Posts by Dana W

Microsoft pimps bogus Windows 7 'launch parties'

one small problem.

First I'd have to find anyone who hasn't ditched Windows for OSX or Linux.

Bookie lays odds on next Microsoft head transplant

I have an idea!

How about they transplant the head of a competent CEO onto Steve Ballmer?

Apple second only to Nokia in Euro smartphone biz

Can you blame them?

Last I was in AT&T I tried a few windows smartphones, the touch response was terrible, slow to load, miserably bad user interface, important functions buried in sub-menus.

If this is what Windows offers the smart-phone user, can you blame them? If Microsoft thinks thats usability, why don't they go do what they usually do, and buy half a dozen iPhones and try to copy them properly?

Microsoft at a loss in Word patent case?

Perfect!

Do I still get two more wishes?

Gamers gun down Half-Life

@Anonymous Coward

You have got to be kidding. Funny, I carry a gun and I don't even have a penis. Don't want one either.

Who is sicker? Me for defending myself, or you for equating genitalia with weapons?

Who could afford it?

Fun idea, but who could afford it? With .22 maybe......

Ammo is REALLY expensive. I only get to shoot a few times a year for carry permit profiency.

As a hobby, this would make cryo-cooled gaming rigs look cheap.

Scareware package mimics Windows Blue Screen of Death

Funny, but Funnier still.

I Love it when I'm on My Mac or an Ubuntu box, and one of these gives you a browser window with a blue screen and a fake Microsoft internet options window and a warning like "Microsoft wants you to install Antispyware tool" or warnings about a corrupt registry that can be fixed if I download the "special" fix.

Sadly, last two Winboxes I had to fix had users who I can't make understand that these things are fake. Try explaining "in a browser Window" and just wait for that Injured Sheep look.

Fake ATM scam rumbled by Defcon hackers

Smart.

This is about as smart as the guy who robbed the gun store, and walked around a squad car on the way in.............

"And yes it did happen"

Microsoft ultra-thins to 'out cool' netbooks, Apple

No.

I've bought/built my last Windows PC, I don't care what he bullies the manufacturers into producing.

I can't believe he is so out of touch that he wants the PC makers to copy one of Apple's poorer ideas. I mean, the Macbook AIR is his new target??? Earth to Uncle Fester, that one has only been so-so, even for Apple. The new 13 inch Macbook pro is $1100 and beats the shit out of the 15 inch Pro I bought two years ago for $2600.

And YES Apple charges me more, but at lest it works like its SUPPOSED to. I don't habitually save documents every ten seconds anymore for fear of a crash or a freeze killing two hours of writing. The useful upgradable system life is at MINIMUM double a Windows PC. I have a 2001 Mac Tower that Is running Leopard, burning my media and being the house server. If I had a 2001 PC running Vista what would I be doing with it?

Nothing. Because you can't.

Apple iTablet a (virtual) certainty

Doubtful.

I'll believe it when I see it. This silly rumor never dies.

I'm a big Apple booster, and even "I" don't want it. I expect a netbook from Jobsco someday. the market is jumping. But a computer with a big smeary sceen? No, I spend enough time cleaning my iPhone screen. Thanks, but no thanks. I think they are smarter than this.

Palm restores Pré iTunes synchronisation

@James O'Brien

I run Linux OSX AND XP. I'm quite aware its not just Mac out there.

Oddly enough...........

Zune marketplace refuses to support iPods with their subscription services or software, yet mysteriously you don't hear anyone screaming about the unfairness of it all, or about the "Microsoft coolaid drinkers". Or Microsoft's "evil lock in". Or OMG its anti-trust! "Mind you, Apple abandoning the convoluted DRM Microsoft seems to love might have something to do with that"

You don't expect Microsoft to cater to, and support iPods, so why do you expect Apple to cater to, and more importantly support Palm? Why should Apple pay the support costs for a device they do not make or profit from?

