Linux can be many things. Your grandma will never use emacs but she could use OpenOffice.
Those who wants software for a certain kind of people can program them and those who want software for another group can too.
That's the beauty of it.
The parent post has been moded funny but it's actually insightful.
When you try to explain what OS your are using to someone, do you really want to explain what the GNU project is ?
You just explain them that it is made by people all over the world and it's enough. If they are interested by the OS, they will find soon enough the role of GNU.
The GPL have more requierements than that. Derivatives must share the same license and so on...
Everything in a license that is related to copying, distributing and things like that should be all right. What isn't right is when they mess with your privacy.
Maybe there should be some laws to keep EULA ethically correct but laws relating to computers tend to be badly designed and could ban things that should be okay.
EULA need a law that permit anyone to copy them verbatim without the risk of breach of copyright and so on...)
A project that analyse them could start and we would know what the problem are before downloading / buying stuff.
And as someone pointed out, passing them throught bayesian filtering would probably give interesting results.
There is definitevely a problem with how they are displayed. You should be able to quickly see the contract you agreed when you want to. But when you click "I agree", the EULA disapear into thin air !
With GPLed product, your license is kept into a file you can read anytime but with closed software you only have once chance to see it.
Sometimes they let you print it but if you miss the chance you can never see it again.
And beside, they should all provide a way to read it before even entering an installer. Included file in a compressed file, display it on a website, whatever...
I don't.
I must admit that must of my software are under the GPL that I already read. But when I happen to install a software with a non-free license, I read it.
When it spy for you without reporting the data to a third party it isn't called a spyware.
As a rule of thumb if it gives information to others when you don't want it, it's bad.
They should give half the song. This way you have a good idea but keeping just that half-song would still be frustrating to listen if you chose to not buy the whole song.
I you perform a search on Google News, you won't find anyone who reported it exept a blog in german (no Idea what it really say, just that it has Mac and Trojan in the title) and this article.
People buy MS product because they think they have no other choice. And most of the time they don't want to give them hard earned money and just use cracks.
MS products have a certain value but they they have less value than most of their competitors products. Well as long as we define the value of a software as better, safer, more userfriendly, less security flaws and so on...
I don't think he would have all that cash if he tried to earn in an honest way. Things like breaking the law and paying fines that are less than you are making breaking laws may be ok legally but they are still not honest. They probably would not even be the dominant OS if they had been honest.
Beside, money is a poor metric to juge someone's worth. You say it mesure how much you give other ? What about people giving time to help others ? People giving us very valuable software for free ?
Research prove than man are generally more skilled at driving but are a lot more likely to take really stupid risks.
So man are more skilled but driving a car tend to make them stupid.
No, he suggest that everybody should have the right to be safe.
Are you suggesting that for instance, Bill Gates life is worth millions times more than yours because he have millions times more money than you have ?
Re:I've set up a GNU/Linux machine for my kids too
on
A Babe in Tuxland
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· Score: 1
But kids will need to save stuff, may it be their progress in a game or a document they wrote.
I think it is a lot easier to teach a kid not to do something and often you have only to tell them once while no matter how often you tell it to your users, they'll still click on those damn viruses they get by e-mail !
Re:Should have mentioned "parental controls"
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A Babe in Tuxland
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· Score: 2, Interesting
What is the point of parental control ? Can't we just educate kids. It's not like seeing a nude body will traumatize them for life.
Re:I've set up a GNU/Linux machine for my kids too
on
A Babe in Tuxland
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· Score: 3, Insightful
I'd not let a child use a Windows box. Not only for the kid's mental health but because Windows can be easilly messed up, and it's a pain in the ass to frequently reformat/reinstall, especially if you are not the one who made it crawl. With Linux and a separated login it's a lot safer.
You are really the typical Windows user aren't you ? It doesn't matter if the product is crappy as long as it looks good and everyone seems to use it.
