is amazing, I love it. I duel boot xp and ubuntu. I only use XP when I have to for things that wine won't run.

[EROEI]

"98, XP, Vista, Vienna+" - I need your Help!

Hello World;

Can someone tell me what is the "intrinsic" difference between
Microsoft Windows 98 SE , XP Pro SP2 , Vista Ultimate, and the prototype that is Vienna+ ?

This may seem too simple a question, but what is the "core essential difference" between each of these OS's beyond and beneath the superficial differences that we are all accustomed too? A technical explanation would be most welcome.

One thing that forever puzzles me is this: Why did Microsoft release Windows 98 in 1998 and then just THREE years later release Windows XP in 2001. But from Windows XP to Vista we had to wait a whole SEVEN years. And yet, now Microsoft will release Vienna only 2 years after Vista?! What is the pattern here? Why did Microsoft wait so long to come up with Vista after XP was released, but in such a hurry to release Vienna right after Vista?

Vista to XP is a HUGE jump, a jump that many are not ready or willing to make for many different reasons. One would think that by 2009 just when the general public has barely gotten adjusted and comfortable with Vista Microsoft would be out of its mind to release Vienna and basically force/PUSH everyone to upgrade again, to another so called "faster"/"better"/"more secure"/ etc OS? And thus the headache begins even before the last one cleared? Why?? Why when XP works just fine should we make the transition to Vista only just to be told once again that its obsolete and we NEED TO HAVE the latest and greatest shiny brand new OS called Vienna from M$FT?


But onto may last and real reason for this posting... I believe IMHO that Vista is Windows ME (Mistake Edition) II Reincarnated... For this reason, I would like, to the maximum extent possible, to stay with Windows XP Professional SP2 & SP3 (?) for as long as possible, perhaps until 2014 when Microsoft Officially drops all support for XP. The only way I would switch to a new MSFT OS is if in 2009 Vienna turns out to be an elegant, efficient, powerful, intuitve and truly robust Operating System of the future. I generally like technology and advancement. I watch Star Trek. But The way Microsoft is going I have my doubts, but if ME->XP sets an precedent, perhaps, just perhaps Vienna would be the successor to XP whilst Vista is the successor to ME.

I am hoping in 2009 Microsoft will actually "WOW" us with a 'perfect' (near perfect) OS that is Vienna. Vista is really, well lets just say I don't like it much and my opinion of it isn't going to change because of a service pack or two, especially when Vienna is already on the horizon and we all know how fast MSFT sunsets a previous version of Windows the moment the next comes out so it can Pimp it out and whore the pockets of Billy Bill Gates and Ballmer.

Until then I am sticking tightly to Windows XP Professional SP2 PERFORMANCE EDITION. But the QUESTION is how? How can this be accomplished?

Will XP still be a valid OS in 2012? Will the grid still be on by then? What if I buy a new computer in 2010 and want to reformat with an XP OEM? Will there still be support for older XP drivers from manufacturers in 2010/2012?? If DELL/HP/etc doesn't support anything XP by then, can I build my own PC to the specs where each and every hardware component is fully compatible with XP and drivers exists for XP?? I've heard some Bios manufactures are in bed with Microsoft and some newer Motherboards will only run on Vista?!? This is bad news for me... Is this going to be more and more of a prevailing trend?? Is there any way around this? How to prevent Homeland Security toggle?

To conclude, I know the XP OS will always be around, so to speak, but will it still be a generally usable OS into 2010-2015 era? 98 is still around, but we don't generally consider it an usable OS even for daily use purposes anymore. Especially if I buy a new computer in 2008-2010, how practical/possible is it for me to reformat and install XP and get all the hardware and drivers working? Will most software companies such as adobe, autodesk, norton, etc drop software support of XP? (ie will all programs only be written and compatible for Vista in 2009?, or will they still have XP backwards compatibility built in?)


