filePro and Vista

[Fairlight]

This public service announcement was brought to you by Walter Vaughan:
>
> My point is that m$ can turn off XP 24 months and 1 day after Vista's
> release, and there is nothing you an do *legally* to stop them. M$
> shareholders have no reason to continue to allow you to use their
> software, and no assistance will come from the government since it'll be
> well known how dangerous XP boxes are on the general internet. I just got
> done reading an article that 9 out of 10 emails are now spam coming from
> XP boxes... http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/11/27/uk.spam.reut/
> so no government judge or official will side with anyone who still wants
> XP in 2009. Who knows in 2 years after the next crowd takes office...
> jail time for people run XP?

Okay, much as I respect you, this smacks of pure FUD.  I'm sorry.
Techically, their EULA "AS-IS" clause has -always- said this about their
software (and anyone else's) from the day you purchase it.  Be happy you
-ever- get patches for -any- software without paying, after the 80's piracy
merry-go-round jacked prices and created the entire EULA scene--one of the
worst legacies of our industry, IMNSHO..and one that's gone on to propogate
even to published works in book form.

That we have until -2010- on Windows 2000 says that we have at least that
long on XP by sheer logic alone.  The point that it should be at least
2012 and will more likely be 2015 if I'm guessing right by release date
deltas should not be lost on those with two neurons to rub together.  MS
-announced- support for Win2K through 2010, flat-out saying it -would- be
supported (which ATI promptly chose to ignore, as they no longer develop
drivers for it, therefore I no longer support ATI...I'm going NVidia).

As for the article you pointed out, I just read it over lunch.  It didn't
explicitly say XP boxes, it said slaved boxes on botnets.  That you assume
and imply that they were talking strictly about XP or even in the majority
about XP is blatantly disingenious.  In fact, I just rechecked, and the
ONLY place "XP" appears in your cited article (which I've read twice now)
is in the word "Experts".  I checked visually -and- with search in the
browser.  I'm positive about this fact.

I'm sorry, but this is just baiting the subject, tantamount to trolling.  I
believe *nix is obviously a superior server environment, but Windows -has-
come a ways as a desktop environment, and even their security stance has
improved--albeit not enough.  But to blatantly imply what you are with zero
backing sources since the article did not say what you said it does is
simply wrong, wrong, and furthermore--wrong.

Adding to unfounded assertions of platform (sure, market share can be
pointed to, but show me that -in context-) by compounding it with more
FUD about possible liabilities that will likely never happen, you're just
making an ass of yourself, honestly.  Your tack is highly reminiscent of
the linux zealots that gave linux and OSS proponents a bad name in the
first place.  Bearing in mind that you've switched gears at least a few
times, first to linux, then FBSD, and now you're in love with OS/X, I'm
sorry but you're coming across as nothing more than an MS basher of the
lowest common denomenator--a level I personally strove to rise above over
the last 13 years.  It's attitudes (and worse, actions in the form of posts
like yours) that do our OSS communities and the commercial entities that
ride on the flow of OSS solutions and platforms nothing but disservice by
making us all look like fools by association.

Come off it already, Walter.  Even I can't buy your propoganda, and it's
free for the taking.

> Where filePro works in all this... uh you can't run just move
> fpODBC-5.0.13 to a Vista harddrive until a utility is developed to change
> the HD serial number.  Right now volumeid.exe does not work on Vista, so
> you'll have to get a new activation code. No a problem as long as the
> server is active at fpTech and keeps giving out new keys... -- Walter

That's an issue fP-Tech will have to address, assuming your facts are
even actually accurate.  At this point I'll give you the benefit of the
doubt on historical merit, despite this rubbish you've posted above.  But
again, you're sowing FUD--this time about filePro on the new platform.
There's quite enough FUD in this community already without fanning the
flames, believe me.  Since they have a vested interest in running on the
platform--enough to have made a 'doze-only fPODBC, a native Win32 version,
and fPGI.--I'm going to do the sensible thing and assume they'll protect
their investments within a reasonable span of time.

I never really thought you'd lose respect points with me, man, but your
post here today did just cost you some in my books for what little that's
worth.  It's not worth squat inasfar as I'm "a nobody" in the larger OSS
movement, but as a proponent of said solutions and commercial ventures
based on them, you do -all- of us nothing but harm with your tactics and
insinuations.  I thought that kind of mentality was dying out.  I'm sorry
to be proven wrong so clearly.

mark->
-- 
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