GNU Consumer Reports

Blue Ray Review

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:29:00 +0000

It's Illegal To Watch Your DVDs

By Justin Breithaupt

What? Is that really true? It depends on what you watch your DVDs on and if they are Blue Ray or standard DVDs. I met a man who spent a great amount of money on a High Definition TV, and then on a Windows 7 Laptop with a connector for his TV. He bought these products with the understanding that he could watch his Blue Ray DVDs on his High Definition TV. When he stuck in his Blue Ray DVD into the Laptop it played fine in the Laptop Screen. He then purchased a cable for his TV and plugged it in. The DVD immediately stopped playing and a message came up on the screen letting him know it is not legal for him to watch his movie on his TV because it is copy written and protected by law. He could have been a potential criminal copying and selling illegal copies of his DVDs. The RIAA and Microsoft decided that my honest friend who bought his devices and movies legitimately should not have the right to use these devices to watch his movies any way he likes. This is only the beginning. According to the article I read here:http://www.defectivebydesign.org/mpaa-drm-tv the MPAA wants to take away our rights and abilities to record live TV to watch later and take control over all our devices we use to watch video and listen to audio in our home including Satellite receivers, TVs, VCRs, DVD Players, etc. The list does not end. What should come as more of a shock is that Microsoft is getting sueed by many other countries in anti-trust lawsuits for doing these things they have already done to us. Our Government officials however have decided not to sue or stop Microsoft for doing these things to us. Of course it's not just Microsoft. It's also Apple and Sony as well as anyone who produces Blue Ray DVD players. It's not the manufacturer's fault that they do this of course but rather the ones who legally force them to build these restrictions into their hardware. Does anyone remember when DVDs first came out? You had to have a program like WinDVD in order to decrypt the encrypted video so you could play it. You had to pay for this software if you didn't get it with your computer. Microsoft tried to convince everyone that without this player it was illegal to watch DVDs. We who use Linux knew better. We made and used libdvd to watch our DVDs without any restrictions. We could also download copies of them directly to our computers to watch later as it should be. Like DVDs use to be Blue Ray also does not play on Linux. Back to my customer who bought the Blue Ray DVD hardware and High Definition TV. I decided to try to watch the Blue Ray DVD on his TV using Linux. I figured I would have total control over his Laptop if I used Linux and I was right. After installing Linux onto his Laptop I discovered that there was no DVD player that could play Blue Ray for Linux but that each Blue Ray DVD contains an encrypted password that unlocks the content of the disk. You can find these keys on sites like these: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=120988 . Using DumpHD (found here: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=123111 ) with the keys I was then able to strip off all the encryption and download the content of the entire Blue Ray DVD to his Laptop Hard Drive. This took 20 Gbs for one disk. Using VLC I was then able to watch the extracted video on his HD TV which was the original intent when he purchased the equipment. Ridiculous isn't it. I'm not even sure if what I did to watch that video was legal or illegal and to be perfectly honest I don't care because it's a violation of our freedom of speech. If we can't listen then what is the use of free speech?

So I encourage you not to buy Blue Ray DVDs or DVD players and don't support any of the companies I mentioned that contribute to this ridiculous struggle for control. Also please go tohttp://www.defectivebydesign.org/mpaa-drm-tv and follow the instructions to send a letter to the FCC to stop any more of this nonsense.

Ultumix TM GNU/Linux Computer Video Gaming Youth Center

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:28:00 +0000

we have decided to open a youth center in town as a "Safe Haven" to provide youth and adults with a place to seek refuge from the rest of the world. We have a strict policy (click here) that protects the children from foul language, perversion, drugs, alkahol, smoking, etc.

read more | digg story

Ultumix TM GNU/Linux Computer Video Gaming Youth Center

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:51:00 +0000

Microsoft sells your information to PORN industries

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:23:00 +0000

"You are receiving this e-mail because you subscribed to MSN Featured Offers." No I DID NOT! "Microsoft respects your privacy." By sharing my personal information with everyone? "If you do not wish to receive this MSN Featured Offers e-mail, please click the "Unsubscribe" link below. This will not unsubscribe you from...

read more | digg story

Ultumix Computer Radio Show Live!

