Freesat 109 started.

On 05/11/10 13:22, Peter Duncanson wrote:

I assume that the "principle" is a boycott of Microsoft products.

If I can very easily do something to help Microsoft's competitors, then
I'm happy to do that. I have no wish to "punish" Microsoft. I would just
like to see more competition in the marketplace.


What I find amusing is that those who object to Microsoft do not also
object to Intel (and AMD) whose hardware has a symbiotic relationship
with Microsoft's operating systems.

Give me a way of stimulating competition in the processor market that's
as cheap and simple as downloading and using Ubuntu instead of Windows,
and I might be interested.

Cheap PC hardware is available today because of the Microsoft and Intel
domination of the PC hardware and software market. Those companies,
together, created a huge mass market for personal computing.

No. That happened in spite of single companies enjoying near-monopolies
in their fields, not because of it.

Cheers,

Colin.

On 05/11/10 13:28, Steve Thackery wrote:
Peter Duncanson wrote:

I assume that the "principle" is a boycott of Microsoft products.

Yup, and very rational, too, (--sarcasm) as you've ably shown with your
points about all the other monopolies. Talk about cutting off your nose....

It doesn't matter where you misplace your sarcasm. My nose is still
firmly on my face. In fact, my nose is more impressive than it ever was.
It's truly a nose to behold. I'm thinking of having the Ubuntu logo
tattooed on it - just to spite you.

In my view, technical decisions on things like your choice of OS are
best made on rational grounds, not on personal prejudice.

So try to leave *your* personal prejudice out of it then. Duh!


"Does it do all that I want it to do? (hardware, software, UI, etc)"
"Is it the right price for me?"

Linux and Windows both do what I want. Windows has bludgeoned more
software support out of the rest of the industry. Linux obviously wins
on cost. If I just needed "standard" apps, Linux would be a very clear
winner. As it is, the points scores come out about even for me. I'm
afraid I'm going to choose between the two based on whatever other
criteria I see fit. I see fit to choose on principle.

Cheers,

Colin.

Jerry wrote:

Most people don't know what a file extensions means even when
they do see them, one can't really brick-bash any OS for user
ignorance...

I don't think that's true. Non-IT people often say things like 'What
format do you want this [file] in?'

Bill

Windows' strange-hold is loosening, slowly. A few years ago web client
statistics showed Windows with a 96% share. Now it's around 88%,
depending on whose stats you look at, and falling. So the non-Windows
share has trebled from 4% to 12%: about 7% Mac, 1% Linux and 4% mobiles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_s...rating_systems

Desktop share of the market is one thing, but the supercomputer end of
the market is something else altogether :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10187248

Also, Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs runs both the PAYE & Self
Assessment income tax systems on Linux systems.

alanp wrote:

Also, Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs runs both the PAYE & Self
Assessment income tax systems on Linux systems.

That explains it then.

Bill

"Bill Wright" wrote in message ...

alanp wrote:

Also, Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs runs both the PAYE & Self
Assessment income tax systems on Linux systems.

That explains it then.

Blasphemy! :-o
(don't diss Linux).

jamie.
--

"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...
Alan White wrote:

We also have another PC and a Laptop running Windows 7.

I see that my computer runs 'Windows 7 Ultimate'. From that I assume that
there will be no further upgrades of Windows.
Bill


What a lovely fantasy, sadly as far from reality as can be possible

Steve Terry
--
Quidco cashback Sign-up Bonus of £1.25 when you signup at:
http://www.quidco.com/user/613515/55307

In article , J G Miller wrote:
Why, for instance, does the Ubuntu Update Manager always say
"Your system is up to date" before you've even told it to check?

Because that applet is connected to a program running all the time which
periodically checks for updates.

I don't understand why you think that excuses it from saying something
which isn't true. Whether it runs all the time or once when you tell it
to, if it says the system is up to date when it isn't, it's misleading.

Rod.
--
Virtual Access V6.3 free usenet/email software from
http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-access/

On 05/11/10 17:55, Roderick Stewart wrote:
In article , Bob Latham wrote:
WTF can't you switch focus to any other window
when there is dialogue open? Why do important notifications open
behind every other window?

All valid points, which irritate me, too, but these are design
decisions by Microsoft, not technical "limitations".

Well I think they are serious limitations and very antiquated. Add to it
the rule that a window with the input focus have to be at the front of the
window stack - Grrrrrr. There were multitasking wimp operating systems in
the late 80s without these really poor limitations.

Nobody's perfect. Every OS has its own little irritations. Why, for
instance, does the Ubuntu Update Manager always say "Your system is up to
date" before you've even told it to check?

Mine says "Your system is up-to-date", and below it, "The package
information was updated less than one hour ago."

Sometimes you have to read *both* lines of text to get all the information!


--
Richard Lamont http://www.lamont.me.uk/

OpenPGP Key ID: 0xBD89BE41
Fingerprint: CE78 C285 1F97 0BDA 886D BA78 26D8 6C34 BD89 BE41

On 05/11/10 22:11, Jerry wrote:
"Paul Martin" wrote in message
...
: In article ,
: Jerry wrote:
:
: Could be worse, we might be having to use Linux at the
command
: line level after a vital dependency became incompatible with
the
: latest kernel or GUI update, rather than writing that all
: important report or invoice we will be spending time
searching
: for that elusive RPM...
:
: Serves you right for not using a proper package manager that
checks
: for dependency chains.
:

But one shouldn't need to, that was the point...

One doesn't need to, and hasn't needed to since Red Hat developed the
RPM format in the 1990s, specifically in order to solve the problem of
package dependencies. Ubuntu (and Debian) use a better system still.


--
Richard Lamont http://www.lamont.me.uk/

OpenPGP Key ID: 0xBD89BE41
Fingerprint: CE78 C285 1F97 0BDA 886D BA78 26D8 6C34 BD89 BE41