I've lurked at
This is good advice, and gives me an opportunity to speak to the community at large: some of us who go to cons and are in a position to shake tons of hands politely decline. It's not because we're being dicks, it's because we know it's a good way to substantially decrease our chances of catching and spreading any germs.
I played the PAX Pandemic game, where the Enforcers handed out stickers to attendees that read [Carrier] [Infected] or [Immune] (There was also a [Patient Zero].
I got the [Immune] sticker, and by the time I got home on Monday, it was clear that I had the flu. I've had a fever between 100 and 104 all week that finally broke last night, but I'm going to the doctor today because I think whatever I had settled into my lungs. I'll tell him about the H1N1 outbreak and get tested if he wants to run the test, but at this point I think it's safe to assume that I was [Immune] to the Pig Plague, but definitely [Infected] with the damn PAX pox.
Even though it's been a week of misery, it was entirely worth it, and I don't regret going to PAX for a single second.
Public stops buying DRM'ed music. RIAA cries piracy. Retirement homes across the coutry raided!
It probably won't, at least not to consumers. The questions is how will the netbooks equipped with it sell. And the answer to that is about as well as any windows netbook as once this is out, XP will probably not be offered. And as most people only use one or two apps at a time because of the nature and limitations of netbooks, the limit won't likely even be noticed.
Whether or not you are a mac, linux or windows user, I don't know how anyone can say their marketing backfired. Techies read tech press, others do not, so they are unlikely to even hear those voices. Marketing is about creating buzz for your product, and judging by the reactions to MS's latest campaign, it has done that. It's when people don't talk about you at all that you have a problem.
upgrades their OS without having new equipment first. Business will upgrade as they replace their machines. That has always been the way, so this is no surprise. When their XP machines crap out, they will replace them with whatever flavour of windows is available then... OS upgrade is a misnomer, they are generally new to accommodate new tech that becomes available over time since the release of the last OS. That tech is usually hardware-based and the new OS talks to it better. If you don't have it, the old OS will do just fine. Most realize that.
The extra money is for the blessings of Jobs that make your hard drives last longer as they are and also run soooooo cool
This is why my motto (and fundamental rule for life) is Don't be a dick: it's simple to understand, and reasonable people can agree on what it means.
To do nothing is to be nothing.