Well that goes without saying. But do they make more profit off OEM's?RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case

I don't think so because those are most likely sold for a little less then the retail but they probably make up for it in the shear quantity that is sold.

>>Just who does he think he's fooling?>>>>Allcott>>They're just having their first cup of coffee. They'll be here>soon.;-) I'll bet they dont come here in droves - I got a bit fed up with being Paranoid and getting beaten up for itBUT I will say - you aint seen nuttin yet - wait till the Giant actually flexes

>Well that goes without saying. But do they make more profit>off OEM's?>>>RhettNot Really - I dont know the new pricing but we used to buy OEM XP @$10 and add between $50-100 to the price of a system and we only bought in batches of 500 - I'll leave it your imagination just how much per "unit" the BIG Guys pay

Anyone know where I can buy a pirated copy of Vista? .....I didn't think so.

>>>Just who does he think he's fooling?>>>>>>Allcott>>>>They're just having their first cup of coffee. They'll be>here>>soon.;-) >>>I'll bet they dont come here in droves - I got a bit fed up>with being Paranoid and getting beaten up for it>>BUT I will say - you aint seen nuttin yet - wait till the>Giant actually flexes>I know you did, Ozzie. And, believe me, I got fed up too. But I haven

>>>>Just who does he think he's fooling?>>>>>>>>Allcott>>>>>>They're just having their first cup of coffee. They'll be>>here>>>soon.;-) >>>>>>I'll bet they dont come here in droves - I got a bit fed up>>with being Paranoid and getting beaten up for it>>>>BUT I will say - you aint seen nuttin yet - wait till the>>Giant actually flexes>>>>I know you did, Ozzie. And, believe me, I got fed up too. But>I haven

Psst! Hey...Mr. Ballmer...I just checked...seems X-Plane will run on Linux! :-lol :-lol I'm getting closer and closer to that point all the time. Getting tired of half baked software, overpricing and being assumed a thief until otherwise proven.Push the consumer hard enough and they will leave. Years ago, the general user lacked the knowledge and were intimidated by computers. Not anymore. The new user today is in tune with the market and gaining confidence with their computer skills. I predict you will see more and more users going over to Mac and Linux in the near future.

>I actually wonder sometimes just how much "penetration" the>Giant actually has - when you get a "forum Administrator" that>appears to be a Giant contractor making "cracks" about banning>people - it leaves one wondering just how DEEP the penetration>becomesI'm not really sure if I read this correctly, but did you just infer that I work for Microsoft as some kind of mole with the sole responsibility of making sure that you don't say bad things about them? I have to say this, if that was indeed my job, I really should go up for review or something, because I would be doing a poor job.

Boy the whole Microsoft/Vista/DX10/FS10 thing just seems to keep getting deeper.I'm glad I decided to stay with XP and FS9

>>I actually wonder sometimes just how much "penetration" the>>Giant actually has - when you get a "forum Administrator">that>>appears to be a Giant contractor making "cracks" about>banning>>people - it leaves one wondering just how DEEP the>penetration>>becomes>>>I'm not really sure if I read this correctly, but did you just>infer that I work for Microsoft as some kind of mole with the>sole responsibility of making sure that you don't say bad>things about them? >>I have to say this, if that was indeed my job, I really should>go up for review or something, because I would be doing a poor>job.Hi Brian,Though Ozzie and I pretty much agree about Vista, he

"I actually wonder sometimes just how much "penetration" the Giant actually has - when you get a "forum Administrator" that appears to be a Giant contractor making "cracks" about banning people - it leaves one wondering just how DEEP the penetration becomes."I have zero tolerance for cheap shots and innuendo about or directed toward our staff, and since I also am an "admin", that statement could be interpreted to be about me as well. Your raging paranoia is one thing, but that attack against your hosts in the forums, just got you banned. And if that further amplifies your paranoia, then you'll just have to suck it up.

Contrary to the wishful thinking often expressed in these forums, software piracy is a real problem.On my last visit to a south-east Asian capital city I found a large computer shop close in my hotel in the down-town area. The shop had several floors, two of which openly were devoted to selling pirated software at the equivalent of a few US dollars a CD. You name it and it was available, including XP - then the latest operating system. I've no doubt that, unless things have changed very drastically, Vista will now be available for a few dollars.Applications were even bundled onto a single CD to make them more attractive - I remember 3D Studio Max, CorelDraw, Photoshop and some add-ons all being offered on one CD for about $10. Speaking to local business contacts, I was told that there were several similar shops in the city and that there were practically no sales of genuine software. The losses to all software companies musrt have been very considerable.

>Contrary to the wishful thinking often expressed in these>forums, software piracy is a real problem.>Don't think most people here think otherwise...RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case

Maybe not in this thread, though there are implications in some posts. However, there are many posts in other threads that complain about Microsoft's anti-piracy measures. In an ideal world there's be no need for them, but we live in a real world where piracy is rampant in some parts. By piracy I'm not talking about an individual making a copy for a friend but near industrial-scale production.