No subject

[GregA.Woods at planix.comGregA.Woods]

)
Date: Thu,  6 Sep 2001 21:54:37 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [geeks] MSFT == a-holes!  (please excuse this OT rant)
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.4.05.10109061752420.5053-100000 at rogue.basenji.com>
References: <20010906214634.DFF8AEA at proven.weird.com>
 <Pine.GSO.4.05.10109061752420.5053-100000 at rogue.basenji.com>
Message-ID: <20010907015437.16F9FEA at proven.weird.com>

[ On Thursday, September 6, 2001 at 17:56:32 (-0700), Peter L. Wargo wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [geeks] MSFT == a-holes!  (please excuse this OT rant)
>
> How about: "Of course, for those who have a need to run commerrcial or
> educational software that is targeted toward the non-UNIX user, MacOS is a
> better choice than any mickeysoft POS."

OK, I'll buy that!  ;-)

> Keep in mind that MacOS X is UNIX under the gloss, and prettty good at
> that.

Oops! --- You've stumbled over my secret agenda there!

>  I, as much as anybody, use UNIX for a buttload of things (Ummm...
> my company prefers it?), but I have both SPARCstations and Macs at home.
> Different tools for different needs.  I would be foolish to trry and
> shoehorn my needs into one system, if two can cover them better.

I suppose if I were more of a computer user rather than a developer,
programmer, hobbyist, etc., then maybe I'd have a Mac too.  The only
reasons I've wanted Macs so far though are so I could run *BSD on them,
and to have a laptop that wasn't "Intel Inside(TM)".

(Well, I must admit I'm somewhat attracted to having a multi-media
workstation with more than 8-bit colour, with good sound, nicely
integrated multi-media tools, and especially with good support for
Squeak, but that's nothing I *need*.)

> They're tools, not a religion.  If I could rely on Windows (and if it
> worked in a way that I found productive) I'd use it.  But, MacOS and UNIX
> fill my needs.

But tools *are* a religion!  Ask any mechanic about SnapOn(TM)
vs. Craftsman (or here in $Can, Mastercraft), for example!  ;-)

The problem though in this situation isn't that Unix (or MacOS) is
better, but rather that using M$ supports the evil empire of Mr. Gates.

M$ is clearly (and according to two US federal judges now) not in
business to make computing better, to improve the general quality of
society, or anything so laudable -- they're in it for the money and the
power and they only do what gives them more profit and more market
share.  If good strong security suddenly somehow would increase their
market share then they'd deliver it like nobody before.  Make no mistake
about it, if you don't want what the market wants, then you do not want
to use M$ software (and don't get confused about what "the market" wants
with what the average computer user needs or wants either!).

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098      VE3TCP      <gwoods at acm.org>     <woods at robohack.ca>
Planix, Inc. <woods at planix.com>;   Secrets of the Weird <woods at weird.com>