Free Software Foundation Labels Windows 7 as ” Treacherous Computing”
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) on Wednesday launched a campaign against Microsoft Corp.’s upcoming Windows 7 operating system , calling it “treacherous computing” that stealthily takes away rights from users.
At the Web site Windows7Sins.org , the Boston-based FSF lists the seven “sins” that proprietary software such as Windows 7 commits against computer users.
They include: Poisoning education, locking in users, abusing standards such as OpenDocument Format (ODF), leveraging monopolistic behavior, threatening user security, enforcing Digital Rights Management (DRM) at the request of entertainment companies concerned about movie and music piracy, and invading your privacy.
“Windows, for some time now, has really been a DRM platform, restricting you from making copies of digital files,” said executive director Peter Brown. And if Microsoft’s Trusted Computing technology were fully implemented the way the company would like, the vendor would have “malicious and really complete control over your computer.”
Thoughts:
The Free Software Foundation has made some pretty bold statements, and I can agree with them. I think it mad the FOSS Community not look on the best of light to the “layman”, but what they have stated is infact true. Microsoft Windows, with each new version, has taken more and more of the users rights way. The DRM that has been included even cripples most users rights to Fair Use.
Many games today install stealthy DRM that depending on who you ask could be labeled a rootkit and acts like malware. Hiding Registry keys, and locking itself to your CD drive (See Sony Rootkit Fiasco)
Overall, I just feel Microsoft has gotten away from getting them to where they are now, and that is a bloatfree OS that the user can enjoy with no headaches. Windows 2000 was the best OS Microsoft ever released. Windows XP Prior to SP2 was great as well. I can understand the security they added to SP2, My problem was with the Windows Genuine Advantage thing…but that is for another post. I have since moved on from Windows and now enjoy Ubuntu Linux for my home computing.
