2. What will you say when automation renders YOUR occupation redundant?
If they make a machine to replace me at my job, I will laugh at all the people who have to put up with a computer giving them technical support, and then get a job maintaining the tech support networks, purely for irony value.
In the meantime, no, these people will not be happy to be out of a job, the money they make tends to ensure that they and their family has food to eat the rest of the year (minimum wage in the US counts for a lot in Mexico).
The question at hand is not one of M$ making its own alternative, but rather of deliberately degrading the performance of the other choice. Normally only a few people complain about this (though I deal with people on a daily basis who are busy suffering because they can't get a battery or case fan without going through the big name brand manufacturer they bought from despite the legality of this). However, in the case of a monopoly like Microsoft, customers don't have a choice about if they suffer with M$, because if they go with a competitor 95% of the third party software won't function.
Think about it as if you can only buy parts for a Ford if Ford says that particular part is okay, and Chevy doesn't have any non-Ford parts of any kind.
This post also brought to you buy somebody who suffers despite never (willingly*) using Microsoft software.
*My employer doesn't give me a lot of options while I'm at work.
Here's the thing though... that 10/month DSL pricetag is something AT&T is *required* to offer as par tof it's deal with the government to be allowed it's most recent merger.
Part of that same deal says it's required not to discriminate against any kind of traffic on it's network. So this blocking scheme, is, in fact, illegal from the getgo. (At least until about 2 years from now, when AT&T gets let loose from the agreement).
Personally, I'm tempted to get an AT&T line, and then repeatedly try to download legit stuff over pirate channels (Linux.isos over bittorrent for example.) Then start filing nuisance suits for blocking my content.
Dell tends to be a pain in the ass about only selling you the things they want to sell you. Good, and pertinent, example, is that Dell has it's own open source (freeDOS) computer line for businesses, that they refused to sell me back before the Ubuntu laptops came out.
I'd recommend them too you, especially if you're small business (which, at least when I looked, had very good prices) but I have my doubts as to the things abilities to be Linux compatible.
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2. What will you say when automation renders YOUR occupation redundant? If they make a machine to replace me at my job, I will laugh at all the people who have to put up with a computer giving them technical support, and then get a job maintaining the tech support networks, purely for irony value. In the meantime, no, these people will not be happy to be out of a job, the money they make tends to ensure that they and their family has food to eat the rest of the year (minimum wage in the US counts for a lot in Mexico).
The question at hand is not one of M$ making its own alternative, but rather of deliberately degrading the performance of the other choice. Normally only a few people complain about this (though I deal with people on a daily basis who are busy suffering because they can't get a battery or case fan without going through the big name brand manufacturer they bought from despite the legality of this). However, in the case of a monopoly like Microsoft, customers don't have a choice about if they suffer with M$, because if they go with a competitor 95% of the third party software won't function.
Think about it as if you can only buy parts for a Ford if Ford says that particular part is okay, and Chevy doesn't have any non-Ford parts of any kind.
This post also brought to you buy somebody who suffers despite never (willingly*) using Microsoft software.
*My employer doesn't give me a lot of options while I'm at work.
Ah... That would explain why AT&T agreed to it. I had wondered.
Here's the thing though... that 10/month DSL pricetag is something AT&T is *required* to offer as par tof it's deal with the government to be allowed it's most recent merger. Part of that same deal says it's required not to discriminate against any kind of traffic on it's network. So this blocking scheme, is, in fact, illegal from the getgo. (At least until about 2 years from now, when AT&T gets let loose from the agreement). Personally, I'm tempted to get an AT&T line, and then repeatedly try to download legit stuff over pirate channels (Linux .isos over bittorrent for example.) Then start filing nuisance suits for blocking my content.
Dell tends to be a pain in the ass about only selling you the things they want to sell you. Good, and pertinent, example, is that Dell has it's own open source (freeDOS) computer line for businesses, that they refused to sell me back before the Ubuntu laptops came out. I'd recommend them too you, especially if you're small business (which, at least when I looked, had very good prices) but I have my doubts as to the things abilities to be Linux compatible.