I think it would depend on who has the access control. If the younger crowd gets relativly unfettered access, it would have a major impact on the social structure and culture of a third-world country. Kids learn faster, and just having billions of virtual carrots dangling just out of reach on the other side of the screen would drive them towards getting their share of the carrot patch. If the older crowd gets control of access, then there will be roadblocks on the road to riches. Change is probably the most frightening thing to deal with, especially in places where death visits far too often. If the governments gain control of access, then we'll have the same iron-fisted control of what they see. Censorship will rule.
Debian is an excellent distro, it works great and has a devoted following (I prefer SuSE though, but I have Debian on a 486 just to play with it). If the software does what you want, and the price is right, you should get it. Personally, I don't care what his personal ideologies are, I don't care that he's an admitted socialist. That's his right. If it disturbs you, you have the same right not to do business with his. While I may not agree with his philosophy, I will defend his right to choose and voice it.
Debian does offer a bit of bloat, but it's still optional what you want to install. BSD also offers great options, but I prefer a bit more of the bloat. To be honest, it's just because I'm too damn lazy to configure a lot of the mundane items manually. They're offering different options... something even the most devoted socialist-phobic should agree is good for everyone -- choice! I personally enjoy the options available in Linux, it's a far cry from Micro$oft's idea that what's good for Bill is what's good for you.
Boycott Debian if you think it's important. I don't think you'll get too much support, though.
It sounds like the big beige box folks are beginning to see the profitability in offering Linux. Now, hopefully, they'll start adding pressure to application companies to begin porting more major programs over. Perhaps we may see more name-brand boxes offering more desktop systems with differing flavors of Linux, which will find their way into corporate american cubicals. With horsepower like this, we can only hope.
While Travoltus brings up some of the recent (and imagined, yet possible) events, the gift of a free P3 would be useful to some of the lower-paid staff, like mailroom folks and secretaries who can't quite afford to shell out the ducats for a new system for the family. The Northwest case where the home computers were searched for information was not due to it being Northwest's system, but because a court said so. If Intel gives away the system, it's now the new employees' system, not the companys'. Of course, that can be modified with a fine-print contract-document that Intel may require, I guess that it will be interesting to find out just what has to be done to get a free system.
The P3 tracking number is just one of many. Look at the keys hidden in M$ products, like Office. If I were to use one of these systems, I would make sure the first thing installed after the op system would be a strong-encryption system, from email right down to whole disk scrambling. Luckily for us (so far), the US does not have a law like the one being rammed through the Parliament in the United Kingdom, where even if you forgot the decryption key, you'd go to jail. I wonder which imbecile in Congress will revamp the idea and try to get it passed in the US.
Re:Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!
on
Database Nation
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· Score: 1
When I fill out items like warrantee cards or magazine subscriptions, I always write on them that the information contained on the card is proprietary and cannot be used for commercial purposes. I then add either an incorrect middle initial or I add a fake mailstop or apartment number (I own a house). I have a little dBase of what was assigned to each outgoing mail item. If I get junk mail that has postage-paid reply envelopes, I send them back everything with the identifying information deleted (and I usually add things like rocks and cardboard, just to add to the USPS's profit and keep the cost of stamps down). If I get a reply postcard, I tape it to a box of rocks or dirt and send it back.
After junk mail arrives, I write to whatever company sold the information. I cancel subscriptions or vent hate and discontent, and then I tell them that I will begin an internet-based boycott of their products. This works rather well, especially with the uninformed drones.
Look at the bottom line of the corporate mentality: MONEY. You have a choice to support those companies that behave responsibly, and to avoid buying from those that trample on your rights.
Another choice is to get involved. Take, for example, the current discussion concerning the DMCA and the possibility for exempting certain types of media, like DVD's and reverse-engineering. There were only around 250 comments made. Mine is there, if you think your voice should be heard, you can post responses to comments for a while longer. The website is located at http://www.loc.gov/copyright/1201, and you can add your comments to letters from Time-Warner and MPAA.
