[geeks] can't wait for Vista

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On Mon, Nov 06, 2006 at 10:52:02PM +0000, Mark Benson wrote:
> OK so denying people freedom with their own data and hardware, or  
> enforcing DRM on people's legitimate media is not acting to "disrupt  
> communications"?
> 
> Oh sorry I must have gotten them all wrong... damn me...

No it's not disrupting communications in the way I refered to it. It may
disrupt your communication, but you bought the Microsoft product, you
bought the PC and you allowed (or took the default) to install the patches.

I was refering to disrupting communications between two third parties neither
of which purchased or used your products. 

It would be like every time you sent an email with outlook having your
computer send a little EMP out, which scrambled all of the local 
radios. In fact that's exactly what it is doing, it just happens to
scramble radios you don't think about.


> Wake up - Microsoft are trying to take control of people's data and  
> computers out of their own hands. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Totaly irrelevant to the issue at hand. It's wrong and I don't like it,
but it has nothing to do with the Google and BPL.
  
> At the end of the day you have a given right to do what the hell you  
> want with your property. They, and anyone else that subscribes to  
> their little game, are outside their moral standing as a software and  
> service *provider*. You are allowed to have rules, you are not  
> allowed to invent your own law.

It's called business. If you don't like it, vote with your feet. I've done
that, the only Google service I use is GMAIL and that's to send large
files to someone. The files are not of any value to anyone, so they don't
even get the value of data mining them.

I really don't care. We only use Windows because my son wants to play games
on it, and my wife wants what she is used to. I happen to be sitting at
a Windows computer because when we split up the rooms, my wife got the little
bedroom to use as an office and I got a seperate room which you have to go
outside and down the stairs to get to. 

Since this is my time to keep an eye on the kids and make sure they fall
asleep and stay asleep, I have to stay upstairs. So I use her computer,
ssh'ed into a Linux machine to send email using MUTT and MicroEmacs.

It would be a choice between watching TV in the living room, listening
to my shortwave radio (the ham gear is downstairs), reading a book,
or being in communication with the world via email.

I could also sit at the kitchen table with a Mac (pismo or wallstreet) laptop,
but her chair is more comfortable and the room is warmer.

So you can really say I use Windows because I when I do, I feel warm and
comfortable. :-)

Geoff. 
-- 
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