this article is so fucking laughable that i feel the need to reply to it.
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Promotional Content
10 reasons to buy Windows XP
If you want to make the most of running a small business in today's competitive economy, Windows XP Professional is worth your while to check out.
really? how can it be worth several hundred dollars compared with its free alternatives?
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Need a good reason to upgrade? Here are 10:
The Windows XP engine. This is the fastest, most stable and reliable operating system you've ever seen, courtesy of the powerful, rock-solid Windows NT code base.
is this a joke? this comment sets the tone for the rest of the article. windows is the most stable operating system i will ever see. yeah right, and today there was a mid air collision over washington when several unscheduled pigs found themselves sharing the same airspace.
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Computers running Windows XP have been found to be 34% faster than those running Windows 2000 and 27% faster than those running Windows 98 Second Edition.
56% of websites spew 93% bullshit compared with only 89% last year
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Still on Windows 98?
no.
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It's time to move up to greater stability, performance and security.
I already have linux installed, thank you, and anyway, isn't this article supposed to be about windows?
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Remote Desktop. If you have Windows XP Professional on both your office and home (or mobile) computers, you can connect to your office network, documents and settings from home or while traveling. From a remote location, you can actually log on to your computer at work, without any worries about security. All you need to do is set up your Remote Desktop feature.
and this is a new feature in windows is it? ye gods, correct me if i'm wrong but several other operating systems have been able to do this for not only years, but decades.
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Windows Messenger. Have you seen the advantages of using instant messaging (IM) at work? Windows XP takes IM up a notch by incorporating the videoconferencing features of NetMeeting with Windows Messenger. You can also place voice calls from your computer to a telephone.
this is a reason to get windows? this is just a toy you know, how do you think business managed to survive in the dark ages before Microsoft made all this possible? get that carrot out of your arse i say.
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In addition, Windows Messenger supports .NET Alerts, which are instant messaging subscriptions that can be used to track news headlines, stocks and other dynamically changing information.
like your date of birth, location, shopping habits, phone number, personal emails and so on...
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Windows Messenger users can also communicate with users of MSN Messenger, which runs on prior Windows versions (Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows Me).
wow! what a feature, so you can talk to those inferior lowlifes who haven't "upgraded" yet, eh?
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Remote Assistance. Through the Help and Support Center in Windows XP,
translation - "Frustration and Timewasting Center"
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you can enable a technical support person of your choosing, or even just a good friend who can help you, to have access to your computer remotely in case of a problem.
again, how many years has this been a standard *nix feature for?
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If you are an experienced user, you can even be the one to directly help your family and friends through Remote Assistance.
if you're an experienced user, you will know enough to see through this tissue of lies and get a real operating system.
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System Restore. With this recovery tool, you can escape trouble by rolling back your PC to a date or time before the problem occurred.
funny, i thought that "with this waste of space you can use up megabytes of your hard drive uselessly and totally beyond your control for the purpose of wasting your time and taunting you when you attempt vainly to restore your machine to a previous state." was closer to the truth...
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Say you downloaded a defective software program, or you installed a faulty appliance and caused your system to crash. Not to worry. System Restore, works like the "undo" command in your word-processing system. You can roll back to your last good configuration
which was the last time you had linux running on your machine, if ever
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or, if you've just installed a driver that disrupted your system, in most cases you reinstall your previous driver.
you'd be heading for a reinstall either way. trust me, i know.
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You also can set up an automated system recovery to roll back as many as 10 machines at once.
and you'd be headed for ten reinstalls if you tried this...
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Encrypting File System. The Encrypting File System (EFS) technology in Windows XP helps you protect your sensitive data by encrypting files so that only you can read them and work on them. Where this can be especially helpful is if you lose a laptop — whoever finds it would be unable to access the files on your hard drive. Windows XP also enables group policy and command-line utilities, for your entire company to manage EFS.
in our company most of the PCs used are laptops. They run windows, and use encrypted file systems. I have heard, in my few weeks here, of at least two users who have lost their entire hard drive contents due to the 'encryption' facilities on their machines.
