Original Sender : DasaMan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------- Forwarded by DasaMan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------- Original message follows ---------------- From: "Fred Langa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "The LangaList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 00:20:32 -0500 Subject: [langalist] 9-Nov-99 LangaList -- Subscribe/Unsubscribe/Address Change info is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt Questions about the advertisers? See the end of this note. Please also see the legal info at the end of this note. An easier-to read, formatted, HTML version is available for online reading at http://www.langa.com/whats_new.htm (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [GMT-5] on the issue date.) LangaList advertising rates and info available at http://www.langa.com/rate_card.html Please email the LangaList to a friend! (Use the super-fast form at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm !) The LangaList 9-Nov-99 A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa About BrowserTune, HotSpots, Columns, Tips & Tricks, and Other Activities In This Issue: Firestorm about "Microsoft's Loss Is NOT Your Gain" "Why Microsoft Won't Settle" Reader Tip On Taming AOL Just Seven Weeks to Y2K... Final (ha!) Note On Registry Backups Don't Make Me Beg! Locked Out Again Just For Grins More! Firestorm about "Microsoft's Loss Is NOT Your Gain" In yesterday's Special Issue, I wrote that some of the DOJ's antitrust "findings of fact" against Microsoft were deeply flawed. So far, the early discussions are generating many excellent comments supporting both sides to the issue. Here's just a sample of the range of comments from strongly anti- Microsoft, through a middle ground, to quite pro-Microsoft: How much do you think we would all be paying for IE were it not for those goodly folks at Netscape? My guess is about as much as we now pay for Windows. MS is guilty of gross profiteering as well as running a de facto monopoly. --- Anonymous [Of course, the "goodly folks at Netscape" charged $50 per browser copy. They didn't charge for betas, so many people got the FALSE impression that the browser was free: It was not. Lots of consumers ripped off Netscape long before Microsoft got Netscape in its crosshairs by using the software without paying. But make no mistake: Until Microsoft made browsers free, Netscape--- with its then 90% share of the browser market---wanted $50 from you to use their browser.---Fred] MS crushed NS with nuclear weapons - no company could sustain that type of onslaught. Any vestige of good will toward MS will be dashed as the full impact of the findings of fact sinks in to the software/Internet community. I am NOT a MS basher, but I have a much better understanding of how the other side feels. Gates has brought on this on to himself. He should settle at ANY COST--- ANY COST!! I just hope that it is not too late.---Bob Brandt If I wanted to travel cross-country and the only way for me to get from A-to-B was via the XYZ-Train then clearly the XYZ Train Company would hold monopoly power. But as long as I have one or more alternative modes of transportation available to me, then there can be no monopoly...even if 90% of travelers choose to ride the XYZ-Train. The exact same principle applies to Microsoft: as long as consumers have viable alternatives such as the Apple OS, BeOS, Unix, Linux, etc. then they're not at the mercy of anyone's monopoly. Holding a 90% market share is not a valid a test for monopolistic power. The only true test is whether or not viable alternatives exist...regardless of market share....The Judge fell far short in demonstrating the lack of existence of viable alternative Operating Systems. This is the Fatal Flaw in his argument; the flaw which will ultimately result in this case being over-turned.---Dave Miller If you remember back years ago when they busted up Ma Bell, things got real weird with the local phone systems. I have to admit that a monopoly can be a good thing if it is forced to play "fair". I think that even though Microsoft has done some less than stellar things with it's competitors, when it is all said and done Windows is really a good product.... Now I would pitch a fit if Windows would not allow me to use Netscape, but as it stands I can use any browser I wish. As with most things you do have a choice.... Stop and think about your computing experiences, and ask yourself if all of those computer crashes were really Windows or perhaps those add on apps or even heaven forbid "operator error". ... I hope there will be some middle ground to be found here and not end up as a "witch hunt".--rgr57 {W}hen they split up AT & T and made them split into smaller independent companies... phone service suffered immensely. If the DOJ splits up Microsoft, I fear it will also be the same outcome...---Thomas Haas I knew you were a MS hugger from the getgo - but trying to defend MS... is poor.