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:58:00 +0000

This is a brand new online radio show dedicated to anything Computer related with an Open Source and Free Software view point. This is an educational family show to educate you and your children and keep you safe on the net and on your computer and keep you from getting riped off.

read more | digg story

PediaOpeness.org is now open.

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:35:00 +0000

PediaOpeness.org is now open and you don't have to worry about being able to post on the Wikipedia any more!

read more | digg story

Get Your Vaccinations for ETDsGet Your Vaccina

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:11:00 +0000

Support Vaccinations Against ETDs Now!Each year millions of people are affected by ETDs that could have been prevented.Some say that they just didn't know about the vaccination or they were too afraid to use it.It's time to protect your children and the rest of your family from ETDs.So what are ETDs? Well they are not that different from STDs or Sexually Transmitted Diseases. In fact ETDs have been known to cause STDs in teens as well as adults and have cost families untold amounts of money from unemployment. Children are the most vulnerable because of what they are taught about protection at school. ETDs can also lead to dangerous addictions. Click on the link at the top of this article for more info.

read more | digg story

This is Your Computer On Microsoft or Mac. Any Questions?

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:05:00 +0000

This is Your Computer... This is your computer on Microsoft or Macintosh... Any Questions? Dude if you think it's stupid to do drugs and you know what it does to your brain then Knowing what Microsoft and Macintosh does to your computer and using it would make you stupid too.

read more | digg story

Vista Running Too Slow? Maybe it's not the computer?

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:28:00 +0000

Want to see how to speed up a Windows Vista computer and upgrade it's security at the same time? Watch this video.

read more | digg story

LinPC

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:33:00 +0000

Overall Rating

4.23 (This company is worth using)
(1 - 5 penguins)

Name of company or service provider.

LinPC
Owner Eric Keeler
1-803-466-8491

Name of product(s) or service(s) or categories of Product types or
service types.

Computers, Laptops, ect. All with PCLinuxOS installed.

Description of Product type or service.

Custom computers with PCLinuxOS installed.

Rate the policy or agreement based on fairness and how much they
trust the customer (1-5 penguins) And post a link to the current
agreement at that time and date in a saved .pdf file that is on a
private page or server so that it can't be altered by the company.
Provide a link to their current agreement.

Their policies seem pretty fair.

User Reviews. if you can find them on line or reviews by other
sites. (average their ratings and boil them all down into one 1 - 5
rating.

Almost perfect. Above 80%

Call the companies 1-800 number 10 times but not one after another
and see: 1. How many people can speak fluent English in an understandable fashion, 2. Are they rude or do they answer your questions (ask a different question every time you call) 3. how long do you have to wait on hold?

The first two times I called I could not get threw but the third time I called I got right threw. :)

Product or service quality, value, Bang per buck ratio.

Seems to be pretty good if you like PCLinuxOS.

Similar products or services from other companies.

The only negative thing here is that you don't have a choice of your favorite Linux Distro but other than that it's great!

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or
what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to
ship them out.

There is no shipping calculator so it is a little vague but as long as you can get it shipped via USPS its all good.

Payment Methods. I.E. PayPal, credit card, google checkout, Direct
deposit, etc.

Well Because only PayPal and mailing in money is accepted we feel there is a risk when using PayPal.

Any personal experiences.

Eric called me once and seemed to be a resonable man. He speaks good English and I would love to test one of his machines so I could add the rating here.

Would the average consumer expect to have any of the problems
mentioned here on a regular basis or is this something that they
would have to be a customer for a long time before they experienced?

I would say no. If there are any problems listed here they are minimal and this guy seems honest and has a good rating.

Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?

N/A

Does the company say one thing and do another? Do their policies
agree with what they say?

We don't believe so because of their rating.

Do they lye, Cheat, steal.

Don't think so.

Warranty, return policy, RMA time. etc.

The return policy is fair as long as you don't expect a full refund for a product that was not damaged. Most distributers share this concept.

If you buy their product or service for a small fee do you end up
paying more in the end?

You pay for what you get. A little money for labor is not bad.

Linux Compatibility

$250.00 GNU/Linux Desktop PCs Going Fast!

