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Not completely
"Many people would say that security features like firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc. should not be a part of the OS so really, this should make all those anti-bundling people very happy."

That's a weird comment. Bundled software is not necessarily tied to the OS - bundling is including applications in the base product. IE was bundled with Windows long before MS tied it into the OS.

"As far as having to pay a subscription to surf the web safely, use Firefox or Opera if you are that concerned about weaknesses in IE."

The problem is not just IE (which is nearly impossible to remove), it is also with ActiveX and other components of Windows. The latest scare was with WMF, which runs in Firefox too as a plugin.

Sure no one forces you to use IE, but it's impossible for a normal PC user to remove it.

"..nothing at all stops you from using any other browser you want"

Ah, now there's the interesting thing. MS have already given hints regarding DRM and signed software - try running Linux on your XBox360 and see how quickly MS have you in court. Vista will allow an administrator to lockdown a PC so that a user can't install any software. Combine that with a software-as-a-service model and subscription security and you very quickly have a scenario where your PC will only allow specific software to run.

Say you buy a PC plus subscription to MS's secure service. For a small additional fee they will likely deliver Office plus a few other tools and to guarantee a secure environment they'll only let MS software that you pay a subscription for to run. It is quite possible that within a few years, when you buy a Windows PC there will be hardware DRM to prevent any other OS from running. This is already being touted (but not yet proven to exist) for Apple's new Intel-based Macs.

We already know MS expect Vista to ship on over 200 million PCs before 2009 - that's a pretty healthy base to kick-off significant lock-in.
Posted by: Fred Fredrickson   Posted on: 02/06/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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the start of MS subscription based apps  cuboctahedron2004 | 02/06/06
FUD!!  NonZealot | 02/06/06
Well said.  A_Pickle | 02/06/06
Not completely  Fred Fredrickson | 02/06/06
I think you are FUDding yourself.  osreinstall | 02/06/06
Not entirely FUD.  olePigeon | 02/07/06
Entirely FUD  NonZealot | 02/07/06
Um..  Patrick Jones | 02/07/06
English is your second language?  NonZealot | 02/07/06
So,  Patrick Jones | 02/08/06
Well, there is this....  tic swayback | 02/07/06
Speculation  NonZealot | 02/07/06
Something to keep an eye on  tic swayback | 02/07/06
Then Apple is even less competitive right now  NonZealot | 02/07/06
I dare suggest no such thing  tic swayback | 02/07/06
HUGE difference!!  NonZealot | 02/07/06
Still doesn't make it okay  tic swayback | 02/07/06
Now you are getting desperate  NonZealot | 02/07/06
boing boing = Goners!  osreinstall | 02/07/06
When did violating the law become a concern?  tic swayback | 02/07/06
I always thought it was.  osreinstall | 02/07/06
"Business as usual" doesn't mean it's right  tic swayback | 02/07/06
No it doesn't, so don't focus too hard on MS.  osreinstall | 02/07/06
kinda off topic but.....  JoeMama_z | 02/06/06
Panda?  A_Pickle | 02/06/06
naw....  JoeMama_z | 02/06/06
Abusing their users  georgep_z | 02/06/06
Why don't you pose it to an Attorney General  Boot_Agnostic | 02/08/06
Who will you trust?  kda@... | 02/06/06
be honest....  JoeMama_z | 02/06/06
Love em', but...  314 | 02/07/06
not even close....  JoeMama_z | 02/07/06

What do you think?

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