OT: Microsoft Settlement, Class Action Options

[d7n7master]

Hi All (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wavey.gif)
If you haven't heard, us Cal folks have some microsoft money coming our way.
Wouldn't want any of us 2 miss-out. Hurry quick. 1/8/05 is the last postmark accepted.
Quick!!! Go to:
www.microsoftcalsettlement.com (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif)

[bondo]

I usually figure these things are scams, but this appears to be real...

Nice of them to research it for us (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

[bondo]

I find it creepy that the claim form opens in internet explorer despite going to the site in firefox...

[d7n7master]

Oh, it's real - Just mailed my form in today. I wouldn't have posted if I hadn't checked it out!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/bootyshake.gif)
Hurry up & download the form. Day after tomorrow is too late!
Cheers, Gary

[skline]

Rant/

Well, I for one think the lawsuit is a crock of caca. Microsoft came up with a better mousetrap and other companies are jealous and felt the need to waste our tax dollars and our precious court system to sue a big company. I would no sooner try to collect from them than take money from another member here. I think it is wrong and a bunch of crap. I am so sick of people trying to sue because they feel they were treated unfailry. The product was not defective, it did what it was supposed to do and half of the people I know never paid for any of the software they use anyway. Its like this, you come up with an idea that makes billions of dollars and some guy who is jealous because he didnt think of it decides to sue you and take it away from you. Everybody trying to get something for nothing. Greedy people will be the fall of our economy I can promise you this. Like the union people that want more money for what they do. The average longshoreman makes about 96k a year and they have the best benefits money can buy and they keep asking for more. Thats all fine and dandy, the shipping companies have to charge more for shipping so they pass that on to their customers who pass it on to you and so on. So when you go to the store and see that something that used to only cost $3.00 is now 8 or 10 bucks, you know why. Its a viscious cycle that is growing exponentially. It wont be long till everything crashes down hard. I think it will be in my lifetime too. You heard it here first! Mark my words.

End rant/

[Part Pricer]

Nice rant Scott. But it's not about product, it's about practices.

"violations of California state law as well as violations of federal antitrust law that serve as predicates to state law claims of unfair competition"

If you break the law, you should pay the price. Or are you suggesting something else?


But, I make a lot of money off of Microsoft products. Perhaps some of these people can use their newfound funds to pay you to fix their problems.

"The day Microsoft makes a product that doesn't suck is the day they make a vacuum cleaner."

[bondo]

Here's the way I see it.. The lawsuit went through the legal system and the end result was this settlement. In theory, if Microsoft hadn't done anything illegal, it would not have gotten to the point of paying end users. If Microsoft DID do everything on the up and up, and this lawsuit ended with them paying end users, i would consider this wrong. The fault in that would be in our legal system, not in the end user. For the most part I trust our legal system, unless I have a reason not to. To my understanding it isn't a matter of the product, but the practices of the corporation. From where I sit it looks like Microsoft did break laws, and is being punished for it.

Note: This is not a rant. I am only stating my opinion, and some of my limited knowledge of the goings-on of the computer industry. I realize others have different opinions, and I respect that. I just want to show where I am coming from.

[airsix]

QUOTE (skline @ Jan 7 2005, 03:01 PM)

Rant/ Well, I for one think the lawsuit is a crock of caca. Microsoft came up with a better mousetrap and other companies are jealous ...

Uh-Oh. Clay P. has hijacked Scott's bbs account! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif)

-Ben M.

[skline]

Ok, Let me add something else.

Law suits of big companies that were totally stupid and should have been thrown out.

A family goes out and buys a cool three wheels ATV for some desert fun. They go out to the desert and thier 10 year old son goes out and jumps on the trike with no helmet and twists the throttle all the way and flips it over on top of himself breaking his neck and dies. The family sues the manufacturer and wins. Why? The manufacturer didnt flip it over on the dumbshit kid. The manufacturer didnt leave it where the kid could jump on and ride it in a way it was not intended for. Its the damn parents fault for not supervising their child properly. I say "Sue the parents"

Next:
You pull into a drive through resturant and order coffee, You pay for that nice hot cup of coffee and continue to drive in your car. Did you order cold coffee? No, you ordered hot coffee. Is it their fault you were stupid and spilled it in your lap? You should not have been driving with a hot cup of coffee in the first place. Thats like talking on the damn phone while you drive 80 mph in a school zone in your SUV.

