[ssl-3]

Eh? No.

It's just a device attached to a computer.

But in a Plug-and-Play world, its addition is noticed by the operating system -- as has been normal for decades.

Microsoft's Windows operating system sees this new hardware ID and then goes forth to install whatever-the-fuck software it associates with that identification, presumably as a service to the user. (Did Microsoft approve it? Dunno. I'm just over hear eating popcorn.)

[gblargg]

> Eh? No.

That's what I thought. It is vetted software, just like on Linux. Microsoft just doesn't care if it shows ads.

[ssl-3]

That's an excellent and terrific point. In this way, the dichotomy between Windows and Linux can be as if they're just two sides of the same "vetted" coin.