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Slashback: What Dell Knew, China's Fusion, Vista 154

Posted by kdawson from the sony-batteries-power-exploding-chinese-tokamak dept.
Slashback tonight brings some clarifications and updates to previous Slashdot stories, including: What Dell knew and when they knew it, GNU/Linux may gain from the Vista WGA crackdown, China's fusion test was a hoax, and the Vista startup chime will be optional. Read on for details.

Dell knew of battery flaw last year. digihome writes, "Dell pinpointed the problem with faulty Sony notebook batteries almost a year ago but only called for a 22,000-unit recall at the time because it believed the problem was limited in scope. Only later, after more customers reported incidents of Dell laptops overheating or catching fire, did Dell realize that millions of its notebook PCs, not just thousands, could be at risk, according to government records and interviews with Dell spokesmen."

GNU/Linux to gain from Vista WGA crackdown? An anonymous reader writes, "Linux is set to take on the Desktop PC market with gusto. It is a well-known fact that most proprietary software companies lose a significant amount of their revenue because of illegal copying of their software. By deciding to clamp down on piracy in the forthcoming Vista OS, Microsoft is sending a clear message to pay up to use the software. The article suggests that a sizable group of people — especially in emerging countries — who do not care about the ideology of free software but expect the software and OS to be free will be swayed to embrace GNU/Linux."

China's fusion test was a hoax. dptalia writes, "On September 28th, China claimed to successfully initiate a fusion reaction. It has come out that the announcement was a hoax. In fact, no attempt to generate fusion was even made."

Vista startup chime will be optional. Seier writes, "Microsoft looks to have had a change of heart regarding its start-up chime. Weeks ago it was learned that the company was considering locking the startup sound down so that it could not be turned off. Ars Technica reports that Microsoft has added the option to disable the sound in the control panel. Meanwhile, Microsoft has still not revealed the startup sound, which will reportedly based on the guitar work of Robert Fripp."

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Slashback: What Dell Knew, China's Fusion, Vista More

Slashback: What Dell Knew, China's Fusion, Vista

Comments Filter:
  • CodeWeavers running on MEPIS is going to seem like a snap to most windows users.

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday October 05, 2006 @09:06PM (#16330899)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pla ( 258480 )
      No wait! Someone will make DJ trance/tecno remixes of it.

      Actually, a bit closer to the "ambient" subgenre, I have to admit I really do like the XP post-installation music. Not enough that I'd add it to my normal playlists, but I do let it play through to the end (far longer than necessary) when I have occasion to do an install.

      As for Vista - Good move on MS's part to leave the startup sound changeable, considering that VERY few people actually do change their sounds, while I can think of no better way
      • TITLE = No Hay Problema
        ARTIST = Pink Martini
        GENRE = ROCK
        ALBUM = Sympathique
        TRACKNUMBER = 2
        DATE = 1997
        COMPOSER = Jacques Marray

        And did you know: OOBE stands for "Out Of Box Experience", not "Out Of Body Experience"
        There's a bunch of weird little installer-type things in there.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by cibyr ( 898667 )
        I find it funny that I can install windows and hear that music while I tell it my name etc but then once windows boots for real(TM) I have to install audio drivers before I get any sort of sound...
      • I have to admit I really do like the XP post-installation music. Not enough that I'd add it to my normal playlists, but I do let it play through to the end (far longer than necessary) when I have occasion to do an install.

        You need to be bent over a gun and caned! Apparently you haven't had to do all that many post install setups! Especially not on laptops whose volume controls don't enable until the post install is finished and you get to suffer through it at whatever arbitrary volume it decides to play a
        • Apparently you haven't had to do all that many post install setups! Especially not on laptops whose volume controls don't enable until the post install is finished and you get to suffer through it at whatever arbitrary volume it decides to play at!


          I'm guessing you haven't had to run up twenty or so side by side either - it's almost enough to require therapy!

          • I've only done four laptops at once...that was enough to get me looking for a fire axe.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by pla ( 258480 )
            I'm guessing you haven't had to run up twenty or so side by side either - it's almost enough to require therapy!

