XP Service Pack 2 Bomb

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

I'd argue that many of us (mechanically-inclined FIRST-people) can fix a car (or at least change the oil), and do have the power to make an informed choice in both situations--the car, or the computer. If Jiffy Lube decides "our oil will henceforth only work with a Jiffy Lube filter", I can switch out of protest (Castrol, Havoline, Mac OS, Linux), or I can ask myself, "for what I do with it, is their new filter-oil combination better, or worse". If better, why switch? Is it so odious that their products only work with each other?

And didn't you have to pay $20 (USD) for 10.1? And $60 (USD) for 10.2? On top of whatever OS 10 is worth in the first place? Both XP and OS 10 offer free hotfixes. It is therefore difficult to see why two (extra-cost) incremental releases are somehow superior to one free service pack.

Nope, freedownload for the first one, shipping for the second.

What I mean with the car analogy is more on line with others. Microsoft sells what they offer, that's fine, but then act and provide serice like they are the only one, same as Jiffy Lube would do.