Freeware - Exercise in futility?

[Ward Vandewege]

On Wed, Jun 13, 2007 at 07:17:05AM -0400, Al Wheeler wrote:
> All that ranting! Youse guys are making me even more depressed than I 
> already am!
> 
> 1. If freeware (various flavors of Linux, PostgreSQL, etc.) cannot win 
> the day against Micro$oft and the other for profit application makers 
> and distributers, then what hope is there for the individual? If 
> freeware ever does win the day, then it becomes the "ultimate" ruler or 
> measure and Micro$oft becomes just as much a victim as anyone else. 
> Really both cases (freeware, not so freeware) present the same problem.

Hang on a minute - terminology... You are not talking about freeware as that
term is commonly defined, see

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware

Note the section about the contrast with free software.

As for the rest of your first point.... cannot parse. I really don't
understand what you are trying to say.

> 2. Linux lacks so very many of the bells and whistles of MS Windows, 
> especially printer drivers, but more and more these days the so called 
> interactive technology drivers. The biggest challenge(s) facing Linux 
> remains ease of deployment and use.

... seriously, it's not 1995 anymore. Have you tried installing a modern
GNU/Linux distribution? I would argue that it is a *lot* easier to install a
modern GNU/Linux distribution than anything that Redmont has ever made. Just
try it. No activation codes, no having to call Microsoft's callcenters and
trying to convince them that you really did buy that copy. Fully automated
installs if you need them. No install process that takes hours and wants
input every 5 minutes. Etc.

> 3. Mostly people do not want a research platform on/in a pin head, they 
> just want a new and shiny thingy to have for their very own. And, and - 
> IT"S MINE! IT"S MINE! YOU CAN"T HAVE IT!!! IT"S MINE!  ;-)

Uhuh, again, try a modern distribution. You will be presently surprised.

Thanks,
Ward.

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