Then again, I've never met an iPod user going , Wow! I wish that I could use that super neeto ZUNE music store with my iPod!

I have had several palm devices, their synch was always terrible. With the way they write synchronization, I can see why they want to dump the responsibility on someone competent. And their usability always made me think of Windows 98 for some reason. There was a reset button in the stylus for a reason! I dumped my last Palm device after my first iPhone. I didn't miss it, and still don't.

I didn't buy an iPhone because it was a status symbol, I bought it because the web browsing is the best in mobile devices, and the usage figures bear me out. It does what I want, the way I want it to, and synchs seamlessly with my Macbook Pro. I said it before, and I'll say it again. We are not forking out for the prestige, but the usability. Everyone has an iPhone now anyway, The snob appeal is long gone. Bragging you have an iPhone now is like bragging you have a TV. Who cares?

Lastly, I love being painted as a pretentious, upperclass, single focus Mac snob, I'm living on a "disabled" fixed income, and I run OSX, Ubuntu, AND XP. But its so much easier to peg me as a rich, elitist Mac only user, with a Latte in one hand, and my pinky finger in the air. I hate to break this to you, but I live in a very low income area, and I'm starting see Macbooks all over. Mac is NOT just for the "privileged" class anymore. And with the prices going down, this is only going to continue.

Innovation through theft.

In other words, Palm is too lazy to write support for their fake iPhone when it is so much easier to simply steal iTunes and point their users at it.

IF the Pre is suppoed to be the next "iPhone KIller" how about PALM write the music store and support for it?

Just like Microsoft, rip off Apple, then call it innovation.

Apple ends Palm Pre's iTunes charade

@Stike Vomit

I love how i supported Microsoft from early dos, all the way to XP, and I was fine. I switch to Mac and I'm suddenly a brainless, clueless zombie, with no right to an opinion.

I hated iTunes when I ran XP, it froze, it slowed down, it was a complete ball of crap. I refused to touch it. It was better than Musicmatch Jukebox, but that was about it. I ran my Windows iPods on Annapod from Redchair software.

Two years ago, I went Mac for my primary machines, and I really didn't want to use iTunes. After a lot of hunting around I found no good non iTunes alternatives. At the time Songbird was not ready, and I didn't want to run an XP box just to support the iPod, so I grudgingly gave iTunes another try, and in OSX it gives me no problems at all. Yet when I work on people's Winboxes it goes back to being sluggish, crash happy crap.

I have the latest iTunes running under Leopard on a dual 500 G4 tower for my entertainment center, it runs all my media, coverflow is smooth, and controls from my phone. Its trouble free.

Blame Apple, or blame Microsoft, I don't care. But I agree that the iTunes experience IN WINDOWS leaves a great deal to be desired. I don't blame a single Windows user for not running it. If you run Windows and you need iTunes, you are just out of luck. May I suggest a different player? Go buy that Zune everyone seems to love so much. I won't stop you. Go get a Palm Pre and enjoy. But the iTunes issues I've had to support are almost always WINDOWS iTune issues. I've had plenty of experience with both, and they are not the same in reliability or usability.

I just don't use my Winbox for the iPod. Problem solved. Not my fault you run Windows. I've seen too many applications that hemorrhage memory in Windows, but run fine in Mac. Sadville being a great example. You can actually watch it slow to a crawl. You can spot the Windows users by seeing who crashes every 45 minutes and complains constantly about the lag.

@ Anonamous Coward

Itunes works great. On a Mac.

Memory leaks are WINDOW'S fault, not iTunes.

I I used to blame iTunes too, before i found out its problems were not iTunes, but Windows.

Apple profits up 15 per cent (again)

Unfashinable, untrendy, unattractive, Mac Convert.

It never fails to amaze me the people who keep screaming that the only people who buy Mac are idiots or Fashion Lemmings.

