Microsoft VISTA And The Death Of Internet Freedom

Microsoft Windows VISTA will mean the DEATH of Internet broadcasting. Read on to find out WHY ...


KENTROVERSY COMMENT: Those who believe that they are NOT required to purchase VISTA with a new PC, and can purchase a PC sans operating system -- are dead wrong. Microsoft has contracts with ALL PC makers that REQUIRE them to PAY for VISTA even if it is NOT installed, and THIS was how they were able to command such a high market share for Windows in all its' flavors.

True, the buyer is free to install LINUX on their new PC, but they STILL are forced to pay for VISTA whether they use it or not!


MICROSOFT VISTA AND THE DEATH OF INTERNET FREEDOM
by Kevin Smith

Bill Gates is the richest man in the history of planet Earth. That is ok with me. I strongly support the capitalistic principles that have built the richest nation on Earth. But, how Bill Gates has come to have more money than many countries have is a cause for great concern amongst those who love freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom of the media, and freedom in general.

Freedom for individuals depends upon freedom of the press. Without freedom of the press, the population is easily manipulated with propaganda. For over a decade, it has appeared that the press in America has been far less than free. It would appear that the press has been strongly manipulated by corporate bosses, and the slanting of the news has become so obvious that the public has left mainstream media by the millions.

Any and every overt attempt to manipulate the media in America would be met with such resistance that no administration could withstand it. No legislator in his right mind would ever even suggest that the press should be less than free. Such a suggestion would bring the fires of media hell down upon his head.

But what if a private businessman were make a decision that would effectively bring about the death of internet broadcasting? That would be a free-enterprise decision made in the private sector, and without government interference.

There have been great grumblings since the days of the Clintons that there is some vast right wing conspiracy manifesting itself in talk shows non-supportive of the Clintons' policies.

True, the internet exploded with diatribes against the Clintons. There was a massive growth in internet broadcasting, much of it aimed squarely at the dynamic duo residing in the White House. But, that was not a result of a conspiracy. It was the result of technology finally making it possible for people who had been ignored or stifled to begin getting their voices heard. People who believed that Bill was dishonorable and dishonest could say so openly, and with wide effect. Those who believed Hillary to be a communist at heart could say so with wide effect. But that explosion of bile was not a conspiracy. It was the vocalizing of the opinions of many millions of people who finally had a means of being heard.

The same type of heated talk has flooded the internet talk shows since G.W. Bush was elected (then re-elected). It is not a conspiracy. It is freedom.

Freedom is very uncomfortable for those who are elected. The very people who elect you then armchair quarterback everything you do. With the ease of internet broadcasting, just about anyone can start a talk show that is critical of your votes and positions. Freedom of information is very, very, uncomfortable for the elected, but it is absolutely necessary for democracy to survive and flourish.

Bill Gates' latest version of Windows is called "Vista." It is one of the most serious atrocities ever foisted upon the public in terms of its death knell for internet broadcasting.

In order for a broadcaster to broadcast live via the internet, the computer system must be able to do both "playback" and "record" at the same time. The "playback" side of the process outputs recorded files (such as bumper music, commercials, etc.) and the "record" side outputs the microphones and telephones. If you disable either side, you have killed the live broadcast. That is precisely what Vista does. I have been told by a couple of software engineers that it is designed to not be able to output "playback" and "record" simultaneously. It has been purposely crippled, they say.

It was explained to me that this crippling of the new Windows system, Vista, was not an accident. My sources say it was done on purpose in order to enforce DMR (Digital Media Rights). There is no fix for this crippling, either.

When you purchase a PC, you are now forced to buy Vista. That is what is loaded on the PCs. If you are purchasing the computer for the purpose of broadcasting, you are out of business. It can't do it. As times goes on, computers that are broadcasting now will have to be replaced. With Windows XP no longer being supported (and that is coming) Vista will be the only OS available from Microsoft. That means that online broadcasters will go out of business by attrition.

Thankfully, there is a community of people out there who have been warning of the potential downside of Microsoft software for a very long time. They are the Open Source Community and their primary operating system of choice is Linux.

As of right now, if you are planning on broadcasting via the internet, and you have just purchased the computer to do so, be advised that Bill Gates has determined you cannot. Linux is where freedom resides.

I had a copy of XP, thankfully, that I could install on my new computer. But if you do not have a copy of a previous Windows system, your only hope for being able to broadcast is to leave the control freaks at Microsoft and opt for the freedom of Linux.

© 2007 Kevin Smith
All rights reserved. Used with permission.


Sources:

The following sources were used in the creation of this Kentroversy Paper . . .

Microsoft Vista and the Death of Internet Freedom (March 21, 2007)

Microsoft VISTA Web Page

65 More Windows VISTA Mistakes - Chris Pirillo (May 28, 2006)

Freedom of Speech

Bill Gates

Microsoft Windows Vista

Security Problems

VISTA