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ForumsDiscussion Forum → Microsoft and American economy
12
Microsoft and American economy
2004-07-03, 6:55 AM #1
Microsoft, like any major corporation, is controversial. Many fear its evil plans to take over the United States of America, then the rest of the continent, then the rest of the world, and then the entire galaxy! Those who do not, object to its policies or simply think all its products suck.

But hasn't Microsoft affected the US economy in a wonderful way, a way that should leave nations without an economy booster of such magnitude envious? Can even the Grand Lord of the Empire of Anti-Microsoftites, [screenname of a certain Massassi forum-goer] himself object to this claim? Shouldn't Americans be grateful for Microsoft, not just bash it for shoddy coding and bad business policies? (I do realize that they do not all bash it, and that those who have been "made redundant" as Microsoft employees have every right to do so. I haven't studied Microsoft's employee policies, how are they? Do they move production to cheap-labor countries and lay off American employees?)
Looks like we're not going down after all, so nevermind.
2004-07-03, 6:58 AM #2
my gripe list against microsoft:

http://www.euronet.nl/users/frankvw/rants/microsoft/IhateMS.html




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The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time. Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell Inc., IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.
2004-07-03, 6:59 AM #3
I sense a flame-war...

What I don't get, is if everyone hates Microsoft (as some would have us believe), then why do millions of people still buy their products? I figure that MS must be doing something right, or they would be bankrupt by now.

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"May your gravity well be shallow, and your deBroglie wavelength short."
Stuff
2004-07-03, 7:36 AM #4
If ya hate it why do ya use thier OS.... [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]
2004-07-03, 7:57 AM #5
Because the vast majority of computer users are not in an intellectual demographic of the sort to realize that there even /are/ other software products than Microsoft ones.

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[Blue Mink Bifocals !] [fsck -Rf /world/usr/] [<!-- kalimonster -->] [Capite Terram]
"If all those usefull inventions that are lyable to abuse, should therefore be concealed, there is not any Art or Science, which might be lawfully profest."
-John Wilkins, Mercury, or the Secret and Swift messenger, shewing how a man may with privacy and speed Communicate his thoughts to a Friend at any distance (London, 1641)
NPC.Interact::PressButton($'Submit');
Also, I can kill you with my brain.
2004-07-03, 8:18 AM #6
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:
If ya hate it why do ya use thier OS.... [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif] </font>



B/c photoshop won't work in linux.



------------------
The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time. Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell Inc., IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.
2004-07-03, 9:19 AM #7
/waits for GBK
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-07-03, 9:30 AM #8
Exactly! It must people like to make programs for Windows, duno why but they did, and now, you use XP for running programs, which you can't use on other OS's. Mac won't work because they won't let you build your own MAC, so there's no compatition. I may be wrong but I don't think Linux is that gret for gaming...
2004-07-03, 10:25 AM #9
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Because the vast majority of computer users are not in an intellectual demographic of the sort to realize that there even /are/ other software products than Microsoft ones.
</font>
Or it could be that we have lives outside of computers and don't care about little things.

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Massassi: We don't debate. We *****.

[This message has been edited by Kieran Horn (edited July 03, 2004).]
Democracy: rule by the stupid
2004-07-03, 12:30 PM #10
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:
Exactly! It must people like to make programs for Windows, duno why but they did, and now, you use XP for running programs, which you can't use on other OS's. Mac won't work because they won't let you build your own MAC, so there's no compatition. I may be wrong but I don't think Linux is that gret for gaming... </font>


You know, I'm not a grammar nazi, at least not by nature, but I've always wondered how you think you can hold a valid argument when you can't even spell five-letter, common, everyday words. We all make typos, just I know that /I/ fix them when I mess up, especially if I'm making a point.

Anyways, I use it for gaming compatibility. That doesn't mean I like any other aspect of it. I wish I could run linux, truly I do, but linux doesn't like my monitor (some old unstandard emachines POS), so I get to wait for my 19" CRT, at which point I have an ATi card so that pretty much renders that useless.

And just to say something, I hate M$, but I can't bring myself to hate Gates. He's the largest contributor to charity in the nation, maybe even the world. How can you hate a guy that went out to make money, finally made it, then gives a bunch of it away to charity, and isn't even a CEO of his company (and I may be wrong here) because he thinks its practices are immoral. I remember reading it somewhere, I COULD be wrong. But the guy's a nice guy either way.


/endrant

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There is no signature
D E A T H
2004-07-03, 12:32 PM #11
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Pagewizard_YKS:

B/c photoshop won't work in linux.
</font>


What about the GIMP though? That's a pretty good program, IMO.

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GhostOfYoda - General doer of stuff.
Massassi's Official Chatroom: irc.synirc.com #massassi
2004-07-03, 1:02 PM #12
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by kyle90:
What I don't get, is if everyone hates Microsoft (as some would have us believe), then why do millions of people still buy their products? I figure that MS must be doing something right, or they would be bankrupt by now.
</font>


No idea.

