In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Roy Schestowitz
<newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote
on Fri, 02 Jun 2006 08:30:59 +0100
<2020361.XKdbfr9sq8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> __/ [ The Ghost In The Machine ] on Thursday 01 June 2006 22:00 \__
>
>> In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Roy Schestowitz
>> <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> wrote
>> on Thu, 01 Jun 2006 18:37:21 +0100
>> <7113072.9PGEoBmLLh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>>> Remember Mr. Gates' recent visit to China, as well as flirt with its
>>> leaders?
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>> | Many such vendors previously sold PCs with free operating systems such
>>> | as Linux or none at all...
>>> |
>>> | Observers believe the Chinese vendors signed their deals with Microsoft
>>> | in April under pressure from Beijing, which is trying to show it is
>>> | making serious efforts to stamp out piracy -- a major complaint from
>>> | many Western governments.
>>> |
>>> | In late March, the Chinese government went so far as to issue a
>>> | decree requiring PC makers to install a licensed operating system on
>>> | each machine before it left the factory.
>>> `----
>>>
>>> What does a "licensed operating system" mean? Is this decree ethical, or
>>> even legal? Is it against the law to buy just the hardware now???
>>>
>>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060601/bs_nm/china_microsoft_dc
>>
>> In what scope? Presumably, one could claim
>> that a "licensed OS" restriction applies to all
>> Chinese-manufactured hardware. Of course the US wouldn't
>> really bother to enforce it, unless there's a treaty
>> obligation and/or monetary gains to be had thereby.
>
>
> With a large variety of (Chinese-enabled) Linux distributions in the wild,
> delivering an empty box would seem a sensible thing to do. Give customers
> the choice, as well as rid yourself from liabilities.
With a gigantic gorilla making $33B/year breathing hotly
down one's neck, it's far from clear if a "blank" box is
the most sensible response, though admittedly I for one
would prefer blank boxes generally anyway, as a consumer.
But that gorilla looks awful mean... :-)
>
> The figures in the article do not indicate a migration
> from Linux to Windows.
True. However, it does appear to be a bit of an impediment,
either real or imagined; in other words, Microsoft doesn't
like Linux and would highly prefer that Windows be the
"Licensed OS" of choice.
(At least, such is my read.)
> However, getting Linux boxes in China could become
> more difficult now. I believe this was all along
> intended to force people to have no (apparent)
> choice and pay more 'tax' for unwanted goods.
Aye.
>
>
>> I would assume the Chinese would define "licensed". It is
>> far from clear whether Red Flag would be included thereon,
>> or not -- or how vigorous their enforcement efforts will be.
>>
>> The Chinese government's ethics haven't impressed me in
>> the past, though. Nor has their execution. There is a
>> program 6/4 (or Six of Four; I don't know precisely which),
>> commemorating 1989-06-04 (or 6/4/1989) -- if one can call
>> an anonymizing communications port designed to punch through
>> a firewall a commemoration for such a horrific event.
>>
>> Google coughed up
>
>
> That's right. It did (cough out blood). Speaking of which,
> there are having some technical problems nowadays. It's not
> only me who reports this and degradation of search results
> appears to be part of the deal.
I'm not noticing anything myself, but then, Google is
a gigantic piece of information "body" and I'm lucky to
look at the individual "cells" thereof; for all I know
their left thumb might have been cut off and spewing
the electronic equivalent of blood everywhere, but I'm
looking somewhere in the vicinity of a knee or the anal
region... :-)
>
>
>> http://www.uglychinese.org/june4th_massacre.htm
>>
>> which is a long piece thereon.
>>
>> But never mind all that; how are Pitt, Jolie, and baby
>> Shiloh Nouvel doing? :-) (And will we be able to view
>> the results using Linux?)
>
>
> In Gentoo, possibly not. Well, I just kid...
:-P
You'd be surprised. I just clicked on "Walking" -- it's
a video of someone using a walker; I lack more context at
this point but it might be a story on an Iraqi veteran.
Another video has Jackie Guerrido with a big cross right
between her ... erm, in any event she's explaining
the weather. Somehow I doubt the big cross is why this
one's popular.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Roy
>
--
#191, ewill3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Windows Vista. Because it's time to refresh your hardware. Trust us.
|
|