--Mick Too bad you are so bigoted against Microsoft (and AOL). Unfortunately I think you (and the judge are wrong). I'm one of the large majority who think you people are just JEALOUS. I like your letter and will keep reading it but skimming by stuff like this. Bob All the varied pro, con and in-between posts make for fascinating reading! Come see what's going on, and then join the ongoing discussion at http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/1999/1108.htm . I also was surprised at a similar range of posts showing up on the InformationWeek site: I had expected a dominantly anti-Microsoft sentiment there, but although the respondents are raising somewhat different issues there than on the WinMag site, the same split is evident. Check it out at: http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter ! Both discussions make fascinating reading! --------------( Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! FREE Quote ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Do you have enough life insurance? BestQuote.com can help double your coverage without paying more than you now are. See for yourself with our FREE INSTANT rate comparison of five policies prepared specifically for you. There's no obligation for this free service & no salesperson will ever contact you. Visit: http://www.bestquote.com/pennmedia4.cgi <a href="http://www.bestquote.com/pennmedia4.cgi">AOL Users Click Here</a> --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- "Why Microsoft Won't Settle" David & Shirley Thielen, the authors of the bestseller "The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management," send along this provocative---no, call it "breathtakingly inflammatory"--- note: To start, Microsoft's corporate culture virtually assured that they would lose the trial. Let me take you into the being that is Microsoft. First off, all computer illiterate people are morons. Most people at other companies are morons. Other people do not have the brains, the bandwidth, the genius that people at Microsoft have. Because, if they did, Microsoft would hire them. In a word, Microsoft is utterly arrogant. And deservedly so. Bill built the company from 2 people to the most highly capitalized company in the world. And he did it in 20 years with essentially no outside help.... In addition, an incredibly large percentage of the Microsoft workforce, including the senior executives, have never worked elsewhere. They were never civilized in the standard business environment which would eliminate anyone as nakedly aggressive as the people at Microsoft. In a sense many, including Bill, are, in a sense, still the brilliant spoiled teenagers who know they are right and see the world very much in Black & White. So what does Microsoft want? It's very simple. They want to win. Microsoft is not in it for the money. They are in business to show everyone else they are the best. To take 100% of every market they go after. The unofficial but very real corporate motto at Microsoft is Total World Domination. To take 100% of every market they go after.... Microsoft has to win. They have never lost a fight that mattered. They have never given up until they have won. Never. A settlement is losing. And Microsoft is not a loser. So they cannot settle. In fact, it makes them unwilling to concede on any point. And instead they fight to win every argument, even those they can afford to lose.... Microsoft, and especially Bill, consider the government and the case unacceptable. The closest analogy is that of a gifted teenager forced by his mother to respond to a neighbor's accusations. Bill knows he is right and he is offended that he even has to go through this. And like a sulking teenager, he is going to be as uncooperative as possible.... Microsoft is 25,000 of the brightest people on the face of this planet. Microsoft is 25,000 people all focused on complete success in their project, their industry, their company. Microsoft is 25,000 people that have ample proof that they are the most successful team in history. Microsoft is 25,000 people that know they can enter any market, any industry, and take it over. In short, Microsoft is probably the most arrogant group of people on the face of the earth. And while the basis for much of that arrogance is legit, the arrogance itself will be their undoing. Because the government does not operate like the business world does. And in their arrogance Microsoft will not lower itself to truly understand how the government works. Microsoft - so successful that compromise is unspeakable. After all, you can't take over the world if you compromise with the DoJ. Wow! Reader Tip On Taming AOL GP Maloney writes: Here is a site I have found very helpful. http://members.aol.com/axcel216/ He (?) has *a lot* of information about Windows 3.x and 9x. He also has a category for "AOL cTweaks + Speed-Ups". He also mentions some very interesting freeware to deal with AOL 3/4/5. Thanks for having such a helpful newsletter. Thanks for offering such a helpful tip! -------------( Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------ 13 Great Books --- at a 20% Discount Great reading for cold nights: Check out the 13 computer-related books at http://www.langa.com/books.htm They're all personally recommended by Fred Langa, and are available at Amazon.Com's deepest discounts! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- Just Seven Weeks to Y2K... Elizabeth Downs asks: Mike Elgan of Windows Magazine was interviewed on a television program called "Computer Chronicles" about Y2K. The program aired in October in NYC, but I don't know when it was taped. In the interview, he referred to an article by you about finding and fixing Y2K problems on PCs, but I don't think that's the exact title. I've spent some time browsing both winmag.com and your web site, but don't seem to be able to zero in on this highly recommended article. Could you help me identify the title or URL for this article, so that I can look further? In advance, thanks very much for your assistance. The article is at http://www.winmag.com/library/1999/0101/fea0061.htm. The free Y2K tests are still good (and I believe they're still the most complete free tests available anywhere) but some of the offsite URLs mentioned in the article have changed. Most notably, the Microsoft Y2K offerings are now all aggregated at http://www.microsoft.com/y2k/ Final (ha!) Note On Registry Backups Reader "Dino" (who also calls himself "PsychoDaddy" and no, I don't know why <g>) found an oversight in our discussions of Registry backups (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/nov-1-99.htm#backup ): Just a small remark: there is a User.Dat for each profile! I have 3 User.Dat on my Win98-system 1 in C:\Windows\ 1 in C:\Windows\Profiles\xxx\ 1 in C:\Windows\Profiles\yyy\ So if you want to make a complete backup, you have to remember those other 2 User.Dat files, too. Thanks, PsychoD---er, Dino.I only use one profile here on my PC; I completely forgot that other profiles would have to be backed up separately! Don't Make Me Beg! 8-) If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a Palm III organizer for your trouble (full details also available via this link): http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=143182 Or, win a copy of "Poor Richard's E-Mail Publishing: Creating Newsletters, Bulletins, Discussion Groups and Other Powerful Communications Tools." This book has been described as "An excellent, straightforward manual on email publishing, banner ads, driving traffic and especially ethics." (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm Either way, thank you, and good luck! Locked Out Again! We covered this before, but it was a long time ago: Hi Fred-I just wanted to tell you I think your newsletter is great. The articles and discussions are very helpful. My problem deals with the password into setup. During bootup when I press F10, the computer asks me for the password. I don't remember ever putting a password in-maybe my knowitall son. Anyway, I know there is a place in the Registry to remove the value in the string but I don't know where it is. Can you help? Thanks in advance. Rick West Piece o' cake, Rick: Windows 9x stores passwords in a PWL ("password list") file. From DOS, rename any <filename>.PWL files in C:\windows to some other name--- such as <filename>.oldpassword. When you reboot, Windows won't know *any* passwords, and will let you start fresh. But if turns out you ever need the old PWL file, you can rename the file back to its original name, and you'll be back where you started. Just For Grins Dobbie Velosky found this unattributed gem on the web: The Programmer's Prayer: Our program, which art in memory Hello be thy name Thy operating system come Thy commands be done At the Printer As it is on the screen. Give us this day our daily data And forgive us our input/output errors As we forgive those whose circuits are faulty. Lead us not into frustration And deliver us from power surges. For this is the algorithm Application and solution Looping forever and ever. Return. -------------( Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------ 52 Days And Counting LangaList Charter Advertiser signup discounts expire in 52 days! Lock in deep, deep discounts now and also qualify for special discounts next year! See http://www.langa.com/rate_card.html --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- See you next issue! Best, Fred ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- You are currently subscribed to the langalist as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] UNSUBSCRIBE: send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (I.E. create a new email, and copy the address above into the To: field.) SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): Send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Why are you getting this newsletter? There are only two ways to get on the list (direct email request or via the WinMag mail list signup page) so if you're getting this newsletter, your name came to me through one of those channels. LIST TROUBLE? HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED HELP? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt About the advertisers: Langa Consulting will never knowingly accept advertising for a fraudulent product, company or service. However, Langa Consulting makes no implied or explicit warranty, recommendation or endorsement of or for the products, companies or services mentioned in the ads. Disclaimer: The tips and other information given in the newsletter are researched and are believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee that all the information here will work on all systems, for all users, all the time. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither Langa Consulting, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from application of any information presented here. This newsletter is a free service of Langa Consulting and is Copyright � 1999 Langa Consulting. All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Compu-Mania MailingList is provided by PT Centrin Utama Maintained by : [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Post a msg : Send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe : Mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] BODY : unsubscribe Compu-Mania For more information, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "HELP" in the BODY of your mail (without quote). ----------------------------------------------------------------