Simply put, for most home users, Mac does it easier, and safer and more reliably than anyone else. Linux is still not ready to be installed by the non technical user, though it IS usable by one once it is set up. And I've tried to get the clueless to adopt Linux, success rate about 50%. I've made several new Mac users, NEVER have I had one say "I want Windows back"

And a lot of my tech user friends are sick of Microsoft's control freaking to the point where Redmond decides what you do with your computer, and you are only along for the ride. You get sick of having to fight against your own OS. So, all in all, I started with Microsoft when I was putting ram into knock off 8088's with bootleg IBM Bioses, and kept with it till well into XP. It was finally "enough is enough".

I keep a Wintendo kicking around for a Mame-box and to play a few old games, But for my daily computer use? Not a chance. For my banking info and passwords? no way. I like to use my machine, not spend half the day patching it, or waiting to be owned simply by web browsing.

Yes, there are some fashion people who just like the shiny, and frankly, they sooner they move on to their next atrocity the better. But there are a lot of us in it who DO know how to use Linux, who DO know how to keep a Windows PC clean and running. but who simply like a smooth happy low maintenance user experience with a computer, that does not REQUIRE you to be a tech, even if we are one.

USER EXPERIENCE COUNTS. And the market is showing it. Microsoft isn't the only game in town anymore, and people are voting with their feet. The economy is this bad, yet Apple sales are sunny. This is not the sign of a status brand, its the sign of people buying what gives them pleasure, satisfaction, and RELIABILITY. My Last Dell Laptop went back SEVEN times. My Macbook pro is over two years old now, and has had no issues at all.

People are sick of it want something different. It has nothing to do with "fashion"Why is this so hard to understand?

Security officer suspended over iPhone engineer's death

Take some responsibilty!

If you are a geek these days. Everything, or nearly everything you own is made in a Chinese sweatshop. Hard drives, motherboards, power supplies, virtually every MP3 player.

I can't vouch for Europe in general. But trying to buy any consumer electronics in the US, NOT made in China, or with Chinese parts is virtually impossible. The rare exceptions are not affordable for anyone of middle to moderate income.

So all the finger wavers about Apple the evil exploiter need to grow up and deal with the fact that 99% of our consumer goods are paid for with sweatshop blood. Everyone wants fair treatment for workers, but not if they can't buy $50 Microwave ovens or $200 televisions. Too many people don't remember when a watch or a TV or even a Vacuum cleaner "made domestically" was a serious expense you had to save for or buy on time payment plans.

There is a company in the US that makes a color TV. Its $2800. "doubtless with Chinese internals" The world is NOT beating a path to its door. A lot of us remember when a good computer cost as much as a decent car. But somehow you don't hear anyone here howling for the blood of the company that made their motherboard in the same or worse conditions than Foxconn.

So don't just look at Apple, Look at ALL the companies who sent the work to China and gave the economy of the world to a totalitarian dictatorship. NO company in the field of mass market consumer electronics is innocent. We all talk a good talk about it, but when push comes to shove, we gave up any pretense of humanitarian ethics long ago in the name of cheap consumer goods. We are ALL guilty.

Apple admits iPhone 3GS in short supply

Happy I got in early.

I am VERY happy I got mine when the wait was only a week. The 3Gs is a great phone and with the exeption of the battery life makes up any shortcomings I had with the original one.

Then again, the new one has such good 3G I USE it a lot more.

Microsoft forbids changes to Windows 7 netbook wallpaper

@ Wrenchy

"'If Apple made this decision with OSx, "

But they don't. Thats the point.

Blade Runner house yours for $15m

one other movie

It was also the house used for exteriors in "the house on haunted hill" The Vincent Price one.

Gay animals going at it like rabbits

@ Inachu

So now you claim gay people only come from industrial areas, and don't exist in small un-industrial towns? That is going to be a big shock to the people in Provincetown. I''ve met too many gay people escaping these mythical rural "clean zones" ,usually fleeing religious nuts. So, did they catch their gay off bus station toilet seats?

