[NTLUG:Discuss] What makes Linux great?

[Neil Aggarwal]

Steve:

I hoped this discussion was not going to degrade into
a flame war, but I am afraid that we are going down
that path.

I agree that Microsoft has been able to generate a monopoly
for itself.  I also firmly believe that it has done so using 
unscrupulous (and illegal) business practices.

These issues are not what the guy from Microsoft was asking 
about. He is a technical manager, not a marketing person.  He 
did not make the decisions that lead to those practices you 
are against.  He even made sure to clear his inquiry with
the managers of the NTLUG list.  He is being sensitive to us.

I really think we should keep this strictly to a technical 
discussion in order to keep things calm and rational.

I am not afraid of having a technical discussion with someone
from Redmond because I believe that Microsoft will never be 
able to offer a product that will appeal to Linux users.  
This is due to the fact that the products exist for 
completely different reasons.

Microsoft's OS (like any for-profit product) exists to make 
financial return.  Linux exists to fill a need.  This means
that Linux is more focused on what people are using it for
without gettting sidetracked on revenue-generating aims.

This is just my 2 cents worth.

Thanks,
	Neil

--
Neil Aggarwal, JAMM Consulting, (972)612-6056, www.JAMMConsulting.com
FREE! Valuable info on how your business can reduce operating costs by 
17% or more in 6 months or less! => http://newsletter.JAMMConsulting.com

> Whilst there are lots of important technological reasons why I prefer
> Linux over Windows - that's not the root of the issue.
> 
> The problem is that whole monopoly thing.  I simply cannot 
> tolerate one
> or even two companies determining the entire future of 
> computing and the
> Internet for the benefit of a few large shareholders.  It 
> takes agressive
> competition between several credible suppliers to drive innovation and
> propel us into the future.
> 
> If there was real competition, people wouldn't buy an OS with 
> Palladium
> - it offers them no advantages.  However, since it'll be rammed down
> their throats, they'll percieve that there is no alternative but to
> accept it.   I want there to be a viable alternative.
> 
> The only thing Microsoft could do to get any business from me would be
> to voluntarily do the thing that the Justice department shied 
> away from
> doing....split the company into an OS group and an 
> Applications group and
> to erect large, solid walls to prevent them from cooperating 
> in the future.
> 
> If there was WORD-for-Linux - honestly marketted on an equal 
> footing to
> WORD-for-Windows - I might actually buy it.
> 
> Sorry - it's not a matter of technology - it's a matter of the future
> of computing.  Please just die.
> 
> ---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
> HomeEmail: <sjbaker1 at airmail.net>    WorkEmail: <sjbaker at link.com>
> HomePage : http://www.sjbaker.org
> Projects : http://plib.sf.net    http://tuxaqfh.sf.net
>             http://tuxkart.sf.net http://prettypoly.sf.net
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