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I think it would depend on who has the access control. If the younger crowd gets relativly unfettered access, it would have a major impact on the social structure and culture of a third-world country. Kids learn faster, and just having billions of virtual carrots dangling just out of reach on the other side of the screen would drive them towards getting their share of the carrot patch. If the older crowd gets control of access, then there will be roadblocks on the road to riches. Change is probably the most frightening thing to deal with, especially in places where death visits far too often. If the governments gain control of access, then we'll have the same iron-fisted control of what they see. Censorship will rule.
Debian is an excellent distro, it works great and has a devoted following (I prefer SuSE though, but I have Debian on a 486 just to play with it). If the software does what you want, and the price is right, you should get it. Personally, I don't care what his personal ideologies are, I don't care that he's an admitted socialist. That's his right. If it disturbs you, you have the same right not to do business with his. While I may not agree with his philosophy, I will defend his right to choose and voice it.
Debian does offer a bit of bloat, but it's still optional what you want to install. BSD also offers great options, but I prefer a bit more of the bloat. To be honest, it's just because I'm too damn lazy to configure a lot of the mundane items manually. They're offering different options... something even the most devoted socialist-phobic should agree is good for everyone -- choice! I personally enjoy the options available in Linux, it's a far cry from Micro$oft's idea that what's good for Bill is what's good for you.
Boycott Debian if you think it's important. I don't think you'll get too much support, though.
It sounds like the big beige box folks are beginning to see the profitability in offering Linux. Now, hopefully, they'll start adding pressure to application companies to begin porting more major programs over. Perhaps we may see more name-brand boxes offering more desktop systems with differing flavors of Linux, which will find their way into corporate american cubicals. With horsepower like this, we can only hope.
While Travoltus brings up some of the recent (and imagined, yet possible) events, the gift of a free P3 would be useful to some of the lower-paid staff, like mailroom folks and secretaries who can't quite afford to shell out the ducats for a new system for the family. The Northwest case where the home computers were searched for information was not due to it being Northwest's system, but because a court said so. If Intel gives away the system, it's now the new employees' system, not the companys'. Of course, that can be modified with a fine-print contract-document that Intel may require, I guess that it will be interesting to find out just what has to be done to get a free system.
The P3 tracking number is just one of many. Look at the keys hidden in M$ products, like Office. If I were to use one of these systems, I would make sure the first thing installed after the op system would be a strong-encryption system, from email right down to whole disk scrambling. Luckily for us (so far), the US does not have a law like the one being rammed through the Parliament in the United Kingdom, where even if you forgot the decryption key, you'd go to jail. I wonder which imbecile in Congress will revamp the idea and try to get it passed in the US.
When I fill out items like warrantee cards or magazine subscriptions, I always write on them that the information contained on the card is proprietary and cannot be used for commercial purposes. I then add either an incorrect middle initial or I add a fake mailstop or apartment number (I own a house). I have a little dBase of what was assigned to each outgoing mail item. If I get junk mail that has postage-paid reply envelopes, I send them back everything with the identifying information deleted (and I usually add things like rocks and cardboard, just to add to the USPS's profit and keep the cost of stamps down). If I get a reply postcard, I tape it to a box of rocks or dirt and send it back.
:)
After junk mail arrives, I write to whatever company sold the information. I cancel subscriptions or vent hate and discontent, and then I tell them that I will begin an internet-based boycott of their products. This works rather well, especially with the uninformed drones.
You should see what I do to spammers
Wah has an excellent point.
Look at the bottom line of the corporate mentality: MONEY. You have a choice to support those companies that behave responsibly, and to avoid buying from those that trample on your rights.
Another choice is to get involved. Take, for example, the current discussion concerning the DMCA and the possibility for exempting certain types of media, like DVD's and reverse-engineering. There were only around 250 comments made. Mine is there, if you think your voice should be heard, you can post responses to comments for a while longer. The website is located at http://www.loc.gov/copyright/1201, and you can add your comments to letters from Time-Warner and MPAA.
Your rights, use it or lose it.