And of course all the homosexuals in 10,000 years of human history, most of which is quite pre-industrial all got their industrial poisons how? Via time machine perhaps?

Lastly the "gay bomb" idea was the product of silly super right wing US politicos who thought that soldiers could not fight properly if they were looking at their squadmates butt. "Apparently they had never heard of Sparta" It got its budget axed before it even got off the ground, even most of the Bush Republicans thought it was a stupid idea.

@ Inachu

So you are saying that Homosexuality in nature "and in humanity" is a product of industrial pollution, and that it would be better to start killing ourselves now, preferably in a nuclear fireball rather than to stop chasing down and disposing of the "Freaks of Nature" that is represented in your views by homosexuality?

Is that your gist? If so, perhaps El Reg may not be the best place for you, You might do better to leave the serious talk to the grown ups and go over to stormfront.org. They alre always looking for "people" like you. They don't like gene pool dirtiers either, you will hit it off big with them.

Nowhere does it say that homosexuality equals evolving, thats your fundamentalist roots showing. Just that it is part of most animal species. But to someone who thinks that homosexuals are so evil it would be ok to deep fry the planet rather than tolerate their actual existence and then claim "Its better that way" I have nothing more to say, as I doubt there are any words that can reach though hate that deaf and and closed off from simple human decency.

"Never, in all my years, have I encountered such cruel and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the church?"

*** The Bishop of Bath and Wells to Edmond Blackadder ***

Windows 7 to ship October 22

@Jimbo

Leopard "assuming snow Leopard comes out in October as well" will have cost me a total of five US dollars a month. A grand total of $120, which is what I paid for it at release day. This as opposed to $300-$400 for the top version of Vista or Windows Seven. It looks like Leopard itself costs about 1/3 of what Windows costs. I bought my new OS X 10.5 install disk and a used G4 server for what MS fans paid for Vista Ultimate alone.

My two year old Macbook Pro is still running that Leopard install flawlessly and securely, and the G4 tower "with a few mods" is still happily being my media center at an age when most Windows PCs are either running Linux or in the garbage. . And they both work fine with the Apple iTouch/iPhone remote.

As to linux movie playing, if a MAC USER has to tell you how to use sudo apt-get, maybe its best you stick to Windows and leave the reliable computers to the grown ups. Even My Ubuntu Netbook plays all my Movies full screen.

Microsoft announces Zune HD

No thanks. I already have a real one.

A: More "me too" photcopying action from Microsoft.

B: DRM'ed to shreds. the subscription service will make sure of that. "not ONE drm'ed track on my iPods"

C: You can bet its Windows only, just like the last Zunes. Show me the support for my Linux box and my Macs and try again. "My pod works on all three" I'm not being locked back into Windows by anyone. I actually USE my computers.

I'm just waiting to see if it locks out XP users to try and force updating, it would be pure Ballmer. Another third party made Microsoft also ran. And WinCE? You have got to be kidding!

One in ten PCs still vulnerable to Conficker exploit

@ Justin Clements

Its called security. You should try it sometime. And by minority OSes, do you mean say, Vista? Its about as popular as a herpes sore.

Funny, if we Mac users represent the top ten percent of big spenders, you would think we would be a high level target, platinum card numbers and such. "Sadly, looking into my checking account this is not the case"

If you can't figure out why NT is less secure than Darwin Unix, you are simply trolling, a Microsoft fudster, or just a little slow. And only the third rates any sympathy.

Three Macs, Well two Macs and a Hackintosh EEE PC , security budget ZERO, infections ZERO, hassle ZERO. I don't know where you live, but if you look at US LAPTOP sales. We are well over ten percent. In new sales something a bit under one in three, We are not such a minority anymore.

