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This is something that I've been thinking about for ages, and can't quite get my head around. Maybe users of this forum can put me straight. I read all the time about people not liking the fact the IE now dominates the browser market, having seriously pushed Netscape out of the way. It's quite easy, if you don't like the browser that Microsoft has kindly included in Windows free of charge, then use other browsers. Yes, it would be nice if IE and OE could be uninstalled, but if you don't like them, don't use them. Yes, it does mean that you need to download extra security updates, but you'll be downloading Windows updates anyway, so why not download IE updates at the same time. The other bit I don't understand is why Microsoft wants to dominate a market with a product that it doesn't make any money on. Is it purely because when people are surfing, it wants to see Microsoft on the blue bar at the top of the screen? I'm sure I'm missing something here, and I'm also sure that there are plenty of people out there just waiting to correct me. |
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microsoft released a full package, os,browser,oe etc so that they all work together. imagine if they hadn't, you could have a windows os, someone elses browser, some other mail set up. and when it didn't work, we get the pass the buck syndrome, everyone blaming everyone else. at present microsoft supply support for all their products. so you could have a full working system and only one company to deal with instead of 4 or 5. if you wish to use a different browser or mail client that's fine, but if you have problems with it microsoft quite rightly don't want to know anything about it. My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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Microsoft wants to control the market, not just dominate it. It has a global ambition to be the only supplier, and make the whole industry and every single user dependent on its products. That is why people hate the company so much, because it is trying to take away freedom to choose. Then there's the DRM issue, where again Microsoft wants everyone to dance to its tune (no pun intended), with its hardware DRM chipping and it's proprietory DRM controls set into the RAM modules and peripheral devices. Don't you know what Gates's personal ambition is? It's for everything with a chip in it to be run by Microsoft. It's wants the ordinary user to have a screen with a mouse and keyboard, but no box. Instead we log in to Microsoft owned servers to run their own applications and store our files on their drives. And the connection will be always on, so they can feed us anything they like and we can't stop it, as there will be no way to install blockers and anti-spam software. For all this "Brave New World" we will be charged a subscription, every year renewable, and if we don't pay we lose the ability to use the personal unit, plus access to our data. All this was revealed some time ago in an interview with him, where he discussed his vision of the future and the Microsoft role in it. Now lets take a look at these updates you find so wonderful. Let's ask why they are there? Is it becuase of ongoing technological advancements, or is it mainly down to sloppy work on a sub-standard product? Sure, Microsoft may be the market leader by volume, but that doesn't make their products the best. I don't applaud Microsoft for fixing its problems, I condemn it for having them in the first place, as most of them relate to bad coding which more time and thorough checking would have uncovered pre-release. Less concern about profit, and more care about Quality Control would go a long way to improving customer relations. This is why Windows Millennium failed so completely, and why Microsoft admits openly they launched it before it was ready, and should not have done. The bottom line is simple, given the problems we continually have with its products, Microsoft is the world's biggest scam company. In my book, that is nothing to brag about, and gives every reason not to trust them. The problem is, now they are the dominant corporation in IT, they think they don;t have to care any more, as people will still use their products becuase they feel they have no choice. Again, such an atittude towards the customer is nothing to be proud of, and shows how shameless and unethical the company and its owner really are. ![]() Safety Tips for Kids and Teens |
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what a load of twaddle, if it wasn't for microsoft you would still be using DOS. and there would be no such thing as a home computer. if you don't like microsoft don't use any of their products. My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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safeTsurfa Don't be so ridiculous! The objective of every commercial company is to make money. Yes, make money - this may be abhorrent to you but it's true. Reading between the lines I feel you have some congenital hatred of Microsoft in general and Bill Gates in particular. This man and his company have done more than any other to promote personal computing throughout the civilised world and he has been, quite rightly, recognised for his contribution to knowledge advancement, and for his philanthropic work. I like Microsoft and I like their products and, unless proven otherwise, will continue to use them and recommend them to others. Fine English furniture is the new rock 'n' roll |
