>MY GOD!!! This is really the last thing I could Imagine.
>
>Right now I'm using windows 98 and Linux in my notebook. You know for compatibility reasons (some docs in the office's formats, some development in VFP 6, etc) I don't have deleted the windows partition yet. BUT this is really ofensive. The next step is put a tax by the GM to every family that have a Renault Megane, the reason?? Well if you want to use a GM car then you must pay for any desloyalty with our mark. Come on!!! Every day, honestly I'm more close to work only in linux world and left the thieves behind.
>
>And for the records, I'm not a zealot or a "taliban", but talking about terrorism and abuse M$ is so desperate that they don´t know what else they could do to kill the competition.

You are not alone. A LOT of people are beginning to feel that way. Gartner had a report that said of 500 fortune 1000 companies they contacted, 36% were going to change platforms, and half of the rest were not going to upgrade to XP or Longhorn. More than 75% staying pat or moving! That will be a ground shift of Biblical proportions! Bill will have to dip into his $50B kitty to keep the barge afloat.

>
>Guys I must repeat we must (the entire IT world) do something about this abuse and give them a leason.

They may be cutting their own throat, or drinking their own blood... Gates and other high mucky-mucks stated repeatedly in court and during the 'negotiations' that the Windows OS could not be split apart and still work... "every part was needed". Besides the obvious "how did it work before you rolled IE into it? or RealPlayer? Or Stacker? Or ..."

Now, it seems that MS is planning on releasing "Windows .NET web server", a stripped down version of the WinXX platform, at a greatly reduced price, or even free, in an effort to combat Linux. See:
http://www.cw360.com/bin/bladerunner?REQUNIQ=1021490350&REQSESS=GG44721G9&REQHOST=site1&2131REQEVENT=&CFLAV=1&CCAT=-99999&CCHAN=-99999&CARTI=112468

It's for certain that Linux users won't be suckered into using that beast, and crackers will have a field day. So who's the market? Perhaps WinXX users thinking of using Linux+Apache? Won't this cut into Microsoft's own revenue stream by detracting from their bread & butter sales of W2K and XP? Between the lines one can read the desperate fix MS is in. They have a HUGE corporate population and their software revenues are drying up. If it weren't for their stock and hardware investments (XBox is not doing to well right now, either), they'd have a negative bottom line. (If they had an ethical bone in their body and reported stock option payments to employees as the expenses they are they would have had a $7B loss, not a $10B gain. It makes one wonder how quickly a company can burn through $50B trying to stay afloat.

>
>P.D.: Remember IBM in the 70's, 80's and how it make them turn the way.

Except in the 70's & 80's we had a DOJ that knew what the law said and was willing to serve the public by enforceing it.
JLK