Longhorn might contain audio cd copy protection,bla,bla.

[DaWiper]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/16/ms_cd_copy_protection/

OMG! And Linux will gain even more fans....

What do you think?

[diggingforgold]

Windows is my favorite OS. If they do something stupid like that, I will just dual boot with linux.

What ticks me off is we are in a Microsoft digital world. It kind of makes me sick to think a better operating system is out there, but all the software companies still program toward MS operating systems. Get some popular programs and games that run on linux (without emulating), and I will be glad to switch over.

[DaWiper]

This is just speculations, but could this in the end lead to "os denial" towards mp3, ogg, divx, xvid, etc. and other popular piracy formats?

[Ebola]

All I know is that anything is better than the windows nt boxes I was setting up today. What will most likely happen is that windows media player will probably have this enabled but the os won't. The register all to often jumps the gun with rumors.

[DaWiper]

In that case the only way they can controll it would be to deny execution of all other media players, right? That will make some noise in the courtrooms. If MS gets that agreement and it only applies to media player it wont be worth much to the record industry.

[dicecca112]

I'll believe it when I actually see longhorn on my monitor

[cornbread]

I'll wait and see, I also bet that someone will have some tweak program to disable it somehow. Something like x-setup.

[Sentential]

We shall see. Longhorn is a long ways off.

[Sorin]

Even though I use both Linux and Windows, I still use Windows for everyday things. I like Linux, but my issues with it are the same issues most people have (i.e. average users, not enthusiasts or power users) which is not only the lack of support from many companies, but the lesser user friendliness of it.

Most people out there by far only know how to point and click, double click every now and again, and follow "next" boxes. Most people are used to the OS doing most of the work and are comfortable with it. Linux is far too command line dependent for it to get by with most normal users. Give people the ability to double click a setup.exe type file in Linux that makes installing programs a no-headache process, along with more wizards and fewer, if any, trips to the command line, and most people will be happy.

Me, I don't mind. I don't know the exact technical details of what makes Linux more stable or secure, so that aspect means zilch to me. I don't know WTF are the specific details in the kernel and other files that make Linux better than Windows in certain things. I go by what other people say, and just trust them. I don't like all the command line stuff I have to do, but I do do it and get by ok. But sit the average family down in front of Linux and try to get them to do all that? Don't think so.

But anyways, on topic: no matter what happens, there will always be people out there who are more than fluent enough with programming and with windows to get around anything M$ might do. As long as there are locks and preventions and restrictions, there will always be people who feel the need to take on the challenge of getting around it (and liking it and suceeding). It won't be as easy as Linux, of course. I once had my version of Linux just outright disable MP3 support in a program right after I downloaded the MP3 driver. It popped up a box saying something like "MP3 support has been removed from the following program due to copyright crap" or some such. But you know what it did? All it did was add a checkbox with "Removal of MP3 support" in the extensions section of the program. So all you had to do to re-enable MP3 support was uncheck the box. ROFLMAO. Uber. It won't be nearly that easy with Microsoft, but there WILL be people who "fix" that. It's just a fact of life.

[PCGUY112887]

A workaround out be out faster than you could blink...
And I could live with my XP setup forever as long as they keep patches out... too bad we can't make XP source legal... would have great fun with OS mods.

[Enablingwolf]

2006 is a long ways off for the Longhorn. So for now I don't belive it, 'till I see it.