[kwlug-disc] Is MS humbling down?

[Charles M]

Not to turn this into a Windows vs. Linux thing, but the other day I
decided to install both on my system again. I went to restore my
restore discs (WXP Home) and they were pooched after 2 years (never
used them). So I "got" an XP Home OEM disc, which according to
Microsoft's licensing is illegal, you have to get it straight from the
manufacturer (who often wants to charge you the full price again). Six
hours later, no joke, I had all the updates, the tools my Lenovo 3000
C100 notebook came with, and a few open source tools (Gimp, Pidgin,
and a few others) so Windows would match my typical Linux install.

In just under 45 minutes I had my Ubuntu install done with all
updates, a few extra packages like Skype, gcc, build-essentials, mc,
filezilla, etc. For me Microsoft just isn't very viable anymore. I
installed it because I wanted to check web sites under IE8, but I
after all the pain it took to install, and the legal issues, is it
really worth it?

FWIW I don't think they're humbling down. The code release for Hyper-V
was in their own best interest. They've proven time and again they
always have a hidden agenda whenever they do anything "open."