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@ 2004/09/14This one is for Duron 
Note that there is a crucial difference between saying that Windows should ship with X features off, and saying that, if you find X feature running, you should immediately panic and turn it off yourself. Some things need to be enabled for other things to work, and your system's dependencies will vary widely according to how you connect to the Internet, which applications you run, what you actually do with your machine, and so on.
Our point was - and remains - that it is the box's owner who should enable the needed services, features, and components, not Microsoft (or Dell, or HP, etc). And we faulted Microsoft for making this business entirely too difficult for the average user to accomplish.
Nevertheless, Reg readers have, in rather large numbers, been dutifully going through our list of questionable features and services, disabling everything in sight, and innocently sabotaging their Windows boxen.
We beg you to stop.
Note that there is a crucial difference between saying that Windows should ship with X features off, and saying that, if you find X feature running, you should immediately panic and turn it off yourself. Some things need to be enabled for other things to work, and your system's dependencies will vary widely according to how you connect to the Internet, which applications you run, what you actually do with your machine, and so on.
Our point was - and remains - that it is the box's owner who should enable the needed services, features, and components, not Microsoft (or Dell, or HP, etc). And we faulted Microsoft for making this business entirely too difficult for the average user to accomplish.
Nevertheless, Reg readers have, in rather large numbers, been dutifully going through our list of questionable features and services, disabling everything in sight, and innocently sabotaging their Windows boxen.
We beg you to stop.