Next:
You buy a gun for home defense, it is your right, you have the gun at home in a locked cabinet like you should, right? Not everyone is that smart. They leave loaded guns where children can find them and play with them. Is it the manufacturers fault? I think not. Or a burglar breaks into your home and you shoot him. His relatives sue you for wrongful death. Whats wrong with that picture?

Next:
You go to the doctors office for medical treatment, they wont see you without insurance or payment up front. You get all upset and say its not fair. Why do they have to charge so much you ask? You try to pay for the malpractice insurance they have to have because there are so many cry baby ninnies out there trying to sue for any reason at all.


The whole damn country has turned in to a bunch of panty waste cry baby sissies. If you fall down, get up and move on, dont sue the store cause they were trying to keep it clean for you. If you buy a gun, lock it up so your kids cant get at it. If you have something dangerous, know that it is dangerous if used improperly. If you smoke, why would you want to sue the cigarette manufacturers? Did they force you to smoke? Did they force you to smoke in your home with your kids there? They only make the product, it should be your responsibility to use it safely and correctly. I dont see anyone trying to sue the liquor maunufacturers yet people die everyday from drunk drivers. I know there are exceptions to everything, but for the most part, dont blame someone else for your mistake, take it like a man and resolve it and hope it doesnt happen again.

Ok, Im done, sorry I am so opinionated, this shit really bugs me.

[carambola]

my impression was microsoft was prosecuted for protecting it's intellectual rights. it's not really a monoply to me, just lacking a soild competitor.




Henry waiting for a Louis

[scotty914]

if you ask me class action lawsuits are a bunch of bs any way the average person in one gets 5 or 6 bucks and the laywers make millions. they were invented to stop multible law suits based on the same thing but now they just make laywers rich. if you ask me just fine the piss out of somebody, not pay 1 million people 5 bucks.

[SLITS]

Boy Scott, quitting smoking sure put your panties in a wad. I really hate to agree with you on anything but I will on "law suits" and in the same breath will add "workman's comp", but this thread is way to political so.............

Howard....delete it! (secret message to Popluation Mind Control Center (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/finger.gif) )

[Brando]

Agreed scott... but the problem is that people dont observe or practicxe common sense. there is a reason why other countries call the US the "nanny state". Our childre are educated not to question, not observe, and if things don't go their way... sue sue sue... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/dry.gif)

[Rhodes71/914]

Sorry gotta go with the Scotts on this one we are to litigous of a society. Can't weigh in on the Microsoft thing exactly but his second post is right on. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/clap.gif)

[Dr Evil]

In the big picture, I agree with Scott. However, I reacently was offered part in a class action aimed at Ford regarding their TFI module that was defective and largely a POS. This module would fail when heated and cause the car to shut down and cost a couple of hundred to fix. It was a very poorly designed part places in the hottest part of the engine. I believe that if they were proven to have known about it and not to have fixed it, they were liable to pay for the problem. I still didn't lie and say my car had less than 100K miles before the deadline and such. Now Ford seems to recall their cars for any problem which is good, but they sure do it often for each model which is not so good. Everything has a down side. Just my humble opinion.

Scott, pop a niccorrett! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/bootyshake.gif) You know I love ya man. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif)

[TimT]

I was part of the Ford Explorer Firestone tire class action. I got a letter saying we won (all 2 million of us or so LOL)

Havent seen a cent yet (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/confused24.gif)

[nebreitling]

QUOTE (skline @ Jan 7 2005, 03:01 PM)

Greedy people will be the fall of our economy I can promise you this.

but one of the issues in any anti-trust suit is greed, so to single out just the microsoft users seems a bit odd. ie microsoft is just as damn greedy (if not more), thus this case.

hell it frankly looks like everyone is greedy: the doctors and the patients; the computer company and its users; the coffee maker and it's coffee drinkers.

but i'm a bit of a marxist, so f--k it anyway.


btw, that slickdeals.net website is hilarious! nice find!

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif)

[iiibdsiil]

What about the guy that bought an RV, set the cruise control, and went to piss, and the thing crashed? He won. No one informed him he couldn't do that.

Can I jump out of a car at 80 mph, and say no one told me I couldn't do that?

[Dr Evil]

Is that for real?

How about the guy who broke into someones house and tripped on a lamp cord that was extended across the halway floor. He sued the owner and won. (so I have heard).

Blame the jury of our peers!

[iiibdsiil]

The guy at my FLAPS read it in an RV magazine he subscribes too.