Quote Originally Posted by Allann View Post
On one hand people want M$ to be transparent and open so everyone can program against it, yet on the other it has to be totally closed and secure so people can't hack it!!
Security by obscurity is no security at all. Open software is less hacked because it is fixed faster and holes can be found before it gets out into production use.

At the same time it has to support every piece of hardware released by every man and his dog since the dawn of time, but not open for abuse!! With the speed of growth of the technological world, would you really want to still be using your 300dpi 4 bit scanner, when a 4000+ dpi 32 bit scanner is available for under $100? People in Australia don't complain about having to upgrade their TV, their mobile phone, sales have proved that. We use to pay less than $100 for a small tv the family could huddle around, now we all need a $5000 60" plasma tv (and get a free Wii for the outlay), why is the PC such an issue when it comes to an upgrade?
I agree not all HW should be supported as it does get superseded.
BUT I'm talking about USB2 devices - and their is no reason they should not be supported other than greedy manufacturers conspiracy.
As for phones - the earliest GSM digital phone still works (sorry about CDMA).