            Nope, as my highest, I've only done eight at once. And I'll admit the music did clash a bit with itself (though I went down the line and started them all on-beat with one another - "Interesting" effect, though I don't think I'd call it all that enjoyable).
    • The sad thing is that this is first thing that I've read about vista that actually made me interested in seeing it....

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Alsee ( 515537 )
      Someone will make DJ trance/tecno remixes of it.

      Probably Weird Al.

      -

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by smoker2 ( 750216 )
      I want some l33t b4ckd00r haxxor to replace Vistas startup sound with this [mobilefun.co.uk], then watch Vistas market share plummet !

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday October 05, 2006 @09:07PM (#16330913)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by GFree ( 853379 )
      Basically, Vista took too much control of my machine--moreso even than XP, which to this point hasn't really bothered me.
      Can you give some examples of how Vista takes too much control over one's computer? I'm not saying it doesn't, it's just that since you've played around with RC1 you'd been a much better source of info than some of the FUD-monkeys around here. I'm concerned about Vista too, but haven't tried the RC and won't until perhaps RC2 (which comes out Friday).

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
        Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Apple's 64-bit support is going to make Microsoft look silly, since Leopard running in 64-bit mode natively runs 32-bit applications and 32-bit device drivers using no emulation or translation. As it is, 64-bit Windows, particularly 64-bit Vista, is something of a joke and really quite useless.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by ajs318 ( 655362 )
            How so? I thought once you put an AMD64 processor into 64-bit mode, some of the old 32- / 16- / 8-bit instrictions did not work anymore / behaved differently than in 32-bit mode? Was I misinformed?
    • The command line is 100% optional. Try Mandriva and SuSE. They contain complete GUI install and package management. Only people who wish to tweak or play with details of package management need to use the command line.
    • What is Beryl?

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by hamfactorial ( 857057 )
        Beryl is a fork of Compiz, a windowing/compositing manager that allows the wobbly eye candy that you see in the GLX/AIGLX videos on Youtube. Compiz was originally announced a year or so ago by Novell. I actually submitted my only story to Slashdot on that very thing, woo! Check it out here [slashdot.org]

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mgblst ( 80109 )
        Beryl is a crystal.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
      The command line in Windows isn't optional if you want to remain secure while Microsoft sits on their asses waiting for Patch Tuesday to fix severe flaws...
    • My XP box crapped out the other day, so after the reformatting, I decided to do something diffrerent, namely dual-boot ubuntu & Vista RC1.

      Yes, I now have to click "ok" 19 times to overwrite a file in C:\Program Files\, I had to disable three services just to activate my copy of Acrobat Professional, a bunch of apps can't write to same, and I'm generally being treated like a baby.

      Go over to the other side, and wow, it's fast, and the desktop looks familiar, it's easy to see how to run an app, write a l

      • .if only I wasn't left utterly fucked any time I ... wanted some help without the friggin' attitude.


        While this is a stereotype of Linux forums, the people on the Ubuntu forums are almost always polite and helpful.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by batkiwi ( 137781 )
        So what happens in ubuntu when a random application tries to write to /usr?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by ncc74656 ( 45571 ) *

          So what happens in ubuntu when a random application tries to write to /usr?

          If it's like any other Linux distro, it should fail with "Permission denied." There's no reason for normal-user code to write to /usr. Installing/removing apps (which is what brings about most changes to /usr) is up to root.

          Besides, "random application" could well mean malware for all we know, and that's exactly the kind of crap you don't want getting installed.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by batkiwi ( 137781 )
            You have just made my point for me :)

            There is NO reason for a windows application to be writing anything into program files (or honestly ANYWHERE except for the temp directory and the user's directory) except during installation.

    • Re:Vista, Meet Linux (Score:5, Insightful)

      by massysett ( 910130 ) on Thursday October 05, 2006 @11:04PM (#16331989) Homepage
      but until that command line is 100% optional, the masses will not accept Linux, period.

      Not sure why you needed the CLI, as Ubuntu has Synaptic. Plus now there is EasyUbuntu [freecontrib.org] to get multimedia stuff working.