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:58:00 +0000

This offer will only be available until Tuesday April 1st 2008. This is no April Fools! 2.0 Ghz or faster single core AMD AM2 processor,80 GB HD Space,1 GB RAM,Card Reader,DVD Burner,128 MB Nvidia PCI Express x16 video card,Ultumix GNU/Linux.208-750-5628My normal selling price is $300.00 but I will give a $50.00 discount to students...

read more | digg story

CBS is all GNU! CHECK IT OUT!

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Overall Rating

(1 - 5 penguins)

CBS is all GNU! CHECK IT OUT!

This morning 03/14/08 I was watching CBS channel 2/3 in my town and instead of saying that their new shows were all new they said they were all GNU. Right away I went down stairs and fired up my Dad's computer and started recording that channel so that I could upload that little announcement to blip tv and put it here for all of you to see for yourselves. I called my friends and they could not believe it. Now they were implying the GNU we all know and love. They showed a RAM with the CBS logo on the side. Some of you however are so GNU that you won't use those nasty adobe flash player plugins so you won't be able to see it here. Obviously I'm not one of those people.

Also check out this link. http://groups.google.com/group/tvbarn2/browse_thread/thread/d35a06f2c741cca5/84ee7a004e5ce82a?lnk=raot

Please note that if your waiting to see the CBS is all GNU commercial you probably won't as they also have a CBS is all new commercial as well and they don't even show that one at every commercial break. Audio is coming soon.

The Best Computer In The World! Check It Out!

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:25:00 +0000

Here is a video demo of Ultumix 0014 in action.

read more | digg story

Ultumix 0.0.1.4 Is Out! NO MORE WINDOWS VISTA!

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:30:00 +0000

You need a GNU/Linux distribution that leaves no excuses for a Windows user not to convert? This is your answer. Advanced Video Editing, Audio, Office, Games, etc. It's all here. No More Excuses.

read more | digg story

I will not rate my own Operating System. I'll let your comments do that for me.

VistaPrint Printing Company

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:33:00 +0000

Overall Rating

(1 - 5 penguins) BUYER BE WARE

Name of company or service provider.

VistaPrint

Category > Printing services.

Description of Product type or service.

This companies buisness is riping people off.

Rate the policy or agreement based on fairness and how much they trust the customer (1-5 penguins) And post a link to the current agreement at that time and date in a saved .pdf file that is on a private page or server so that it can't be altered by the company. Provide a link to their current agreement.

If they have any policies or agreements they are very vague.

User Reviews. if you can find them on line or reviews by other sites. (average their ratings and boil them all down into one 1 - 5 rating.

I was just about to purchase this product when I read this web site and found out that many people had been taken by this company. It's very tempting to get the free stamp, business cards, and sticky notes with your company info on them but It's not worth credit card fraud. Trust me I've been threw it before.

Product or service quality, value, Bang per buck ratio.

These free products with the adds for their site are not worth it because they will bite you in the end.

Similar products or services from other companies.

I've used Walter Drake before and they do a fine job of making standard black and white business cards.

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.

The shipping rates are even more outrageous than the review says they are on the web site linked to above because they charge $7.00+ to ship items that they are giving you free.

Payment Methods. I.E. PayPal, credit card, google checkout, Direct deposit, etc.

They don't use any verified method of payment.

Any personal experiences.

Not yet but I hope I never will.

Would the average consumer expect to have any of the problems mentioned here on a regular basis or is this something that they would have to be a customer for a long time before they experienced?

Yes from what I'm reading this company has these issues on a regular basis.

Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?

Who knows.

Does the company say one thing and do another? Do their policies agree with what they say?

Yes they say they will charge you shipping and give you free items and end up charging you more later down the road.

Do they lye, Cheat, steal.

Yes, Yes, and Yes.

Warranty, return policy, RMA time. etc.

N/A

If you buy their product or service for a small fee do you end up paying more in the end?

YES

Linux Compatibility

N/A but with a name like VistaPrint would you trust them?

PayPal.com

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:02:00 +0000

Overall Rating

WARNING! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY
(1 - 5 penguins)

Name of company or service provider.

PayPal.com owned by ebay.

Category > Payment Transfer Service

Description of Product type or service.

PayPal exchanges money between sellers and buyers on ebay.com and other sites and has been recommended by many news sites as a Verified Safe way to do business. There is a lot that they don't tell you abut customer complaints including over 5,000 complaints to the BBB in the last 3 years.

