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We're Staying In China, Says Microsoft
ericb tips an article at the Guardian which begins:
"Hopes that Google's forthright stand on censorship in China would inspire other companies to follow suit appeared unfounded today, with the move instead threatening to widen the rift between some of the world's most powerful internet companies. Microsoft, which has considerable interests in the country, including its Bing search engine, responded directly to criticism by Google's co-founder Sergey Brin, who this week accused the company of speaking against human rights and free speech. Brin, who pressed for the closing down of Google's self-censored Chinese search engine, said yesterday: 'I'm very disappointed for them in particular. I would hope that larger companies would not put profit ahead of all else. Generally, companies should pay attention to how and where their products are used.' Microsoft rejected Brin's critique, saying it would continue to obey local laws on censorship in China."
Good thing my "woman" is a "real doll"
I don't see a problem here; proprietary software is for proprietary minds.
"Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
The US just passed national healthcare which permits the Fed Gov to reach into our medical records, our bank accounts, meddle with our health choices, and mandate purchase of services by all citizens on penalty of fines and-or imprisonment. Are we really going to chastise the Chinese for a little censorship? At the rate the federal gov is nationalizing businesses and services, and seizing power, China will be more open, free, and financially solvent in a decade. Don't think this is true? On what authority does the President have the right to "shut off the internet"? If he was seeking authority to "shut off the press" what would you say? Think about it. WAKE UP you lazy ignorant sheep or you will soon have the despotism you so richly deserve.
Question: What business is it of the Fed Government whether you use a tanning bed? Should people from Minnesota get a federal tanning bed waiver to avoid 3rd degree sunburns on Spring break? Why should a representative from Texas or California be deciding this for people living in Wisconsin? We had independent states for a reason, and you 'big fed gov will solve all my problems' types are destroying liberty and individualism. You can't just manage yourself, your family, or your State, you have to IMPOSE your will on EVERYONE. I'd much rather have my speech censored than my medical decisions made by faceless and unaccountable (to me) Washington bureaucrats. I don't get to vote in the other 49 states. They do NOT represent me!
"I'm kind of torn by this whole China/Google/Microsoft thing. While I'm not a fan of the Chinese government, who are we to say what they should and shouldn't allow? Would we want a Chinese company to come into our country and tell our government what to do? While I've seen a great deal of discussion about human rights surrounding these stories, I've seen precious little about sovereignty."
I'm big on the idea of moral relativism, and I believe that just because we value something it does NOT mean that another country should value it as well. In fact, a while back I went as far as to suggest that perhaps a country that doesn't have freedom of speech might not need to be "corrected" on the topic.
I was modded so far down that some sort of anti-troll filter kicked in and nobody at my work could post to slashdot for 30 days.
That's the day when I realized that a lot of people on slashdot use mod points to punish people they disagree with. It's so much more handy than discussing things.
Then again, maybe it was me. I see you're doing alright.