Slashdot Mirror
Getting Gouged by Geeks
dottyslashdottydot writes "CBC Marketplace recently ran a sting operation and discovered that most home computer repair technicians failed miserably at diagnosing a simple RAM failure. Many techs tried to sell unneccessary software or upgrades. (or even a new computer!) However, the worst offender was one guy who claimed that the hard drive had failed, and that the only remedy was to pay $2,000 to have a special facility with a clean room recover the data."
when stuff like that goes wrong, windows makes sure it will not let you find out the real reason Bad Stuff is happening
Yes, keeping secrets from the user is bad and that's what non free software is all about. Users should not be exposed to complexity as a matter of course, but the workings of a system should be explained to those who would like to know. Windoze will never come with good diagnostic tools. M$ get's angry when users actually provide something of value to fellow users. They keep users helpless and divided to rob them the same way these hapless bottom feeders do.
This is what happens when you let making a buck be an excuse to screw people. The tone has been set by M$ and the rest of the supply chain has followed along. People don't need to buy new computers every three years, but businesses do and have to replace all of their software at the same time. The intentional waste caused by non free software vendors both dwarfs and drives the equally repulsive behavior of techs at every level. Their excuse can always be, "If I don't take this person's money, someone else will." It's a rip off from the start.
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
Interesting story. It appears that one document was fabricated, but almost certainly Rather was the victim, not the perpetrator. There was plenty of other evidence supporting the "Bush went AWOL" story, but someone wanted a smoking gun to tie it all up in a blue ribbon. Of course, it's conceivable that Rove was behind it, to discredit the allegations. He's done worse.