Microsoft’s Software Protection Platform (SPP) seems to be the hot topic among a number of IT administrators. SPP will be released with Windows Vista along with some other fancy bells and whistels.

So what is so bad about SPP? Well, first off, SPP seems to be gimpware. It will take your system down to anything shot of usable. Well, that is not so bad is it? You tell me.

I have been working with MS products sence DOS days. In DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95 you had controll of your system. Windows 98 you lost some. Windows 2000 confused the hell out of the home user. They didn’t understand NTFS. Password here and password there. It was complicated. Then they spit out Windows ME. What a shit pile of software that was. Here is Windows 98, looking like Windows 2000, with some junky ActiveX controls that we plan on giving to our Windows XP users. Thank you for Beta-ing Windows ME. Then you have Windows XP Home, and Pro. One is easy to join to a domain the other is not. Over and Over the years you have lost control of your OS. Unless you are a Geek of some sourts, you will be forced into IE 7 for your XP OS.

Wait, is there another point in your ranting about the SPP? Sure there is, quite a few really. I have read over and over that SPP will bind to one of your peices of hardware. So DON”T let that harddrive die. Don’t think about getting that new motherboard and video card. Now that you have done that, call up Microsoft and tell them what you have been doing with your PC so that they may decide weather or not they are going to revalidate your copy of Vista. Oh no! They say that your copy has been activated too many times. Guess your just going to have to stop experimenting with new hardware.

It has been 5 years sence their last major OS release. 5 YEARS! In 5 years, MS has yet to fix the transperant png in IE, has yet to fix security holes, and have yet to be able to offer a completed product. Are we paying MS so they we may beta the next release of Windows?

Tell you what. Go download Linux.  You can get full Open Office (a word processor, spreed sheet, presitation, and database softare), Blender (3D software also runs on Windows), Gimp (photoshop type software), Cinelerra (video editing), and many, many other that I have not even discovered yet. What does something like this cost you? Time. That is it. If you are willing to learn something new, and willing to take the time, you could stop paying for all of the software on Windows. Stop right there though. If you are going to do this please give something back to the community. Either your time with helping others, money to fund projects, and/or helping to spread the word.

I personally do my best at all 3. I do not have a lot of $$ to spread around so I help people where I can. I also help spread the word. All the while I’m learning something knew.

5 years with out an update or about 1 major release a year. Change out 2 major peices of hardware and call MS or play all you want. The choice is up to you.

Tags: Microsoft, Linux, SPP, cost, time, Gimp, Cinelerra, Open Office, Blender, IE 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 3.11, DOS, Windows Vista