Something other than Iraq and Bush.

So you like to upgrade your PC often or you simply reformat more than the normal user. Think again before jumping into Windows Vista when its released.

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_licensing_reply.asp

But Clinton.....!
:devil

Runaway computers with Window's Vista installed were responsible for Abu'Garab, the Iran-Contra scandel and Rick James' death!

I have a number of issues with the way OSs are handled. The cost for one is staggering - Even for XP you're looking at $100, just to be able to turn the computer on. Considering how much of XP borrowed from prior versions, there's something funny in that number.

Licensing is another issue. If I have to replace a major portion of my computer before the end of the next three months I have the pleasure of a very fun phone call with Microsoft explaining why I need my XP key released. Not to mention, my XP is an upgrade to an upgrade of Windows 98, which means I'm keeping track of three CDs.

This is just silly, for the program required to run the damn computer. Vista can wait many years, it'll be a while before major software starts to require it. Heck, most stuff on the shelf is still 98 compliant.

2K is where I'm gonna stay.
I dislike the "Big Brother" aspect of XP, being a PC tech. I'm always fiddling with stuff on my computer, and I'm not too fond of the idea of having to call Billy to get permission to use my O/S wen I decide to do a major upgrade on my PC.
Although I'm sure there are haxxored versions of the O/S, you got to wonder, what else is haxxed in the registry?

Considering how much of XP borrowed from prior versions, there's something funny in that number. It's whack that people never carry over this and other similar lines of thinking when purchasing other products. I know Henry Ford made his fortune last century, but they're still pushing out the cars with higher and higher costs. My home? My mortgage is at least 4 times what it originally cost to build the house 20 years ago... I'm willing to pay it. I could always go cheap and live in a tent next to a flood prone river I suppose.

Do MACs with the intel chip need a copy of windows to run games, or can it run games with Tiger or whatever its OS is called w/o Windows? I.E. is Microsoft the only player in this monopoly still?

It's whack that people never carry over this and other similar lines of thinking when purchasing other products. I know Henry Ford made his fortune last century, but they're still pushing out the cars with higher and higher costs. My home? My mortgage is at least 4 times what it originally cost to build the house 20 years ago... I'm willing to pay it. I could always go cheap and live in a tent next to a flood prone river I suppose.
Who says they don't? I moved 15min farther from work so I could afford a house that's three times the size that a unit the same cost near my job would cost me. Both of our cars are older, well maintained, and were far from top of the line - I've added my own upgrades (stereos, better dash instruments, etc) on my own.

There is a slight difference - car manufacturers at least have to pretend to compete with each other. Massive games, which I realize aren't quite the same scale as an OS, drop in price within a year, XP hasn't changed much at all since it's initial release, at least over the last two yearsish. And the average Joe has many more choices for cars, homes, mortgages, etc - when it comes to their home computer they're looking at Mac OS, or Windows really. Yes, I realize there are other choices, but I'm talking the average person.

Comparing a house to a tent by a flood prone river is a bit different than issues with how software companies handle their OS, especially Microsoft. Especially land, which is a shrinking commodity, where stamping out CDs with data isn't exactly limited in scope.

It's whack that people never carry over this and other similar lines of thinking when purchasing other products. I know Henry Ford made his fortune last century, but they're still pushing out the cars with higher and higher costs. My home? My mortgage is at least 4 times what it originally cost to build the house 20 years ago... I'm willing to pay it. I could always go cheap and live in a tent next to a flood prone river I suppose.

Costs of cars relative to income has gone up, but not a whole lot if you normalize the costs instead of treating a 1925 dollar as the same value as a 2006 one. The housing situation is a big RLI flame unto itself, but suffice it to say that unrealistic pricing is a result of powerful entities realizing they could make a lot of money speculating the market and the correction will come sooner or later.

Without even getting into the idea of capital expenditures for production, the big difference with Windows versus houses is the elasticity of demand. You effectively need a car, persistently, and it will wear out. You don't need a new release of Windows, which functions the same on day one as it does on year 10.