tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29454082.post977696954757323028..comments2024-03-05T04:07:07.952-05:00Comments on existence trainer: Where Linux is the WeakestUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29454082.post-86484088619083213752009-04-07T21:27:00.000-04:002009-04-07T21:27:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29454082.post-14207262792874591382008-07-14T18:58:00.000-04:002008-07-14T18:58:00.000-04:00Thanks kozmcrae for your comments. I was feeling s...Thanks kozmcrae for your comments. I was feeling somewhat hot under the collar when I wrote the above piece, and I certainly neglected lots of things that should be kept in mind. <BR/><BR/>You are correct in your observation that much of what had to say was highly conditioned by my previous use of proprietary software and the gap that has ensued when I decided to stay away from it as much as possible. It is easy to get frustrated in a pinch when I'm having difficulty doing things that in the Windows world were fairly straightforward (I was steaming over video editing).<BR/><BR/>I do have some doubts about proprietary software ever really ending. I don't think it is just inertia carrying it along (though its a big part), but rather I think it is also carried along by something far more ineliminable: the lording of know-how over those without (generally for the sake of profit).<BR/><BR/>Proprietary software quickly crops up (almost) anytime there is a gap or need to be filled (or when some individual/company is trying to get the edge), and open source software will only fill this gap when others with the same know-how decide to implement an alternative (assuming there are not infuriating patent encumbrances in place). That said, hopefully proprietary software's overall place in the computer ecosystem will continue to diminish over time.umhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15431321159540972071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29454082.post-37551562238211998792008-07-14T17:21:00.000-04:002008-07-14T17:21:00.000-04:00I don't believe GNU/Linux (thank you RMS) is merel...I don't believe GNU/Linux (thank you RMS) is merely an evolutionary branch on the OS tree of life. To me, it signals the end of proprietary, IP encumbered, marketed software. It signals the end of "this is your operating system, like it or not" pre-installed software, opportunityware, adware and 30dayware. With and end, there is always a beginning. Your descriptions are not far off for the most part. This is what applications look like, for a while anyway, when they are home grown. There are two obstacles facing Linux in this regard. Not that it's in competition with anyone, which in my view it isn't. One is the utility and stability of the application. The other is much more difficult. Users have been tainted by the acquisition of and presentation of proprietary software. The only operating system a person has ever used is by default the best operating system they have ever used. If they remember at all learning an OS or application, they will not be inclined to go through it all over again.<BR/><BR/>Linux is more than just a conglomerate of Open Source applications. It changes how we get our software. It changes how we participate in our software's development. It changes how we install our software, which is to say we don't surrender any of our rights. It changes how we protect our computer. To compare Open Source software on proprietary software's terms only, is to start the race with one foot nailed to the floor. The inertia proprietary software has gathered in the last 30 years will carry it onward for a good while, but I think it's already dead.<BR/><BR/>This country is finally coming to terms with the repercussions of its unabated rampant consumerism (it's knows as "bovine consumerism" elsewhere in the world). I don't believe in foisting Linux on anyone. That's a bad move. I do believe that people need to be alerted to the threat proprietary software represents to their freedoms and educated on their choices.kozmcraehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477116396443886503noreply@blogger.com