The nice thing about the world is: people who want to use BSD - for whatever reason - can. And people who want to use Linux - for whatever reason - can.
Just like KDE vs Gnome vs XFCE vs... and just like emacs vs vi.
Use what you want.
(PS: did you not know that Linux and BSD are part of a big social experiment? Set up two different projects, run them for several decades, and see which one(s) actually work. Maybe both of them will succeed.)
One of the key issues here is a huge misunderstanding of why the US clings to capitalism. Regardless of anything else, communism and/or socialism in their many forms are the ideal forms of society. If humans were never selfish and always worked for the betterment of everyone, there would be no need for anything like money, wealth, or capitalism.
Please tell me; why should people work for the betterment of the whole of human society rather than for themselves? Why should people do things that do not benefit themselves?
And here was I thinking that they re-invented the wheel because they got sick of driving carts around on wooden wheels, and discovered that it was better to drive around on wheels with pneumatic tyres.
Basically, today's wheel is a lot better than the original wheel. I'm glad somebody re-invented it.
Why does everybody diss re-inventing the wheel? Are wheels beyond all improvement? perfect and totally mature? the best we can possibly ever produce?
Installed base is also a problem. I have 4 desktops and three laptops in regular use at my house. Some of these are dual boot (Windows and Linux or Linux and Linux [different distros]). And my desktop also has VMware player with several OSs installed.
I also have several older laptops and desktops stacked up and not in use - but they all have OSs on them.
So how many installations do I have? Do I count dual boot twice, or give half or some other weighting to them? Do I count the OSs installed on hardware that I no longer use - although it just *might* be called into use if a current desktop or laptop failed? What about the OSs on VMs, which may run simultaneously?
Unfortunately, they are more likely to survive the invisible hand of the economy than private corporations at present. Some 80% of my website page hits are from government users with IE6.
I won't object to the claim that the government agencies using IE6 are among the less efficient and competent. But that won't stop them from surviving.
I guess you have never heard of a Microsoft-only shop, or of business users who (a) often cannot control what is on their work PCs and (b) make up a large proportion of PC users.
I help run a site for government (and some non-government) users in various agencies. About 80% of my users (by page hit) are IE6 and another 14% are IE7. Firefox is mainly used by non-government clients of my website.
The government users have no say over their desktop configuration. And if you have never had to deal with the IT section of a large government agency you don't know the obstacles and bureaucracy (and random malfunctions) to simple things like "Just use Firefox" or "Update to the latest version of IE". These are projects that can take *years* to accomplish.
Sometimes entire state governments can be locked down into a single "solution" - most likely a Microsoft-only one. Then it is IE all the way, and version upgrades will take ages to filter through.
The market for computers without an operating system is zero
Rubbish.
Even in the consumer/home market a small portion of users want bare machines - and vendors do sell them that way. Try www.pioneercomputers.com.au who will sell you just about any of their models of laptop, desktop or server with Windows, Linux, dual-boot, or no OS (try the build your own option with almost any model). Most small vendors will sell you a generic unbranded or "house-brand" PC with no OS. I can easily find many vendors who sell desktop PCs without an OS.
And as for servers, where Linux holds a significant portion of the user market, it is common to buy hardware without an OS. We do it all the time at work, because we put Ubuntu on almost all our servers now.
You can't spot a personality from across a room, so you have to use some other criteria.
Actually you can. People do it all the time. It is called body language, poise, and so on. You can spot a confident person, a shy person, a yokel, an intelligent person - all across the room before you have ever met them.
So, it's a little disingenuous to portray Apple as completely proprietary: How many open source projects does Microsoft participate in? Yes I agree that Apple does try to lock you into their hardware, and that sucks, but they're not being completely evil.
I think Apple's marketing department should use this:
Your problem is that you cannot run any of the more frequently used Windows apps, like trojans, worms, viruses, etc.
When others are having unexplained system slowdowns, you are just locked out of the action, your PC sadly operating without being able to take on that extra work, like multitasking away as a spambot in its spare time.
Linux can't keep up with that. It will never be as versatile as Windows, never be so hospitable to strangers in need of a little spare processing power. Obviously Linux is anti-social.
Slashdot Mirror
You left out having to wear Ford-emblazoned clothing while driving the truck, and only stopping at Ford-approved restaurants during your journey.
The nice thing about the world is: people who want to use BSD - for whatever reason - can. And people who want to use Linux - for whatever reason - can.
Just like KDE vs Gnome vs XFCE vs ... and just like emacs vs vi.
Use what you want.
(PS: did you not know that Linux and BSD are part of a big social experiment? Set up two different projects, run them for several decades, and see which one(s) actually work. Maybe both of them will succeed.)
And in case you hadn't noticed, Slashdot is now available online!
Really? Wow. I'll have to stop getting the paper version delivered.
Small robots?
Now all we need is a tall, golden, rather prissy robot that speaks 6 million languages and ...
Why do we get so many legal analyses on slashdot from non-lawyers?
I can't answer that. It is a question about a legal matter.
I'm unfamiliar with SEKS, not SEK.
When in Sweden, get all the SEKS you can.
