If a certain CEO of one of the biggest patent trolls are there I imagine he won't be sitting on his chair (he enjoys throwing them apparently...)

FreeNX / NXserver is great for low latency links. After moving house recently I was without broadband for a week or so and had to end up using a 56k modem to connect to my companies gateway - it was actually usable. With FreeNX you can have an unlimited amount of connections (will limited by machine ram,etc only) - works fine with gnome/kde/lxde

Shame the same can't be said for your civil liberties and things like progress..

As a Brit all I can see is America is entering a new medieval dark age where religion is most important than rights and reason.

What I except is more things like This

I NEVER liked windows, coming from an Amiga background (I had the 500 + 1200).

When My Amiga died in 1996 I got a Windows PC that cost 4 times the amount had 16 times the RAM and was about 50 times time faster in CPU speed (in Mhz) but was about 1000 X slower in doing anything, it was so unstable, everything cost lots more but did not have the capabilities of software on the Amiga (untill about 1/2 decade later) and our entire OS actually crashed (all the time) - with the Amiga crashes (guru mediations) nearly always occurred only ever in games.

So for me I view Microsoft as a company that make computing progress go backwards.

As well as being technically inept MS use their monopoly to prevent progress and innovation.

Microsoft use FUD and threats about made up patents relating to Linux and open-source software to use a Mafia style technique of bullying money out of companies - with 'patent deals' - Tomtom and Amazon are recent victims. All the details are off record (if the details were ever publicised Microsoft could no longer use FUD as a weapon...) (I prey someone leaks the info to wikileaks)

The result of Microsoft tactics have both helped to prevent innovation in the industry (Apple are being just as bad recently) and end up costing governments around the world huge bills with windows licenses that could be avoided and spent to improve society - alternatives exist but MS have always done their most to ensure that competition cannot exist

I'd advise taking as much Acid as you can all the time - ok you may have issues adjusting to this new reality but there is a small chance if you do enough you'll irreversibly change the shape of your pupils... If not at least you won't get bored trying.

The Portuguese model applies to all drugs though - not just pot.

As well as being ahead of the game in terms of green energy Portugal also has the most advanced drug laws in the world

In 2001, Portugal became the first European country to abolish all criminal penalties for personal drug possession. In addition, drug users were to be targeted with therapy rather than prison sentences.[6]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

The first country to back away from AMERICA'S 'war on drugs' - which has been as successful as the 'war of terror.'?

Using Windows is a bigger threat to US security than giving the Russian's the source code.

I completely agree, it took the world about 1/2 a decade to catch up after the Amiga died.

Getting my first (very expensive ) Windows PC was the most depressing day of my life.

Now that most technology companies are working on Linux products I sense the computing dark age is coming to an end.

Its not just google, Dell seems to have woken up from the Matrix... (we just need all the rest of them to stop being farmed)
Dell: "Ubuntu is safer than Microsoft® Windows®"

My first thought on hearing this was how different the training scene would be in full metal jacket now....

Would they attack Pile with wii controllers instead of soap in socks ?

Would Sergeant Hartman be replaced with a character in a Mario Bros game?

It is only a matter of time before these 2 companies get together and give each other 'patent agreements'. after all they have a joint love of evil and control

Today most major tech companies (in the mobile sector mainly) are working with Linux, particularly hardware manufacturers

HP, Dell, acer , LG, Intel, google, Motorola, NEC, Panasonic, and Samsung, Vodafone, Nokia, HTC (the list goes on for quite a while) are all working on some form of Linux system or device, even Sony is (although they obviously hate Linux - and everything)

As time progresses how are Apple and Microsoft going to compete - even it they join forces...

Consumers are slowly waking up to the fact that if you buy an Apple product you are not in control of it, Apple is., judging by the increase in sales in Android it looks like the start of the end for apple (i hope)

As for Microsoft, they seem to becoming increasingly irrelevant (I haven't used any product of theirs - except a friends Xbox - since 2002, so for me they are already irrelevant and thank god for that..)

You will get DirectX11 support in Linux (through Wine) before Windows XP - it already has DX10 support.

Since when has Microsoft actually innovated anything ?

Windows is just an apple/atari/amiga clone.

The 'innovative' project natal is a Wii controller clone (with bells on)

Its not like office packages did not exist pre-MS, I remember using Wordworth on the Amiga in the late 80's - and guess what that didn't crash...

OSX and Linux had 3D desktops pre Vista (not really used Macs but Compiz kick the sh*t out of the effects in Vista (and a lot less resource intensive)

Aside from not following standards and creating an illegal monopoly (according to the EU) what have Microsoft ever innovated ?

Serves the b'stard's right.

It should be obvious to everyone that the Catholic church only has its own self interest at heart. Why else did they side with the Nazis.? (godwins law proven yet again..)