I'm starting a small business all on my own too, and I took a long hard look as Bizspark - but it's big catch-22 is that you have to be developing independent *software*. I've started a hardware company (consumer electronics/industrial robotics). The product is largely defined by it's usb drivers and accompanying software - but in the end, I'm still producing hardware - that's a whole new world of expensive! If MS were open or at least cheap, I could use the latest visual studio, and maybe even their nifty robotics studio too. But instead I'm using (almost) all opensource tools. Visual Studio Professional should be free - period (express is useful, but severely limited since there are no add-ins allowed.) And MS would do well to give away (or make *very cheap*) a "startup" MSDN on the order of $200/yr that includes visual studio professional. I'd say that would be very attractive compared to free stuff. I like MSDN, but not enough to fork over $1200 and 800 a year!

That's already started to go south with online sales tax. Simply doing business with a resident of the state is enough of an opening to allow the state to preserve the rights of their citizens. The only way to circumvent that would probably be to not do business there (i.e. void where prohibited.) Though, I must say, this is a GOOD thing.

Used it for years. Ironically, to crack my own games. I didn't accept having to have a CD inserted at all times, in the age of multi-terabyte harddrives. Why in the h*** would I commit to uninterrupted sockets that add no value to my gameplay? Even if I purchase a game like that (our of sheer gotta-have-it desire) it will be after a crack is available. It's my disk, I'll do what I want.

And if ISPs don't pay up, google should cut THEM off! I could only imagine how fast customers would *scatter* from an ISP that won't/can't access youtube.

Barbra? is that you?

Wow... that phrase now generates the original story as the second result. (The first being the parent post.)

I'm curious to see if changing GCC actually does affect the result.

This sig gets me more flak...

You know, as much as I used to complain about the many different distros - you've got a damn good point.

Agreed. And in other news: Hell is still hot. I repeat, it is NOT Christmas time in hell. You can now resume hating MS.

Here's another one for you: If Blu-ray actually sold well - would the price come down? (I'm talking MSRP, of course manufacturing costs would go down.) Once HDDVD kicked the bucket, prices hit the floor. And by floor I mean "Hey, that's a deal" I'll snatch up 10 hddvds at $2.99 for the price of a single ($30!) bluray. I'm not saying blu should be $5, But I'm much more willing to put out for a $10-$15 disc every once in awhile than a $30 one (which is, never). BT costs time/effort, but not $30 of it.