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Bulldust Bricat - who do you think made DOS??? And yes, I did do everything in DOS and various products from a host of companies, and in BASIC and dBase and Supercalc - it was the only way to get things done when I first started out in computing. I gave my opinion as is my right, you disagree as is yours. But you ever provoke me that way again, and I will retaliate. ![]() Safety Tips for Kids and Teens |
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There was nothing provoking in bricat's response to you, safetsurfa. He was expressing his opinion just as you were, as is his right! I would hesitate to guess what operating system you are using, but I have heard your arguments before on many a forum, and the arguments that you put forward, in your own words, are bulldust. As BurrWalnut points out, all businesses are there to make a profit, and if you look at the mission statements of virtually every company, if they have one, is to be the best at what they do. They do not start out as a philanthropic venture. The difference between Micro$oft and other O/S is simply is that they are simply the easiest to use of all those available, they are very good at marketing and they try to provide what the user wants. You say that the product is flawed, of course it is, it is written by human beings. When human beings are perfect, present company excepted, then we might get the perfect product. Are you saying that Chubb Safes are a rubbish product? No, but thousands get broken into every year. Do I hear you expressing anger at Symantec in their quest for global domination of the security market, No Of course, people are going to try and break Micro$oft code, there's no point in attacking Linux users, crackers and virus writers aren't going to get the attention that they so desparately crave, by attacking 5% of the worlds' computers users. Bill Gates himself said that he could have Windows 100% secure but nobody other than someone with an IQ in excess of Einsteins would be able to use it. I don't know about yours but mine doesn't come anywhere near close to that, which would then exclude me from this incredible world of computers. I would be prepared to assassinate the person who did that! Please post your query to the boards as many hands make light work, and I'm not talking electricians! If your problem is solved, let us know so that others can learn. |
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Well said Iain Jeff Welcome my son, welcome to the machine. Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been. |
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if i wanted to provoke you i would certainly have used different words, i think microsoft are doing an excellent job combating the morons out there who want to wreck the net. My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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Spot on (again). Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get. |
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It may be too late to express my opinion, but I am going to do so anyway. Microsoft is a company like any other company in this world. They are not perfect. I admit that I have criticised Microsoft a few times and a few other companies (Symantec for example) but wherever you go you'll find criticisms. It is true that Microsoft do make quite a few mistakes but they do fix them and notify you in a convienient way. I don't use Internet Explorer, because I used to use alternative browsers such as Netscape and Mozilla on my old Windows 95 and I got used to them and found them a lot faster than Internet Explorer. Vulnerabilities don't affect the browsers capabilities. I wouldn't dream of switching to an Apple Mac or a Linux, I'll stay with Windows as long as Microsoft admit their mistakes and fix them. Safetsurfa, you make it sound like you have created an Operating System yourself and Microsoft is competition. If everyone shared your views, I'd expect to see much more viruses. Thats exactly the kind of thing that will go through the heads of virus writers, trying to get revenge on a huge company that makes money. Owen, http://www.isecurity.org.uk "Don't be content with things as they are. The earth is yours and the fullness therof"- Winston Churchill |
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With regards to this owen : Safetsurfa, you make it sound like you have created an Operating System yourself and Microsoft is competition. If everyone shared your views, I'd expect to see much more viruses. Thats exactly the kind of thing that will go through the heads of virus writers, trying to get revenge on a huge company that makes money. ROFLMAO SafeTsurfa get a grip!!! I love puta as much as I love this forum |
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I get really fed up with people slagging of Microsoft. If it wasn't for Bill Gates and M/soft, most of us wouldn't be on-line now. I have had this PC for nearly a year and I have found Windows easy to use and M/soft's website is very user-friendly. I haven't had any problems with IE and will continue to use it unless/until I do. I download their security patches as soon as they are available and keep all my other security up to date. The only reason M/soft are a target for hackers etc. is that they have about 94% of computer users using a Windows OS. If Mac or Linux had this many people using their systems instead, they would be the target for virus writers instead. Anyway, if everyone kept their patches & security up to date, these idiots wouldn't have much success, would they? Madeline. (now off hobby horse) Don't let other people screw things up for you; do it yourself!
