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Talk To Xanth Creator Piers Anthony
Not only is Piers Anthony one of the world's most popular fantasy authors (his books have been science fiction and fantasy staples for decades) but he has been using Linux and StarOffice 5.2 for the past year. This is your opportunity to ask Piers about either the technical aspects of using Linux and StarOffice to produce fiction or about his upcoming work (new Xanth novels coming soon!) or almost anything else. We'll forward 10 of the highest-moderated questions to Piers tomorrow, and will run his answers (verbatim, as always) as soon as he gets them back to us.
I personally have never understood why so many linux users were also Apple afficionados. Ive always looked at systems from a programmers point of view, and for the longest time, microsoft has been way more programmer friendly than Apple.
I shudder what the state of the industry would be if Apple had taken over the desktop: They are even more tightfisted with patents, copyrights, look and feel, etc than even Microsoft.
Once linux reached critical mass, Its become way more programmer friendly than the alternatives, to the point were I myself have ditched other platforms completely.
Admittedly, with a BSDish foundation, thing are supposedly better for the latest Apple operating system, but with most of the code that makes osX what it is being closed, I dont see them as any better than Microsoft.
Perhaps alot of the "linux advocates" are merely Microsoft bashers, and have no particular desire for source code or self determination.
Mr. Anthony:
1. Why are you using Linux?
2. What are your tips for me as aspiring writer?
3. Why are you a pedo?
4. Why are you sexist?
5. Why are your books only interesting to young people?
Hmm, ok, that's 5. Anyone else?
Why is one of the common reoccurring plot devices in your book rape/pedophilia? I haven't read your books since I was 14 but even at that young age it seemed after your first few good series ideas you just started churning them out. No problem there, but then you featured rape as a major plot component on several occasions, and also pedophilia. I find this very disturbing since these are presented in titillating ways and not displayed as being morally wrong. I also wonder about your world view since in the books you seem to be living out some weird fantasies of your own.