One of the key issues here is a huge misunderstanding of why the US clings to capitalism. Regardless of anything else, communism and/or socialism in their many forms are the ideal forms of society. If humans were never selfish and always worked for the betterment of everyone, there would be no need for anything like money, wealth, or capitalism.
Please tell me; why should people work for the betterment of the whole of human society rather than for themselves? Why should people do things that do not benefit themselves?
Because they are nice people?
I have facts.
You have anecdotes.
He has rumours.
This is how I decline the passive verb "to be informed".
...but my daughter spent a summer there a few years aback and loved it and I've always admired the people so let me ask...
Who can I send money to in order to get Conroy voted out of office ASAP?
Me.
Linux, as we all know, is a command line OS and therefore the only choices for browsers are: links, lynx, and emacs.
Oh, and telnet. But you have to imagine the page being rendered.
</tongue-in-cheek>
And here was I thinking that they re-invented the wheel because they got sick of driving carts around on wooden wheels, and discovered that it was better to drive around on wheels with pneumatic tyres.
Basically, today's wheel is a lot better than the original wheel. I'm glad somebody re-invented it.
Why does everybody diss re-inventing the wheel? Are wheels beyond all improvement? perfect and totally mature? the best we can possibly ever produce?
Installed base is also a problem. I have 4 desktops and three laptops in regular use at my house. Some of these are dual boot (Windows and Linux or Linux and Linux [different distros]). And my desktop also has VMware player with several OSs installed.
I also have several older laptops and desktops stacked up and not in use - but they all have OSs on them.
So how many installations do I have? Do I count dual boot twice, or give half or some other weighting to them? Do I count the OSs installed on hardware that I no longer use - although it just *might* be called into use if a current desktop or laptop failed? What about the OSs on VMs, which may run simultaneously?
Not straight forward.
I regard Microsoft keyboards and mice as the nicest products they sell.
And I had a Microsoft Vacuum Cleaner. It didn't suck either.
Of course, you realise that all Anonymous Cowards will want a cut?
companies using IE6
What about "government agencies using IE6"?
Unfortunately, they are more likely to survive the invisible hand of the economy than private corporations at present. Some 80% of my website page hits are from government users with IE6.
I won't object to the claim that the government agencies using IE6 are among the less efficient and competent. But that won't stop them from surviving.
I guess you have never heard of a Microsoft-only shop, or of business users who (a) often cannot control what is on their work PCs and (b) make up a large proportion of PC users.
I help run a site for government (and some non-government) users in various agencies. About 80% of my users (by page hit) are IE6 and another 14% are IE7. Firefox is mainly used by non-government clients of my website.
The government users have no say over their desktop configuration. And if you have never had to deal with the IT section of a large government agency you don't know the obstacles and bureaucracy (and random malfunctions) to simple things like "Just use Firefox" or "Update to the latest version of IE". These are projects that can take *years* to accomplish.
Sometimes entire state governments can be locked down into a single "solution" - most likely a Microsoft-only one. Then it is IE all the way, and version upgrades will take ages to filter through.
There is no "simply".
That was more a public service than an anti-competitive act
my techno-lust is not sufficient
I think they have pills for that now.
Two words: Microsoft Exchange.
Better still: Exchange Microsoft.
It reminds me of the personal computer industry of the early 1980s, dominated by proprietary, overpriced, non-interoperable components.
That reminds me of Microsoft right now. Seriously.
The market for computers without an operating system is zero
Rubbish.
Even in the consumer/home market a small portion of users want bare machines - and vendors do sell them that way. Try www.pioneercomputers.com.au who will sell you just about any of their models of laptop, desktop or server with Windows, Linux, dual-boot, or no OS (try the build your own option with almost any model). Most small vendors will sell you a generic unbranded or "house-brand" PC with no OS. I can easily find many vendors who sell desktop PCs without an OS.
And as for servers, where Linux holds a significant portion of the user market, it is common to buy hardware without an OS. We do it all the time at work, because we put Ubuntu on almost all our servers now.
You can't spot a personality from across a room, so you have to use some other criteria.
Actually you can. People do it all the time. It is called body language, poise, and so on. You can spot a confident person, a shy person, a yokel, an intelligent person - all across the room before you have ever met them.
Apple is about one thing: control.
Apple is about one thing: control. Control, and money.
That's two things.
OK. Apple is about two things: control and money. Control and money - and staying out of Microsoft's way.
That's three things.
OK. Apple is about three things: control and money and staying out of Microsoft's way....
So, it's a little disingenuous to portray Apple as completely proprietary: How many open source projects does Microsoft participate in? Yes I agree that Apple does try to lock you into their hardware, and that sucks, but they're not being completely evil.
I think Apple's marketing department should use this:
APPLE - they're not being completely evil
Your problem is that you cannot run any of the more frequently used Windows apps, like trojans, worms, viruses, etc.
When others are having unexplained system slowdowns, you are just locked out of the action, your PC sadly operating without being able to take on that extra work, like multitasking away as a spambot in its spare time.
Linux can't keep up with that. It will never be as versatile as Windows, never be so hospitable to strangers in need of a little spare processing power. Obviously Linux is anti-social.