09-04-2002, 11:00 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Pocket PCs banned in Greece!
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-956357.html?tag=fd_top
"The Greek government has banned all electronic games across the country, including those that run on home computers, on Game Boy-style portable consoles, and on mobile phones."
Pocket PCs, with contraband in their ROM in the form of Solitaire, a core part of the Windows operating system, would be subject to the ban. It is unknown at this point if Microsoft will remove Solitaire from the next Pocket PC or provide ROM upgrades with the popular handheld game removed. It is not really known if this is possible. Several times during the Microsoft Anti-Trust Trial, the courts tried to have Solitaire removed claiming it gave Microsoft an unfair advantage over its competitors that developed addictive card games, but failed each time. "We tried to remove SOL.EXE from the Windows operating system to demonstrate it could be done" said Jeff McQuirdy of OldCardGames.com which makes its own version of Solitaire "but when rebooted, the OS would give a bugcheck error. I guess it really is a critical part of the OS."
Thanks to Robert Litchfield for the link and the boneheads in the Greek legislature for passing this law. Now those of us in the United States can breathe a sigh of relief that we only have some of the dumbest laws on the books, but not the dumbest. 
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09-04-2002, 11:14 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,023
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Quote:
The Greek government introduced the law in an attempt to prevent illegal gambling. According to a report in the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Greek police will be responsible for catching offenders, who will face fines of 5,000 to 75,000 euros (about $4,980 to $74,650) and imprisonment of one to 12 months. "The blanket ban was decided in February after the government admitted it was incapable of distinguishing innocuous video games from illegal gambling machines," the report said.
Thousands of tourists in Greece are unknowingly facing heavy fines or long terms in prison for owning mobile phones or portable video games. ... The law applies equally to visitors from abroad
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:evil: Agreed... the dumbest law I've ever heard of. Guess we can only hope this is canceled in time? Not that I ever plan on visiting Greece, but I don't want this giving other countries ideas. Not only is it unbelievable they can't tell Mario from a gambling machine, I wonder how long it's going to be before they ban all gaming period? That game of tag could be illegal! Quick, arrest them!
If someone from the US ever gets a huge fine or arrested for this, there had better be some serious noise made.
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09-04-2002, 11:17 AM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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I just saw the same news on ZDNet and was sending out emails to my colleagues who all travel internationally.
I still can't believe this is true. There's only one article regarding this, but it was written by ZDNet UK journalists. Can anyone find any supporting information regarding this?
If this is true, this is definitely unbelievably whacked. Supposedly they were trying to crack down on on-line gambling... sorry I don't see the connection...
Ekkie
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09-04-2002, 11:29 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 51
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If this is true, my faith in the intelligence of legislators has taken another blow. With the extent to which gaming has permeated our lives, this is up there with the prohibition, or suddenly - and compulsorily - switching the country to a strict Islamic state. Phones, PCs, handhelds are all effectively banned; jobs will be lost; Greece will drop off the radar of a decent proportion of the net community. I can't believe the Greek government could do this to their own people! Exactly how much damage is illegal gambling doing, anyway? This seems like punching yourself *really hard* in the face to kill a fly on your nose. 
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09-04-2002, 11:43 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 8
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funy or sad
This proves only that reality can be funny and sad at the same time.
It also proves that IT people should rule the world :lol:
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09-04-2002, 11:44 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 541
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So much wrong.. not only is the whole solitare issue stupid, and wrong (they can really take out the game.. you can't expect me to think solitare is a critical part of the OS.. sounded like a ROM CRC error caused by removing the game. Or a "last minute change")
These laws never last, I remember some country trying this before.
And I've seen many sites report about it.. it's most certinely true.
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09-04-2002, 12:04 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 40
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So ... no Solitaire ... no Windows ... I wonder how long the Greece economy can live with 90% of their PCs without an operating system :wink: IF this is real, it is a goot shot "to humiliate the nation in front of the entire world", as 'The Register' puts it.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26939.html
So how are the Olympics going to happen w/o Windows? Is Chess really dangerous? Does a Gameboy make you an enemy of the state? Questions over questions ...
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09-04-2002, 12:33 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 47
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Eciton
If this is true, my faith in the intelligence of legislators has taken another blow. With the extent to which gaming has permeated our lives, this is up there with the prohibition, or suddenly - and compulsorily - switching the country to a strict Islamic state.
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hmmm if you try to comment something, please make sure you know what you are talking about! Greece isn't Islamic at all! The main Religion is Greek Orthodox; it might be a neighbor of Turkey, which is Islamic but it is a world apart too!
Ok to comment on the actual article, this never will stand a chance in European courts where freedom of speech and information is a big issue! We probably will see a lot of cases being brought to the European Union Courts, which is a waste of time and money of all European people! This kind of ban is so stupid that I didn�t believe the articles I read about it at first... Will be interesting to follow what will happen the next few months though, especially when foreign people on vacation get fines or will be imprisoned for having a mobile phone with them on their vacation (or kids get robbed from their Gameboy by custom officers)! Imagine what a blow this will bring to the tourism there.
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09-04-2002, 12:51 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 10
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I just couldn't stand not to comment on this. I should mention that I'm a greek citizen and I'm realy ashamed because of the whole situation.
The problem was that many internet cafe in Greece were using their computers for illegal gambling and the government tried to do something about it.
It sure didn't take the right decision when introducing this law. I don't think it will stand too much though. It was a very quick decision.
Consider this. Computer games may be banned but buying computer games from computer stores isn't illegal. So you can buy a game but you can not use it.
All newspapers in Greece are having articles against this and it shouldn't be long until this law is withdrawn or change to ban software that really has to do with illegal gambling and not solitaire!!!!
Give me back my pride in front of the world please...
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09-04-2002, 01:11 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 47
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Quote:
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"We tried to remove SOL.EXE from the Windows operating system to demonstrate it could be done" said Jeff McQuirdy of OldCardGames.com which makes its own version of Solitaire "but when rebooted, the OS would give a bugcheck error. I guess it really is a critical part of the OS."
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Is that a joke?? My God, are there really people this gullible living on the same planet as me above the age of 4? Or did Microsoft just pay these guys off to say that and keep their fingers crossed?
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