551198
submission
El_Oscuro writes:
A genuine crack for Windows Vista has just been released by pirate group Pantheon, which allows a pirated, non-activated installation of Vista (Home Basic/Premium and Ultimate) to be properly activated and made fully-operational. It seems that Microsoft has allowed large OEMs like ASUS to ship their products with a pre-installed version of Vista that doesn't require product activation — apparently because end users would find it too inconvenient. The question, how can I do this with XP?
485722
submission
El_Oscuro writes:
In todays business section of The Washington Post, there were two stories which referenced Linux. The first one is a piece about Windows Vista after 1 year, and article can be summarized by: "Windows Vista after one year: meh." This article is interesting because it is something an average Windows XP user would understand, and also mentions Linux and OS-X as alternatives. It is the first time I have read about the Linux alternative in a mainstream dead tree newspaper.
The second article is about Future Combat Systems, a major US Army program for battlefield communications which will run Linux. From TFA:
"Another software difficulty is the operating system, which is being developed by Boeing. The System-of-Systems Common Operating Environment, or SOSCOE, is supposed to be like Windows, the world's dominant operating system, only better.
"Boeing and the Army said they chose not to use Microsoft's proprietary software because they didn't want to be beholden to the company. Instead, they chose to develop a Linux-based operating system based on publicly available code.
"Microsoft, which does substantial business with the military, declined to comment.
180697
submission
El_Oscuro writes:
There is an article on
arstechnica about the MS/Novell agreement. The deal specifically excludes patent protection for "clone products." In the agreement, a clone product is broadly defined as "a product (or major component thereof) of a Party that has the same or substantially the same features and functionality as a then-existing product (or major component thereof) of the other Party ... and that has the same or substantially the same user interface, or implements all or substantially all of the Application Programming Interfaces of the Prior Product." The text of the clone product definition subsections is very cumbersome to read, but it specifically mentions OpenOffice, Wine, and OpenXchange by name without asserting that they are necessarily clone products.