Rate the policy or agreement based on fairness and how much they trust the customer (1-5 penguins) And post a link to the current agreement at that time and date in a saved .pdf file that is on a private page or server so that it can't be altered by the company. Provide a link to their current agreement.

Their policy / agreement is very misleading. They say that they have buyer and seller protection when in truth only the buyer receives protection in most cases. When you do manage to play by PayPal's rules and a buyer breaks the agreement you will most likely not be able to get your money back. Current Agreement.

User Reviews. If you can find them on line or reviews by other sites. (average their ratings and boil them all down into one 1 - 5 rating.)

www.screw-paypal.com www.paypalwarning.com http://www.paypalsucks.com/
http://www.internationalterrorist.com/paypal.html
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/04/05/18/0128201.shtml?tid=126&tid=153&tid=172&tid=93&tid=95&tid=99
http://www.gnutellanews.com/article/12148
http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubb/Forum1/HTML/007500.html
http://seclists.org/lists/politech/2003/Mar/0040.html
http://dir.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/02/23/pay_pal/index.html
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/paypal.html
http://www.aboutpaypal.org/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paypalperil/
http://www.outofthedark.com/CorporateWars/PayPal/index.html
http://www.ygoodman.com/paypal.aspetc

Click here for full size.

Call the companies 1-800 number 10 times but not one after another and see:

Actual phone calls to and from PayPal.com: Listen to this one first. (1-4 can he heard here as well) 1, 2, 3, ,

More where those came from.

UPDATE! 05/02/2008! PayPal Just Ruined My Credit and they didn't even warn me! These Videos Below Are All Of The Calls. Skip the First Video If You Have Played The Audio Above.

Product or service quality, value, Bang per buck ratio.

PayPal charges you a huge percentage on each transaction and charges you per transaction as well. Ebay (who owns PayPal) charges you for listing fees as well. Also your not even paying for protection when you pay PayPal as you will hear in the recorded phone calls above.

Similar products or services from other companies.

Similar products or services such as ubid.com and Google Merchant Accounts are much better than PayPal.com's set up.

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.

PayPal provides USPS and UPS shipping services and while it seems convenient you will never ever be reimbursed if your shipping does not go threw.

Any personal experiences.

Yes I have had 2 recent experiences that terminated my business relationship with PayPal.com.
1. PayPal told me that I was protected 100% by FDIC insurance against any fraud. So I decided to sell some Laptops. Someone from Indonesia decided to buy a Laptop from me by hijacking another person's PayPal account and paying me the $850.00 which went into my bank account. After waiting about a week I decided to go ahead and ship the item sense I had the money and I was protected. I even called PayPal to confirm that I was protected. (I didn't record that call) Then as you can see in the screenshot to the left the automated system said I was covered. Then I was billed for -$850 + shipping. So I called PayPal and asked them what was wrong. You can listen to that conversation by clicking 1 above.

2. A man in Auburn WA bought a second Laptop from me and everything was confirmed. His address was confirmed. He had bought the item. He had signed the no returns unless not as described or DOA agreement. I shipped it to him and he did a return to sender and again PayPal charged me -$850 +shipping.

In the first example I went on word of mouth and what their automated system said and in the second example I followed their rules. Both times I got the shaft.

Would the average consumer expect to have any of the problems mentioned here on a regular basis or is this something that they would have to be a customer for a long time before they experienced?

As they say in the recorded phone calls using PayPal.com is like playing Russian Runlet. Sooner or later you will get shot.

Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?

Yes their foreign people in their debt collections department are not always easy to understand or work with.

Does the company say one thing and do another? Do their policies agree with what they say?

YES they never stick to their word.

Do they lye, Cheat, steal.

You better believe it.

If you buy their product or service for a small fee do you end up paying more in the end?

YES!

Linux Compatibility

Ya it's compatible with Linux.

We have reason to believe that the man known as PPman here has been e-mailing threats to www.screw-paypal.com from the Nebraska PayPal escalations office. If you have any information on PPman please comment here!

Scythe Kamariki-2 KMRK-450A-2 ATX12V 450W Power Supply 100V CE, CSA, UL, CB, FCC

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Overall Rating

2.75 out of 5. (below average)
(1 - 5 penguins)

Name of company or service provider.

Scythe http://www.scythe-usa.com/contact.html

Category > Power Supply

Description of Product type or service.

