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Political Leaning and Free Software

00_NOP writes "HateMyTory is the world's first political rating site and occasionally gets blasted or promoted by British bloggers on either side of the political spectrum. But here's something even more intriguing: when the right come visiting they hate the site but they are disproportionately likely to be users of free software, whether that is just Firefox on top of their Windows box, or all the way with some Linux distro. But when the left rally to the cause they are more likely than not to be proprietary software users, albeit with a big bias towards Apple. If Microsoft's defenders think free software is the road to socialism, why don't the left seem to agree? As a leftie, and a free software advocate, I find this pretty puzzling."

7 of 629 comments (clear)

  1. Bleeding heart pinko commies ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    are technically inept. They can only use the software that came on their computers; they stand no chance of getting even Ubuntu installed (even if they knew about it).

    Darn, my tongue seems to be embedded in my cheek. My mother warned me that might happen.

  2. Re:Moding up political items by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2, Funny

    "It doesn't have to stop with just Democrats and Republicans, there are tons of groups that are at odds, or simply different than mainstream."

    Star Trek vs. Star Wars, for example. Hmm... I dig that idea.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  3. Obligatory Walter Sobchak by ZaMoose · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nihilists?

    I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.

    --
    I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.
  4. Re:The education connection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Or to put it a little more bluntly - many college students have not grown up and become conservatives yet. Some college kids never grow up. We call those professors...

  5. The answer is obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The British drive on the wrong side of the road, and so to, apparently, do their political leanings. Another lefty for free (speech) software.

  6. Re:It's the exact reverse in France... by hey! · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nihilism? I've lost my faith in it.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  7. Re:It's the exact reverse in France... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The funny thing is that most libertarians seem to have this self-image of themselves as powerful, self-reliant people who could defend themselves from anything absent a government-controlled police force.

    The average libertarian is about as intimidating as a poodle in a sweater and wouldn't last 5 seconds in the world they hunger for so much.