Microsoft is being very selective about who they let do it, but we're
right up their alley and I bet there aren't many of us here in the
midwestbiblethingy.
Details: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/09/get-windows-7-for-free-by-hosting-a-launch-party.ars
--Starbuck
IMO if they want word of mouth to spread their product then a past reputation of making good products would have helped.
I’ll get windows 7 for free the old fashioned way (have corporations require it)
Now if we want to host a Google Wave party…
I was very impressed with Windows 7 RC. If we want to get grouchy
about previous versions of things, let's talk early redhat days, when
absofuckinglutely nothing worked without the specific driver for
everything.
Just saying, I think we could get some word of mouth about the space
with a free os party. Maybe put up dvds with ubuntu against windows 7
and see how many of each gets taken.
Yeah not sure why I dislike Windows so much. I’m in security and malware/botnet research and if Windows didn’t exist I wouldn’t have a job…although I would have more bandwidth for my torrents, but meh.
In Microsoft’s defense it has come a long way to understanding issues and is attempting to fix the problems of the past. Win7 is finally getting this right. And it should be free (at least for anybody upgrading from any past product) So we should have the party on that merit alone…to attempt to make it right.
And when Macintosh gets a clue and stops pretending that simply because they run on Unix that they don’t have to worry about security and have have most of their services run as root we can have a party for their bugfix release as well.
Totally. Although I don't think the mac solution will come any time
soon, as they just released snow leopard and it's the same ol thing.
Whats this about macs? You mean there is some problem running lots of services as root? Who wouldathunkit…
My reading of this is that you only get a single copy of Windows.
Frankly, the idea of throwing a party to celebrate this product launch
and submitting an application for permission to hold said party, all
in exchange for a single copy of a proprietary operating system from
one of the largest known forces against the free software movement
offends me. In my personal view, we, as a hackerspace, are in no way
"right up their alley". The only way I see this being a good idea is
if we were to scientifically benchmark it against several other
operating systems and release the results for educational purposes.
For more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_ethic
I won't claim absolute authority over the principles that guide us as
a group, and I won't stop such a party from happening, but I urge all
of us to reconsider the broader implications of what participating in
this blatant marketing scheme would mean.
~Dave
But Microsoft says that this time their product works! No they mean it this time, they totally promise.
I don’t think that it’s something that would really benefit the space, especially since it’s basically marketing and only the person throwing the party would benefit. While Dave’s point is hyperbolically made, he’s right about throwing a marketing party being generally against the spirit of hackerdom.
(I wrote another paragraph here about people casting asperions against something they clearly haven’t tried, but I deleted it since it’s not really helpful to anyone. If anyone’s interested we can discuss it face to face or in a private email).
Mike
I did a look-see through the whole party site thing and while it made
me want to throw up a little bit, I didn't see anything about there
only being one copy... Where does it specify only one copy?
"If you're selected as a host, you'll receive a special Signature
Edition of Windows 7 Ultimate. You'll also get a Windows 7 Party Pack
(contents currently unknown) to share with your guests, based on one
out of four themes that you choose from: PhotoPalooza, Media Mania,
Setting up with Ease, or Family Friendly Fun."
I didn't see anything that would lead me to believe that anyone
besides the host would receive a copy of Windows. If they were going
to give everyone at the party a copy you would think they would
specify a limit on the maximum number of copies that one party can
receive.
~Dave
“Choose a day from October 22-29 and if you’re selected, you’ll not only receive a special Signature Edition of Windows® 7 Ultimate but your very own Windows® 7 Party Pack.”
I’m reading that as being one copy of Win7 Ultimate for you, and a “Party Pack” to throw the party with… there’s no detail given, but I highly doubt there are any more free copies as the intent is to get people to shill for their copy.
Excuse me, I too have to go get a drink to get the taste of upchuck out of my mouth…
Mike
so then it’s settled, we team up with the linux user’s group to throw a free software party.
I think we should all get together and build abacuses (abaci?).
A linux install fest could be fun, we could host a public linux install fest at the space instead.
A Robotic, Linux controlled abacus
How cool would having a robotic arm attached to a webcam and a mini PC doing perpetual calculations on an abacus be for the space as an art piece? I think we may have something there. We could even figure out a way to toss in blinky lights and an Arduino if we thought about it hard enough…
“A Robotic, Linux controlled abacus.”
The mind reels at the thought of this.
Yes, that’s why we HAVE to do it!
Have the first calculations be for the projection of the egg-paint-bot.
SEE WHAT I DID THERE?