Woah, an explosion of action!
quote:
Originally posted by mad_onion
um if all you want to do is see if people are online and send them messages why not use Windows messenger 5 it can do that plus a lot of other stuff and no advertising. i dont get the problem 
ps: longhorn is going to be very good, i wouldnt base any assumptions on a alpha release of an OS. im not saying it will be as good as mac osx because it wont be but it doesnt need to be and cant really because Microsoft need to make it support more things making it harder for them to do what ever they want want with the OS but it will be a huge step up from XP.
I cannot agree with you mad_onion. I don't share your Microsoft sentiment - since when was the industry geared toward developing inferior products?! Microsoft aren’t all bad - I use Windows XP and am happy with the system overall (especially as a leap from Win2k). However there are some things I don't like. Internet Explorer's integration into Windows is one of them. I also don't like the fact the Internet Explorer was (for the most part) abandoned after the infamous 'Browser Wars' (a Microsoft victory). Microsoft are in a position where they are now playing catch-up the browser department. Even if they do catch-up (and adhere to web standards) I doubt I'll ever go back to Internet Explorer. I now use and recommend (for various reasons) Mozilla Firefox. The operating system sector paints a similar story - the pressure is on. Remember by the time Longhorn ships, Apple's next instalment for OSX (codename panther) will already be out there too. Microsoft has also cut various technologies from Longhorn's release (WinFS is a major omission) to maintain their 'revised' release date (which is still not set in stone, unlike Apple's).
quote:
Originally posted by -rafy-
Its a business, money must be made to fund development etc......nothing comes free.
Nothing? Really? That's news to me - I already use Mozilla Firefox! Mozilla is a business! Even Microsoft's Internet Explorer can be downloaded for free! (although in this example we can argue about 'development'
) I do understand where you’re coming from though -rafy-. This is a great problem for Microsoft. So far they have been able to hold their own against free alternatives ('Office' to 'Open Office' anyone?) but it is ultimately taking a chunk out of their profits. If MSN Messenger were a standalone package without the ads, I'd seriously consider buying it. I'd also seriously consider using Gaim or Trillian too! Ultimately the current Instant Messaging landscape would not use / support a program that would require purchase (who here has heard of Lotus Sametime?).
That's not what this thread is about though (now I'M GOING OFF-TOPIC!!) so lets not wander too far...