      That said, I don't think "the masses" have the strong anti-CLI bent that geeks like to suggest they do. Many people who fit into "the masses" once used text-based programs--remember WordPerfect? Lotus 123? Just a few years ago all the students at my university used Pine for email, and nobody whined about how hard it was to use--maybe because it wasn't hard to use! Library catalogs all used to have text-based interfaces. Even now, many people use computer systems at work (ever heard of BPCS?) that have text-based interfaces. I've seen law librarians use the old text-based interfaces to Westlaw and Lexis.

      If "the masses" hate CLI, why do they use Google? That involves formulating queries, typing them in. Why didn't they prefer the old Yahoo Directory way of picking from a menu of choices?

      "The masses" have the same realization that geeks do: many GUI programs are designed for newbies. The problem is that you're not a newbie for long, but the GUI keeps you stuck in newbie mode. Long before I was a geek, I was frustrated when public libraries switched to GUI catalogs. GUI and web-based catalogs are easier to use when you're new, but you're not new for long, and after you're experienced clicking around with the mouse is very frustrating. That's why the law librarians use the text-based Lexis.

      I often find CLI based programs to be easier to use, and I don't think "the masses" are any different.

      • If "the masses" hate CLI, why do they use Google? That involves formulating queries, typing them in. Why didn't they prefer the old Yahoo Directory way of picking from a menu of choices?

        Because Google is an intuitive interface, you go to google.com and you are presented with a logo & a text box begging to be filled with what you are looking for.

        For example: If i am looking for a way to make pipe bomb [google.com] (no i am NOT a terrorist, i just want this comment to show up somewhere in a CIA/FBI/NSA database)

      • It's all about how much knowledge it takes to use a certain tool. MS has the 'find/search' feature for instance and people like that just fine. But if you want to specify the max or min file size of the item you're looking for, you do it through designated text boxes and check boxes in a GUI, not by entering memorized flags on the command line. If you broke the command line down that way, into a GUI with check boxes, a 'help' link or description next to each and ID tags, yeah, people would happily use the p
    • For package management, try using aptitude, Debian's new standard (Ubuntu is Debian-derived). It can be used on the command line like apt-get with virtually all the same arguments; however, its true power is when used in its visual mode: type "aptitude" and you get a character-cell display. A great feature is aptitude's tracking of packages that are automatically installed by dependencies (like libraries); when all packages that need them are removed, so are they. As well, aptitude logs what it does in /var

    • But I still had to use command-line interface to install programs.

      I'm not sure what you were installing, but that wasn't my experience at all.
      I switched to Ubuntu about 6 months ago and the only command line stuff I had to do was a copy and paste to install the EasyUbuntu stuff.
      To be honest, I would've most likely been lost if I'd had to use the command line any more than that - I've never had to before. (And no, I'm obviously not a programmer).
      Your mileage may vary, but I'd have no hesitation in r

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dbIII ( 701233 )

      but until that command line is 100% optional

      I really don't understand this point of view. I had an Atari ST - a GUI only beast and I didn't know what to do with a command line. Once I got hold of an application (gemini) which gave me a command line a lot of other things became easier. Quickly finding known text on your computer in an unknown location is difficult without some sort of text commands to let your computer know what to look for. There are alternatives to going through a maze of twisty menus

    • until that command line is 100% optional, the masses will not accept Linux, period.

      There's still things you can't do on XP without invoking a dos shell. Doesn't seem to have kept the Great Unclued from adopting it in droves.

      Requiring the userbase to learn bash syntax and the whole Unix/Gnu command set, that would be a barrier to adoption. Having the occasional job that can't be easy done without a command line? They're used to that.

    • All the major distros (I have played recently with Ubuntu and Fedora) have graphic package managers.

      In Ubuntu I have yet to install an application from the command line: one opens the package installer, search fro the application providing relevant words for the search, is presented with available applications, right click on it to mark it for installation (dependencies are pointed out to you). Applications are sucked up from the Web, installed, menus are put in place.

      In Fedora the process is similar, I pre

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ajs318 ( 655362 )
      This is not a troll. I am asking because I am an old-skool hacker who grew up with VAX/VMS and some sort of Unix, and ended up reasonably competent with a VT220. So, I want to know,

      What exactly is wrong with the command line?
      • I think the major problem with the command line isn't the interface itself -- as other people pointed out, many users who've been alive for more than a decade or two, previously used CLI systems and some still do. It's not that foreign an interface, unless you're under 20 and have spent your whole life using Windows or a Macintosh.