450 Watt Power Supply with tons of connectors. Includes SATA, extra 4 pin and 6 pin connectors.

User Reviews. if you can find them on line or reviews by other sites. (average their ratings and boil them all down into one 1 - 5 rating.

Call the companies 1-800 number 10 times but not one after another and see:

1. How many people can speak fluent English in an understandable fashion, 2. Are they rude or do they answer your questions (ask a different question every time you call) 3. how long do you have to wait on hold?
The people there don't seem to have trouble speaking English and are kind and quick to respond but they didn't know where the product was made and had to ask others. Also the number was not toll free.

Product or service quality, value, Bang per buck ratio.

It's a great value for what it does but I felt like I sold my soul after I saw the packaging.

Similar products or services from other companies.

This item is much better than other Power Supplies for the price but I won't buy another one because it was made in Taiwan.

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.

It arrived ok but now it says that the item is discontinued.

Payment Methods. I.E. PayPal, credit card, google checkout, Direct
deposit, etc.

You can buy this item at most online stores.

Any personal experiences.

So far I bought this thing and it arrived on my door step. I picked up the box all the computer parts came in and to my surprise it was unusually heavy. So I opened it up to see what was so heavy. It was this power supply and normally thats a good thing. However it makes me wonder if it has any lead in it. I don't think this is an unleaded computer. :( Also it didn't come with a Power Cord and a kid with a screwdriver or a paper clip could stick it into the back easily and shock themselves.

Made in Taiwan? I think you can tell by looking at the package.

Would the average consumer expect to have any of the problems mentioned here on a regular basis or is this something that they would have to be a customer for a long time before they experienced?

Well we don't know what their return policy is because we can't find it (you can't take their word for it on the phone) so if the thing breaks down how do you know it will be replaced? However due to the weight of the power supply unit I am pretty sure it will last a long time. It also has very good user reviews. The item has been discontinued from the site I bought it at.

Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?

Taiwan is where they have all of their stuff made according to their customer support.

Warranty, return policy, RMA time. etc.

Can't Find one.

If you buy their product or service for a small fee do you end up paying more in the end?

YES! Big time! These cheap power supplies are made in Taiwan and so the money is going outside the US. If we keep buying from this company we will go further into debt as a nation.

Linux Compatibility

All power supplies work fine with Linux but lets get to their web interface.
Their website sucks. You can't navigate their site with a regular Linux web browser like FireFox because of their flash code. You can get their support number but thats about it.

GNU Consumer Reports

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:52:00 +0000

Can you digg it? Digg our site by clicking here. Thanks.

read more | digg story

Open Office

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:44:00 +0000

Overall Rating

(1 - 5 penguins)

Name of company or service provider.

Sun Microsystems.

Name of product(s) or service(s) or categories of Product types or
service types.

OpenOffice.org Software

Description of Product type or service.

OpenOffice.org is a full office suite to replace Microsoft Office and it has so many features, file formats, and the interface people have come to expect from Office. It's all around a great product. It has Writer, Calc, and Impress (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and many more programs such as an Microsoft access clone. It also has a nice HTML editor.

Rate the policy or agreement based on fairness and how much they trust the customer (1-5 penguins) And post a link to the current agreement at that time and date in a saved .pdf file that is on a private page or server so that it can't be altered by the company. Provide a link to their current agreement.

The GNU Public License agreement is what they use. Nuff said.

User Reviews. if you can find them on line or reviews by other sites. (average their ratings and boil them all down into one 1 - 5 rating.

CNet / Download.com rates it and the users rate it .5.

Product or service quality, value, Bang per buck ratio.

Yes the price for OpenOffice.org on CD is well worth the price in comparison to their competitors. If you buy their Books they are also well worth the price. Of course you can get all of this for free but what would the fun be in that?

Similar products or services from other companies.

Microsoft Office, Star Office, and Microsoft Works.
Not that I like Microsoft Works in any way but opening the documents in OpenOffice.org can be a pain unless you install extra plugins that will convert Works files. Microsoft Office 2003 is ok but it has a very hard time opening Office 2007 files even with the converter. Microsoft Office 2007 is ok but it saves in a bad format and it's harder to learn if you are use to the old Office XP, 2000, 97, or 2003 interface. Star Office is good for Macs but OpenOffice.org still seems to have more features and now works on the Mac as well. (Don't take my word for it. Try it out on a Mac and tell me)

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.

