Darren New wrote:
<snip>
> No worse than buying equipment from a company that could be bankrupt and
> no longer making parts to repair it the next day - Actually quite the
> same thing, really.
> 
Generally, reverse engineering mechanical hardware is easier than
reverse engineering M$ software especially since patents for the m.h.
will contain a full set of drawings showing how the item is machined and
constructed. My problem with M$ software is the deliberate obfuscation
and secrecy that surrounds the source code. If BG took the unlikely step
of releasing all M$ s.c. with its original comments I'd be a lot happier.

> Now, using Windows for something like military operations or running a
> space ship or something is IMO a horribly stupid idea.
> 
:-) no comment

> But if it's just money? Sure. People make those sorts of decisions
> wisely every day. They're betting on business inertia, that MS isn't
> going to go bankrupt without a whole lot of people knowing well in
> advance. They're also betting that Microsoft wouldn't be a huge
> successful software company without learning how not to change their
> licensing at a whim to prevent everyone using their software from
> continuing to use their software, for example.
> 
The particular case that I used is a law firm. It's not just money, it's
people's lives and livelihoods.

> Plus, of course, formats change. You can have the most open format in
> the world stored on 9-track tape, and you're going to have a heck of a
> time reading it back in 2020. Moving away from Microsoft formats isn't
> going to be a whole lot different than moving away from punched cards.
> 
Sorry. Not a valid argument. You've confused physical format with coded
format.

> When you think about it, in *this* respect, the fact that MS *is*
> monopolistic is a good thing, in much the same way that smugglers can
> offer better prices on their wares. :-)
> 
ROTFLMAO. When M$ lowers its prices to those charged by the
GNU/Linux/FSF community then I'll agree with you. M$ prices are higher
than they need be _because_ it is a near monopoly. (Note: I am not
suggesting they should give their products away - everybody's got to
eat.) Using your analogy of smugglers, right now M$ is offering vin de
pays at champagne prices (plus FUD tax) and the man in the street is
buying because he's been told (by M$) that the vintage wine that my lot
is selling is worthless because you need to be a master sommelier just
to drink it and it can't be that good anyway since it doesn't cost as
much as theirs.

Finally, back to the majority point - I run and recommend Linux because
80% of the world's supercomputers run on it. The other 20% sure as hell
don't use M$.

John
-- 
I will be brief but not nearly so brief as Salvador Dali, who gave the
world's shortest speech. He said, "I will be so brief I am already
finished," then he sat down.

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