If we all avoided software from convicted predatory monopolists it
would only take a few years for things
to get better. With competition and alternatives you would probably
not
be facing an EULA that you find so objectionable. Yes you have a
problem.
You should work to solve that problem. But you should do it by ethical
means. That will solve the real problem.
You don't know how much I would like to agree totally with this
posting. I've read a lot about the Widerstand--the German resistance
to Hitler--and how they stood up to evil, banal and otherwise, and
the price they paid. But the problem I have with the "banality of
evil" argument (with respect to EULA's and similar practices) is that
many of us have few choices about software with unpalatable EULAs or
other distressing features. It's wonderful to avoid dealing with
companies that have dodgy ethics practices; indeed, there are things
I won't buy because of country of manufacture, means of manufacture,
or the company that made the object.
BUT--some of us can't afford to wait the "few years for things to get
better" with EULAs, and similar practices, in the computer/ software
industries, before we buy and use the products of the offending
companies. Example: The employer who demands a resume and a letter
of application in Microsoft Word, period. Not Open Office, not PDF,
not a text file; he wants Microsoft Word. If you have anything
obviously "wrong" with your application package--such as a resume in
the wrong format--it goes in the recycle bin immediately, no matter
how great your qualifications are, or how well you could have done
the job. Most people applying for jobs really need that job--I know
I do!--and can't afford to wait until the power of the monopolists is
broken, years from now. What are we to do in the mean time?
Realistically, what other choice do we have besides using Microsoft
products? There are many other examples of this kind--some of them
have already been mentioned in this thread. As for expecting workers
to valiantly stand up against unfair employment practices and bad
workplace conditions, that's easier said than done. It's great if
you have a large professional organization fighting for you, or a
union standing up for you, but many of us don't have that kind of
protection. Are we cooperating with the banality of evil if, for
example, we're illegally classified as a "contractor" (with low pay,
no benefits, and no job security) and we keep going back to work,
because it's the only job we can get? Is this the same thing as
keeping the trains to the gas chambers running on time?
The real problem is the system that lets corporations accumulate this
much power in the first place. I'm not arguing for communism or for
the abolition of private property or anything like that, but until
someone puts a leash around the major corporations, we'll continue to
be faced with unpleasant, capricious EULAs--and worse. The REAL
lesson of the Widerstand--the German resistance to Hitler--is to
never let the really bad guys get that kind of power in the first
place, or to put on the brakes before the domination of the bad
actors is total.
Reminder: it matters what kind of leadership we have in Washington,
and how you vote.
--Constance Warner
************************************************************************
* ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <==
* ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <==
* Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name
* Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST
* Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L
* New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress
* Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
************************************************************************
* List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
* RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml
* Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
************************************************************************