        The problem with using a CLI versus a GUI, in my opinion, is that most CLI applications require a lot more memorization. You have to learn the command itself, but then also its fl
    • You know, I'd love to switch over to Linux. I tried installing several different flavors of Linux recently. The newest release of Mandriva didn't even try to load on my system (Pity, it seemed just the OS for high end video editing). Kubuntu loaded but then had problems loading after the updates. Suse 10.1 86_64 loaded (I'm on it now) and updated successfully (it's supposed to be better on newer hardware and my hardware is still pretty up to date) but when I try and install from source I get the errors;
      Nasm
  • FTSOTA: The article suggests that a sizable group of people -- especially in emerging countries -- who do not care about the ideology of free software but expect the software and OS to be free will be swayed to embrace GNU/Linux

    Okay, if they don't care about the ideology of free software, they are not going to embrace ONLY GNU software... and since when does embrace mean the same as forced?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jmorris42 ( 1458 ) *
      > Okay, if they don't care about the ideology of free software, they are not going to embrace ONLY GNU software...

      Not initially. But remember, they didn't know Windows at one point, now they prefer it because of experience with it and because of the network effects... so long as it is free (as in pirate). But if Microsoft actually succeeds in forcing them to buy it and they simply can't afford it then they try plan B, Linux. No they won't give a rats ass about Free vs free vs open source. But if we c

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by zogger ( 617870 )
        MS quite literally has the ability to issue regional/localised version of all their software and charge whatever they want for it, down to a dollar or the equivalent in local currency. If desktop and office linux is ever a real threat, they can just keep dropping prices until most people just pay up to get legit. They can match and surpass any street vendor pirate's prices in other words.

        And still make a profit. And keep their vendor lockin.

        Look at gasoline/petrol around the world. the price per barrel is t

  • yeah right.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Thursday October 05, 2006 @09:15PM (#16331013) Homepage
    It is a well-known fact that most proprietary software companies lose a significant amount of their revenue because of illegal copying of their software.

    Sorry but yu guys misspelled FUD.

    Microsoft became the king BECAUSE of piracy. the Dos and windows 3.11 days Microsoft products sucked. but they were the easiest to copy and spread like wildfire because free = better than buying it.

    so get everyone using your products and guess what.... you get to be king.

    500 kids using adobe photoshop = 500 new graphic artists that will want adobe photoshop at their job.

    If you have the choice of the general populace using your product from piracy or a free alternative that is your competition, you bet your ass that you end up better off having all those people using your product.

    Now, companies using illigit software? that IS a real damage to sales. as are the bootleg resellers.

    not the 16 year old that wants to learn autocad, premier pro, SQL2000, or server 2003.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Pike ( 52876 )
      er...wrong. Microsoft became king because of anticompetitive contracts with PC manufacturers, not because of Piracy. There was no reason for most people or companies to pirate Windows or DOS because it came free with every PC whether you wanted it or not. Piracy existed, but it was by no means the reason Microsoft came out on top. Sorry.

      Maybe if you'll study up on it a bit, you'll find that MS was expanding by leaps and bounds during that time, and they were doing it on sales of their software. They wouldn'
    • 500 kids using adobe photoshop = 500 new graphic artists that will want adobe photoshop at their job.

      Actually, it's probably more like 500 kids using adobe photoshop = 1 new graphic artist that will want adobe photoshop at their job.

      Honestly. None of the people I've known with pirated versions of Photoshop (and I've known a lot) are on the path to being graphic designers or anything.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Junta ( 36770 )
        Probably somewhere between, but how many of those who pirated Photoshop would have bought it if they could not have possibly pirated it, instead of coming to grips with using a legitimately free alternative like gimp, even if it wasn't quite so easy to use or didn't have some subset of features that photoshop has? Sure, if they adjusted the price down, the ratio would go up in that scenario, but the commercial sales would probably not increase appreciably and overall their revenue would actually suffer.

