not quite there yet...........

[rickcr42]

but gaining.I still wait for ONE SYSTEM to handle everything with the ease of your average TV set but I am not holding my breath so these "Mini Victories" will have to do

[mrarroyo]

Ok, I will bite. WTF?

[rickcr42]

OOOOPS !

www.edn.com/blog/400000040/post/1230017123.html?nid=2436&rid=1357995328

[rowuk]

What a great idea, give Microsoft further control over things that are fun in my life! This is no victory for me, rather I fear it is more reason for an industry based on profit to offer even less choice!
Microsoft does use the KISS principle as a mainstay of its business plan: Kill Independent Software Specialists

[toad]

Micro$oft don't have everything their own way these days.

Fancy a nice, powerful Microsoft Office Compatible office suite?

Handles files from Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc. Has been reviewed as a serious contender to M$ office for business.

Runs on multiple platforms.

Best of all, fancy all that for free?

www.openoffice.org/ the best freebie on the web.

Here's a review www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/80012/openoffice-2.html

[rowuk]

Toad,
I have a large customer here in Germany that tried to migrate 400 users to openoffice. We even had the OO developers on the project. It failed. Why? Open source like DIY can be very good but there is no corporate deadline attitude. Things get better when somebody gets to it and THAT is a problem when you can't wait.
If the feature set fits (I use it in my own business), it is awesome. If not, many times it is not worth the trouble.
Open Office as a corporate solution is fine until you need advanced formatting or scripting compatibility with the MS world. This is my fear with multimedia. If the providers of content "favor" the MS solution, they will offer proprietary solutions that are only 90% compatible with the rest. Just imagine if a Microsoft DRM for video streaming takes hold!........................
Microsoft has the linux distributions so scared that they do not even offer an mp3 player with the packages. The user has to get one themselves afterwards! Apple does not make iTunes available for Linux. The windows media player will play mp3 however.........

Did you know that MS owns the rights to TCP/IP? Do we have a plan B or do we have to wait until somebody gets around to it?

[toad]

I wouldn't advocate Open Office in a corporate environment in fact it's not something I would reccomend to my bosses. I'm the main I.T. decision maker for a 5 site business with 80 odd users but for many small business offices it would be fine in all but the most demanding compatability scenarios. Nothing is stopping a small office from having 1 PC with MS Office for those difficult files.

For most home users there is no reason why it wouldn't do just fine.

As for TCP/IP. I was under the impression it was created by the US military for the forerunner of the internet their defense net whatever it was called (can't be botherered to google it, too into Bob Marley on my PX-100s at the moment How on earth did Bill Gates get his grubby claws into that

[jelosno]

darpanet or so...?

I always thought it belonged to 3Com or whoever owns them now. Is it MS?

Been a long time since I've been with MS

Stefan

PS I do run Vista Ultimate or whatitscalled on my PC but have not ever activated any of the MM functions. I use it solely as a nicer looking XP...