Microsoft cries netbook victory against Linux

@ J

The OS X on EEE PC guide. Vanilla kernel from a stock install disk, everything supported, no issues at all.

http://eeemac.blogspot.com/2009/03/install-os-x-on-eee-pc-900a-901-1000.html

Yeah right. Notice its SOLD not used.

At the local Geek Mart "Microcenter" I talked to a lot of people buying netbooks, the overwhelming majority of them buying were planning to run Leopard on them. Enough that the salesman just assumed thats what I wanted it for. The salespeople even had the Leopard hardware compatibility chart available to help the deciders!

Double the ram, swap out the wireless card, and its easy. All my geek friends are running OS X on "Windows" netbooks that Microsoft chalked up as sales. They could at least put XP PRO on the things if they wanted us to use them for Windows. My WOW addict pals love them. With OSX they are great for the MMORPG addict on the go. I like that I don't need to put my MacBook Pro in danger if I just want to go for coffee or do a tech call where I need to let my machine out of sight.

Notice on all the second gen netbooks "the new ASUS machines being a good example" the upgrade parts are easily accessible. Modding and Osing them with either OSX or Linux are as common as not. I'd like to know how many "Windows" netbooks aren't Windows after the first couple days. Best of all, Microsoft has LOST money on giving the OS to vendors to get the market share! And they still have to support it! And it does not get much better than that. lets see if this keeps up with Windows 7. I've run Seven. Its NOT a netbook OS. And all the advertising in the world can't change that

"Posted from a "Windows license" Netbook Running Leopard 10.5.6."

Russian mag teases with netbook MacBook specs

Don't know, don't care.

As much as I love Apple, this isn't going to do it, at least not for me. A big draw of netbooks isn't just the size, its low cost. And if this comes in at less than $750 I'd be stunned. If its real at all.

I have an EEE PC 1000HA running Leopard "yes bought my own OS X disk" And its a light, cheap, long battery life netbook that cost me about as much as my iPod touch. I love real Macs, I own two of them. Mind you, my Hackentosh EEPC would never make me give up my Macbook Pro. But The netbook market is not a group Apple understands. They will take the economy netbook and turn it into a high end aluminum micro Mac and expect everyone else who can't meet the cost to limp along on an iPod touch..

If they can keep it under $500 I'll be interested. But I'm not holding my breath.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE netbook

Its great once you get Windows off it.

Ran it with Ubuntu till I got bored and decided to try Hacketoshing it.

I have the 1000 HA version running Leopard, I doubled the ram, and swapped out the Etheros wireless card for a 1490 Broadcom. "$10" Its a great mini machine, the battery life is incredible and I don't have to worry about someone spilling coffee in My Macbook Pro.

Apple restyles iPod Shuffle

Why??? Why did they do this?

Mind you the shuffle is a toy, and Apple geek or no, I wouldn't have a shuffle for free. "I have a 32 gig iPod Touch AND a 160 iPod Classic, and a Macbook Pro as well"

But with this I don't know WHAT to say. Unless Apple is trying to drive people away from the iPod shuffle.

IF they try this crap with the REAL iPods, and I won't be buying another. The only advantage is most "shuffle" buyers wouldn't know good headphones from the $3.00 ones at the checkout line.

Any relationship has its good points and its bad points. I love you Apple, but your headphones are made of pure suck, accept it and move on.

Microsoft goes retail with own shops

Forward thinking

Another entirely original idea from MICROSOFT!

Before Pong, there was Computer Space

Memories

I Remember seeing one as a kid, same cabinet, only red metalflake. It had had been gutted and turned into a PONG machine!

If you can find a copy of the movie "Soylent Green" the console appears in it with video of the game play.

Apple's Snow Leopard set to exploit GPU power

@madra

Sorry, thought you were a Windows fanboi. And yes I do actual WORK with my Macs.

I don't have a Facebook account, a Twitter or any of that stupid social networking crap, "Sadville excluded, I admit it" I don't want one either.

