The Microsoft story:
Microsoft Announces Changes for Accessing Hotmail with Outlook Express
,----[ Quote ]
| Important news if you currently access your Windows Live Hotmail with Outlook
| Express, come June 30th. this will no longer be possible.
|
| A change is coming for users that access Hotmail with Outlook Express.
| Outlook Express uses a protocol called DAV (Distributed Authoring and
| Versioning protocol) to access a Windows Live™ Hotmail® e-mail account.
| DAV, like POP3 or IMAP, is the way that a mail client communicates with a
| web-based mail server.
`----
http://www.liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2008/04/18/microsoft-announces-changes-for-accessing-hotmail-with-outlook-express.aspx
http://tinyurl.com/43rg86
The untold story:
Microsoft to kill Hotmail access via Outlook Express
,----[ Quote ]
| The worst part is that Windows Live Mail requires the Windows XP SP2
| operating system, or newer. That means that Microsoft has effectively screwed
| Outlook Express users on Windows 2000 and earlier. Now, I'm all for progress,
| but this is a poor way to handle the protocol change. I've got news for you
| Microsoft: users prefer being able to access their mail inefficiently, as
| opposed to not at all. These users will either have to go back to the browser
| for their e-mail, or use a non-Microsoft e-mail application.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/04/18/microsoft-to-kill-hotmail-access-via-outlook-express
Related:
Forced to Upgrade MSN (This is why I use linux)
,----[ Quote ]
| This is pissing me off, I am currently upgrading to MSN Live Messenger
| because I am being forced to. I don't like it and would prefer to stick with
| MSN 7.5 which is to me the best version. Instead I am forced to use something
| I don't want to so I am going to switch to something new. Pidgin will
| probably be my new messenger client because I am sick of MSN's shit.
`----
http://navetz.com/view.php?id=73
What the Hell Is Microsoft Doing with My Computer?
,----[ Quote ]
| Listen carefully. They're my computers. They're not your computers. I choose
| to put Windows on some of them. I choose what applications go on them. I
| choose when, and how, to upgrade them. Is that clear? Well, none of that is
| clear to Microsoft. We now know— we don't suspect— we know that Microsoft
| automatically updates Windows XP SP 2 systems without your knowledge or
| permission.
`----
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2182967,00.asp
Force, not value, to drive upgrades - the new Microsoft way (?)
,----[ Quote ]
| Hurray for Microsoft! In an attempt to boost revenues and smooth them out
| (i.e., ongoing annuities instead of purchases clumped around product
| releases), Microsoft has shown a callous disregard for the customer as it
| seeks out its own benefit.
|
| This despite Forrester showing that only 11% of Software Assurance customers
| ^^ [see below]
| plan to renew it. Why? Well, because Microsoft's Software Assurance tends to
| drive up prices. What's not to love?
`----
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9774969-16.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheOpenRoad
Software Assurance Storm Warning
,----[ Quote ]
| In a report to be published today, Forrester Research sees a series of
| customer hurricanes coming Microsoft's way. If they strike, they could wash
| away many Software Assurance contracts. Software Assurance is the discounted
| upgrade option available with Open, Open Value and Select volume licensing
| contracts.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/operating_systems/software_assurance_storm_warning.html
Microsoft Turns Up The Heat On Windows 2000 Users
,----[ Quote ]
| What if you want to keep your old operating systems, such as Windows
| 2000, running as long as possible?
|
| Microsoft isn't making it easy for you. Office 2007 and the software
| for the company's much-hyped Zune music player won't install on Windows
| 2000. As other new products emerge from Microsoft in 2007 and beyond,
| more and more of them are likely to leave Windows 2000 out of the party.
`----
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196700071
Windows 2000 faces security melt down
,----[ Quote ]
| Despite the fact that the operating system is as old as Spinola, and
| that Microsoft refused to service them any more, there is still a
| large number of Windows 2000 machines out there.
|
| According to News.com, a "critical" Windows 2000 exploit has been
| released on the Internet designed to kick the crutch of the ageing
| operating system.
|
| The exploit takes advantage of a security hole in a file system and
| print request application "Workstation Service". The flaw can be
| exploited remotely without any user interaction.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft has released a patch for the operating system using
| security bulletin MS06-070. This is despite saying that it had
| given up on Windows 2000 and would not make any more security
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| fixes for it.
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35796
>From 2005:
,----[ Quote ]
| Use of Microsoft Windows XP has grown inside corporations, but a new
| study shows that nearly half of business PCs are still running the
| older Windows 2000.
`----
http://news.com.com/The+slow+road+to+Windows+XP/2100-1016_3-5746046.html?part=rss&tag=5746046&subj=news
Is the PC upgrade cycle dead?
,----[ Quote ]
| Here's the brief history. In those long-ago days, PC manufacturers--and hence
| software developers, chipmakers, and computer dealers--would see a spike in
| demand every three to four years. Microsoft and Intel would come out with
| major refreshes of their product lines roughly at that cadence. The whole
| system of steady upgrade cycles culminated with the release of Windows 95 in
| 1995, still one of the best orgies of technology binge buying on record.
| Start me up!
|
| After Windows 95, however, operating system upgrades were no longer strong
| enough on their own to prompt upgrade cycles. A slight bump in sales might
| occur, but it was hard to say whether it was related to a new OS.
`----
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9920663-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Microsoft dropped Vista hardware spec to raise Intel profits
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/03/01/microsoft_intel_vista_capable_emails/
Microsoft tries to stop more ‘Vista-capable’ e-mails from going public
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is trying to put the kibosh on more of its internal (and
| embarassing) e-mail messages around its Vista marketing plans going public.
|
| [...]
|
| With every version of Windows, Microsoft has worked with hardware partners to
| find new ways to try to convince users they need more and more powerful
| machines to take advantage of more feature-rich software. If Microsoft and
| its partners were/are successful, it means more money in the PC makers’ and
| Microsoft’s coffers. With Vista, this pact really back-fired, as the already
| published e-mails around Vista-capable — and more, as-yet-unpublicized
| messages — will make evident.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1254
|
|