        Let
      • I know several people who have made careers useing software they first used pirated. Maya and 3D Max come to mind, as they are so expensive, and didn't come in 'light' versions back then. I learnt C on a pirated Borland package.
    • Microsoft became the king BECAUSE of piracy. the Dos and windows 3.11 days Microsoft products sucked. but they were the easiest to copy and spread like wildfire because free = better than buying it.

      Piracy is the convenient explanation. Microsoft's marketing is the convenient explanation. The truth lies elsewhere.

      The IBM-PC and PC clone was an attractive and versatile platform, almost infinitely adaptable. The PC for the shop floor and the loading dock. The office and the den.

      Everyone and his brother be

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Indras ( 515472 )
      so get everyone using your products and guess what.... you get to be king.

      Sounds like the tobacco companies. Any gas station or grocery store that reports a pack or carton of cigarettes stolen to their distributor can get discounts or free products to replace those that are stolen. The tobacco industry learned a long time ago that if a fifteen year old steals a pack of cigarettes, they may have lost one sale, but they've gained a life long customer.

    • From my historical orientation, your statement, "500 kids using adobe photoshop = 500 new graphic artists that will want adobe photoshop at their job." fits Microsoft from the mid '80s to the mid 90's. What microsoft would do is ignore the little guy who was pirating software and go after the big guy. Also there is something called the 'Microsoft Tax' that each PC system maker pays. I do not believe that you pay this 'tax' if you build your own box.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by spitzak ( 4019 )
      Substitute "Microsoft Word" for "DOS/Windows". DOS/Windows came for "free" with the computer for most buyers, so they did not pirate it, and Microsoft made their money. What they did do is make sure Word/Excel/etc were trivially easy to pirate, for the reasons you state. They also forced the manufacturers to not include "free word processor!" on the machines to avoid this cutting into the pirated word.

  • Linux set to take on Desktop PC market with gusto (Score:5, Funny)

    by JustNiz ( 692889 ) on Thursday October 05, 2006 @09:20PM (#16331095)
    Cool. Where can I download gusto?

  • Isn't hoax a bit strong? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by kidtexas ( 525194 ) on Thursday October 05, 2006 @09:38PM (#16331237)
    I just want to say what I said last week:

    "Actually, it was successful in getting plasma, usually called "first plasma" in the field. I had heard it was 200kA for 1.2 seconds. I'm would be shocked if they actually were using tritium in the system at this early stage, but I could be wrong. I'm betting that was the result of the scientist media interface."

    I heard an early report of their first plasma being 200kA for 1.2 seconds. Sounds like they finished up the first go around at a bit higher current and twice the discharge length. There is also NO FUCKING WAY that they put tritium in the first week of operation. I think actually most machines don't even run with deuterium at first (which is the normal operating gas) but instead use plain old hydrogen. I don't think ITER is going to have tritium for the first 3 or 4 years of its operation. And yes, even if you are running just a deuterium plasma, you can still get DD fusion reactions.

    I personally think "hoax" is a bit strong. Someone in the press got the story wrong and miscommunicated some facts. Sounds like to me China really has got their stuff together and they mean business. Hoaxes don't fit into that.

    And before someone says some stupid shit about all tokamaks are going away for fusion research because z-pinches generate such hot plasmas...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cobbaut ( 232092 )
      Mod parent +1 informative!

      One of the first articles about this fusion reactor test appeared here english.people.com.cn [people.com.cn].
      (They often copy from xinhua, maybe they are linked...)

      It clearly says: During the experiment, deuterium and tritium atoms were forced together at a temperature of 100 million Celsius.
      and : The first tests lasted nearly three seconds, and generated an electrical current of 200 kiloamperes, Wan Yuanxi, general manager of EAST, told Xinhua.

      I would expect this website to rectify the story!
    • Yeah, the blame for this lies squarely with the Chinese press -- not surprising, since Xinhua is the state news organ. A while back Xinhua was calling EAST the "first thermonuclear fusion reactor", an obvious falsehood. Given this pattern of factual inaccuracy, it's clear to me that Xinhua is more interested in spouting propaganda than reporting facts. I hope to see some "real" papers published soon.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Jesrad ( 716567 )
      And before someone says some stupid shit about all tokamaks are going away for fusion research because z-pinches generate such hot plasmas...