What about games?
If I stick with XP it means I will stick to DX9. I don't care about DX10, but my ONLY worry is it games in the future drop all support for DX9 then I won't be able to play new games at all no matter how fast my video adapter is because XP has no support for DX10. Will this mean I must switch to Vista to play any games at all??? And now the new "VISTA ONLY" games, Halo 2 I don't care about, but what happens when the next version of Microsoft Flight Simulator is VISTA ONLY? I'm a hardcore simulation fan, but as of now, I'll pass on both Vista and FSX as they are of similiar quality and construction. FS9 on Win XP is smooth as silk, FSX on Vista is NOT a good combination, trust me... If other software, appware, and gaming companies follow's Microsoft's lead and start making VISTA ONLY games or DX10 ONLY games, then I'm pretty much out of luck? What happens when newer versions of 3ds max, photoshop, autocad, Matlab, cadence, etcetc all start dropping XP support one by one??? Maybe Vienna will come soon to save the day? How an I extend the life of my XP for as long as Boeing has extended the life of the 747??


Someone please help enlighten me!

Thanks,

[EROEI]

I did some online reading about Windows Vienna and found this:

In the past 20 years, the Microsoft Windows operating system has accumulated old code libraries that brought it to the size it has today, 2.5 GB and about 50 million lines of code (Windows Vista). These old code libraries consume resources and are often the targets of security exploits. The best way to avoid such problems, is to start from scratch, which is close to what Microsoft plans to do with Windows Vienna. Windows Vienna will represent the start of a different generation of operating systems, bringing in new concepts and support for new types of hardware, along with a better security and a modular approach, which will allow future versions of Windows to be built more easily on Windows Vienna's engine.It is also likely that the future success of Microsoft's products will be strongly decided by the success of the new generation operating system.


"Microsoft has announced it will be released in 2009, it has been publicly stated that the team that designed the Ribbon interface for Microsoft Office 2007 will play an active part in redesigning Windows Explorer and possibly other UI elements. In that sense, we can expect that the user interface paradigms will change significantly. Perhaps, even, the powerful organizational capability of the Ribbon interface will permit Windows to adopt significant new functionality."

"We're going to look at a fundamental piece of enabling technology. Maybe it's hypervisors. I don't know what it is" [...] "Maybe it's a new user interface paradigm for consumers."

"That means that right now when you move from one PC to another, you've got to install apps on each one, do upgrades on each one. Moving information between them is very painful. We can use Live Services to know what you're interested in. So even if you drop by a [public] kiosk or somebody else's PC, we can bring down your home page, your files, your fonts, your favorites and those things. So that's kind of the user-centric thing that Live Services can enable. [Also,] in Vista, things got a lot better with [digital] ink and speech, but by the next release there will be a much bigger bet. Students won't need textbooks; they can just use these tablet devices. Parallel computing is pretty important for the next release. We'll make it so that a lot of the high-level graphics will be just built into the operating system. So we've got a pretty good outline.""


It's about time Microsoft cleared the board and started from scratch. I hope Vienna becomes as perfect of an OS as possible, but I dread the OS being tied intricately with Microsoft LIVE Services..... No offense, but I don't want my life to be intertwined with Microsoft, I just want an Operating System that does its job, that works without me needing to babysite it and feed it's UAC "yes, I'm sure" confirmations every five seconds. The whole point of an OS is to be as invisible as possible, like air is critical to our survival but we never notice it, until its gone. The same way, the zen of operating system is that it does everything in the background, transparent, clean, invisible. Vista is anything but....


I'm also not to sure about the RIBBON interface. I hope a more intuitive interface is incorporated in Vienna. I have used Office 2007 and gotten around to learning the Ribbon interface and truth be told I don't think its that great. It's not that efficient or effective and it really doesn't save me much if any time at all. What is so wrong with the classical menu interface and the proven way of doing things? Why change everything around when it was working fine? I really don't get it, the ribbon interface isn't saving me any time or making my Office Experience any more enjoyable.


Bill Gates comment really make me wonder what world he is living in:

"Students won't need textbooks; they can just use these tablet devices. "

And why would be need Vienna to accomplish this? Tablet Devices have existed forever,
I don't see how Vienna will change their adoption to high schools and colleges. Somehow I don't see textbooks being replaced by Tablet PC's anytime soon. Even if it did happen, XP would have done the job. No need for Vista or Vienna to do that...