View Full Forums : Boycott Vista


Swiftfox
02-11-2007, 10:37 PM
I'm seriously considering switching to Mac for my next puter.

The follwing is a good read:

A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection (http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/%7Epgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html)

It's not about not being able to "steal" either.

Tudamorf
02-11-2007, 11:06 PM
Blame the content industry for this nonsense. Even if you don't use a computer to view them, most HD sources today (e.g., cable or satellite HD channels) will require an encrypted input (DVI with HDCP, or HDMI) on your display device to output digital. This means that unless your HDTV was made in the past year or two, it will likely be obsolete for watching pure digital HD.

In the content providers v. consumer war, the tech industry is actually more on our side than on theirs. No one -- neither Microsoft nor the hardware industry -- wants to put up with this annoying crap. But if Microsoft refuses to put in anti-piracy measures, someone else will and will grab the potentially enormous HD market in the future.

The real target for your boycott should be the media outlets, that perpetuate this idiocy on account of their rampant paranoia. Don't buy their crappy movies and the garbage noise that passes for "music" nowadays.

MadroneDorf
02-11-2007, 11:24 PM
I've yet to have anything that I can't play on Vista that I could on XP - granted I've only played around with Vista a bit, and havn't tried all of my files...

However from everything I've read - its not that Vista prevents you from viewing things that you can view on previous OS's - Its that Vista has DRM that media industry requires so it can newer types of Media - Media that you can't play on XP - unless it gets similiar DRM, ditto for Mac OS... so switching to Vista doesn't prevent you from doing anything - it enables you to view content that has retarded DRM.

Tudamorf
02-11-2007, 11:38 PM
Yes, this is only about HD "premium" content, not standard DVDs.

And it's not a Microsoft v. Apple issue, the licensing rules will apply to any software or hardware designed to display the HD sources.

Gunny Burlfoot
02-12-2007, 12:51 AM
I'll stick with XP. M$ has enough of my money.

Did anyone actually read that article? Vista sounds like Orwell's worst nightmare coupled with the Matrix.

Now, if you don't play video, or audio, or games, or anything else requiring moving pictures, Vista will work fine for you.

Then again, if you aren't using anything requiring graphics, why would you need Vista in the first place?

Once again, M$ has managed to f**k the consumer to try to shore up their vain concept of DRM.

I particularly like this paragraph:

The onerous nature of Vista's content protection also provides a perverse incentive to remove the protection measures from the content, since for many consumers that'll be the only way that they can enjoy their legally-acquired content without Vista's DRM getting in the way. This is already illustrated in the Quotes and Footnotes sections, where the people bypassing HD-DVD protection measures aren't hardcore video pirates but ordinary consumers who can't even play their own legitimately-acquired content. The sheer obnoxiousness of Vista's content protection may end up being the biggest incentive to piracy yet created. Even without overt “piracy” (meaning bypassing restrictions in order to play legally-purchased media), it makes very sound business sense for companies to produce hardware that bypasses the problem, just as they have already with region-free play-anything DVD players. Perhaps Hollywood should heed the advice given in one of their most famous productions: “The more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip through your fingers”.

Tudamorf
02-12-2007, 12:57 AM
I'll stick with XP. M$ has enough of my money.You won't be able to play the premium content in XP, either, unless it's upgraded to include the same technology. You're not getting more with XP.

That said, in its current state, you should stick with XP, because at this moment Vista offers little more than eye candy and a few extra apps to the average user.Did anyone actually read that article? Vista sounds like Orwell's worst nightmare coupled with the Matrix.The author was an extremist. For example, he was talking about users using an ancient TNT2 (that hasn't been around for eight years) to display HD content. That's ridiculous, and I doubt the TNT2 even supported those resolutions in the hardware, and that's if you can actually find a working TNT2 and have a legacy AGP motherboard.

Although there is truth to the general ideas, this is by no means an objective article. And the evil is not with Microsoft, but with the content industry. Stop giving them your money, and vote this encryption crap out of the market with your wallet.

Fenlayen
02-12-2007, 01:22 AM
Although there is truth to the general ideas, this is by no means an objective article. And the evil is not with Microsoft, but with the content industry. Stop giving them your money, and vote this encryption crap out of the market with your wallet.

Aye agreed this isn't a Microsoft issue, If you want to stop this kind of crap you need to go to the source which is the big movie and music companies.

