[dirtypirate]

Please GOD no, keep RIM pure!

[TBOLTRAM]

Originally Posted by LunkHead

Microsoft destroys everything they touch! Need I say more than MinMe and Vista????

Microsoft Explained
4 times the CPU MIP requirement
1/3 the functionality
1/10 the reliablity
No security

It takes of lot of software bloat and CPU horsepower to make the backdoors invisible.

Any questions?

[theBorg]

Ha Ha! Of all the whining people do about MS, my favorite is the backdoor take.

Remember the anti-trust case back in the 90's? So funny. It started as a case of MS suing small competitors to death. They got off with a slap on the hand for packaging their browser with the OS. What a bargain. Shortly thereafter the very detailed tracking of your computer use appeared... with 5x redundancy. And 1 or 2 of the copies not erasable even by a crack superuser genius hacker. Had to be a back room deal.

[TBOLTRAM]

Borg,
I was being serious and I think you were too.

A thought about a possible merger made in hell: at&t with Microsoft. Likely the NSA would approve before it was ever discussed/disclosed publicly.

Just because you are paranoid does not mean they are not actually after you.

[theBorg]

Yup - re: the back door.

But I'm not an MS hater. I'm only a user of XP and the Office products. In my experience they're rock solid. I'd avoid their web apps like the clap.

[Mariscal]

NOOO I hope thats is another Yahoo syndrome

[Mariscal]

Watch PALM experience when Windows fall in Treos the company FALL

[bakerfall]

This thread is a year old, I think this rumor has already died

[michael12005]

I think it is a great idea. BlackBerry is way behind in R & D and they will be taken to the cleaners by Apple with their new 3 g i phone, even though it is an inferior product because it is still too slow and the email function is not up to par with Blackberry.

But that is what folk ant- atouch screen device with GPS, music and a great web browser.

Microsoft would inject huge capital and then be able to go head to head with Apple.

[Sith_Apprentice]

this Rumor is over a year old.... not really a need to discuss it. it was BS then, and still is now. As for RIM being taken to the cleaners by Apple, i call BS on that too. We will see another 2+ million net add quarter for RIM.

[Mill1978]

Wow!!!!!!!!! Somebody brought the dead back with this one

[Codito]

Wirelessly posted

Especially since blackberry has much higher market penetration and sells a lot more units than apple.

[navkat]

I don't know...I see it as having both pros and cons.

Pros: Whether people like to admit it or not; MS brings a lot to the table. Better device-to-pc interface, smarter menu functions (c'mon, you gotta admit; BB's user interface can be counter-intuitive at times), constantly improving web-capabilities (on par with web 3.0), and the invaluable access to Microsoft's security knowledge-base in the form of real-time security updates to start.

Cons: Obvious development/application bias, DRM "protections" would most certainly be a problem and discouraged individualized use (No more non-sanctioned mods or cracks), MS's weak quality assurance ethics and probability of increased security risk (An MS -driven Blackberry would most certainly be a target for malicious attacks).

It looks like it's a moot point now, but if we were stuck with a MS buyout, there'd at least be some positives.

[usblues1965]

Just an update to this rumor thread. I ran across this story this morning.

http :// www .engadget .com /2008 /10 /10 /is -microsoft -finally -close- to -snatching -up -rim/

[usblues1965]

I know the link doesn't work. I don't have 10 posts yet so I can't put up links.

[jtor]

Link posted without comment. Make up your own mind.

Plunge in RIM's shares could attract takeover bid | Deals | Reuters

[usblues1965]

Originally Posted by jtor

Link posted without comment. Make up your own mind.

Plunge in RIM's shares could attract takeover bid | Deals | Reuters

That is a very interesting story.

[usblues1965]

Even tho this is ONLY a rumor ( a vicious one at that). IF a buyout were to occur, I wonder what changes MS would make to RIM, if any at all. From what I have learned since buying my first BB and joining this forum, is that one of the most attractive features of the BB architecture is it's security. It appears that a good number of the users of BB's not only like the security, but require it. We also know that security is NOT a strong suit of MS. So would MS even be able to make any changes to BB's os outside of maybe enabling the phones to view flashbased content?

[Johnny909]

Microsoft In Motion

Research In Soft

Whatever

The name deal will just not every really work out, i.e., no sale.

[ArgonNJ]

Originally Posted by usblues1965

Even tho this is ONLY a rumor ( a vicious one at that). IF a buyout were to occur, I wonder what changes MS would make to RIM, if any at all. From what I have learned since buying my first BB and joining this forum, is that one of the most attractive features of the BB architecture is it's security. It appears that a good number of the users of BB's not only like the security, but require it. We also know that security is NOT a strong suit of MS. So would MS even be able to make any changes to BB's os outside of maybe enabling the phones to view flashbased content?

If M$ did buy RIM, it would only be to put it out of business and out of competition with Win Mobile. It doesn't matter that the BB is more stable or secure, M$'s position is that their product is always best, no matter what the truth is. With RIM out of the way, they would be the defacto standard for mobile devices in North America as Android is still too new and mobile OSX is limited to one device. At that point security would matter little to M$, as you would have no choice in the matter.

Remember M$xxx8217;s motto xxx8220;embrace, extend and extinguishxxx8221;. Theyxxx8217;ve done it before, they WILL do it again. To think otherwise is foolish.