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On Monday 06 May 2002 07:43, you wrote:
http://prorev.com/luddites.htm
Fun. I think he may have missed the option of _not_ upgrading. A licence for XP permits users to install 2k or NT4 (it is unclear to me if it permits people outside the NHS to install 98) The status of OEM licencing of software, and what constitutes original machines, or the items of hardware with which such OEM licences may be sold has not AFAIK and IANAL been resolved, but it is at least possible that this user could have installed his previous operating system on his new computer, thus resolving the problems of program compatibility he found. The Office licences permit installation and use of a previous version of the same product, so there may well be very large numbers of Office XP sales that actually reflect only the continuing use of Office 97 or indeed of Word 2 or 6 and Excel 4 or 5
just like the pharmaceutical industry that pushes 28000 drugs thro Dr's. 90% of which have no proven curative benefit whatsoever.
That is perhaps why we use them to ameliorate symptoms and control disease rather than to cure it. Morphine doesn't cure disease, but it is a benefit many people have reason to be thankful for.
just very big business flexing its mussels
New Zealand green-lipped ones perhaps. (probably good for hearts, and very yummy) Ned Ludd and his followers resisted the loss of their jobs, one of the viral things about MS is that it creates jobs. Which offers greater employment for low-grade IT technicians, an operating system and applications where everything is understandable, or one where the the details are hidden and only accessible to the senior members of the Guild; programs that work usually and evolve gradually under pressures from users, or programs that are flaky and driven by marketing hype? One of the tasks for the OS/FS movement is to demonstrate an economic environment where those working "in IT" can expect to continue to do so, and to continue to benefit themselves, and since they have the same needs as the rest of us even if their livelihood is MS, to benefit their fellow-citizens and co-workers. Time for Economists and Social Theorists ------------------------------------------------------------------ It exists, but the time is due for the economists and social theorists to get in the act, since the technology is alrgely done as evidenced by the shifting of MS from demonstrating that they can make pretty proprietary software (with some stunningly clever bits of integration technology among the dangerous half-baked crap) toward an effort to destroy any possibility of making software in other ways - they look as if they have run out of steam on the technology front (and their tactics must inevitably accelerate that since they arenot real innovators, and they aim to suppress or damage those who are and who would be producing the next wave of ideas for them to roughly copy and repackage. Legislators and Judges ------------------------------------ MS have not recently at least really aimed at individual users, they have iamed at companies. Now they are going beyond companies, to major national services and countries. The OS/FS movement needs to make itself clear to MPs and they and the judges need to ensure they are making policies and interpreting laws for the general benefit. Peru looks like a good start. -- From one of the Linux desktops of Dr Adrian Midgley http://www.defoam.net/ -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG Mail majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe list" in the message body to unsubscribe.