Boycott Microsoft

[Flabbergasted]

Say no to monopolies

Linux Don't Blink: A veteran programmer editorializes about Linux and
Microsoft.


A sample: "Last week, talking with Victor Raisys, Microsoft's guy watching Linux, a heated conversation -- they were playing the "There have always been a lot of Unixes" tape for me, and I said emphatically, Linux is not Unix. Linux is Lotus in the early days. Linux is Apple. Linux is a bright hope that millions of young programmers have for an independent and free future. In the past it was independence from IBM that mattered, now it's independence from Microsoft."

[ShockediSay]

1. "Say no to monopolies" > > > today went shopping for something

I desperately needed (a microwave) and refused to go to WalMart.

[JackintheGreen]

2. desperately need a microwave?

I went cold turkey over a year ago and haven't looked back.

Unless that's where you keep your cats.

[alfredo]

3. Their tactics stifled innovation, allowing other nations to catch

up with us. They put their profit over the common good.

[lwcon]

4. This history is a bit skewed

Lotus was *the* dominant application software company in its day (with the very first popular application for the IBM PC) and not an underdog.

And Apple was (and is again with iTunes/iPod) the most proprietary vendor -- forcing you to use their combined software AND hardware solution.

___

Hey, the liberal light is always on at the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. Please stop by and say "hi!"

[longship]

6. My iPod works fine on Linux.

Who needs iTunes where you pay to *use* music?

My iPod is full of great music from my CD collection, plus Podcasted Air America Radio programs, and other stuff. One does not have to play by Apple's rules.

Without 1-2-3, Lotus would not have been a force in the software market.
Where's Lotus now?

[lwcon]

7. Yes, they don't control the PC platform...

... but iTunes and iPod are arguably becoming a monopoly of their own.

Apple's made some extremely proprietary decisions about their music platform.

___

Hey, the liberal light is always on at the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. Please stop by and say "hi!"

[RoyGBiv]

8. Most?

Strange definition of "most" there if all we're talking about is the iPod.

The number of technologies exclusive to MS products is enormous and growing. Indeed there's a bill before Congress at the moment that would make it a crime to stream MP3's in anything other than a format that imbeds DRM developed by Microsoft, meaning you would have to be running Windows to stream an MP3 legally.

[lwcon]

10. It's also the way they've historically run their "PC" business

For a brief moment in the late '80s, the Macintosh was starting to pull away from the DOS/IBM-compatible market. It was increasingly becoming the logical choice for businesses. It wasn't just artists and schools buying it -- banks and such were buying them in increasing numbers.

It had a graphical interface (which was demonstrably easier to learn), letter-quality printing, and all the breakthrough applications were coming out on the Mac first (including PageMaker, many of what would later become the Microsoft Office apps, and Apple's own Hypercard and FileMaker).

What (nearly) killed Apple was, of course, overpricing of its proprietary hardware platform, which left the door open for Microsoft to catch up with a quasi-comparable platform, Windows 3.0 in 1990, combined with the availability of an open market for cheap hardware from numerous vendors. And it ran all the old DOS apps, which ironically made them instantly replaceable, since it was safe to buy into the new platform.

I was a huge LISA/Mac nut from day one, so please spare me the debate about how inferior Windows is -- it was comparable enough to dampen Apple's growing mind- and market-share.

My point is that Apple has not, historically, been a paragon of open platforms -- and in its flagship music platform, it is not today.

___

Hey, the liberal light is always on at the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. Please stop by and say "hi!"

[RoyGBiv]

11. Fair enough ...

You are certainly correct that it's not a paragon of open platforms. I apparently misread you.

[Poiuyt]

9. The new Macintosh computers will run Windows

I don't know why you'd want to, but they can

[longship]

5. Hooray, for free software.

That's free as in liberty. Free as in beer is good, too, but not a requirement. Linux is both. But mostly it's about liberty.

Been running Linux for about 12 years now. I have six boxes running 24/7, 3 Gentoo, the rest a mixed bag. Hardly ever reboot them. Try that with your Windows boxes.

Kiss the Blue Screen of Death good-bye.

[kineneb]

12. also happy w/Linux

I prefer SuSE, for which I actually pay (good manuals, software packages). But I gave up on Windoz when I kept breaking it. I can do everything I need with OSS and shareware. One other nice thing about Linux- it runs quite happily on older hardware. I am right now listening to the BBC stream while I type this, on my ancient IBM Thinkpad 600E (366Mh, less than 256K RAM!). Don't throw out that old computer, load up Linux and give it a second lease on life!