[http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

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Map-Review | My Portfolio | The Matrix: Unplugged

Blown away by the force of the world, woken up by the sound of siren. It's genocide.
2004-07-03, 2:09 PM #13
And how would the economy have done had Microsoft not illegally forced hundreds of other companies out of business? How would the economy had been if really good technology innovators had been allowed to continue to break the barriers of what is possible instead of getting bought out by Microsoft and forced to work on the next version of Office?

Why not take the incredible amount of money spent on microsoft's products and compare it to the billions and billions WASTED trying to fix the worlds computers and networks after yet another worm spreads itself through security holes documented years ago but never fixed.

You have to look at the big picture. We (as a country) spend more tax money dealing with MS blunders than we do on the software itself. And guess who MS's largest customer is? You guessed it, the government! That's fancy.

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EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log
2004-07-03, 3:50 PM #14
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:
Mac won't work because they won't let you build your own MAC, so there's no compatition. </font>


Incorrect statement. You CAN build your own Mac. It is not by any means as easy as building a PC however, for obvious reasons. If you want to build a Mac, most of your components will come from scavenged computers. I'm pretty damned sure you can't get a motherboard or processor otherwise. The rest however, can be acquired.

Why do I use the OS then? Mainly becuase most all of my games depend on it. Lets see, if I were to quit using this computer today, and move over to the iMac we own... I'd have everything I need, with the exception of the aforementioned games and Trillian. I do believe those are the only two things I'd be missing. I have Soundtrack and Garage Band for making music. I have iTunes. If I want to change the look of the system there are programs for doing so. I know where I can grab a system monitor very much like Samurize. We have Office, though I could even use AppleWorks instead. I'm not fond of it, but I could get used to it. Who needs IE when you have Safari, and there is FireFox now as well I believe. I can connect to my FTP without a program. I have Photoshop, Bryce, Freehand, etc. I have sound editors...

Hmm... Something to consider here... At least for me. At the most, I could maintain a very basic PC for games and that be all.

I'd never really considered any of that before. Thanks for bringing this up...

------------------
Put me in the hospital for nerves and then they had to commit me,
You told them all I was crazy,
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, God damn you.
============
Frogblast the Vent-Core!
"In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams
Are you finding Ling-Ling's head?
Last Stand
2004-07-03, 3:53 PM #15
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by GhostOfYoda:
What about the GIMP though? That's a pretty good program, IMO.

</font>



yeah, but its just not the same.


------------------
The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time. Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell Inc., IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.
2004-07-03, 3:57 PM #16
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dormouse:
Because the vast majority of computer users are not in an intellectual demographic of the sort to realize that there even /are/ other software products than Microsoft ones.

</font>


most people being those in the U.S., most people outside america are quite intelligent, even those that use MS are intelligent. ther reason why most workplaces don't use MS products is that it costs a fortune to get the licences. I seriously doubt that everyone will go to linux soon, this is just because that there are so many people who use microsoft because it is the only IS they have ever used and they see no point in useing an open source OS if they don't want to risk ****ing up their computer by messing with the OS.

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Those silly bullets have minds of their own!
Jon`C:Irony is spelling 'quality' poorly.
Spork:Well I think 'Irony is spelling grammar poorly'
Snail racing: (500 posts per line)-@%
Snail racing: (500 posts per line)------@%
2004-07-03, 4:31 PM #17
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Pagewizard_YKS:
...http://www.euronet.nl/users/frankvw/rants/microsoft/IhateMS.html</font>


Everyone should read that. Everyone.

------------------
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.
:wq
And when the moment is right, I'm gonna fly a kite.
2004-07-03, 4:32 PM #18
You're not making sense again. (In reference to alpha1)

------------------
Put me in the hospital for nerves and then they had to commit me,
You told them all I was crazy,
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, God damn you.
============
Frogblast the Vent-Core!

[This message has been edited by phoenix_9286 (edited July 03, 2004).]
"In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams
Are you finding Ling-Ling's head?
Last Stand
2004-07-03, 5:12 PM #19
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dormouse:
Because the vast majority of computer users are not in an intellectual demographic of the sort to realize that there even /are/ other software products than Microsoft ones.</font>


They're irrelevant in this discussion as they are also unlikely to hate Microsoft. Hating Microsoft is generally limited to "Super Nerds". They rest of us are not yet enlightened enough to hate MS.



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Have you forgotten ...
"I would rather claim to be an uneducated man than be mal-educated and claim to be otherwise." - Wookie 03:16

2004-07-03, 5:16 PM #20
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Wookie06:
...They rest of us are not yet enlightened enough to hate MS.</font>


Read this and enlighten yourself...

