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Would an Ad-Sponsored OS/Desktop Work for OSS?

Posted by Cliff on from the discussions-on-another-form-of-funding dept.

Gentu asks: "OSNews runs a quick blurb and poll on the idea of an ad-sponsored OS or desktop. What is interesting is that the answer is a bit hard, as embarrassing commercialism is against the freedom of Open Source Software, while on the other hand, it is a handy and easy way to get funding for your favorite open source project. What does Slashdot think about the issue? Which is more important: the software and how we can continue evolving it by any legal means, or the licensing and philosophy behind it?"

2 of 437 comments (clear)

  1. Re:precedent ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Well, aside from the fact that those ads don't benefit Mozilla, and the fact that your analogy is horribly flawed and stupid, you're doing just fine.

  2. Re:Uh yeah by Apreche · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Win2k isn't crap. After extensive use of win2k on comptuers large and small I have found that 99% of the win2k machines that fail are not due to faults in the operating system. If you are running win2k and it isn't absolutely phenomenal it is because of one of 3 reason. The first is that there is something wrong with your hardware. It's not very likely, but it happens. The second is that you have stupid software installed, If you install stuff like kazaa, gator, other other crappy programs or thigns that eat up lots of RAM, it's ruining you, not win2k. And the most common reason people think win2k sux, because it isn't configured properly. I run win2k and Mandrake, I use mandrake to code, that's it. Because I have 2k configured correctly it is absolutely beautiful. I don't think its crashed EVER. Mandrake also doesn't crash ever, but it can't do everything I need my os to do, and the only thing it does better than 2k is let me write and compile code easily.

    It seems that in every single /. topic there is someone bashing windows as a crappy operating system. Now I'm not defending MS as a company, their business practices are horrible, they are evil, etc. But Windows 2000 is a damn good operating system. Hell, I'll say more than that. Windows 2000 is the BEST desktop or laptop operating system in existance right now.

    Bash ms all you want, don't bash the technical merits of an os when you've got it configured improperly and all of the problems are your own fault.

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