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Ooops, I appear to have opened a can of worms here. I actually expected to be in the minority with my views, but it seems that, for once, I'm in the majority. I doubt it'll happen again. One point about the security updates, is that hackers don't actually spend ages trying to find flaws in Windows or IE. What they do, is wait for a security update to be released, find what the loophole the patch has fixed, and then work out how to exploit the loophole. If everybody installed the security patches straight away, then the hackers would have a much harder job. If you believe what Microsoft said a couple of weeks ago, there has been no recorded case of hackers exploiting a loophole before the security patch has been released. |
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I've got to say how amazed I am at the willingness of all you people to toe the party line. For what it's worth, I'm with SafeT on this one. I've had my computer for nearly a year now and for the first six months, every problem I had originated from Microsoft products (except for a couple of problems with Symantec, but that's another story). Six months in, I changed to Firebird(...fox) and Thunderbird. In the subsequent six months I've had no problems. Maybe it's coincidence. I honestly can't see why, after having tried either of the above, someone would go back to IE or OE. It's also galling that, even though I don't use IE I still have to download security updates for it just because I have it on my system. Why can't I uninstall it? Before anyone asks, I have XP on my system because that's what it came with. I was a complete novice when I bought this system. Rest assured, when it comes time to update to Longhorn, it'll be Linux for me. I am greatful to Bill Gates. I acknowledge that nobody else has done more to promote personal computing. However, I also respect Renault for inventing the car, but I wouldn't have one. They've all got fat arses.:o) It wisnae' me |
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In reply to: is it not possible that in the first 6 months (as a novice) that mistakes you made may have contributed to the problems you had. i was a complete novice when i got my first computer and believe me in the first 6 months i made mistakes, mainly by trying to run before i had learned to walk. and i congratulate you on learning so much about computers in less than a year. I don't toe any party line if i don't like something i'll get rid of it. but i haven't had that many problems with microsoft and most problems i have had have been my own doing. i use slimbrowser simply because it has more functions than IE not because IE is a problem. I've also noticed that there is a tendency these day's to attack anything that is successful. so as far as toeing the party line goes you are as guilty as anyone, but the line you are toeing relates to the tall poppy syndrome, as soon as something or someone becomes successful, chop it down. My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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You're right about my initial inexperience causing some of my problems. I hold my hands up to that. However recently, due to a brief change of abode, I was forced to use IE and OE for a time. Slow, unwieldy and insecure. What's wrong with supporting the little guy (Mozilla)? Finally, as you yourself use an alternative browser, pots and kettles spring to mind. It wisnae' me |
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"It's for everything with a chip in it to be run by Microsoft." does that include your shoulder sTs ;-) There are alternative os's out there for free which are more secure ie Linux, freebsd. But are people willing to take the time to learn more complex operating systems to gain better security? My only gripe with IE is the dreaded activeX; or more correctly, the initial settings of security on IE when its run. In my own experience, I have had problems with spyware (granted, not all spyware comes this route, but alot does!) and had to evaluate my security settings (which I thoight were high enough anyway!) Personally, I use WIN98; why? cos it was on my PC when I had it built. I figure owning a PC is like owning a car. You dont have to be a mechanic to own a car, but it helps if you know a little about how it works (eg changing oil tyres etc) to make it work better for you. And the same is true about PC's. As has already been said, if it wasnt for Mr Gates, most homes wouldnt have acces to pc's or even the net. What I feel Microsoft could have done is given away a brief guide to windows and how to tweak security settings on IE, outlook etc. Common things that could be the difference between getting a virus/trojan/spyware, and not getting one, in laymans terms IMHO. and BTW DOS was written by Microsoft ;-) (anybody remember windows 3.1 - I'm showing my age here lol) |
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you talk about not wanting to own a renault, that's fair enough, but take the mini for instance, there are not many people still driving the old mini's, but you can't take away the impact they had on the car market and car buyers,it's the same with windows, anything that is invented and released to the public is going to be modified and altered by other people trying to make it better,cheaper,easier to use etc. but no-one has brought out a better easier to use os than windows. and if they have they haven't marketed it properly. everything we use today has been improved upon over the years, televisions were black and white when they first came out and eventually they changed to colour. does that mean that the first black and white televisions were rubbish.? every time something new is released it is a challenge to other developers to improve on it. because no one has produced and marketed a better os than windows, don't blame microsoft. windows