ToKu
02-12-2007, 01:29 AM
As much as I hate to pick up the newest OS within the first year or 2, Vista is just such an amazing OS for tablet functionality... it blows Windows Tablet Ed away. I had to get it.

As for desktop, im in no rush.

Stormhaven
02-12-2007, 03:07 AM
So far I love Vista - installed Vista Ultimate Edition, enabled Aero, did a lot of Windows + Tabbing for the hell of it (3d windows rock). The widgets are neat, but nothing I'd call spectacular - just kind of handy. I'll hopefully get a copy of Office 2007 soon and play around with that.

Enterprise edition's a bastard though, you have to install a KMS in order for it to grab license keys and yadda yadda. Not looking forward to rolling that out - although most of it will be in the hands of another group (yay desktop group!)

Yrys
02-12-2007, 08:55 AM
Enterprise edition's a bastard though, you have to install a KMS in order for it to grab license keys and yadda yadda. Not looking forward to rolling that out - although most of it will be in the hands of another group (yay desktop group!)

Yeah, Vista Enterprise's key system was a surprise, but I can't really say I blame them considering just about everyone I know at work used the volume key for XP to install it on their home machine.

I'll almost certainly be installing Vista x64 on one of my machines... it has enough horsepower to handle Aero, and I'll want DX10 for games eventually. I'm letting the compatibility issues settle first though.

As for Vista's DRM, the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on most newer machines can be turned off in the BIOS, and Vista has TPM support turned off by default anyway (I think?). I don't plan on using any content that requires a trusted PC regardless (boycott DRM!).

B_Delacroix
02-12-2007, 09:16 AM
I don't plan to get Vista until I abso-fraggin-lutely have to.

Aidon
02-12-2007, 10:06 AM
So far I love Vista - installed Vista Ultimate Edition, enabled Aero, did a lot of Windows + Tabbing for the hell of it (3d windows rock). The widgets are neat, but nothing I'd call spectacular - just kind of handy. I'll hopefully get a copy of Office 2007 soon and play around with that.

Enterprise edition's a bastard though, you have to install a KMS in order for it to grab license keys and yadda yadda. Not looking forward to rolling that out - although most of it will be in the hands of another group (yay desktop group!)

TechNet Plus.

I love it this year.

Office 2k7 is pretty damn nice, I must say.

I haven't installed Vista on any boxes yet, since I'm not about to do so on my work box and the only box I have at home sufficient to run it is my main box..and I'm just too busy to go backing everything up and reinstalling all of my ****.

All in all, I have to agree with Tudamorf. Its not Vista....its the RIAA and MPAA.

Someone with some gelt needs to file a suit against both of those groups and the studio's behind them for illegal business practices and anti-trust. Make them spend some of their money defending themselves, for a change, instead of suing grandmothers.

Teaenea
02-12-2007, 10:43 AM
So far I love Vista - installed Vista Ultimate Edition,
Two words... Previous Versions.... Hands down, best new feature in Vista.

enabled Aero, did a lot of Windows + Tabbing for the hell of it (3d windows rock).
It is very cool. Flip 3D is very nice. The UI is nice enough to make XP's UI feel like Win3.1

The widgets are neat, but nothing I'd call spectacular - just kind of handy.

I like a few of the gadgets. But, I turned it off on a PC with a standard Monitor, but I love it on my Widescreen.

I'll hopefully get a copy of Office 2007 soon and play around with that.

Office 2007 is just awesome. My beta version expired and I'm just waiting for my budget to allow for the upgrade.

As for the original Article, The whole Article has been discussed on the net over and over. The Security Now Pod casts covered it over three episodes. As it was mentioned it's only dealing with Protected High definition content.

For some reason people have spread so much FUD about Vista it's laughable.

Stormhaven
02-12-2007, 05:28 PM
Vista's been pretty sweet so far for the IT budget. While most companies are downright scared of going to new server builds or service packs, they seem quite willing to upgrade the entire desktop platform. So far they've budgeted enough money to the desktop group to do at least a 1/3 overhaul of the company's desktop machines to support Vista. I don't know if that includes Aero - somehow I doubt it, but then again, I wouldn't be too surprised.... VP's get bitchy when they don't have the newest gadgets.

While so far I like Vista, I wouldn't go as far as buying the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Ultimate-Numbered-Signature/dp/B000M2WPIQ">Numbered and "Signed" Limited Edition</a>.


....well ok. Maybe.

Beffas
02-12-2007, 06:13 PM
I have to use Vista for my work as an IT Tech Support Agent but it won't enter my home...