From getready at badvista.org Wed Jan 3 18:03:00 2007 From: getready at badvista.org (BadVista.org Campaign News) Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:03:00 -0500 Subject: [GetReady] Badvista conspicuously missing from Microsoft's live.com? Message-ID: <87lkkjd87v.fsf@spider.localnet> Two new posts on BadVista.org today, both with ways to help the campaign: - Let Microsoft know they need to fix their search engine (http://badvista.fsf.org/blog/let-microsoft-know-they-need-to-fix-their-search-engine) - 5 ways to help the BadVista.org campaign (http://badvista.fsf.org/blog/5-ways-to-help-the-badvista-org-campaign) These posts are diggable at: - http://www.digg.com/software/Let_Microsoft_know_they_need_to_fix_their_search_engine - http://www.digg.com/software/5_ways_to_help_the_BadVista_org_campaign And at del.icio.us: - http://del.icio.us/url/a71411b883aa107d00b21b7a04007e3e (Let Microsoft know...) - http://del.icio.us/url/ea7163dd47df1ec1c586913c6441eb42 (5 Ways...) Also, I changed the RSS feed to include the full body of each post instead of a summary. You can subscribe to the feed at http://badvista.fsf.org/blog/RSS. More improvements to the site are on the way this week. -- John Sullivan Program Administrator | Phone: (617)542-5942 x23 51 Franklin Street, 5th Fl. | Fax: (617)542-2652 Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA | GPG: AE8600B6 From getready at badvista.org Tue Jan 9 18:31:54 2007 From: getready at badvista.org (BadVista.org Campaign News) Date: Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:31:54 -0500 Subject: [GetReady] Analysis of Microsoft's Suicide Note (part 1) Message-ID: <873b6j93px.fsf@spider.localnet> We've just published the first in a series of posts by Oliver Day about the restrictions imposed by Microsoft's "content protection" scheme in Vista. Oliver is a former corporate hacker turned student. While at eEye Digital Security he wrote audits for the Retina Vulnerability Scanner and was a Principal Security Consultant for @stake. He has written an unpublished book on SAN security and found a variety of exploits in web-based applications. He writes: "It will be interesting to see how these restrictions will be spun by the large marketing and PR teams since none of these innovations will benefit consumers in any way. The job that has been handed to these PR and marketing teams is to dress up a product designed with every restriction a producer has asked for and make a consumer want to buy it." You can read the rest of the article at http://badvista.fsf.org/blog/analysis-of-microsofts-suicide-note-part-1. And please digg it at http://www.digg.com/software/BadVista_org_Analysis_of_Microsoft_s_Suicide_Note, to help get the word out! -- John Sullivan Program Administrator | Phone: (617)542-5942 x23 51 Franklin Street, 5th Fl. | Fax: (617)542-2652 Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA | GPG: AE8600B6 From getready at badvista.org Fri Jan 12 20:10:54 2007 From: getready at badvista.org (BadVista.org Campaign News) Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 20:10:54 -0500 Subject: [GetReady] Analysis of Microsoft's Suicide Note (Part 2) Message-ID: <87mz4nspcx.fsf@spider.localnet> We've just posted the second installment in the series by Oliver Day looking at the costs imposed on the user in the interest of preventing them from accessing media on their own computer. You can read the article at: http://badvista.fsf.org/blog/analysis-of-microsoft-s-suicide-note-part-2 Please help raise its profile by digging the article at: http://www.digg.com/software/BadVista_org_Analysis_of_Microsoft_s_Suicide_Note_Part_2 You'll notice some other improvements on the web site too. We've set up the framework for translations -- you can select the language you want using the little country flags by each article. Translations will appear as we get them (thanks to everyone who has sent them in so far, and please keep it up!). We've also created the space for a concise list of What's Wrong with Vista at . You can help jumpstart that by sending us all the important reasons you can think of at . -- John Sullivan Program Administrator | Phone: (617)542-5942 x23 51 Franklin Street, 5th Fl. | Fax: (617)542-2652 Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA | GPG: AE8600B6 From getready at badvista.org Tue Jan 23 16:24:08 2007 From: getready at badvista.org (BadVista.org Campaign News) Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:24:08 -0500 Subject: [GetReady] Tagging Vista at Amazon.com, and an update Message-ID: <87ps95wi6f.fsf@spider.localnet> Most storeowners might frown on stickering products on their shelves, but Amazon.com encourages customers to leave labels using their tagging system. You can help advertise the unadvertised restrictions included in Vista by participating in this action: DefectiveByDesign.org successfully campaigned to add tags to DRM-laden products being sold via Amazon. You can now find over 775 crippled products tagged with ?defectivebydesign?. Unsurprisingly, the various versions of Windows Vista are already on that list. 14 people have gotten the ball rolling by tagging ?Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium? with ?defectivebydesign?. How about we get some more up there? Take a minute to visit the page for each of the Vista versions and leave tags that express your opinion about the software, so that other potential users will have a chance to learn about the unadvertised Vista ?features? that lock you out of your own computer. (Read more at , and digg it to help get the word out at .) Also, thanks to everyone who sent feedback to Microsoft about their exclusion of BadVista.org from search results at live.com! We're making progress there---a search for "BadVista" does now finally turn up results from the site. -- John Sullivan Program Administrator | Phone: (617)542-5942 x23 51 Franklin Street, 5th Fl. | Fax: (617)542-2652 Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA | GPG: AE8600B6 From getready at badvista.org Thu Jan 25 14:51:49 2007 From: getready at badvista.org (BadVista.org Campaign News) Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:51:49 -0500 Subject: [GetReady] BadVista.org Action: Share your WOW Moments with us in NYC on Monday Message-ID: <87ejpinaui.fsf@spider.localnet> Join BadVista.org in New York City for two actions to coincide with the Microsoft Vista launch on Monday, January 29th at 11am and 2pm. They will take place near Times Square and near Grand Central. Let us know that you can make it by emailing info at badvista.org. Include your name, email address, and phone number, so we can keep you up-to-date -- if you already have an FSF account (http://fsf.org/register_form) with this info in it, then just let us know your username. Be sure to forward this post to friends and bring them along. If you can't make it to New York City, there will be other actions for you to take part in to show your support on January 29th and 30th. We'll be sending out more details, but if you already know you want in, send your name, city, email, and phone number (or your FSF user name) to info at badvista.org. The Backstory ============= In an open letter to computer users, Bill Gates asked everyone to share their "wow moments": As we prepare to launch Windows Vista...I'd like to invite you to share your wow moments with us. While you explore this Web site to learn more about Windows Vista, please help us celebrate the dawn of a new era by taking a few moments to share some of the wow moments you've already experienced. BadVista.org would like to take Mr. Gates up on his open invitation. But since the Web site Microsoft set up to collect the "wow moments" doesn't work with free software browsers, we decided to deliver our message in person. Conveniently, Microsoft is hosting a two-part high-profile launch event near Grand Central and in Times Square in New York City on Monday, January 29th, featuring a keynote by Steve Ballmer. That's not too far away from us, so we thought we'd show up and share. Turns out, they don't want to hear your "wow" moment unless you are important and have an invitation. We asked for one, but we were refused: Dear Mr. Sullivan, Thank you very much for your e-mail and for your interest in the Launch Celebration. Unfortunately, because of the limited capacity, additional invitations are not being offered. So, we won't be inside the event. But we'll be there. We need you to be there to -- and it's OK if you don't have an invitation. Come join us in sharing a "wow moment": the realization that Vista imposes restrictions we simply won't accept on freedoms we value. -- John Sullivan Program Administrator | Phone: (617)542-5942 x23 51 Franklin Street, 5th Fl. | Fax: (617)542-2652 Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA | GPG: AE8600B6