Micro$oft Biz'droid Lusers (was: OT email response format)

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Mon Apr 22 01:29:53 2002

I don't know Bill Gates ... and being "cool" in this or any other crowd is not
my goal ... but I did get on a list back in '78-'79, possibly at a West Coast
Computer Fair and, until quite recently, have received official licenses and
media for many of their software products gratis and without any request from
me. I doubt they even know whether I'm a PC user, though I'm equally sure
that info is on one of their thousands of machines. In most cases I've not
kept these packages because (a) I already had them or (b) because I
subsequently acquired them from another very inexpensive source.

The fact that "Knowing Bill Gates does *not* make you cool in this crowd." is
part of the problem, and not in any way lending toward a solution. Much of
the nonsense that's been bandied about in this thread is based on
Microsoft-haters' passions and not on reason or understanding of the role of
computers in modern society/life. A computer is a tool, and some folks need
an industrial nail gun while others can get by fine with a small,
wooded-handled, plastic mallet. If all you're doing is hanging a picture,
having a nail gun won't even help.

Most of the people I've met who use UNIX/LINUX in their home-computing
pursuits do it because they've nothing better to do. You may not fit that
model, but these guys figure out ways to make their computers more secure,
more complicated to use, and often have to type for several minutes to find
out whether a copy of a file on their local hard drive is available on that
other box down the wire. When my machines are all turned on, I can do that in
less than 15 seconds, and that long only because I can't remember the file
name.

I just want (1) for my computers to act in concert to present me with a
convenient interface and (2) for them to work as expected. They seem to do
that most of the time. In recent years my cars have been more reliable than
my computers, but that wasn't the case some years back when I used Detroit
iron. When my computers become as reliable as my telephone, which may happen
not because the computers get better but ... then I'll be happy enough, I
think. If I had my way, of course, software vendors would be required, on
pain of penalty far more severe than death, to verify that they've specified
precisely every operation their work product produces whether intentional or
not, and verifies that it does so under all circumstances involving content of
any/all memory/mass-storage content as well as transient input/output that the
intended target is capable of encountering. That means very thorough and
exhaustive testing. I'm not sure what I'd pay to see one or another software
executive forced to eat his 30-year-old firstborn during half-time at the
SuperBowl (That ought to be a good fight!). Probably more than I'd pay for a
UNIX license, though.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave McGuire" <mcguire_at_neurotica.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2002 11:59 PM
Subject: Re: Micro$oft Biz'droid Lusers (was: OT email response format)


> On April 21, Richard Erlacher wrote:
> > Those are "nice" but not necessary. I'm happy with the M$ stuff that Bill
> > sent me years back. I'm apparently not on "the list" any longer and
haven't
>
> Knowing Bill Gates does *not* make you cool in this crowd. ;)
>
> > I'm really not complaining at all. It was he who cast the first stone. I
> > just made the observation that thinking of UNIX as appropriate for the era
is
> > totally off-base and the market has surely vindicated that view. UNIX may
be
> > fine for some things, but not for personal computing.
>
> Wow, I guess I'd better run out and buy a Windows box. I wonder if
> there are any stores open this late. I sure hope so, because all of
> my UNIX boxes are probably about to stop performing all of my personal
> computing, and I still have a lot of stuff to do tonight.
>
> > Workstations are overrate, if you ask me, though they may have had their
day.
> > Hardware dedicated to UNIX concepts is just no longer what's wanted. Say
what
>
> Not for suits, no. But suits seldom know what's best for even
> themselves. You strike me as an intelligent person, which is why I'm
> surprised at your viewpoints. I'd think you'd be interested in more
> modern technology. To each his own, more power to you.
>
> -Dave
>
> --
> Dave McGuire "Mmmm. Big."
> St. Petersburg, FL -Den
>
>
Received on Mon Apr 22 2002 - 01:29:53 BST