is attacked by virus writers because it is the most popular, it is the virus writers at fault not microsoft. when some little toe rag steals my car I'm hardly going to blame ford, because they didn't make it thief proof. it wouldn't matter how secure ford made the car, someone would come up with a way of getting in to it. it's not ford's fault that the world is full of morons.so when you buy a car you take responsibility for it's security, you fit an alarm system, or you fit an immobiliser,or a steering lock.the same goes with a computer, you have to take steps to ensure it's security, because there are morons out there intent on wrecking it for everyone. microsoft released a product that appealed to the public and brought them into the world of computing. and it works. how many security holes are there in linux or any of the other systems, they haven't been tested yet. because the whizz kids aren't interested in them. so don't mind me sticking with windows and bill gates, and i don't give a monkeys how rich he get's, good luck to him. it is morons writing viruses that get microsoft a bad name not microsoft. ( now where's that bottle of cabernet sauvignon i was drinking) My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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I don't think the Mini is the best analogy you could have used. The original Mini, designed by Alex Issigonis, was intended to fulfill four criteria. 1. It should be small 2. It should be cheap to buy and run 3. It should be spacious 4. It should be low maintenance The original Mini achieved all of these objectives. Can the same be said for BMW's interpretation? It's bigger than many cars on the market today It's now relatively expensive compared to other cars in it's market sector It has proportionally less interior space than the original It can't be serviced at home without access to incredibly expensive diagnostic equipment IMHO I think this is where Bill Gates is trying to take the PC. In ten years time when things start to go wrong you can forget about fixing it yourself. It'll be off to the service centre for the men in white coats to drool over, at great cost to you. No, give me open source any day. At least when something goes wrong I can go to their, usually incredibly helpful, forums, and talk to people who have a genuine love and respect for their respective programs. These things matter to me. I'll take the 1275GT with a skimmed head, Janspeed manifold and twin 40's thank you very much. It wisnae' me |
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Windows achieves all these In reply to: In reply to: Two different people can buy the same product and one will lay their life on the line about it being the best thing since sliced bread, the other person would probably disagree viciously. What do you do ? If applied to O/S and the amount of complaints to one or the other, obviously more people have Windows installed, more complaints-less people other O/S less complaints. % wise who do you choose ? Also add to the above council, political party, trade union pub landlords etc.etc. What the f*** (flip) do you want ? If you're so unhappy with Microsoft products throw it through the "windows", if it is raining put your "mac" on and "linux" off. XP Home-768MB-60GB-AMD 2400+-IE6-BT Broadband-500ml Stella. ...nothing's foolproof to a talented fool.
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Talk about missing the point mate? A little paranoia works a whole lot better than blind acceptance of the way things are. It wisnae' me |
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There is there is a difference between paranoia and caution!! Please post your query to the boards as many hands make light work, and I'm not talking electricians! If your problem is solved, let us know so that others can learn. |
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There seems to be a misconception here. I'm not slagging windows. The objects of my ire are Internet Explorer and Outlook Express ( you can throw in WiMP if you want?). I've never used anything other than Windows and Amiga Workbench. My point about changing to Linux is that, if an open source browser can work perfectly for six months, and if an open source e-mail client can also work in a similar fashion for the same period, without any "security updates", then why not change the entire OS. Apple anybody. Iknow I brought the subject up but that last response has me beat in the paranoia stakes. It wisnae' me |
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As has been pointed, Of course Linux going to work well for six months or more, there is no one trying to find holes in it. Very very few people bother to find the security weaknesses in Linux, because if you are one of the lowlife types that write virii and trojans, you are hardly going to gain any kudos amongst that community for writing a virus that potentially attacks 5% of the worlds' computers.... hmmm it's open source so anyone can find the holes there. Microsoft Windows is different. The vast majority of it's code is secret, so what better way to prove your ability than to crack that. Please post your query to the boards as many hands make light work, and I'm not talking electricians! If your problem is solved, let us know so that others can learn. |
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And your point is? It wisnae' me |
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My point is the people to be vilifying are not Microsoft but the people forever trying to bring systems down. I mean do you go around your neighbourhood, looking for ways into your neighbours house? Please post your query to the boards as many hands make light work, and I'm not talking electricians! If your problem is solved, let us know so that others can learn. |
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Well Gordon Bain do you? I love puta as much as I love this forum |
