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Re: As Time Goes By, Far Fewer People Want Windows Vista

In article <pan.2007.04.06.19.48.53.560225@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
 Kier <vallon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Sometimes Roy could be more accurate.  But my feeling is that MS news
> > is relevant to Linux, as are several other topics such as DRM (they
> > are related, of course).
> 
> Some MS-related topics are relevant, I agree. DRM and other matters
> connected to it certainly are, as they affect  all OSen and users. But a
> lot of the MS stuff really isn't. I'd rather learn more about the virtues
> of Linux than the deficiencies of some Microsoft gadget.
> 
> I'm not against him interpreting what some item of news means, provided
> it's made clear which are his opinions and interpretations, and which not.

My problem with Roy's postings is that some of them seem to be 
purposefully misleading.  I'll give two examples.

(1) He has claimed several times that the XBox360 (a topic of no 
relevance to Linux advocacy) has a 30-50% failure rate.  There was *one* 
source that claimed this, but it seems questionable, for the following 
reasons:

   A. At the time, all other sources were claiming 3-5%, which makes it 
look like 30-50% could be a typo.

   B. The source was someone at a major studio developing launch titles, 
and so his experience was with prototype, pre-production, and 
development units, which could actually have a much higher failure rate 
than the final production units.

   C. There doesn't seem to be any plausible way a 30-50% failure rate 
would not be major news in the gamer press (or in the press in general).  
The press *loves* to report when the market leader stumbles.  Microsoft 
is the leader in next gen consoles now--the press would be all over a 
high failure rate.  Yet they are silent.  (Just consider the number of 
360's sold, and how many consumers would be affected if 30% had died).

Roy knows all this.  It was pointed out a long time ago.  But he's kept 
bringing out that story.

(2) He's claimed the NSA has a backdoor in Windows, and cites an old 
article about the NSA key.  Yet soon after that article came out, there 
were many other articles, including by people prominent in cryptographic 
circles, expressing doubt that there was anything funny going on here.  
I think you'd have trouble finding anyone in the cryptographic community 
who believes that NSA key had anything to do with a backdoor.

Roy knows this, but he keeps bringing up that original article.

At least on these two topics, Roy is simply FUDing.  He also FUDs on 
other topics, such as Mono.  And when people involve tell him he is 
wrong (like Miguel on Mono), Roy starts in with the ad hominems against 
them.

-- 
--Tim Smith

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