You just assumed I used the standard out of the box apps. Actually, except to load my pod I use NONE of the stock apps, No iLife, no iChat, no Quicktime Player. I don't even use iTunes except to load the pod.

See? There it is, the "I am a genius and everyone else is a stupid end user" attitude you are showing. This is what I mean by "self appointed technology guru" Go take a good look in the mirror. Don't assume I'm a 16 year old girl who bought a Mac cause it was "pretty".

Wah, Tiger, Wah Wheres my Firewire? Wheres my PPC? WAH! You are the other form of pretentious Mac snob, the kind who wants Tiger and Power PC back so you can feel "special" again. Its no fun to be a sanctimonious Mac head when Macs are everywhere these days. Macs don't make you SPECIAL anymore, they just make you productive, deal.

I'm a self admitted switcher, so I have no emotional attachment to Apple's past. I'm running Leopard AND I'm running Tiger. And I have done so on the same hardware, Tiger is slower, its less responsive, and its less stable, though I admit it runs a bit cooler. But Tiger is OVER like XP is OVER. And Snow Leopard will improve Leopard further, but I doubt you will care, You will doubtless be bent over your G5 crying about Intel and the lack of Carbon support.

You are the equivalent of the snottier Linux people who hate Ubuntu because it lets clueless people use Linux and takes the magic off their "specialness" . Move with the times or move out of the way. Technology stops for no-one.

@Chris

You must be the only person I've ever seen outside forum spin doctors "oops" Who are having trouble with Leopard. Leopard has been every bit as stable as my best Linux box, with ease of use Ubuntu can't touch. If you can't use Leopard without problems, you simply are not trying. "I didn't say like, I said USE". I'm a Mac fan, and frankly a retarded box turtle can reliably use Leopard.

Even my old Tiger servers uptime is pretty much till I feel like shutting it down. And the only machine in my network that has issues with the Airport is the XP 64 system.

Not usable on Old Hardware? I can run Leopard on Macs from 2001

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/3042080362_b00672fb69_o.png This machine was built in 2001 and in 2011 it s still going to be in use.

Lets see a PC from 2001 Run Vista, oh please? For rugged "When I don't want someone spilling a Latte in my Macbook Pro" use. I still use a Clamshell G3 from 1999 running Tiger, and it still does websurfing and word processing fine. The company that can't keep their hardware workable with age and time, and that requires endless, bottomless hardware investment is a certain nameless Redmond Washington firm.

So, Mac Pro hardware is too behind for you? Pray Tell, what tries your patience in Octo-Cores? Even the cheap bottom end Macbooks have decent 3-D punch now. "AS to the guy who brought up Mac Minis, yes we know they have crap video, its a niche product

Your complaints are as follows.

A: Mac OS is evolving too fast and making you chuck usable kit. Flatly wrong, Leopard will run on decent business machines back to 2001, see screenshot. and if your office systems are over nine years old, it may be time for an upgrade.

B: Leopard does not work you say? Ask people who actually USE it daily. I've had a lot of computers since my old Vic-20 back in the day, and Nothing has beaten the stability I'm getting from Leopard 10.5.5. Oddly enough the only "Leopard does not work!" people I meet are self appointed gurus on technology forums.

Networking issues? Funny, we have a mixed Mac, Linux and Windows network. Three guesses which machine won't play nice with the network? Hint, its not the Macs or the Linux Server. Guess which machine has an issue reading the removable drives? Which Machine has a had a hard time dealing with anything but its own proprietary file system? I'll give you a hint. Mac and Linux open doors, only one company makes you work through a closed Window.

.

Yes!

Speaking as an Apple convert, I'd just like to say HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! Furthermore YES!

Take that Microsoft! Yet again, they are a day late and a dollar short! I expect I will enjoy my Snow Leopard purchase even more than my Leopard one! It does explain why the new lower end Macbooks all suddenly have snappy 3D chipsets, You know Steve had to have a reason for that other than undermining Macbook Pro sales.