They ship fast and they use USPS. The books arrive in a nice cardboard protective shell with a receipt.

Payment Methods. I.E. PayPal, credit card, google checkout, Direct deposit, etc.

You can pay via Credit Card to receive books or CDs from OpenOffice.org.

Any personal experiences.

I love OpenOffice.org for a bunch of reasons:
1. I can convert my .doc files into .pdf files without needing to learn how to use some kind of Adobe PDF creator program.
2. I can open Microsoft Office 2007 files if I add plugins and OpenOffice.org plans on including this functionality with their new release.
3. I can open Microsoft Office files and set it up to save in Microsoft Office formats so that users will be able to share and collaborate with their Microsoft friends. (Richard Stallman does not like us using Microsoft formats but I don't think that we can attract as many new users without saving in that format)

Would the average consumer expect to have any of the problems mentioned here on a regular basis or is this something that they would have to be a customer for a long time before they experienced?

Yes. OpenOffice.org will not save in .doc .xls. or .ppt format by default. You must go into the options and load save options and set up the format options so that it will save in Microsoft Office friendly formats or only OpenOffice.org will be able to open the files.

Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?

Yes they do outsource but this is a good thing because they collaborate with others and money is not leaving the US in order to further OpenOffice's design.

If you buy their product or service for a small fee do you end up
paying more in the end?

No. In fact by purchasing OpenOffice.org from them instead of downloading it you can get more artwork. You can also buy their manuals for $17.00 instead of downloading the pdf versions. It's a good investment.

Linux compatibility

with everything from Mac, to Windows, and Linux.

GNOME-SWORD Review

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:44:00 +0000

Overall Rating

(1 - 5 penguins)

Name of company or service provider.

http://www.crosswire.org/index.jsp

Name of product(s) or service(s) or categories of Product types or
service types.

GNOME SWORD
http://gnomesword.sourceforge.net/

Description of Product type or service.

GNOME SWORD is a Bible Study program for Windows and Linux that allows you to download all of the free Bible translations (not NIV) and search threw them with a search engine. It also includes commentaries, Dictionaries, and other resources. The main program is split up into 5 sections. On the left is the navigation between Bible's, Commentaries, and other selections. In the top bar (not a section) you can choose which Book, Chapter, and Verse you want to navigate to and it will highlight that verse in green. In the left upper box is where the Bible is displayed, the commentary is to the right of it and below are the dictionary and search result box that gives you a preview of a scripture and shows you where the keywords are. Also the translations come in a variety of languages.

Rate the policy or agreement based on fairness and how much they trust the customer (1-5 penguins) And post a link to the current agreement at that time and date in a saved .pdf file that is on a private page or server so that it can't be altered by the company. Provide a link to their current agreement.

GNU General Public License (GPL)

Product or service quality, value, Bang per buck ratio.

You could spend tons of money buying all of these Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, and other text. Even if you bought them in CD format it would cost you. This is a very good bang per buck ratio.

Similar products or services from other companies.

Well this same company has a site http://www.bible.org/ where you can get the same resource but there are others like biblegateway.com and htmlbible.com but Gnome-Sword is right on your computer.

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.

You can order it on a CD but you can also download it instantly.

Payment Methods. I.E. PayPal, credit card, google checkout, Direct
deposit, etc.

The don't give you a donation option but if you want to donate send money to:
CrossWire Bible Society;
P. O. Box 2528;
Tempe, AZ 85280-2528 USA

Any personal experiences.

Gnome-Sword has helped me look up scripture when I'm studying with God on Sundays and helped me to debate those who are anti-Christian. The only book I would recommend that does not come with this is called Armed and Dangerous.

Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?

Yes they allow everyone to help them freely but this is a good thing. They translate the Bible into many different translations.

Linux Compatibility

Works perfectly but I've had some trouble on Ubuntu Christian Edition before.

DIY Super Energy Efficient Refrigerator

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:19:00 +0000

Found Here

Overall Rating

(1 - 5 penguins)

Name of company or service provider.

YOU, Yourself, and I.

Name of product(s) or service(s) or categories of Product types or
service types.

