Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 19:23:29 -0800 From: Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com> To: FreeBSD Chat <chat@FreeBSD.org> Subject: Re: FWD: Disposal fees for unsolicited ads on new computers Message-ID: <20010218192329.K20470@sydney.worldwide.lemis.com>
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FYI Greg ----- Forwarded message from Adam W <woja@optushome.com.au> ----- > Delivered-To: grog@lemis.com > Resent-Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 12:37:12 +1030 > To: <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au> > Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 13:11:38 -0800 > X-Priority: 3 (Normal) > X-MSMail-Priority: Normal > X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) > X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 > Importance: Normal > Resent-Message-ID: <qRQmwC.A.C1D.P5yj6@jessica.netcraft.com.au> > Resent-From: linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au > X-Mailing-List: <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au> archive/latest/5122 > X-Loop: linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au > Precedence: list > Resent-Sender: linuxsa-request@linuxsa.org.au > > > I thought this would give a smile to some people :} > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Declan McCullagh" <declan@well.com> > To: <politech@politechbot.com> > Cc: <mann@eecg.toronto.edu>; <notheft@microsoft.com> > Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2001 6:45 AM > Subject: FC: Disposal fees for unsolicited ads on new computers, by Steve > Mann > > >> >> ********** >> >> Subject: disposal fees for unsolicited advertising on new computers >> From: Steve Mann <mann@eecg.toronto.edu> >> To: declan@well.com >> Cc: gnu@toad.com >> Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2001 03:52:07 -0500 >> >>> (3) She also sent a "Microsoft Word" document as an attachment. >>> Reading such documents requires proprietary software that the reader >>> must pay Bill Gates for. The reason we have communication standards >>> (like the Internet RFC 822 that defines the format of email messages) >>> is so that one vendor can't lock us in and require us to pay them in >>> order to communicate with others. If Rep. Eshoo isn't a believer in >>> monopoly, she should communicate in public standards rather than >>> proprietary formats. >> >> >> On a related topic, I find it objectionable that my new computers have >> been vandalized with various stickers and unsolicited markings inside >> and out. Perhaps this viewpoint would be of interest to your email list. >> >> Here is a letter I addressed to an email address at the site of one >> of these unsolicited markings on the outside of my new computer, together >> with their well-thought-out reply: >> >> >> From: Steve Mann <mann@eecg.toronto.edu> >> To: notheft@microsoft.com >> Subject: Vandalism of informatic property (unsolocited advertising+virus) >> Cc: mann@eecg.toronto.edu >> Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 06:16:29 -0500 >> >> Recently I purchased four new computers, and I requested that they be >> shipped with no operating system, because we develop our own software >> in my lab, and we have a policy against using Closed Source software or >> operating systems. Therefore, we would expect blank hard drives. >> >> However, all four of my new computers appear to have been contaminated >> with informatic detritus of some kind, which appears to include >> an unsolicited advertisement. In particular the word "Windows", >> which appears to be a trademark of your corporation, appears on each >> of my computers when booted. >> >> Presently, we are posting a copy of this waste material to our main WWW >> server to seek advice from the computer science community as a whole, >> on how best to dispose of it, as well as advice on what fee would be >> reasonable for us to charge for its disposal. >> >> We are also seeking advice from the community, and hoping that other >> scientists can analyze these waste products to confirm their origin, >> as well as give us advice on how best to decontaminate our systems, >> and to obtain three independent quotations for having this unwanted >> material verifiably removed from our computers. >> >> Since the hard drives in question are each approximately 40 gigabytes, >> and the best way for us to make this waste matter available to other >> scientists for analysis has been to "dd" the entire hard drive contents >> to our WWW site, this requires considerable space on our main file >> server that supports or WWW server. >> >> Accordingly, we seek a storage fee for this waste matter, until such >> time as we can collect sufficient opinions on how best to dispose of it, >> and to