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[KCLUG]

>From zscoundrel at kc.rr.com  Sun Dec  9 18:52:57 2001
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From: zscoundrel <zscoundrel at kc.rr.com>
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To: Jonathan Hutchins <hutchins at opus1.com>
CC: Marvin Bellamy <Marvin.Bellamy at innovision.com>, kclug at kclug.org
Subject: Re: ease of use debate
References: <1018BE06CC74D5118FA80060970F698C914D at CAVERN> <3C0F9254.40401 at innovision.com> 
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Status: RO

The problem is that most people are not smart enough to understand most 
computer problems.  To them, the software and hardware are one.  They 
don't blame Micro$loth for the Blue-Screen-of-Death or the lock-ups or 
the various bugs.  The whole process is FM to them.  They usually can't 
tell the difference between a bug, a crash, user error, or a lock-up.

When there is a problem, they blame the COMPUTER, do some 3-finger 
incantation to cause another magical re-boot, and trudge merrily along 
with what-ever they were trying to do. 

What we SHOULD be doing is establishing a set of PUBLISHED 
inter-operability standards that software should adhear to.  One that 
all manufacturers can depend on without lining the pockets of a major 
competitor and without fear of losing license access should they 
inadvertantly do something to displease the license holder.  This is my 
main hope for the GPL and Linux. 

It would be great if the courts would hold Micro$loth to certain 
inter-operatbility standards and force them to open the source to the 
operating system.  Let 'em keep Office and the applications to 
themselves.  Once the techies get a look at the source - the laughing 
will not stop for a long time.  (These comments will probably earn me a 
visit from the software police, but I am prepared.  I beleive in freedom 
of speech - even in these times - and the price of these freedoms is 
vigilance.  I have licenses for every piece of software I own and am 
prepared to cost any organization a fortune in legal bills should they 
attack me!!!)

Letting 'them' go for the bottom of the market is fine, but they are 
never content with what they have.  When they see that some programmer 
has developed a market niche that they have ignored for years, they try 
to buy that programmer out.  If they are unsuccessful, they drive that 
poor programmer out of business by a concerted effort of thousands of 
programmers, marketing people, and FUD.   We need to conter their FUD 
the same way Ellison and Jobs do - never let an opportunity pass by to 
correct M$ FUD or to take a light-hearted jab at them.  This sets people 
to thinking, and THAT is last thing Micro$loth wants to have happening!

Jonathan Hutchins wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Marvin Bellamy" <Marvin.Bellamy at innovision.com>
> 
>> Then, Linux should surrender the mainstream desktop market to
>> M$ since they can do it better?
> 
> 
> Essentially.  We should let them go for the bottom of the market while "we"
> skim the cream off the top - serious servers, serious/advanced/power user
> desktops.
> 
> I've worked for companies that were busy fighting their way to the bottom of
> the market.  They won - they're out of business now.  I've also worked for
> companies who didn't want to offer the cheapest product to the largest
> market, but who offered consistent quality at a higher but reasonable price.
> I still own stock on some of them.  They're still around, and they'll be
> around when MS is a memory.
> 
>> There's a lot of bitching about Win* products..
> 
> 
> If you use MS products, you don't have to think or learn about computers,
> wich leaves you plenty of time to bitch about things you don't understand,
> like how they're written.  Most of the noise comes from whiners who would be
> making just as much noise no matter what you gave them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

-- 
At 20, I was liberal, because I had nothing to lose and so much to gain.
by 40, I was conservative, because I had so much to lose and so little to gain.
Isn't it amazing what 20 years of hard work and experience will do for ones' point of view?