Heh, that I believe :) It's also legal to use Linux, but I'm sure "in Microsoft's eyes" it should be illegal.

The good news is that Microsoft doesn't write the laws.
The bad news is, senators who are heavilly bribed by Microsoft write the laws.

Zonie.. you don't know that bribery actually takes place; though a very popular theme.

I think what is known is that there is so much money tide up with Microsoft, Adobe, etc that if people started using open projects, and thus those people being laid off, that its its self would be a massive colapse in the market.

If Microsoft collapsed everyone tickets they studied so hard for etc would become invalid, well the business behind it would not be able to support the attendees.

With regard to the XBox -> its taking a technology and rebuilding it for multiple uses, I've been caught saying that I'd buy an xbox and hook it up to my TV with a XPC computer. This would effectively cut my cost down dramatically, imagine if everyone did that, there wouldn't be an incentive to build gear that is used in IMAX theatres for ie. I'm not saying that Linux is a OS for pirates, far from that. As for what would happen if Linux actually took hold and people started buying small computers to run their audio/video setup.. I don't know.

Right now, there is a economy for technology, people purchase hardware, software, and consoles, this could change, I just have NO clue.

If M$ was really smart I think they would offer a larger HD to be added to the XBox and games available for download through XBox Live. They could be making so much more than they currently are. In the long run copy protection only hurts the pocketbook of the manufacture and the quality of product for the legal customers.

What do I mean?

How about the errors on the disks used in the 1541 floppy drive for the games on the Commodore64. The errors were put on the legal copies as copy protection but everytime you loaded up the games and heard that sound of the heads caused by the errors you thought it would blow up. After time, it did cause read problems with the drive. All of this because of the companies trying to keep people from making copys/backups. It continues today... sound, video and compatability problems today are caused by the same thing. Copy protection! Lets not forget our wasted time with product activation which has driven some people who didn't pirate software to do so for that very reason. After all with viruses and spyware today, more than ever we reformat our systems much more often and refuse to wait around for every product we own to be activated during a reinstall. :confused:

I'm too lazy to find links at the moment, but if you want I'll look the info up for you. It's all done legally, and the relevant information is publicly available. Microsoft transfers large funds to organisations like the BSA, which in turn sponor the election campaigns of various senators. In the eyes of the law, it's not a bribe. In reality, Senators have a weird tendancy to push laws which favour the corporations who sponsor them.

Ok.. I'm not disagreeing with you.. I'm was just nudging for a article link. :) ihug