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Bridging the Digital Divide with Linux
mpawlo writes: "I think you would be interested in a story on Advogato submitted today, discussing the digital divide and the role of Linux: "With respect to locating parts with lowered cost on software. There is one candidate the would evenly fit the requirement. As of this writing, there are several OS out there having those properties, but there is only one having a large developer base and community scattered around the globe that can act as support contacts. The name is called GNU/Linux. ... Bridging the Digital Divide requires an enormous amount of work for the techonology sector. A huge responsibility is placed on those who wish to take up the challenge. Current technologies in software, specifically, the Linux OS is a good candidate to play the role." Read the entire story."
What a fucking commie!
Posted at +1 cause I care!
Don't get me wrong, I love linux, as soon as I get my open gl working, I am killing winblows, but thats beside the point. this is just as bad as when people were complaining about the atm fees in California. this is just like saying, I want a car, but I can't afford it, so lets see, government, can you buy me one. I mean honestly, computers are not a civil right. and someone does have to pay for the severs, hardware, telco/broadband lines. In closing I would also like to state if you realllly wanted a computer you would come up with means to do so --See the new G.H.O.S.T system, the ultimate in paitball concealment at:http://www.unitedpaintball.com --
Nymia is on fucking drugs. That is the only way I can seem to figure out the mental mechanations behind this crap. His quotes are retarded, using a quote saying "imagine an America with compitent teachers and boutiful access to information". Yeah well I can imagine it and there would be no digital divide if teachers knew what the fuck they were teaching and had more skills then what is required to currently teach high school and elementary students. There are only a small percentage of teachers who teach a subject they actually have any actual training in. Math and science teachers come from the PE department and English teachers haven't read a book with any more depth than a Danielle Steel novel.
Secondly the statistics are complete crap. The conclusion is that 10% of people without internet access actually want it. Man some divide, ten percent is little more than a margin or error. Some old computer with Linux hacked onto it is not an easier or cheaper way to get someone on the internet. Linux doesn't have a lower cost than any other OS in the realm of computers. Because you can download the source code doesn't mean shit. A good 99% of people with computers don't even know what the hell source code is, it is of no use at all to them. Complex software requires training. Not equating the cost of support is irresponcible and unconvincing. It is further irresponsible to say that there are X number of users of a piece of software therefore someone has X number of resources for help. That is just retarded. If I use a piece of software I'm not going to write down my phone number so some jackass who doesn't know a microchip from a potato chip can call me and ask me how to defragment his monitor.
Crap about subsidizing the cost and minimizing the cost of parts and all that is just bad accounting. I hope this guy never hopes to be an MBA. Besides the obvious fact nothing is free, not even putting Linux on a discarded 386 PC clone from yesteryear internet access isn't free. The concept of a free ISP died out because it wasn't economically viable. Even if all somebody had to do was subsidize the cost of ISP service and software support giving free computers to everybody would STILL be uneconomical jackassery. Why should somebody get for free something I have to pay for? If some welfare kid gets a free PC and internet access for doing nothing I want a free PC and internet access for doing nothing. Slashdot needs a story moderating system. I'd rate this -1 Editor of crack.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.