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Subject: Re: Windows XP - a privacy issue?

Author: Ian Aston

Date: 16:49:45 10/27/01

Go up one level in this thread


On October 26, 2001 at 20:23:47, Eugene Nalimov wrote:

>First, Tom compared Windows XP with Win2k, not with Win9x/ME family. I believe
>WinNT/Win2k also will not work on your 386 system with 5Mb of RAM.
>
>Second, I don't understand what you are talking about "privacy issues". Product
>activation is *anonymous*
>(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/using/productdoc/en/default.asp?url=/WINDOWSXP/home/using/productdoc/en/WPA_privacypolicy.asp).
>Of course you can say "I don't believe MS", but then I'll ask you "Are you
>believeing ingredient list that is printed on the box with cereal? And how MS
>differ from cereal maker?".

You don't have to ring Kellog's to ask if you can eat their cornflakes.

IA

>
>Eugene
>
>On October 26, 2001 at 19:12:03, Christophe Theron wrote:
>
>>On October 26, 2001 at 17:21:16, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>>
>>>On October 26, 2001 at 02:10:40, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>>
>>>>On October 24, 2001 at 14:59:48, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On October 24, 2001 at 13:31:20, Torstein Hall wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On October 24, 2001 at 00:23:56, William Penn wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I wonder if you considered the privacy issue with Windows XP? You must "phone
>>>>>>>home" to activate it, and you cannot reinstall it without doing the same.
>>>>>>>Microsoft accesses and stores in their archives certain private information
>>>>>>>about you and your computer system, then has the ability to grant or deny you
>>>>>>>access to Windows XP and your own computer! At least that is what I hear, so I
>>>>>>>am leary of it.
>>>>>>>WP
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I have planned to let XP rest for a while and let others buy a MS xx.00 product.
>>>>>>Then perhaps I can see where this privacy issue is going and get some
>>>>>>"experience reports".
>>>>>
>>>>>XP is a refresh of Win2k, which has been lauded as an incredibly stable,
>>>>>full-featured OS. It is hardly a xx.00 product.
>>>>>
>>>>>-Tom
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Are you working at or for Microsoft, Tom?
>>>
>>>Yes. :)
>>>
>>>>Are you willing to take responsability for whatever problem people will have
>>>>using the new RAM-eater from the "micro" soft (sic) company?
>>>
>>>Funny you should mention that, WinXP uses less memory than Win2k. (Although more
>>>than Win9x.) Runs fine with 64MB. Doing a darn sight better than, say, Apple's
>>>OS X. :)
>>
>>
>>
>>OK, then you definitely work for MS. Most observers mention the need to have
>>256Mb of memory and a very fast processor in order to run XP.
>>
>>Windows 95 runs on my 386sx 20MHz, and it has only 5Mb of memory. I just have to
>>wait a little minute every time I want to open an explorer window. But I swear
>>W95 works on my 386sx 20MHz notebook.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>>I think that the wait-and-see attitude is the wisest thing to do in this case.
>>>>The concerns expressed by William and Torstein sound extremely justified to
>>>>me.
>>>
>>>Concerns don't bother me. Concerns based on bad information bother me. Like the
>>>idea that XP is a x.0 product, that Microsoft keeps a database of personal
>>>information about you, that you have to call up MS every time you want to
>>>reinstall the product or change your hardware. Concerns about all of this are
>>>invalid.
>>
>>
>>
>>If I leave the door of my house open 24h a day, 7 days a week, I have very
>>little chances, where I live, to be killed by a burglar in the middle of my
>>sleep.
>>
>>But I close my door all the time.
>>
>>
>>Why should I let a chance to Microsoft to have a look at what's going on inside
>>my computer?
>>
>>The question "are they going to have a look or not" is totally secondary.
>>
>>It's my computer, it's my stuffs, and they are already forcing me to do a lot of
>>things I would not like to have to do, so it's already going much too far right
>>now with Windows 98 or Windows Me.
>>
>>It's really funny that people who want to keep some privacy are the ones who
>>need to justify themselves nowadays.
>>
>>"I don't want you to have a look at my private data"
>>
>>"Why? Trust me, I'm not going to use it anyway. Are you paranoid? Come with me,
>>you need to be examined by a specialist"
>>
>>or
>>
>>"Why? Do you have something to hide? So you could be a terrorist then..."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>I'm the last person to tell somebody to use Windows, but if you don't use it,
>>>I'd prefer that your reasons be based on accurate information. :)
>>
>>
>>Come on. I have seen where Microsoft is taking us over the years, and as the
>>justice is not willing to stop them, the only way to keep a little bit of
>>privacy and control over our information systems is to realize what's going on
>>and to resist.
>>
>>A few months ago I was joking with Eugene and mentionned that some day your
>>Windows CE or PocketPC coffee machine will need an Internet connection to
>>download software updates on a regular basis (or it will stop working).
>>
>>Who wants to bet on the year this is going to happen?
>>
>>
>>
>>    Christophe



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