"Well if that does not drag Webster out of hiding nothing will, I expect he choked to death on his own bile"

µTorrent for Mac is go

Pity its Leopard only.

Since my Torrentbox is a G4 Dual 500 running Tiger, it won't do me much good. Its Leopard performance was a bit sluggish and I don't want Leopard on it again till I have no other choice.

I'll have to look at Transmission, as Vuze is a resource hog, and Bitrocket is not exactly reliable.

Apple unsheathes Jesus Phone 2.1

@ anonymous loser

You mean you accidentally hit restore instead of update when you plugged it in and its all Apple's fault. Either that or you skipped the 2.0 update and didn't bother to read the pop up that TOLD you the device required total backup when going to 2.0 or above.

It always amazes me when the PC folk cant use simple software, and I do mean SIMPLE.

Japanese call on deities to discipline wayward PCs

@ Iamfanboy

"C'mon. Who the hell in IT HASN'T thought, at one time or another, that computers are possessed of malicious spirits who want only to destroy your will and send you gibbering out of the computer room?"

I used to have that problem, then I got rid of Windows! The curse was lifted that very day.

Ten of the Best... iPod rivals

@ratfox

>and the pause introduced by my iPod makes me want to scream.

So, how old a version of iTunes are you USING? We have had gapless playback for YEARS.

@Anonymous Coward

>as the sound quality of all ipods is abysmal

Try not ripping your Mp3s in 128 or low end AAC. Just because you don't know how to compress music is hardly Apple's fault. Ever embrace the concept of changing your DEFAULT SETTINGS? My Lame ripped 320 VBRs sound great on my pod.

>Anyhows, the iTunes 8 totally locked up my dual core PC, whilst working out gapless info from the music on my network share,

You did your gapless playback scan........ Over your network share.........? "I bet it was 802.11.g too"

Do I really have to say what's dumb about that to anybody? Its also not Apple's fault if you can't properly use a program that does everything for you but hold your hand when you pee. And it also says a great deal about Windows networking.

It whips through my 80 gig or so of audio in about ten minutes. "and no I don't do it over a network, I use an external drive" Sounds like another failure caused by "loose nut behind the wheel" syndrome.

I may replace my Gen six ipod with something else. but only because like Gen 1-5 the Gen 6 battery is REALLY un-replaceable. I've been doing battery replacements for people's iPods since Gen 2 and its been easy, but most banks should be locked as tightly as a Gen 6 ipod classic. Pity, as they finally made the things properly scratch resistant.

I just hope something matching it in storage capacity, battery life and ease of use shows up soon. If Sansa made a player with decent storage I'd be seriously interested. I'm at 160 gig, a flash player won't cut it till at least 2010.

Classical downloads service hits right note on DRM

Finally!

Finally a music service that realizes that anything less than 320 is unacceptable! And no invasive DRM! Now if iTunes would figure that out maybe they could sell me a track or two.

Cops slap ticket on Street View spycar

You have got to be kidding,

"police states of Russia/China/Amerika"

Sad as this faded republic has become we still have civil liberties modern day England cannot dream of.

And I don't know if thats a greater insult to you or us.

Vendor touts PC's Mac OS X compatibility

@ Anon coward

"Oh, I forgot. Mac users are just users not techies."

Been building and fixing PCs for 15 years, so I qualify as a "techie". I just BUILT a spare Mac, "from parts" that is file serving, torrenting, burning DVDs for my tape archive project, AND is the heart of my entertainment system for about $75 total cost. Dual 550 G4.

Could I do that with a 2000 era Windows box? With a supported OS? With decent performance?

Most of the tech people I know are going to, or have gone to Mac. I don't care what's trendy, what's popular, or what's "pretty". I just like an OS thats usable, stable, secure, and requires no maintenance.

