Linux

[Max Sawicky]

> 
> But Wall Street only pays lip service to the spiritual ideals of the
> market system anyway, they're looking at it from the point of view that
> Microsoft is at war with all the other businesses.  All the other
> American companies resent like crazy subsidizing Microsoft's amazing
> profits out of their revenues.  I'd bet there's nobody who thinks his
> company got its money's worth out of the forced upgrade from Office 95
> to Office 97, for example.  We all did it anyway, though, partly thanks
> to Microsoft's lock on secret, proprietary file formats, and partly
> thanks to the fact that 99% of new computers come with the latest
> version of Microsoft's crap, whether you wanted it or not.

Even worse, it's gotten so that you have to use the
operating system that comes w/your machine.  I have
a new computer that came with Windows 98.  Some of
my programs don't work, so I've set up Windows 95
and Windows 3.1 in separate partitions (yes, I'm
insane, but you knew that).  Anyway, I've not been
able to get my modem or sound to work in either.
When I load Linux (any day now), I'll have to get
a new modem since the "Win-modem" that came with
the machine won't work outside of Windows (or even
in DOS).


> I'm not trying to insult you, but wow-eee! are you ever wrong about
> that.  Microsoft's so-called standards change every couple of years,
> never for technical reasons half as much as for marketing reasons, and
> they are never, ever publicly documented.  Microsoft is the death enemy
> of uniform standards.  In fact, even when someone else has made and
> publicly specified computer standards - e.g. HTML or Java - Microsoft
> constantly tries to "extend," that is ruin, those standards.

For anyone not following the trial, this last was testified
to w/respect to Java.


> Good luck getting Microsoft nationalized, bro', but, hey, wait!  Screw
> software, what's more important, computer software or food?  Let's
> nationalize Monsanto first!

Nationalization typically entails compensation, except
in Never-Never Land or in Cuba.  Better to break up,
regulate, and tax the boogers.

Imagine if government owned the defense industry.
Would you feel better?

mbs