Microsoft and Piracy
Microsoft is cracking down on piracy of their products and yet, has their most profitable quarter ever. Whatever. MS has the right to protect their investment. Personally, I think they have an opportunity to solidify their hold on the computer market by cutting the price of some of their products. They are going up on the price for some of their server software. I don't know where I found it, but I heard that MS doubles their money on most of their products.
Here is my point of view. I get hold of old computers. All of these computers had a legitimate install of some Microsoft operating system or other on them in the beginning. That install has deteriorated to the point of uselessness. I cannot legally put a different version of the operating system on the machine. I cannot upgrade the operating system to a more recent and more secure version. I cannot re-install the old version, because no one hangs on to the CDs that came with the computer, and the vendors do not support old computers. Basically, the computer is a boat anchor. MS wants me to A) Buy a new computer, B) Buy a new copy of an operating system and all new version of the software, or C) Give up. Well, that is not going to happen. From now on, I'm putting Linux on old machines. When people come to me for help rebuilding their machine, I'm going to ask for their serial numbers and software keys before I will talk to them. If they balk at paying five or six hundred dollars on an old machine I will point them to www.dell.com or I'll offer a Linux alternative. When they say "I don't know Linux." I'll ask "do you know Windows?" It amazes me how many people complain about learning something new when they never knew the old way.
CrossOver Office: I don't really know if this is any good or not. I've never actually tried it.
OpenOffice: I've used this a couple of times. I like it. Is it compatible with Microsoft Office? Who cars?
FireFox: Is available on Linux. Very nice.
Thunderbird: An Outlook replacement is great. They are at 1.0 and will be a real contender by the end of the year. The only thing they are missing now is some calender functionality and that is already on the way.

Joke Bad Personel Review
1. "Since my last report, this Officer has reached rock-bottom and has
      started to dig."
2. "I would not allow this Officer to breed."
3. "This officer is really not so much of a has-been, but more of a
     definite won't be."
4. "Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat
     in a trap."
5. "When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."
6 "This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
7. "He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to
       achieve them."
8. "This Officer is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
9. "This Officer should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better."
10. "Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thingy to hold it all
      together."
11. "A gross ignoramus--144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus."
12. "He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."
14. "I would like to go hunting with him sometime."
15. "He's been working with glue too much."
16. "He would argue with a signpost."
17. "He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."
18. "When his IQ reaches 50, he should sell."
19. "If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he's the other
      one."
20. "A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on."
21. "A prime candidate for natural de-selection."
22. "Donated his brain to science before he was done using it."
23. "Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't
      coming."
24. "He's got two brains cells, one is lost and the other is out looking
       for it."
25. "If he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week."
26. "If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change."
27. "If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."
28. "It's hard to believe he beat out 1,000,000 other sperm."
29. "One neuron short of a synapse."
30. "Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled."
31. "Takes him 2 hours to watch '60-minutes'."
32. "The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead."