Actually, the amount of wealth relative to others is what determines your freedom. Poverty is generally measured, not by how little you have, but by how much less you have than average.
It's no good having low taxes and a moderate salary, if everyone else has low taxes and a moderate salary. That way, you just get lots of people working, and spending selfishly to compete with each other. In a more socialist system, by contrast, higher taxes and moderate salaries means that everyone is working for each other, contributing to a community. They still have the same average spending power, which means that no one is "poorer" for their lack of resources. But they're happy, and together, they've built something: a society, where people feel wanted and protected and cared for, so that they don't feel the need to sleep with guns in the drawer, or shoot their classmates.
Communism is a form of government, which competes with democracy. Co-operatives are closer to democracy than the very hierarchical systems of governance that most western organisations follow. So, in terms of regimes that harm people, big western corporations are closer to communism, than co-operatives are.
There is a lot of difference between a "supported format" and an easy-to-use, encouraged format. Microsoft can make it hell to use/buy mp3s, while still technically "supporting" them. If you and others buy into their system, and start using their proprietary formats which take away your rights, you can be assured that they'll do just that, if they haven't already. It's been the microsoft pattern for a very long time.
It should not be illegal to make an entirely new copy of something from a pattern. It doesn't hurt anyone for me to make my own chair, just because someone else also makes chairs. If it does, then it's because that person is basing their live around being "special" through their ability to make chairs, which in fact is a lie. If anyone can make a chair, then anyone SHOULD be able to make a chair. The better chair maker should get the sale, not the original designer of the chair. Moreover, if I have the wood and the time, I should be able to invest THAT in acquiring a chair, rather than my money. Money is essentially a time-token anyway, which says, "I did this many hours of work for the community, and so you can give me something worth this many hours in return." If I want to work for myself instead of the community today, and copy my own chair, or my own DVD (using my own broadband, power, and blanks), then there's no moral reason to disallow that.
Hmm. It seems to me that everyone in my family has owned at least a few mobiles so far. With upgrades, and boredom, and losses, it's not hard to figure out how there can be billions of cellphones when not everyone actually has a cellphone in the developed world, never mind the third world.
Well, the whole concept of punishment is silly anyway. How does it help to punish someone for 10 years, if they have not reformed when they leave prison? How does it help to punish someone for ten years if they repented and reformed as soon as the cops caught up with them, and now only feel the uselessness of their existence when they could instead be contributing to society again?
The point of prison should be restoration and re-integration, not punishment.
Agreed. There's no point in Linux (or any other Free Software) acting like Windows/OS X. It exists for a different reason, and that reason is enough for those who understand. There will always be those mainstream folks who don't get what is on offer; that won't change. At best, we can stick to our guns, and slowly change public opinion, winning over companies with new sales models, convincing politians and educators etc. that Free Software is better in PRINCIPLE for society. At that point, it will be mainstream, and average folk will take it because it's the norm, not because they chose it. They take windows now, for no other reason except that it is what's offered. The principles of Free Software will win out eventually, because they are undeniably right, just as the principle of not enslaving others won out, because it was undeniably right, despite mainstream culture thinking it was OK at one time.
Which is why MS throws money, political pressure, and monopoly abuse at problems too. They're STILL using anti-competitive practices, despite court cases against them in various countries. Given long enough, they will win most battles, and we will all be worse off for it. Microsoft needs to be reigned in.
Hmm... good points. I suspect the SD card though, is for photo transfer, unless someone company managed to worm their add-on products into the system, so they can sell masses of SD cards to schools or something.
Debian would have been a much better choice in that regard. Also, it would have been nice to see the kids using systems without a commercial organisation's adverts plastered all over the screen. That said, I'd much prefer to see redhat/fedora on these things to seeing Microsoft stuff on them.
Actually, I learned quite a lot in school, compared to what I manage to learn now. I've been trying for ages to establish a regular routine of learning sessions in my free time (not ALL my free time) again. For stuff like learning languages (or, yes, becoming comfortable with computers), there's nothing like repeated small doses.
Yeah, Sony's DRM behaviour (which I assume you're referring to?) isn't something to wish them well over. But, on the other hand, if MS takes monopoly hold of the console/console games market, then they basically have control of the whole IT industry. Games consoles may seem like a separate issue, but when DirectX is so similar on XBoxes and windows, that is a recipe for serious abuse of power. Especially considering that many people think Linux and OS X are OK app-wise, and would do better if they just had a bigger share of the games market.
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A US vehicle parts shop tried that with my brother's credit card payment, too. He refused, needless to say.
Do NOT email pictures of your credit card, for ANY transaction. Not unless it's GPG-encrypted, at least.
Actually, the amount of wealth relative to others is what determines your freedom. Poverty is generally measured, not by how little you have, but by how much less you have than average.
It's no good having low taxes and a moderate salary, if everyone else has low taxes and a moderate salary. That way, you just get lots of people working, and spending selfishly to compete with each other. In a more socialist system, by contrast, higher taxes and moderate salaries means that everyone is working for each other, contributing to a community. They still have the same average spending power, which means that no one is "poorer" for their lack of resources. But they're happy, and together, they've built something: a society, where people feel wanted and protected and cared for, so that they don't feel the need to sleep with guns in the drawer, or shoot their classmates.
Memes are NOT the quiz things that are popular on teen blogs, just so you know.
Especially given that everyone knows where sunlight comes from ;)
Communism is a form of government, which competes with democracy. Co-operatives are closer to democracy than the very hierarchical systems of governance that most western organisations follow. So, in terms of regimes that harm people, big western corporations are closer to communism, than co-operatives are.
Actually, it's supposed to be an ellipsis. That's why it never works.
I think you mean by dragging outsiders to conventions, whereupon their bodies are possessed by the hive mind, thus increasing our numbers ;)
There is a lot of difference between a "supported format" and an easy-to-use, encouraged format. Microsoft can make it hell to use/buy mp3s, while still technically "supporting" them. If you and others buy into their system, and start using their proprietary formats which take away your rights, you can be assured that they'll do just that, if they haven't already. It's been the microsoft pattern for a very long time.
God... raytracing 3D animations used to really suck on my old abacus.
Quite true, if by "Terrorists" you mean microsoft
It should not be illegal to make an entirely new copy of something from a pattern. It doesn't hurt anyone for me to make my own chair, just because someone else also makes chairs. If it does, then it's because that person is basing their live around being "special" through their ability to make chairs, which in fact is a lie. If anyone can make a chair, then anyone SHOULD be able to make a chair. The better chair maker should get the sale, not the original designer of the chair. Moreover, if I have the wood and the time, I should be able to invest THAT in acquiring a chair, rather than my money. Money is essentially a time-token anyway, which says, "I did this many hours of work for the community, and so you can give me something worth this many hours in return." If I want to work for myself instead of the community today, and copy my own chair, or my own DVD (using my own broadband, power, and blanks), then there's no moral reason to disallow that.
Hmm. It seems to me that everyone in my family has owned at least a few mobiles so far. With upgrades, and boredom, and losses, it's not hard to figure out how there can be billions of cellphones when not everyone actually has a cellphone in the developed world, never mind the third world.
ACME is a wholely owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.
Well, the whole concept of punishment is silly anyway. How does it help to punish someone for 10 years, if they have not reformed when they leave prison? How does it help to punish someone for ten years if they repented and reformed as soon as the cops caught up with them, and now only feel the uselessness of their existence when they could instead be contributing to society again?
The point of prison should be restoration and re-integration, not punishment.
Agreed. There's no point in Linux (or any other Free Software) acting like Windows/OS X. It exists for a different reason, and that reason is enough for those who understand. There will always be those mainstream folks who don't get what is on offer; that won't change. At best, we can stick to our guns, and slowly change public opinion, winning over companies with new sales models, convincing politians and educators etc. that Free Software is better in PRINCIPLE for society. At that point, it will be mainstream, and average folk will take it because it's the norm, not because they chose it. They take windows now, for no other reason except that it is what's offered. The principles of Free Software will win out eventually, because they are undeniably right, just as the principle of not enslaving others won out, because it was undeniably right, despite mainstream culture thinking it was OK at one time.
Which is why MS throws money, political pressure, and monopoly abuse at problems too. They're STILL using anti-competitive practices, despite court cases against them in various countries. Given long enough, they will win most battles, and we will all be worse off for it. Microsoft needs to be reigned in.
And certainly not during
I certainly don't doubt it. You should read the Tao Te Ching, and the Art of War.
Hmm... good points. I suspect the SD card though, is for photo transfer, unless someone company managed to worm their add-on products into the system, so they can sell masses of SD cards to schools or something.
Debian would have been a much better choice in that regard. Also, it would have been nice to see the kids using systems without a commercial organisation's adverts plastered all over the screen. That said, I'd much prefer to see redhat/fedora on these things to seeing Microsoft stuff on them.
Actually, I learned quite a lot in school, compared to what I manage to learn now. I've been trying for ages to establish a regular routine of learning sessions in my free time (not ALL my free time) again. For stuff like learning languages (or, yes, becoming comfortable with computers), there's nothing like repeated small doses.
Marital Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment? Yeah, technology has gone too far.
Mmmm, yeah, good points. Thanks for sharing them :)
Yeah, Sony's DRM behaviour (which I assume you're referring to?) isn't something to wish them well over. But, on the other hand, if MS takes monopoly hold of the console/console games market, then they basically have control of the whole IT industry. Games consoles may seem like a separate issue, but when DirectX is so similar on XBoxes and windows, that is a recipe for serious abuse of power. Especially considering that many people think Linux and OS X are OK app-wise, and would do better if they just had a bigger share of the games market.