[CS-FSLUG] Re: The Moral Foundation of Free Software

[Aaron Patrick Lehmann]

On Mon, Jan 03, 2005 at 12:51:47AM +0000, timbrown at ichristian.com wrote:
> Fred A. Miller writes:
> 
> >On Sun January 2 2005 2:20 pm, groundhog3000 wrote: 
> >
> >[snip] 
> >
> >>At this point I should note that people aren't stupid.  In the 80's we
> >>used green screen IBM termnals, Dos terminals and old Unix machines
> >>from who knows where.  Where those people any smarter than workers
> >>today?  (Some, including me, could argue that they were).  However,
> >>all in all, I don't see any reason why an employee can't learn to use
> >>a Linux solution (if one should exist) rather than a rather expensive
> >>M$ or Windoze compatible solution.
> >
> >You ARE quite right! Employees who are smart enough to do the work of the 
> >position they are in, are smart enough to learn the KDE desktop. Further, 
> >they learn it and for example OpenOffice VERY quickly!! All the nonsense 
> >about retraining is just that.............NONSENSE. Anyone who can't (or 
> >won't) EASILY switch from 'Bloze to Linux on their desktop, should 
> >probably be released from their present position. 
> >
> >>That said, the initial cost of Windows doesn't seem all that bad to
> >>people when it comes preinstalled on every computer in the world
> >>just about. 
> >>
> >>Can you spell, MONOPOLY.
> >
> >Try "IMMORAL monopoly." 
> >
> >Fred 
> >
> >-- 
> >"As Internet technology itself vaults into new areas, so too does the
> >Microsoft monopoly and its tried-and-true bag of tricks."
> >-US Senator Orrin Hatch, (R) Utah 
> >
> > 
> >
> 
> My wife is no "geek" and she's been using Linux for two years  now. She 
> uses Windows at work. Not too long ago, she was telling a friend of hers 
> how much better Linux is re: viral and adware problems. 
> 
> Tomorrow I have an appointment with a customer for my business. I'm loaning 
> him a Suse 9.1 box. He's been plagued by adware and virus problems even 
> after spending good money to fix the problem. He's been using Windows 98. 
> He's a high school shop teacher and I'll bet he has no problem with  linux! 
> I doubt he'll take much time to say "switch me over!". 

Note the imperative in that quotation.  "Switch me over," not "I'll switch
over."  So long as users rely on technical types to maintain the computers,
they're in the same situation.  So long as buying any sort of hardware requires
careful research to make sure it will work with Linux, Linux will not be more
than a substitute for the "Great Satan" in Redmond.  After all, the users will
not be able to maintain or alter it on their own, nor will they be able to
check software for defects.  What benifits do they derive at that point?

Aaron Lehmann
-- 
Why do the Democrats complain about Nader losing them Presidential elections?
Republicans don't complain about Libertarians.