      Oh, well, tokamaks are going away, but not because of z-pinch being more reliable, simpler and cheaper for initiating fusion reactions, no, it's because tokamaks cannot sustain fusion reactions for more than seconds because of the intense cooling caused by braking radiation of heavy ions ripped off their inner walls.
  • to be hated by lots and lots of OSS people. First he will get hacked, then he will get hacked, then he will repent, and we will forgive him.
  • Ars Technica reports that Microsoft has added the option to disable the sound in the control panel.
    Thank god. Next on the list to disable the startup sound, Apple. Every damn one of those things makes the same noise, EVERY time it's booted. I swear, the "Apple Noise" must play every time a door opens, or a button is pushed on the Apple campus. Those people are nuts!
    • It's so much fun to boot up an Apple lab.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sigma 7 ( 266129 )

      Every damn one of those things makes the same noise, EVERY time it's booted.

      There is a way to change it. I know for sure since I've been falsly accussed of
      changing the startup sound to something that lasts around 90 seconds. In addition, I know that a "damaged" startup sound did get repaired on a reinstallation of MacOS X.

      There's no information on how he changed it, or even if he stuck with an official version of the MacOS X system. However, there was difficulty in muting the sound while it was playing -

  • Is there anything surprising about this? What with the amount of "high tech" BS coming out of government controlled news sources and "scientists" from there... Remember the story about the high speed CPU's "designed and fab'd" in China?

  • Vista Development (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ..was considering locking the startup sound down ..

    Pardon me, but if that is what kind of development decision are going on with Vista, WTF is going on at Microsoft???????

    They're talking about BELLS AND WHISTLES!!!!! LITERALLY!!!!!

    If all the Advertising Dept. at Microsoft can do to flaunt the benifits of Vista is talk about whether the STARTUP SOUND will be locked down, the Vista release will be the biggest software bomb in history!!!!

    Really ...LOCKING DOWN THE STARTUP SOUND????????

    WTF are they thinking?

  • Common Hyperbole (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Basilius ( 184226 )
    And I quote from the submission: "It is a well-known fact that most proprietary software companies lose a significant amount of their revenue because of illegal copying of their software."

    No.

    The accurate statement is:

    It is a well-known fact that most proprietary software companies lose some undetermined percentage of their potential revenue because of illegal copying of their software.

    If it's revenue, they've already made the sale. To actually lose their revenue, you'd have to steal the money from

  • The Chinese Fusion report was still usefull to me (Score:3, Interesting)

    by RobertinXinyang ( 1001181 ) on Friday October 06, 2006 @04:46AM (#16333841)
    Here is what I initally posted.

    "I was at a dinner tonight where one of my colegues was irritating our Chinese guests by making comments about the lack of a power grid in China, the chinese gentleman was getting rather defensive. I remembered this article and mentioned it is a positive light. It seems that he was very aware of, and proud of, the test. It saved the dinner party. So, this, even if it might not be a great scientific advance, was usefull to me."

    I do find it interesting that while, here in China, evryone heard aboutt eh successfull test; no one seems to have heard about this correction. It seems to be, very much, a mational pride building thing. It comes as no supprise, looking in retrospect, that the initial report was released a week before the national week of celebration (the first week of October).

    This is not a criticism of China. All people hear reports and news and twist it to meet what they want/hope/expect it to say. I was hoping it would be true, However, I doubted that it was. It was still a usefull thing to drop at a dinner to make the Chinese feel better.

    • Actually power grids aren't that wonderful.

      Having reliable electrical power is wonderful, but power grids don't automatically mean higher reliability.

      With grids sometimes instead of just one city going down due to a fault, you have an entire region going down.

      Whereas that can't happen if you don't have a grid.
  • Come now, there is not a single copy protection method out there that hasn't been cracked. What makes people believe the "new" vista WGA tech will be any different. To believe differently is to show a fundemental misunderstanding of how computer code works on the bare metal and how these things are broken.

    The new WGA will be cracked within a month or less of release (probably before release!) and everything will be exactly as it is now.

    Nothing to see here, move along...

  • XP (Score:2)

    by Britz ( 170620 )
    The biggest threat to Vista is XP. Fortunately, Microsoft can fix that.

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