------------------
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.
:wq
And when the moment is right, I'm gonna fly a kite.
2004-07-03, 5:26 PM #21
Hahaha, I love this quote from that article.

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BV's rendition of Titanic: Let's have sex. I won't let go. I don't need this stone.
The End.
~ Wolfy
That painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me.
2004-07-03, 5:27 PM #22
Stupid forum.... this quote:

------------------
"Windows [n.]
A thirty-two bit extension and GUI shell to a sixteen bit patch to an eight bit operating system originally coded for a four bit microprocessor and sold by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition."
That painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me.
2004-07-03, 6:25 PM #23
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Wookie06:
They're irrelevant in this discussion as they are also unlikely to hate Microsoft. Hating Microsoft is generally limited to "Super Nerds". They rest of us are not yet enlightened enough to hate MS.
</font>


If you don't hate MS, I dare say you've got something wrong with you. Even if you DO use their software.

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There is no signature
D E A T H
2004-07-03, 6:43 PM #24
I think the rerason for this MS hatred stems from the fact that MS seems to care more about making money than they do about quality, so as a result, their products tend to be rather buggy and half-a**ed.

Now compare that to linux, which has yet to fail me the way MS has constantly failed me. i'm hardly a linux zealot, but i do know quality when i see it.

As for Gates, I've never met the man so I have nothing personal against him. It's the company and the way business is being done now is what i have a problem with.

------------------
The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time. Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell Inc., IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.
2004-07-03, 7:01 PM #25
I have Windows ME and I have had very few problems with it. *shrugs*

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Massassi: We don't debate. We *****.
Democracy: rule by the stupid
2004-07-03, 7:06 PM #26
Then you are among the 2% of the population of WinME users who have never had a single problem.

------------------
Put me in the hospital for nerves and then they had to commit me,
You told them all I was crazy,
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, God damn you.
============
Frogblast the Vent-Core!
"In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams
Are you finding Ling-Ling's head?
Last Stand
2004-07-03, 7:13 PM #27
I had to use Windows Me once at uni and I HATED it. It seemed like win98 with all of it's flaws ^ 2. Since no one else was around to stop me, i booted up the knoppix Cd I keep with me during the day at Uni when I may need a computer and I finished my work using a Real OS. This may sound strange to some people here, but I will do anything that I have to do to get work done.




------------------
The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time. Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell Inc., IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.
2004-07-03, 7:43 PM #28
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by phoenix_9286:
Then you are among the 2% of the population of WinME users who have never had a single problem.

</font>


Me too. I switched anyway, because XP has pretty colors.

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Map-Review | My Portfolio | The Matrix: Unplugged

Blown away by the force of the word, woken up by the sound of the siren. It's genocide.
2004-07-03, 9:17 PM #29
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Brian:
And how would the economy have done had Microsoft not illegally forced hundreds of other companies out of business? How would the economy had been if really good technology innovators had been allowed to continue to break the barriers of what is possible instead of getting bought out by Microsoft and forced to work on the next version of Office?

Why not take the incredible amount of money spent on microsoft's products and compare it to the billions and billions WASTED trying to fix the worlds computers and networks after yet another worm spreads itself through security holes documented years ago but never fixed.

You have to look at the big picture. We (as a country) spend more tax money dealing with MS blunders than we do on the software itself. And guess who MS's largest customer is? You guessed it, the government! That's fancy.

</font>


I'll have to admit I didn't take any of that into consideration.
Looks like we're not going down after all, so nevermind.
2004-07-03, 9:25 PM #30
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Brian:
And guess who MS's largest customer is? You guessed it, the government! That's fancy.
</font>


Not to discredit you...but...last I checked, the govt. used *nix. Mostly Linux.

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There is no signature
D E A T H
2004-07-04, 12:08 AM #31
No, you are wrong. Virtually every PC in the gov. runs some version of Windows. Hell, most of the servers at the 4 military bases I served in ran Windows as well. We had a couple running Solaris and some really old comps running MS DOS, but mostly things ran Windows.

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EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log
2004-07-04, 4:59 AM #32
Other than networking being a little illogical and some of the 'advanced' functions being very well hidden, I have no gripes with XP at all. It is superior to 98 in every aspect (save perhaps for the aformentioned two, depending on how much trouble you've had with them).

The good thing about a monopoly is that everything works together. I can paste something from Excel straight into Word and it retains exactly the same formatting, and I can even use some of the spreadsheet functions on it. With the Microsoft picture previewer, I can view the picture and then have lots of options with how I want to print it.

Yes, lots of different programs made by different companies may be more specialised but they would never be as compatable with eachother as the various MS programs. If they worked some more on making IE up to scratch then it would be great to have everything all in one. If only IE had mouse gestures...

