[OT] Stipped down version of Windows XP

Tharkun · Aug 17, 2002

You do know that you can get an ad free version of ICQ right? I don't remember what the website is called but it let you download older versions of software and it had a TON of different software to use.

Grazzt · Aug 17, 2002

Tharkun said:
You do know that you can get an ad free version of ICQ right? I don't remember what the website is called but it let you download older versions of software and it had a TON of different software to use.

Yeppers- but Ive gotten use to Messenger now, so might as well stick with it (though I do have a copy of the ad version of ICQ to talk with a few peeps from Necromancer Games when I can't catch them elsewhere).

Tharkun · Aug 17, 2002

ok

Just wasn't sure if you knew or not. Me I don't like MSN...not because of my sig either

Just has much to much security leaks.

kenjib · Aug 17, 2002

drothgery said:
Because of the way Microsoft builds a lot of the apps that can now be 'hidden' (as of Win2K SP3, already released, or WinXP SP1, which should be out very soon), IE, Windows Messenger, Windows Media Player, and the like all 'bring along' a lot of stuff that other programs can use.

So if I want to display HTML in my program, I can just use the IE rendering engine to do it. And I know that you've got IE, because you're running Windows 98 or later. Etc.

So it's not really all that practical to remove these things; that makes for more work for developers.

Yeah, but they could have worked with other vendors to define an open standard instead. Then you don't even have to worry about whether the user has IE or Mozilla installed at all. You just use the default rendering engine and the operating system points the code to the one that's installed -- kinda like DirectX and 3d video cards. That's exactly what the problem with the product integration they do is. They leverage their OS monopoly to create additional monopolies in other markets. If Microsoft was into building video cards I can guarantee you that DirectX wouldn't be open the way it is.

There is no benefit to the developers that couldn't still be obtained in a manner that preserves competition in the market.