No subject


Fri Jan 31 06:23:24 EST 2014


>From suter  Thu Oct  4 20:16:01 2001
Return-Path: <mdlishum at zerlargal.humbug.org.au>
Received: from diadora.client.uq.net.au (IDENT:root at diadora-2 [10.0.1.2])
	by zwitterion.humbug.org.au (8.12.1/8.12.1/Debian -1) with ESMTP id f94AG08C026542
	for <suter at zwitterion.humbug.org.au>; Thu, 4 Oct 2001 20:16:01 +1000
Received: from zerlargal.humbug.org.au (zerlargal.humbug.org.au [210.215.3.29])
	by diadora.client.uq.net.au (8.12.1/8.12.1/Debian -1) with ESMTP id f94AG0EQ003259
	for <suter at zwitterion.humbug.org.au>; Thu, 4 Oct 2001 20:16:00 +1000
Received: from mdlishum by zerlargal.humbug.org.au with local (Exim 2.12 #2)
	id 15p5S9-000PoV-00
	for general-outgoing at lists.humbug.org.au; Thu, 4 Oct 2001 20:10:05 +1000
Received: from gw.gbch.net
	([203.24.22.66] helo=mx1.gbch.net ident=jpo4n0)
	by zerlargal.humbug.org.au with smtp (Exim 2.12 #2)
	id 15p5S7-000Pnw-00
	for general at lists.humbug.org.au; Thu, 4 Oct 2001 20:10:03 +1000
Received: (qmail 43667 invoked by uid 1001); 4 Oct 2001 20:06:41 +1000
Message-ID: <nospam-1002190001.43666 at mx1.gbch.net>
X-Posted-By: GJB-Post 2.21 16-Jun-2001
X-Operating-System: FreeBSD 4.2-RELEASE i386
X-Location: Brisbane, Australia; 27.49841S 152.98439E
X-URL: http://www.gbch.net/gjb.html
X-Image-URL: http://www.gbch.net/gjb/gjb-auug048.gif
X-GPG-Fingerprint: EBB2 2A92 A79D 1533 AC00  3C46 5D83 B6FB 4B04 B7D6
X-PGP-Public-Keys: http://www.gbch.net/keys.html
Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 20:06:41 +1000
From: Greg Black <gjb at gbch.net>
To: general at lists.humbug.org.au
Subject: Re: [H-GEN] The Gates Retirement Fund 
References: <002f01c14b34$71b5b180$0a01a8c0 at p450> <87pu86xlxx.fsf at freezer.home> 
In-reply-to: <87pu86xlxx.fsf at freezer.home> 
	of 02 Oct 2001 22:31:38 +1000
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: general at lists.humbug.org.au
X-Loop: general at lists.humbug.org.au
List-Help: <mailto:majordomo at lists.humbug.org.au?subject=help>
List-Post: <mailto:general at lists.humbug.org.au>
List-Subscribe: <mailto: general-request at lists.humbug.org.au?subject=subscribe>
List-Id: semi-serious discussions about Humbug and Unix-related topics <general at lists.humbug.org.au>
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto: general-request at lists.humbug.org.au?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://archive.humbug.org.au/humbug-general/>
Sender: "lists.humbug.org.au Mailing List Manager" <mdlishum at zerlargal.humbug.org.au>
Status: RO
Content-Length: 2296
Lines: 51

[ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and  ]
[ Unix-related topics.  Please observe the list's charter.           ]
[ Worthwhile understanding: http://www.humbug.org.au/netiquette.html ]

Jason Henry Parker wrote:

| How many people on the list actually *don't contribute*?  In short,
| how many of us have felt bullied into purchasing or using Windows
| licenses?
| 
| jason, who's never ever owned or paid for a copy of Windows or MS-DOS

I have never possessed a computer with a Microsoft operating
system installed on it and have never felt I was missing out on
anything I needed.  I am the only person I know who actually
purchased Microsoft's M80 back in the days when I wrote in
assembler for CP/M boxes, but that was my sole Microsoft
purchase.

I don't like unreliable and inherently insecure operating
systems and applications -- what is the preferred target of all
the script kiddies, after all?

Even more, I detest companies that use proprietary and closed
data formats which change constantly -- my data is mine, not
theirs, and I must be free to access it whenever I want with
whatever tools I wish.  Microsoft has a policy of preventing me
from doing that.

And, if you play by the Microsoft licensing rules, it's a very
costly exercise to own their software.  Of course, many people
feel comfortable with "stealing" it, but that would leave a
software developer such as me in a rather risky position.

Because of my attitudes to these things, my wife and my children
all got used to using Unix systems on VT220's to do their
homework, university assignments, business correspondence, etc.
>From time to time, the kids whined about the lack of some game,
but they lived successfully without those things.

My customers either agree to switch to an open source operating
system and applications or they find somebody else to look after
their software needs.  It turns out that there are plenty of
businesses that can be persuaded of the benefits of avoiding
Microsoft, provided that the case for an alternative is made
sensibly and in a way that makes business sense.

--
* This is list (humbug) general handled by majordomo at lists.humbug.org.au .
* Postings to this list are only accepted from subscribed addresses of
* lists 'general' or 'general-post'.



More information about the General mailing list