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Microsoft Thinks Africa Doesn't Need Free Software
DIY News writes "Microsoft has claimed the cost of software is not an important issue in the developing world. According to MS, while you can give people free software or computers, they won't have the expertise to use it."
Making them pay for computers and software they won't have the expertise to use?
I think Microsoft's problem with Africa is that the public is not already locked into/onto MS products. You ask them about Windows or Linux and they'll say we have windows in our house, but wtf is Linux. As far as they're concerned, neither product is better because they haven't yet been "educated" about the differences.
In summation: Microsoft can't compete with free.
P.S. I didn't RTFA
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
How? By turning every Nigarian into email scammers so that any one of them would be richer than all of us combine?
Kind of hard to do that when they are mostly financially dependent on domestic products. Maybe you are talking about how computers would revolutionalize their marketing and shipping methods? What a great idea! Except there is one small problem...golbalism.
What on earth are you thinking?!
Without basic needs, technology is nothing.
declined in mark3t obligated to care [amazingkreskin.com]
Oh, sweet! It's not as bad as they've been telling us? Cool. Let's cancel those billions to fight AIDS and nix the big debt forgiveness so we can tend to our problems at home!
Alert the UN!
everything in moderation
They're just as smart as you and I.
I don't think I'd go that far. They are African after all.
The Chinese have ambition and intelligence. With more and more White Devils being murdered or fleeing the African continent, Africa's increasing lack of said qualities is becoming a larger problem than before.
Africa doesn't need Free Software, commercial software, or rock music galas. They need to improve the size and complexity of their (generally) underdeveloped frontal cerebral lobes. Ambition, responsibility and long term planning.
Evolution will eventually take care of that, but don't hold your breath waiting. Until then, let them live their own lives as long as they are kept away from Europe and the rest of the world.
let the african spamlords come to us... maybe one huge botnet... africa unite...
what's the use for computers if you don't have food?
What a bias way of representing the article.
I agree with MS. How many of the open source programs do people acutally use properly?
TFA states "You can give people free software or computers, but they won't have the expertise to use it." Pretty self explanatory. People don't have the expertise and training. And before you self-glorified Africa experts of /. start going "All of Africa isn't dumb you know" No shit Sherlock, that doesn't change the fact that people need to be trained to use the technology. Where are the linux user support in Africa? Oh that's right only in Kenya and South Africa. Wow sounds like the whole of Africa can use Open Source. I can see it now ... The monkey from Lion king holds up a Mozilla browser to the animal kingdom and the happy little animals spread cheery open source across the land. Of course the evil Scar Gates will try stop him in the minds of animal community but that won't stop MUFASA TORVALDS from stopping him in a climatic battle on the Serengeti complete with backing soundtrack from Toto.
I woudnt be so certan of that lol. We /.ers r after all a selef-selected crowd of scientist's engineers and otherwise smart folks. We r a level above most ppl on any continent, not being racist her mind u. U wudn't accept most people in America to understnad what CS is after all..
Or you could stop keeping them in poverty by ruining global markets with your illegal subsidies and trading practices
Illegal subsidies and trading practices? According to American law - the only law that applies to the United States, being a sovereign country and all - these "subsidies and trading practices" you speak of aren't illegal. The laws of other nations, or the pathetic whining of jealous foreigners, are of no consequence.
The biggest way you could help there is not to insist on the ability to enforce patent rights on anti-retroviral drugs.
They could always refuse to do so, but clearly they haven't. Sounds like an internal problem to me, corrupt politicians not representing the interests of their own people.
but what you're doing to the third world makes me sick to think you're our (Europeans') cousins...
You aren't my cousin, asshole. Never have been, never will be. Don't flatter yourself.
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
some of those countries managed to compete against the unfair trading practices of the United States and Europe in markets like textiles
Waah, waah, cry me a fucking river. More jerkoff liberal twaddle about the 'evils' of the Western world. Sounds to me like only the complete and utter subjugation of the West to the Third World would make you happy.
but the produce from farming in Africa (fruit, coffee etc.) is still (as you hint) unfairly and illegally forced out of the global market
It ain't illegal to outcompete African farmers, no matter how many laws foreign nations pass. Those laws don't apply to the U.S. - or to those evil European farmers either - so they're irrelevent. If these laws even exist which, so far as I can tell, they don't.
Africans aren't inherently corrupt, they're just corruptible, like most us!
Then the problem is *corrupt Africans*, not *the evil West*. For chrissakes, at least try to be somewhat coherent in your ranting.
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
It seems to us europeans that africans have better expertise to use computers than north americans.
Preserve old classics: copy your collection onto all hard drives.
UN laws don't trump US laws; never have, never will. And really, I could give a flying fuck what the UN thinks of anything. So far as I'm concerned, the UN is a failed experiment that some stupid twats are trying to turn into a vehicle to impose the abomination of one-world government on all and sundry.
As for the mass grave - there isn't a power on Earth that could achieve the genocide you so sociopathically wish to inflict on an entire people. Although from your love of mass murder, I'd be guessing that you're German.
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?