ensure that it has not adversely affected any of our computers, >> as well as how best to ensure that new computers we order in the future >> are not similarly contaminated. >> >> Any advice you can provide on the nature of this waste product would >> be greatly appreciated, especially if it might expedite the analysis >> so that we can free up the 160 gigabytes of space on our WWW server >> that the samples occupy. >> >> The unsolicited message displayed on the screens seem to partly match >> a sticker that was found on the side of each computer reading "Windows >> 2000 Professional 1-2 CPU Certificiate of Authenticity". >> >> It might seem, therefore, that your corporation would be the >> corporation responsible for contamination of my computers with >> this waste product, virus, or unsolicited advertising material. >> >> Please advise if your company can assume blame for this deliberate >> vandalism of my new computer, or if this was an accidental act and >> merely a result of negligence on the part of your company. >> >> I would welcome your comments on what fee you feel might be >> reasonable fee for disposing of this material, and how long we should >> need to keep it publically available on our WWW server for reasonable >> analysis. >> >> I am sending to this email address because this is the address that >> I find from visiting the WWW site that appears on the unsolicited >> stickers attached to the outsides of my new computers. >> >> I will also be scanning the surfaces of my computers and posting copies >> of these stickers to the WWW in order to obtain a quote for having >> them removed from the outsides of my computers and having the housings >> cleaned. >> >> If you can advise on a removal process for these unsolicited >> advertising stickers, or what you feel you might be willing >> to pay as a reasonable fee for their removal, please advise. >> >> >> >> Dr. S. Mann >> 284 Bloor St. W., Suite 701, >> Toronto, Ontario, >> M5S 3B8 >> >>> From notheft@microsoft.com Fri Feb 16 06:18:11 2001 >> Received: from mail3.microsoft.com ([131.107.3.123]:2640 "HELO >> mail3.microsoft.com") by picton.eecg.toronto.edu with SMTP id >> <S290337AbRBPLRy>; Fri, 16 Feb 2001 06:17:54 -0500 >> Received: from 157.54.9.100 by mail3.microsoft.com (InterScan E-Mail >> VirusWall NT); Fri, 16 Feb 2001 03:16:18 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time) >> Received: by inet-imc-03.redmond.corp.microsoft.com with Internet Mail >> Service (5.5.2653.19) >> id <FBMYQF11>; Fri, 16 Feb 2001 03:17:46 -0800 >> Message-ID: >> > <81EDEEE0355CB24380319632393FD56DD3B23F@red-msg-01.redmond.corp.microsoft.co > m> >> From: Canadian Anti-Piracy Hotline <notheft@microsoft.com> >> To: Steve Mann <mann@eecg.toronto.edu> >> Subject: RE: Vandalism of informatic property (unsolocited advertising+vir >> us) >> X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) >> Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 06:17:54 -0500 >> Return-Path: <notheft@microsoft.com> >> X-Orcpt: rfc822;mann@eecg.toronto.edu >> Status: OR >> >> Thank you for contacting the Microsoft Anti-Piracy Team. Microsoft > devotes >> substantial time and energy toward fighting software piracy and we >> appreciate your interest in our initiatives. >> >> If the nature of your email involved a question or a request for > additional >> information on software piracy, a member of our Anti-Piracy Team will >> respond as soon as possible. >> >> If the nature of your email involved the possible unauthorized copying >> and/or distribution of Microsoft software, please be assured we will >> investigate further the matter you reported and will take the appropriate >> action. Due to the sensitive legal nature of these matters, we cannot >> provide updates on the status of our investigations. >> >> You may visit us at http://www.microsoft.com/canada/piracy to review >> additional information on recognizing genuine Microsoft product, > Microsoft's >> licensing policies and current news about Microsoft's anti-piracy >> initiatives. >> >> Further information about anti-piracy can be obtained from the Canadian >> Alliance Against Software Theft at http://www.caast.org >> >> Thank you for supporting the fight against software theft. >> >> Microsoft Corporation >> International Law & Corporate Affairs >> Anti-Piracy Team >> >> > > -- > LinuxSA WWW: http://www.linuxsa.org.au/ IRC: #linuxsa on irc.linux.org.au > To unsubscribe from the LinuxSA list: > mail linuxsa-request@linuxsa.org.au with "unsubscribe" as the subject > ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Finger grog@lemis.com for PGP public key See complete headers for address and phone numbers To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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