[svlug] Fedora or Ubuntu for novis

[Alan DuBoff]

On Fri, 12 Sep 2008, Don Marti wrote:

> That's why the PC business model will never die,
> much as some of the ditherati want everyone to be on
> Network Computers that are sold, serviced, and billed
> like mobile phones.

Absolutely, it is no different than how Gates looks at a PC in 
every home. Isn't his vision really about providing a system to 
run on those very PCs? That's all fine and dandy, I don't have 
any problem with that type of vision, I have a problem with how 
he practices his business, that's the unfair side of it all.

When the inet came along, now everyone wants to hold all of us 
hostage to their own revenue as well, case in point 
BMI/ASCAP/RIAA with their little triopoly...

> Imagine if Dell could be sued for
> all the patent-infringing things that people do with
> the PC software they buy off the shelf or download
> from an independent site.

I don't see why a company that sells you any device should be 
responsible for your actions with it. Gun makers aren't held 
accountable for what is done with their guns, and as U.S. 
citizens we have the right to posses firearms. Why should the 
hardware vendors be accountable for the software and/or use of 
their computers? I'm not asking you directly, just posing this 
point.

> Maybe what we need is more entertainment devices
> sold without software, or with a minimal load.

I was thinking more along the lines of a device sold with a base 
system on it, but all the other software located in cyber to be 
downloaded, so that no one entity owns the software. I don't 
like the idea of any corporation holding copyrights or licenses 
on software, why? Why should anyone hold anything on software 
that is purely free? I think Stallman is digging himself into a 
hole with all the versions of GPL, it is not right to place 
restrictions on the software in claims to keep it free, IMO.

OTOH, I do support his efforts, I just wish that there was such 
a thing as free code, in it's pureist form, and it really gets 
down to how fundamentally incorrect how the patent and copyright 
laws are created and enforced.

The NSA licenses their code in the public domain, with no 
copyrights on it. I like that style myself.

> Imagine a CD player that, out of the box, is just a CD
> player/clock radio.  But install the right open source
> firmware from the net, and it's a net radio/ripping
> station/FM time-shifter/web-controlled jukebox.

I like that of course, but I sure would like to see devices 
include it all when you buy them.

One thing that concerns me with LiMO is that some of the 
companies who have announced devices appear to be shipping with 
Windows CE and/or Windows Media Player. Motorola has devices 
like that. It makes me wonder if any will actually ship with 
Linux on them, and if so what type of access to our data will we 
have.

I have some concerns with Google in that regard, as well. Not 
that Google would be deceitful, but that when I look at the 
license for the Android SDK, there seems to be about 15 various 
ways the user agrees to their license even when not agreeing to 
it. :-/ I realize Corporations have liability and things to 
protect, but it makes one ponder, IMO, certainly before agreeing 
to the click-through in my case. I'll just look at the public 
examples for the time being.

--

Alan DuBoff - Software Orchestration