These are not install parties.

Admittedly, an install party is totally lame.

These are just regular parties...with a Windows 7 computer sitting around.

Really, what kind of lame-o would want to go to an install party? I mean, what group of people are nerdy enough to actually do that?

Okay, you probably don't want to host one of these parties. But I do.

You make it seem like hosting a party is a big, bad thing. Like dropping $250 on food is a big deal. That Microsoft is EVIL for thinking you might be a normal person who has friends, and who regularly invites those friends over to your house so you can get together and have some fun. With friends.

The ONLY thing Microsoft is asking you to do, is to have a machine running Windows 7 at your house. They will give you a copy of Windows 7. They will also give you some other things (napkins, balloons, etc.) that you can use if you want.

You can also win a new computer for yourself.

I don't consider that to be such a bad thing. I regularly have parties anyway. The only difference here is that Microsoft is giving me a copy of an operating system (which I can choose whether or not I want to use) and a few other things.

And if you have friends...real friends...it is easy to say, "Hey, come on over to my party...yes, it will have some strange decorations, but that is no big deal."

For my friends, it won't be much different than my burger building parties. Or my 'Throwdown' (cooking contest, not WWF) parties. Or my Rock Band parties. Or anything else.

It's just a fairly flimsy excuse to get together with friends.

If that seems evil to you, then I think we have vastly different opinions on life.

You mean the one I have been using for a year now?

Works great!

I applied too.

I have people over for BBQs, dinners, Rock Band, etc. anyway. If they want to give me Windows 7, and want me to have a computer sitting out at a party- then no problem. Yes, I will even use the decorations they send me- why not?

This actually isn't a bad way to get people to see Windows 7. Heck, I even signed up for the Betty Crocker cookie party while I was at it. (Waitlist only) Sounds like fun to me.

That's the point. The whole thing sounds like fun. So I tell my friends; "Hey, this is the geekiest thing ever...but come over for a Windows 7 party. I'll be cooking and we'll have margaritas." Microsoft gets a little more exposure, I get Windows 7, my friends get some food and drink. We all win.

If you had experience with both phones, you would know how perfectly the inverse of your statement describes the article.

Windows Mobile does far more than the iPhone OS. Multitasking for instance.

But the iPhone is a success in spite of the fact....no, BECAUSE OF THE FACT that it doesn't have un-necessary features.

Windows Mobile is an extremely feature-rich operating system. Unfortunately, all those features and a crap interface don't hold a candle to a simple implementation of a not-very-smartphone.

It's a lot like a Wii vs. Xbox 360/PS3. The Wii can't hold a candle to the other two technically, but it has been far more successful.

I wish I would get paid- because I have a lot of positive things to say about Bing and other Microsoft products.

I don't look at them thinking, "Oh God, Microsoft is crap...." I actually use them and do comparisons with other products, then choose the one I like best.

As I mentioned, I use Chrome on all of my computers. I hate IE. But I do use Bing. And I *like* Windows Server/IIS and SQL Server.

MySQL, Apache, and Ubuntu are alternatives that I have tried, and disliked.

I've also tried some of Microsoft's other tools which I hated- things like Expression Studio...not even close to Dreamweaver. I'm not a fan of Office, but I think Xbox and even Zune are fantastic.

So if there is a program you know of, where I can get paid for spouting my opinion on Microsoft products, please let me know how to be involved.

That's cool, it doesn't work for you. But trial and error on Google does.

Personally I like Bing. It has been my only search engine (except for the default on my Windows Mobile phone strangely) for over a month, and I miss Bing when I use my wife's computer which defaults to Google.

The obvious answer to this story is...start another botnet.

If botnets were added to the supercomputer ranking, where would they be? And how many are Russian?

Not only that...

But the Bing API is the best search API that I've seen.

Amazingly open.

Too bad most people will miss it.

I'm a programmer, and admittedly not a genius. I couldn't come up with a decent search algorithm to save my life.

BUT, all of those differences you mentioned are a piece of cake- even a moron like me could do it. It really is simple stuff.

Bing is pretty much brand-new. Give them some time to add on the little niceties. It will come, and it won't take too long.

I disagree about Bing sucking...personally I really like it.

I like the short 'preview' of the page in the right column. I like the photo search. I like the maps (and the aerial view is MUCH newer where I live than Google.)

Overall, I think it is a great search engine, and it is a relief to be using something other than Google. It's not like Microsoft is any worse than other companies that have achieved a near monopoly.

The fact that Bing is my default search engine on Chrome tells the story of how things are changing for the better.

Well, the question would be: "What does it mean to you?"

You may have your own definition of 'open', but mine in this case is:

"Can I modify the software to do what I want it to do? Can I write programs and install them on my phone? Are there artificial limitations in place?"

The answer to all of these is, 'no' in the case of Windows Mobile.

Good point- money...

Is it possible that Microsoft does not sell their products in those countries, therefore anyone using their software is using a pirated version?

If so, then this could be a business plan- not a censorship issue.

Honestly...I completely forgot about Android.

But I have had quite a bit of trouble with Symbian, much less so with Windows Mobile.