Yes, its a pain to pay a little more, but my $2.500 macbook Pro is twice the computer My $2000 Dell Inspiron was "though now the Dell is a great Linux box" the fact that the Mac is sleek and eye pleasing is nice, but I didn't buy it for how it LOOKS, I bought it for how it works, and it works great! Its a joy to own and a pleasure to use and thats reason enough.

Who needs Windows? I already HAVE a gaming system!

The iPhone 2.0 update - don't do it, kids

I agree, Wait till tomorrow.

It took me about two hours to get my phone back on.

I'm a big Apple/Mac booster and even "I" agree. Do NOT update your phone for a day or two.

On the bright side this means they are getting a LOT more sales than they imagined. they must be getting hit by an activationwave that makes the first one look tiny by comparison.

Rare Mac Trojan exploits Apple vuln

So Webster Is calling himself Tom now?

"users need to download and open the Trojan horse before they become infected.'

Damn, and if I had Windows it would get infected automatically! Stupid Mac!

If you are dumb enough to install and give a password to a program you got off Limewire, or some stupid porn site you DESERVE a Virus.

So what you are telling me is I have to manually download, install, and give my password to this terrible sneaky trojan, real stealth. This isn't a virus, its an intelligence test. Pity you don't spend more time on the crap you can get in Windows by simply leaving active X on.

Least my bad 'ol "style over substance" Mac does not get owned just by web browsing. I'll just stay a "Mactard" thanks.

Microsoft Patch Tuesday promises seven fixes

No criticism,

"Cue endless fanboi comments about how none of this would be necessary if everyone used Linux, MacOS"

Us? Oh no. We will just smile smugly and go back to our $5 Lattes. hehehehehe.

Swedish authorities pull plug on female Elvis

Changing my name to Chrysler "apologies to Tom Paxton"

Talk about abuses of civil liberties? What about unisex names? Or non-traditional ones?

Whats next? After the birth the government just ISSUES names?

As far as I know, the only ones we can't use are strings of numbers, and not because its inappropriate. I suspect the record keeping systems won't take numerics in the entry fields.

I know that names get silly, "Mr. Microsoft Zune" being a great example, but you can't pass laws against looking foolish, or who would run for public office?

US imposes 72 hour pre-reg for Visa waiver travellers

right

You all like to whine about American gun owners, but if you lived here you would want one too.

Nobody I know was ever stabbed or beaten. And nobody with any brains would dare break into a house when people are home.

Lastly, they take my gun away I WANT to go someplace safe like jail.

The New Order: When reading is a crime

@ Steve Mann

"Of course, I now live in America, land of Freedom (Fries), so it all balances out."

Oh, I don't know. I can still read what I want, arm and defend myself, and our fascist nutbags are about to retire, there is even a slight chance it will improve. So I think we are still ahead. But the new UK laws make the US look like Pepperland.

And unless you live in the deep deep red states, NOBODY says freedom fries anymore. Bush bashing is the national passtime, and talking about terrorists is old hat, its barely news anymore. One thing I love about my silly, fat and overindulged people is how quickly they get bored with one form of nonsense and move to the "new thing".

Ballmer and Gates defend Vista, drop Windows 7 hints

Ballmer is totally nuts.

This is just sad, this guy is further separated from reality that Bush.

I'm getting normal "non tech" people asking me about Linux. And you practically have to fight your way into the Apple store, and Vista is a "success"?

I had fifteen years of their junk software, before I finally said no. Simply ENOUGH. Enough apologizing for a company that sells unrepentantly bad crap and blames everyone else!

I run OS X and Linux now, with a little bit of XP for some old games on the Wintendo. If it hadn't been for Vista I'd still be using Windows for my primary OS, For that I'll thank him.

How many people do they have to lose before they figure out, PEOPLE DON'T LIKE VISTA! And forcing them to take it if you want to buy a PC is not a sign of popular acceptance!