Having said that, though, IE's tendancy to play movie files in IE using windows media player did irritate me.
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. " - Bertrand Russell
The Triumph of Stupidity in Mortals and Others 1931-1935
2004-07-04, 6:34 AM #33
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Brian:
No, you are wrong. Virtually every PC in the gov. runs some version of Windows. Hell, most of the servers at the 4 military bases I served in ran Windows as well. We had a couple running Solaris and some really old comps running MS DOS, but mostly things ran Windows.

</font>


I know the CIA and NSA and other such branches use *nix then. Dunno about the rest of the government.


And Mort, know what tended to irritate me about IE? The blatant gaping wide security holes which gave me enough virii to have to format my computer twice.

Call me crazy.

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There is no signature

[This message has been edited by Dj Yoshi (edited July 04, 2004).]
D E A T H
2004-07-04, 9:49 AM #34
Having Anti-Virus running all the time in the Background helps with that. Been awhile since I ran a full system check, but I'm 98% sure my system is clean. Norton's has caught anything that could potentially be a virus right as it enters my system and eliminates it. Nothing is fool proof, but it's worked very well for me.

------------------
Put me in the hospital for nerves and then they had to commit me,
You told them all I was crazy,
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, God damn you.
============
Frogblast the Vent-Core!
"In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams
Are you finding Ling-Ling's head?
Last Stand
2004-07-04, 3:24 PM #35
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dj Yoshi:
I know the CIA and NSA and other such branches use *nix then. Dunno about the rest of the government.


And Mort, know what tended to irritate me about IE? The blatant gaping wide security holes which gave me enough virii to have to format my computer twice.

Call me crazy.

</font>


That is why we use anti virus software. you do need to meet your computer half-way.

------------------
Those silly bullets have minds of their own!
Jon`C:Irony is spelling 'quality' poorly.
Spork:Well I think 'Irony is spelling grammar poorly'
Snail racing: (500 posts per line)-@%
Snail racing: (500 posts per line)------@%
2004-07-05, 7:02 AM #36
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by phoenix_9286:
Having Anti-Virus running all the time in the Background helps with that. Been awhile since I ran a full system check, but I'm 98% sure my system is clean. Norton's has caught anything that could potentially be a virus right as it enters my system and eliminates it. Nothing is fool proof, but it's worked very well for me.

</font>


Norton sucks as anti-virus, and background anti-virus programs are very annoying. They block incoming connections for no reason, delete files for no reason other than the fact that they /might/ be tainted, and hog resources. And I'm talking about norton. Besides, the new holes exploited in IE aren't able to be protected by antivirus software.

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There is no signature
D E A T H
2004-07-05, 7:45 AM #37
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Pagewizard_YKS:
...This may sound strange to some people here, but I will do anything that I have to do to get work done.</font>


Doesnt sound strange at all. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mort-Hog:
...The good thing about a monopoly is that everything works together. I can paste something from Excel straight into Word and it retains exactly the same formatting, and I can even use some of the spreadsheet functions on it. With the Microsoft picture previewer, I can view the picture and then have lots of options with how I want to print it....</font>


Youve never used KDE before, have you? KOffice, Konqueror, and all other KDE apps work together in a similar fashon. And they do it very well. Its a beautiful thing.


KDE is not a monopoly, its just a small group of dedicated programmers. You dont need a monopoly to produce quality software, quite the contrary...Microsoft's software sucks because they dont care about quality. Its all about maintaining their monopoly, by any means neccessary. Quality of software doesnt attract new users, only flashey new features and bright colors. So, Micorsoft packs loads of new "features" (Read: bugs) into their software in an effort to get people to buy/upgrade. Quality is irrelevant, if only because your average computer user wouldnt know a quality peice of software if it crawled up his *** and laid eggs.

------------------
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.
:wq
And when the moment is right, I'm gonna fly a kite.
2004-07-05, 8:55 AM #38
It's the 'average computer user' that matters, though.
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. " - Bertrand Russell
The Triumph of Stupidity in Mortals and Others 1931-1935
2004-07-05, 9:05 AM #39
Study: Linux nears Windows XP usability



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"Music is the universal language and the
dialect we speak in is Hip Hop!" - King Solomon
2004-07-05, 9:20 AM #40
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mort-Hog:
It's the 'average computer user' that matters, though.</font>


the source of the problem is computer-illiterate adults that are afraid of technology. They have to understand that a computer doesn't have a self-destruct button they can accidentally push that will destroy the system, so they don't have to be afraid of the technology. Novice users can't really hurt the machine b/c they don't want to go into the important areas, like the registry or system32 folder, where they can do some damage.) Intermediate users that have some technical knowledge and are not afraid to explore the obscure features of windows are the most dangerous b/c they know how to accidentally cause damage, but they don't know how to fix it.



------------------
The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time. Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell Inc., IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.

[This message has been edited by Pagewizard_YKS (edited July 05, 2004).]
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