Participants in our InformationWeek Weblog community spoke out on spam, Linux vs. Vista, and blaming Google.

Spam's Making A Comeback And We're All Stuck With It

• Carl Fink: "You can block all those stupid image-of-ad spam messages with one simple SpamAssassin rule: block all image-only mail. Or all mail with less than 10 words and an image.... If some idiot wants to mail his vacation snaps out with minimal text...he's an idiot and nobody wants to see his snapshot anyway."

How Can Linux Be More Expensive Than Vista?

• Peter PayOnce Not-Twice: "If every PC came with a 'free' boot-only Test Linux CD ... then the $70 paid for Windows would give the purchaser Windows plus a chance to look at Linux. ... Over time, with enough sales of this dual-boot option, the vendor would be assured that there is indeed a market for Linux, and the Window-less PC market would be obvious and profitable."

• Mr E: "Where can I find a list of PC makers that are bound to the MS agreement? Perhaps I will buy my Linux box from someone else."

• Paul: "I've tried the open source and found it lacking. I don't care about community or helping or any of the 'pipe dream' concepts. I need to do a job, I need tools that will fit the task and get the work done. I'm not doing this job because of a higher calling, I'm doing it to get paid. This is business."

Blaming Google Is Just Blaming The Victim:

• CJ: "What I don't understand is why the uproar? Was Google financially obligated to provide this service, or was it just something they do as a kindness?"

• Nature Nut: "Ha! So it is now Google's responsibility to be the security manager for all websites?"