__/ [Lobo] on Friday 17 February 2006 18:57 \__
> On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:57:58 +0000, B Gruff
> <bbgruff@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>On Friday 17 February 2006 16:32 Rick wrote:
>>
>>> Korea Plans to Build Linux City, University
>>> <http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200602/kt2006021517494311780.htm>
>>>
>>> hmmm.... a testbed city and University for switching to Linux. I
>>> really hope this is a success.
>>
>>Way to go, don't you think?
>>It means that the local government, schools, colleges etc. will be brought
>>in. Companies there would be silly not to follow (even if not mandated).
>>Given that, it's the natural choice for the home user.
>>In one fell swoop, they will have eliminated the Chicken and Egg situation.
>>Everybody will use it because.... everybody uses it!
>>- and if everybody uses it, nobody is physically far from help...
>
> BINGO!!!!
>
> This is the VERY reason for Microsoft's success in the PC
> market. If it wasn't for the 100,000's of UNPAID amateur
> "admins" who have helped their friends, colleagues and
> relatives solve their computer problems, Windows would not
> have survived let alone grow.
I used to be one of these "unpaid amateur admins" when I was younger. Only
now do I realise that I worked for the devil, but at least friends and
family were happy.
> In the early days, it was hardware and software
> installation. Barely 1 in 100 users could do this on their
> own. Now that Microsoft has made this easier, it has created
> another nightmare... that of the average user easily
> installing malware.
That's due to a failed security model. One can retain ease of use, but have
the notion of certificates to prevent untrusted software from being
installed (as trivially as).
> Personally, I've averaged several hundred hours of unpaid
> support for MS products each year since the mid-eighties.
> Maybe I should submit an invoice to Bill for my time:
> 20 yrs X 200 hrs X $25 = $100,000
This is one of the reasons why I refuse to help people with viral problems,
saying that they chose the wrong operating system and ought to re-think
their future choice. I still get paid for the remainder of the problems,
which often involve number and addresses rather than hardware installations.
> In the least, he should have given me free copies of the
> latest releases so that I can keep up. My step son realizes
> this full well and has no qualms about pirating MS software.
> He feels the least they can do is supply him with the tools
> required to fix their FU's on his friend's PC's.
What is intersing is that Linux achieved expansion in a different way from
that which Microsoft had chosen. Linux is free and relies on the GPL (or its
'relatives'). Microsoft turned a blind eye to piracy, thereby making it
virtually free to most people. The skills and files (information, data) were
then 'locked', so the legal barrier could finally rise.
>>Within the city, all hardware on sale will be Linux-friendly, win-modems
>>etc
>>will become museum pieces! Also, within the city, we will perhaps start to
>>get trolls in Windows groups saying "My school won't let me use Windows",
>>and "My profs say I can't use Windows for my course-work"!
>>
>>(Note - I do believe that there are Windows trolls around who still see the
>>Munich experiment as merely a cost-saving exercise by a German local
>>government authority! Perhaps we need to teach such people a little about
>>conspiracy theory!)
I agree.
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Life is too short to proofread"
http://Schestowitz.com | SuSE Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
7:25am up 19:44, 9 users, load average: 1.18, 1.29, 1.19
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