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That's not necessary a bad thing. When I discovered that all the applications I was using on Windows were FOSS, I installed Linux.
Linux can be many things. Your grandma will never use emacs but she could use OpenOffice. Those who wants software for a certain kind of people can program them and those who want software for another group can too. That's the beauty of it.
Yes, QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) and they renamed it MS-DOS. But it is legally owned by them.
The parent post has been moded funny but it's actually insightful. When you try to explain what OS your are using to someone, do you really want to explain what the GNU project is ? You just explain them that it is made by people all over the world and it's enough. If they are interested by the OS, they will find soon enough the role of GNU.
It's a stand-alone calendar.
The GPL have more requierements than that. Derivatives must share the same license and so on...
Everything in a license that is related to copying, distributing and things like that should be all right. What isn't right is when they mess with your privacy.
Maybe there should be some laws to keep EULA ethically correct but laws relating to computers tend to be badly designed and could ban things that should be okay.
If someone somewhere just had a *sword* !
EULA need a law that permit anyone to copy them verbatim without the risk of breach of copyright and so on...) A project that analyse them could start and we would know what the problem are before downloading / buying stuff. And as someone pointed out, passing them throught bayesian filtering would probably give interesting results.
You can't ban them, you will ban at the same time the GPL that let you go beyond copyright : it let you modify and redistribute it.
There is definitevely a problem with how they are displayed. You should be able to quickly see the contract you agreed when you want to. But when you click "I agree", the EULA disapear into thin air ! With GPLed product, your license is kept into a file you can read anytime but with closed software you only have once chance to see it. Sometimes they let you print it but if you miss the chance you can never see it again. And beside, they should all provide a way to read it before even entering an installer. Included file in a compressed file, display it on a website, whatever...
I don't. I must admit that must of my software are under the GPL that I already read. But when I happen to install a software with a non-free license, I read it.
When it spy for you without reporting the data to a third party it isn't called a spyware. As a rule of thumb if it gives information to others when you don't want it, it's bad.
Same in Canada. The one who record must participate in the conversation, the others don't have to agree or even to know.
They should give half the song. This way you have a good idea but keeping just that half-song would still be frustrating to listen if you chose to not buy the whole song.
I you perform a search on Google News, you won't find anyone who reported it exept a blog in german (no Idea what it really say, just that it has Mac and Trojan in the title) and this article.
Are you sure ? I think they can also sell you rocks that will protect you from elephants. Check, I got one and I see no elephants, it works !
MS products have a certain value but they they have less value than most of their competitors products. Well as long as we define the value of a software as better, safer, more userfriendly, less security flaws and so on...
I don't think he would have all that cash if he tried to earn in an honest way. Things like breaking the law and paying fines that are less than you are making breaking laws may be ok legally but they are still not honest. They probably would not even be the dominant OS if they had been honest.
Beside, money is a poor metric to juge someone's worth. You say it mesure how much you give other ? What about people giving time to help others ? People giving us very valuable software for free ?
I admit that I saw way more little accidents by women but that confirm the thing : We are more skilled and stupid (or reckless if you prefer).
Research prove than man are generally more skilled at driving but are a lot more likely to take really stupid risks. So man are more skilled but driving a car tend to make them stupid.
No, he suggest that everybody should have the right to be safe.
Are you suggesting that for instance, Bill Gates life is worth millions times more than yours because he have millions times more money than you have ?
But kids will need to save stuff, may it be their progress in a game or a document they wrote.
This is precisely what the article is about. Not being harder for child to use Linux for this kind of stuff than Windows.
I think it is a lot easier to teach a kid not to do something and often you have only to tell them once while no matter how often you tell it to your users, they'll still click on those damn viruses they get by e-mail !
What is the point of parental control ? Can't we just educate kids. It's not like seeing a nude body will traumatize them for life.
You are really the typical Windows user aren't you ? It doesn't matter if the product is crappy as long as it looks good and everyone seems to use it.