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Re: Google to launch PC operating system


From: David Kastrup
Subject: Re: Google to launch PC operating system
Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:38:25 +0200
User-agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.1.50 (gnu/linux)

Rjack <user@example.net> writes:

> GNUtians and RMS have blithely blathered and babbled since 1995 that
> the GPL and "Copyleft" would destroy Micro$oft.

Care to come up with an actual quote to support that nonsense?  The
purpose of the GPL as a form of copyleft is to carve out a niche for
free software impervious to corporate meddling and software hoarding.

RMS has said that he is not going to lend any support to software
hoarding practises, as typical for Microsoft.  But he never stated that
such companies are _dependent_ on him or free software, so destruction
of them never was a topic.  Instead, people should be freed of their
dependence on them.  And yes, it is becoming increasingly easier to get
along without products from Microsoft.

> Micro$oft still owns the personal computer world -- 'nuff said.

It's not doing a good job though.  For example, my GF has a Windows
computer and has not been able to get Wifi going.  I have tried quite a
bit, and the settings don't stick, stuff does not work with WPA2 and so
on and so on.  Another housemate also has Windows, and a change of
router required complete reconfiguration (also changes between WPA and
WPA2).

In contrast, my own Ubuntu system asked for the authentication data
once.  It was not fazed by switches between the routers.  It was not
fazed by switches between WPA and WPA2.  Just for fun, I once plugged in
the WLAN USB stick from my GF which was not workable on her Windows
system, and it just worked, using the previous authentication data, no
question asked.

We share a USB printer.  I never have any problem using it.  Her
Windows, however, accumulates "Copy #1", "Copy #2" and similar identical
printers when you unplug and replug the printer, and just one of those
crazy copies will actually work at any given time.

I tend to get thrown off-center by how much worse device support on
Windows tends to be nowadays: in a Windows-centric world, it is
something that a non-Windows user does not actually expect.

The GNU project never set out to create software easier to use than that
of Microsoft: the added boon was supposed to be freedom, not usability.
It still surprises me if, in spite of vast R&D budgets and usability
labs for proprietary systems, free products also end up first in
usability.

-- 
David Kastrup


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