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Enhanced wireless networking support. More people are on the go with their laptops, and high-speed wireless networks based on the Wi-Fi 802.11b standard are going up fast at businesses, college campuses, airports, hotels, even coffee shops. Windows XP provides the most enhancements to date for wireless networking, including Zero Configuration support, which allows a laptop with a wireless adapter card to automatically detect and connect to wireless access points within range. Windows XP detects signals from wireless devices nearby, and notifies you if your laptop is near a network access point.
and does it have any security features at all? wireless networking is by far the most vulnerable area of networking at the moment and it is particularly because people do not configure their networks correctly. I take it that new super sparkly windows xp makes it now even easier to be totally braindead when it comes to configuring your security settings, yes? "No need to worry about boring old security! Windows XP(TM) will dispense with all of that techy stuff allowing you to download Buffy episodes on your work's network while some guy outside in his car switches millions from your company into his account!"
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Network Setup Wizard. If you are running a network of computers at your home-based or small business, Windows XP allows you to share your Internet connection, broadband connection, Internet firewall and printer connection throughout your network.
whoop dee fucking doo. Wasn't this also possible in windows ME, windows 2000 and windows 98? Oh sorry, no it wasn't i KNOW because i TRIED it. It was SUPPOSED to work but did not, perhaps as an incentive to "upgrade" to the next version?
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Under the Network Setup Wizard, your computer becomes the Internet connection host and directs Internet traffic to the rest of the computers on your network. With the Windows XP New Connection Wizard, you can easily create Internet, virtual private networking connections (VPN) and dial-up or DSL or cable modem connections.
because that sort of thing is so incredibly difficult, isn't it, i am so glad that i will never need to actually learn about my OWN fucking network. Don't you think some people might like to actually have a say in how their computers and networks are set up?
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New task-based visual design. Windows XP features a simplified user interface
translation: "Now we have simplified computer users so much over the years that we are finally bringing out an interface to match! it only has one button, which causes the machine to crash completely, saving the user the trouble of plugging away all day trying to get the crash they desire!"
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that makes it easier than ever for you to find the tools you regularly use and to complete frequent tasks.
what like finding a sledgehammer when it all gets too frustrating?
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Enhancements in your control panel and My Documents folder anticipate your needs and provide you with menu options to help save you time and mouse-clicks in completing tasks.
translation: after the success of Word 2000's 'dynamic' menus, we decided to make an ENTIRE operating system that second guesses your wants and does exactly what it (Microsoft) wants with NO REGARD for what you are actually trying to do! You will long for those days of "Hey, it looks like you're writing a letter!"
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Internet Explorer 6. The newest version of the world's most popular Web browser is included in Windows XP.
and this is a reason
for getting windows is it? i don't see where i get the choice not to install this browser if i feel like it...
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Internet Explorer 6 features three new tool sets:
An embedded Media Bar that, coupled with the new Windows Media Player for Windows XP, provides top-quality video and audio.
this is spin pure and simple. how can it provide any better video and audio quality than firstly the original file provides and secondly the actual audio reproduction equipment?
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An Image Toolbar that adds the ability to instantly capture and e-mail an image from a Web page, as well as a quick way to reduce the image size before sending, without loss of quality.
right. sounds like a storm in a teacup to me. so far this fantastic operating system has been about listening to cds, looking at web pages and opening up your office network to crackers by being ignorant.
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Privacy enhancements that give you the power to make decisions about accepting cookies.
you mean like mozilla and opera have had for years?
This is ridiculous. I cannot believe i have got to the end of the article and there's not really any comments about what the actual operating system is about. most of this shit is just hoohaw about the shitty little apps that come with the system. What's worse, if you don't even want these apps, TOUGH! you're stuck with them. Locked in, locked in. Good job i will never get this "operating system". These reasons have convinced me...
[ September 20, 2002: Message edited by: Calum ]
