LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Andrae Muys <a.muys@mailbox.uq.edu.au>
  To  : MrJ <9405581j@lux.levels.unisa.edu.au>
  Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 14:40:21 +1000 (GMT+1000)

Re: NT bashing

BTW: Could you _please_ try formating your email properly.  Lines without
linefeeds are very annoying to read.

On Wed, 18 Nov 1998, MrJ wrote:

> Justin writes:
> >What Microsoft has done to the collective IQ of computer users is a crime
> 
> I disagree. By writting (albeit inferior) software, Microsoft has
> increased the number of people using computers in everyday life.
> People's acceptance of computers has increased, and acceptance only
> increases when users do more using. 
> 
Microsoft has done _nothing_ to increase the number of people using
computers.  The development of the IC, and the further development of
miniturised electronics (LSI, VLSI, surface mount IC's) made computing
ubiqutous.  All MS has done is exploit this trend for its own benifit.
The only praise worthy thing MS has done in its history was to identify
this trend early.

Economic forces, coupled with techological developments have fueled the
spread of computing in society, MS has been a mere parasite in this
process.  And like most parasites, MS has harmed the host organism (in
this case the IT/Computing Industry).  

MS has set the industry back a full decade, with nothing to show for it. 
Every major advance in the last 10 years has been made _inspite of_ MS,
only to be co-opted after they have begun to show promise, and invariably
harmed in the process.  (If you can think of any counter-examples please
let me know, as I can't)

Without MS we would still have a microcomputer on our desks.  In the
absence of a widespread network infrastructure, and while the underlying
technologies remain expensive, stand-alone microcomputers remain the most
economical small scale use of computing power.  However we would be
running MacOS, or AmigaOS, or FoobarOS.  Probably be using 68K, PPC, ARM,
or BAZ:) chips.  All the above (except foobar & baz) are technologically
superior to the current Wintel architecture.

> In the words of my father: "I don't want to have to drive the bloody
> thing!" And what he says is true. It all fine and well for us as LINUX
> enthusiasts to sit back and marvel out how clever we all are, and how
> great LINUX is (don't get me wrong, LINUX is my preferred OS) but the
> fact of the matter is, the Average Joe Bloe still shouldn't have to know
> how to "drive" the computer. 

... and hence the current trend to pervasive computing.  If I want to go
from my house to the city I have two options.

1) I can buy a car, learn how to drive it, and drive myself there.

or

2) I can get on a 440 Bus and let it take me there.

The idea that someone should be able to use a general purpose computer
without learning `how to drive it' is ludicrous.  If you don't want to
learn how to drive a computer, then you should be looking for special
purpose computing devices that perform the specific function you want to
perform.  This market has been growing for a number of years now,
_inspite_ MS's best efforts to stimie it.

I can make your computer as easy to use as a toaster.  It isn't hard.  All
you have to do is reduce the specification till its feature set better
resembles a toaster then a car (and the specification of a modern
computer+OS is signifigantly more complex then that of a car).

I respectfully suggest that your father take a little time to contemplate
how the various restraints imposed by reality affect the validity of his
complaint.

Andrae

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Andrae Muys              "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately
andrae@humbug.org.au      explained by incompetence." - Napoleon Bonaparte

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