A DIY Outdoor Refrigerator

Description of Product type or service.

This Refrigerator will save you tons of money during the winter months.

Product or service quality, value, Bang per buck ratio.

Well if your looking at the lumber here, insulation, fans, and thermostat your probably looking at somewhere between free and $500.00 depending on if you have the items and where you buy them from or if you pay someone to build it.

Similar products or services from other companies.

Well go here. Last time I checked you were over $2,000.00

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.

Well your probably going to want to pick up the items at a store. Why would you want to order it?

Any personal experiences.

A lot of people put items in a cooler outside during the winter but you could not effectively install shelves as well or a thermostat. This is the best idea I've seen yet and I think I'll invest in it someday. If you could combine this with an actual refrigerator that would be great because then you could have a switch to engage the regular refrigerator system during the summer months.

Linux Compatibility
I think that this has OpenSource written all over it and if some nut wanted to make a controller for it that interfaced with Linux then I have nothing against it. lol.

Microsoft Review

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Overall Rating
2/5 DANGER This company is not trusted. (this penguin is drowning)
(1 - 5 penguins)

How to get a refund for the Windows Vista or XP install that was put on your new computer without your permission.

Name of company or service provider.

Microsoft

Current CEO: Steve Ballmer (Live Video)

Name of product(s) or service(s) or categories of Product types or
service types.

Microsoft Windows Vista, Office, OneCare, etc.

Description of Product type or service.

Microsoft Software and Tech Support.

Rate the policy or agreement based on fairness and how much they trust the customer (1-5 penguins) and post a link to the current agreement at that time and date in a saved .pdf file that is on a private page or server so that it can't be altered by the company. Provide a link to their current agreement.

The Microsoft Windows Vista EULA and most new Microsoft EULAs for other products have a common thread. The main statement in the Microsoft EULA is that they don't trust you and you are guilty of stealing software, CDs, and DVDs until proven innocent by Microsoft's validation by sending them your information over the internet constantly. This is a violation of trust, privacy, and fair buisness practices. In a sense you don't have control over your computer or what you can or can not put on it any more because Microsoft already decided for you and if Microsoft has any reason to believe that you may have any pirated or stolen products on your computer they will lock it down into a limited state. 21% of these users get prosecuted each year. Vista EULA the current Vista EULA can be found at www.microsoft.com

User Reviews. if you can find them on line or reviews by other sites. (average their ratings and boil them all down into one 1 - 5 rating.

Ratings of Windows Vista in comparison to other known systems like Windows XP: newegg.com CNET HowStuffWorks tech.yahoo dooyoo Amazon

About 3 / 10 people can be easily understood and can easily understand you on the phone without spelling out each letter of each word. Usually these representatives are not rude unless you can't understand them and then they get offended. Hold time is usually pretty short when using the most commonly used departments. Video Demo of Microsoft Tech Support.

Product or service quality, value, bang per buck ratio.

Paying $400.00 for Windows Vista Ultimate for example and not having any antivirus, office, or other software come with it is not worth it when free software does. When calling Microsoft Support you will find that when it comes to problems like Viruses they won't be able to help you but will instead refer you to an antivirus provider. Windows Vista Ultimate does not come with many drivers and it won't work with old hardware. So your going to need to spend a lot of money to upgrade or buy a new system.

Similar products or services from other companies.

Lets compare Microsoft's software to that of Macintosh and Linux. Microsoft's Windows Vista does not come with any extra software that you may need to actually use the system. Linux comes with tons of free programs installed and working right out of the box. Macintosh usually ships with a lot of software but they charge plenty for their systems. Microsoft's products are vulnerable to Viruses. Macintosh is vulnerable to some viruses. Linux is not venerable to viruses but Firefox can be affected. Microsoft products cost $300.00 or above for full versions. Macintosh software usually ranges from about $150.00 on up depending on how many copies you buy. Linux software is free with the exception of programs like Cedega which cost $60.00 but allow you to run pretty much any Windows compatible program or game on Linux.

Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.

Microsoft won't ship to many countries and they use USPS which is good but they charge $7.00 to ship a CD or DVD. If I go down to USPS and try to ship a package that size and weight it does not cost $7.00. Other customer reviews of Microsoft Shipping.

