[clue-tech] Mephis linux

[dennisjperkins at comcast.net]

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "David L. Willson" <DLWillson at TheGeek.NU>
>  - Nate, you and I have different perspectives.  You seem to stand in the tech 
> mercenary circle, or the troglodyte circle, maybe... :-)  I stand firmly in the 
> Free software enthusiast circle, and that tends to define my perspective.  
> Nonetheless, here are my further comments.
> 
> > DHTML (HTML/CSS/JavaScript) works way better than it ever has.
> 
> With a decade of frameworks and browser wars, you can finally get a  
> graphical interface that rivals a good Borland Turbo Pascal Client/ 
> Server app from 1995.
> 
>  - Yes, exactly that.  For the first time, we can write a simple app, post it, 
> and run it from any workstation with a recent operating system.  That's a first.  
> Every previous iteration of portability has required extensive debugging, 
> installation of a hosting application, and/or a recompile per platform.
> 
> > Linux is easier to use and more flexible than it ever has been.
> 
> Desktops, no way.  If it were true, it'd have better than 1% of the  
> user base.
> 
>  - Like Jed said.  Not true.  If it were true, WordPerfect and Navigator would 
> have more market share.  There's an elephant in the room, in case you hadn't 
> noticed, and it throws the game a bit.
> 

In addition, there is a lot of inertia because most people don't want to learn something new.  They just want to use it.


> > Zimbra, OpenFiler, and Untangle are beautiful and apparently  
> > viable.  Lots of other non-suck large FLOSS projects are out and  
> > coming out all the time.
> 
> Three applications that mimic 10 year old software are finally  
> viable?  Wow.  You could have been doing Zimbra's work with Outlook/ 
> Exchange, OpenFiler's job with a NetApp on nicer custom tuned  
> hardware, and Untangle for free with SonicWall all this time so you  
> could focus on new development and technologies instead.
> 
>  - I was.  My point is that FLOSS is replacing rich and costly platform products 
> with rich and Free alternatives.

FLOSS is commoditizing software and levelling the field.  Japan did that to us in electronics.
You can argue the merits of commoditization, but it benefits the consumer.  


> > Normal people are choosing Free software, and beginning to  
> > understand what that means.
> 
> I'll have to take your word for it on that one.  No one I know starts  
> any conversations about free software with me, nor do they care.  They  
> start the conversation with "I want to do X.  What's the best software  
> out there to do that?"
> 
>  - So, you never hear, "Is there anything free/Free/OpenSource/GPL that does 
> that?"  I do.  Pretty often in fact, but then, I'm listening, because I'm a Free 
> software enthusiast, and I am always building my software and human 
> relationships from that "yes, plenty" perspective.

I wish I heard this.  One friend is dumping Vista from his new computer because it's not reliable, and he is installing Linux.  Otherwise, most people are still content to stay in their rut and put up with viruses, etc.  Inertia again.