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No of course I don't do that. Have you any idea how far Digital Rights Management will go? Have you no imagination? Think about the possibilities? Folks like me won't be able to use the interweb because it will be far too expensive. I think dissent is a good thing. You protest too much. i don't give a damn what browser you use. That's your prerogative. But please don't deride those who use aternatives. We have principles. Something you don't see very often. It wisnae' me |
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I - You're kidding yourself if you don't think other apps (Linux, Mac, whatever) have security holes in them. In the last few days, no fewer than THREE security exploits in OpenSSL (which may webservers use for their 'secure' server part) have been revealed. But it often seems the holes in many of Microsoft's products tend to be of the large and STUPID type. Microsoft wants to tightly integrate the operating system with the browser/email/etc. Personally, I think it's a bad idea: a hole in one becomes a hole in the other, or "one light goes out they all go out." I'm not a security expert, so take that with a grain of salt. II - I don't like Microsoft as a company. Wake up people, these are convicted predatory monopolists we're talking about here! This goes beyond just trying to make money. And from the sound of it, the EU might be hitting them a little harder than the slap on the wrist Dubya & co let em off with. III - I hate Internet Explorer. It would be nice if I could just write any webpage I like according to the standards and not have to worry about browser compatibility. But alas, I try to use standards like CSS and PNG to their fullest, and I find IE turns around and tells me "[ah em!] you." Mozilla's renderer is the best overall, and Opera's ain't too far back. I've never tried KHTML (used by Konqueror on Linux and Apple's Safari browser) but I'm betting it ain't too shabby. But apparently Microsoft feels that having a little save bar pop up with images is more important than rendering documents properly. |
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Going back to the neighbourhood ananlogy, if you do get broken into, do you blame the police, or do you blame the householder who left their house insecure Nobody here was deriding those whose use alternative browser. In fact it is more likely to be the other way round. Other browsers have been mentioned, but they use Internet Explorer as a base. Nobody who go around using the alternatives to the mainstream don't get knocked by themainstream. It is those who don't who, as a rule, feel they are superior. Somebody mentioned how friendly and helpful the main opposition operating systems forums were. I personally found it the opposite. I used red hat for a year. Yes, it was stable (no moreso though than XP) and yes it did perform what it was meant to do, but when I did have a problem posted on 6 different forums, I was either ignored, met with indifference, or called a fool. At least Micro$oft users usually can find somewhere, such as the users on here who are more than willing to help you out. Please post your query to the boards as many hands make light work, and I'm not talking electricians! If your problem is solved, let us know so that others can learn. |
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http://www.zdnet.co.uk/talkback/?PROCESS=show&ID=20016353&AT=39143733-39020645t-10000019c And... http://www.stargeek.com/item/79377.html More??????....... http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2000/0703/6515254a_print.html Scroll down to, "Sharing the wealth" #1? Bill Gates..........$20.8 BILLION Greedy B*****D isn't he?
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at least he is sharing it around. good on him.i wish i could come up something to generate that sort of wealth, i was thinking of selling my body on ebay.but after second thoughts. 50p wouldn't help much. My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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Hell Bricat, don't be so optimistic! You will be lucky if you fetch 5p. I love puta as much as I love this forum |
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feast your eyes, but keep your hands off, LOL
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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What the hell am I supposed to say to that!!!!!!!!! I love puta as much as I love this forum |
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only joking, this is me
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
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I bet none of you remember CP/M. Who knows how this might have developed if it had not been killed off by Microsoft? And talking of Windows, wasn't it really Steve Jobs who invented the Windows-type interface? I seem to remember the Mac addicts at my place of work using windows-style software when we were still using window-less DOS on our PCs |
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I vuagly remember C/PM. Didnt that run on Z80 processors? i know it was a sort of msdos type o/s and we used it a bit when i was at college, but msdos was more widely used. From what i remember of it, it was on networked machines and we just used it to send silly messages acros the network to each other. |
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No idea what the hell you are on about but your avatar is doing my head in!! I love puta as much as I love this forum |
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If something like , or worse, is doing your head in, press " Stop " at top. You can now read posts in peace, but you knew that, didn't you ? |
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I didn't but I do now. I love puta as much as I love this forum |