Payment Methods. I.E. PayPal, credit card, google checkout, Direct deposit, etc.

Microsoft products are available anywhere and it's easy to pay for them as long as you have the money.

Any personal experiences.

Yes I have used Microsoft products for many years and even have beta tested for them. Not only were my Microsoft Licenses voided after I tested the products for Microsoft but they didn't give me any compensation, not to mention all of the bugs and glitches that I had to put up with for them and I didn't feel they listened to my concerns or opinions with their products. My customers and I have experienced dramatic speed losses in our network and processor performance. The lack of speed was caused by a bloated system that was constantly sending information about our personal files to Microsoft and verifying that we were not doing anything they didn't want us to do with our computers.

Would the average consumer expect to have any of the problems mentioned here on a regular basis or is this something that they would have to be a customer for a long time before they experienced?

The problems that Microsoft software has is very repetitive and it is so repetitive that Microsoft customers are use to having problems and don't expect much more. Most Microsoft customers expect to send Error Reports to Microsoft on a weekly basis and expect slower speeds resulting from antivirus programs or viruses themselves or the Fragmentation that is unique to Microsoft products.

Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?

Yes Microsoft does outsource. If you call their tech support it is highly likely that you will not get someone who can speak fluent English.
Video Demo of Microsoft Tech Support.

Does the company say one thing and do another? Do their policies agree with what they say?

For the most part Microsoft complies with their own agreements and has until recently. The new Vista EULA says that Vista licenses must come shipped with a Vista install disk and Microsoft has been issuing out licenses to people without shipping them a disk with the license. This is not a major violation but it's still a violation.

Do they lye, Cheat, steal.

Well yes Microsoft has claimed that other companies and software brands such as GNU/Linux have stolen their intellectual properties and violated patents in efforts to scare away customers and companies that use Open Source software. But in general Microsoft is very open and honest with their end users as long as the end user will read the EULA before they click I Agree but most consumers feel that they should be able to trust Microsoft.

Warranty, return policy, RMA time. etc.

You can return your Microsoft licenses and products to most vendors but you usually will not get a full reimbursement of the original purchase price unless you have a receipt.

If you buy their product or service for a small fee do you end up paying more in the end?

Yes. You will probably end up paying for an antivirus program, Microsoft compatible software, service, and support. This will cost you about $500 - $1,000+ a year.

Linux Compatibility:

Some Microsoft products will run under WINE, Cedega, and CrossOver, in Linux. Microsoft products that are Windows 98, 95, 2000, NT, and ME compatible run better under Linux than under Vista or the new updated XP.

Just to give you an idea of what your agreeing to in the Microsoft Agreement Watch This.

Microsoft Hardware Such as the XBOX 360 is not part of this review but you can view other people's reviews online here. (Just click this link for a list of hardware reviews) Here is a ZUNE review as well.

You can help change this rating by voicing your opinion here and giving This company penguins / stars. Just comment below.

THIS JUST IN: Microsoft has stated that it's now legal to use their software freely and that they will give you their source code! Read more.

Welcome to GNU Consumer Reports

noreply@blogger.com (NinjaPenguinMaster) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:27:00 +0000

Welcome to GNU Consumer Reports. The idea behind GNU Consumer Reports is that we will start rating companies based on everything from their policies, prices, people, use of free and open source software, where their products are manufactured, services, compatibility, hack ability, reliability, stability, kindness, bla bla bla.

We are currently registering domain names that will be rerouted to this site. During that time we will be writing reviews and working on this site. We hope to launch the site soon and advertise it web wide. The main difference between this site and others is that we are not going to rate companies better based on how much they pay us to do it or how nice they are to us but rather on the facts and real world experiences. One of our tests will be to call a customer service rep from the company 10 times and see if the people are friendly and if they can speak good English.

We will rate all of our categories based on 5 stars and we will base the overall score on this 5 penguin system. We will allow you to comment on our posts and on your experience with the companies.

If you have any ideas for companies we should write about please comment here।

Rating System:
This company is perfect or close too it. (walks on water and swims well)
This company is worth using. (an average penguin)
Use this company at your own risk. (this penguin has a hard time keeping up)
DANGER This company is not trusted. (this penguin is drowning)
Ok now you are just asking for trouble. (this penguin's belly is constantly pointed up and he smells diffrent)