the next obvious move?

MS to scrap the OEM tax and instead install an OS that is free for 30 days and then asks you to did into your wallet and type in a credit card number.

MS will never allow this to continue without a fight, they drop the prices or allowed older operating systems anywhere they can to ensure machines are shipped with their OS.

It seems clear that threatening OEMS with more a expensive windows tax if they do not cooperate is becoming less effective these days.

They might even give the OS away free if they have no choice at all and get money back on cloud, upgrades, applications and web services. But I cannot see them ever willingly accepting PCs sold in large numbers without windows.

A visionary leader that understand technology and gets its user base is like hens teeth.

Without it decisions will once again be table by people with MBAs who base their decisions on the basis of finance and personal opinion. I am not saying there is no use in a firm for them (before I get flamed) but I think all genuinely innovative and successful firms need balanced representation in the boardroom.

I see time and again the wrong decision taken by those who have the power and responsibility but none of the technical insight and forward thinking. In some cases the people deciding on future product lines do not even use the current one.

I know this might be an inflammatory post (no insult is intended here), but it is really what I think.

ADA has me head scratching here.

A religion that enforces how you pray and stops followers talking to each other?

And what about assembler?

A direct line to god that bypasses religion, only for minor deities?

That does not sound practical. I mean obviously they will try it and sometimes it will work - but a company cannot just write away all liability for their goods in a contract, life does not work that way. And it rather depends on the local laws at point of use surely?

I am pretty sure that some risks cannot be written off in a contract and you are always liable.

But, INAL and I am sure that most of the people who browse this will know more than I do - so whats the real angle here?

Can MS simply add #17 to their EULA and expect all liability to vanish or are they being optimistic?

Hmmm, sarcasm is hard to get online. I apologize! As a Linux only user for >8 years at home, I assure you I am not a fan of MS.

In this case they reap what they sow - and this is nice illustration of the problems of security by obfuscation.

really what choice did they have? I can see a class action from *lots* of angry people who's computers have been hosed and bank accounts hoovered would cost far more then not acting. Not to mention the loss of faith.

Now all we need is a certain percentage of people who try the fox being either to taken with it or too lazy to change it back.

Poor MS, what with Vista they have been having a bad time of it recently.