Which brings me to my next point... Throughout the history of Windows, software vendors have found and used "undocumented features" (you and I might call them exploits) in their software. Most of what wan on 3.1 also ran on 95; a lot that ran on 95 did *not* run on 98 because Microsoft had fixed the brokenness that the now non-working applications were exploiting.

Why did FoxPro 6, a Microsoft W98 program, not run in XP?

Plenty of software written for XP exploits a number of security vulnerabilities in the name of user convenience and Microsoft knows they'd be pissing a lot more people off by making their computers not work anymore by patching those than they'll piss off by dropping support.

See above, do you think MS cares about their rivals? It was their own shoddy software they were protecting from user wrath. I'm old enough to remember "DOS ain't done 'til Lotus won't run." You really think they give two shits about any other vendor??

Which patch broke my software? Oops, my backup's hosed; how long will it take me to reinstall, reconfigure, and repatch? Which future patches will also break my software?

Hilarious that those problems are nonexistent in the Linux distros I've used. But that's besides the point -- I said nothing about backwards compatibility, just that MS should support their OSes for a reasonable time, and a few years is NOT reasonable.

Which patch broke my software? Oops, my backup's hosed; how long will it take me to reinstall, reconfigure, and repatch? Which future patches will also break my software?

The copy of XP Home Edition I had (I've lost the CD but not everyone does) cost $125. That's plenty for a fifteen year support period, especially considering that Linux distros do it for free. Plus, I don't have those "Which patch broke my software? Oops, my backup's hosed; how long will it take me to reinstall, reconfigure, and repatch?" problems with the Linux box.

Also, I'd love to know how you use EAC to sample LPs and cassettes; last I checked (a while after the last patch was released, over 2 years ago), it just reads CDs and doesn't touch audio devices at all. Can you point me to a writeup?

I wish I would have had a writeup, it wouldn't have been such a pain in the ass to learn how to use. Once you get past the funky learning curve it's easy. It's a matter of "what does this menu item do?" and I agree, its interface sucks. But I've been using it for years, haven't lately so I couldn't tell you which menu does "record". But you can record a CD or LP, delete the silences between sides and before and after, mark where the tracks change and burn to CD in ten or fifteen minutes. The track marking is what Audacity lacks (AFAIK, maybe it can but I haven't found it).

I used to be a fan of MS, twenty years ago when the kids had those shitty Apples at school. No longer.

Meh. I think it takes more than a name.

CyanogenMod is not Google. They're still young, and they built their whole company based on the idea that they're not like Google. It would be pretty unrealistic to just throw that all away, then expect to get anywhere.

But that's a completely different subject. Blocking an IMEI number has nothing to do with a "remotely programmable" device.

+5 funny

Not any more, W8 surpassed it. Yet another triumph for Microsoft!

I'm surprised that nobody thought "aliterate" was a misspelling of "illiterate". I usually get chuckles from that one, although the last time I did it somebody actually looked it up.

Aliterates at a nerd site annoy me. You're a nerd, you read books. But these guys that don't know their from there from they're, well, to paraphrase Twain, an aliterate has no advantage over an illiterate."

I think I'll make that my sig after Christmas.

Would you care to enlighten us as to WHY you think that's "short sighted and technically ignorant"? Or would you rather just troll?

I knew IMSI could be overridden, but I didn't know IMEI.

Talk to my editor, it's his fault.

The point is that no single government could splash it. The statement was silly, Monty Python silly. As in "I'D LIKE TO SEE..."

I doubt they'll go the Google route, because their very reason for existence -- and why people use it at all -- is to bypass all that Google garbage.

If they just copy Google's business model, why would anybody want CyanogenMod?

I don't think Christ would be against BitCoin and yeah, I got the Lennon reference but it was lame, dude. Why doesn't slashdot have a "-1, Lame" mod?

... WiFi? Bluetooth? Maybe via YOUR PHONE?

That's why I never comment with the phone. That's what the laptop is four; oops, FOR.

I've never seen that show but read of the controversy.

There are a hell of a lot more Christians in the US than there are gays which is why A&E are fucking morons. What's more, he didn't say that being homosexual is a sin (and he's right, it isn't), he said homosexual acts are a sin, and he's absolutely correct as far as the Christian bible is concerned.

He also mentioned a lot of other sins that probably the majority commit but I see no brou-ha ha about that. The fact is that the Duck Dynasty guy is a sinner, you are a sinner and I am a sinner. The Pope is a sinner.

A lesbian friend (well, former friend, her alchoholism is too much for me) once came to me in pain because the preacher in her church had said that gays go to hell. I told her she was attending the wrong church, that's not Christian. Being homosexual isn't a sin, homosexual acts are. I pointed out to her that it was as sinful for me to eat pussy as it was for her (I don't really like eating pussy but the women love it, I must be pretty good at it).

We all sin. We must repent.

If you don't believe in God or Jesus or sin, fine. But don't expect us Christians to accept sin as not sinful. You're forgiven your sins if you repent, but if you don't think sin is sin than may God have mercy on you, because otherwise you're royally fucked.

So either CM goes to shit, full of advertising and scumware, like pretty much every other commercial OS, or they don't, founder, and fade away.

Either way, it was nice while it lasted, I suppose.