> > This *is* the FreeDOS list, right? Haven't seen a post about that in awhile. > > Yes, and this discussion threat has gone *way* off topic.
Alright, point conceded. However: I am glad that this discussion did take place. It showed us how insanely complex things have become. This is relevant not only in relation to computers, but to life in general. This kind of discussion has to happen *somewhere*. I don't see it happening much in government, or in academia, still less in the business environment. So I think it was appropriate that it happened in the FreeDOS list. And I hope that similar discussions also happen among other groups having the required technical expertise combined with a critical sense. The philosophically inclined love the notion of simplicity, but most of them (myself included) would also like to live with modern comforts, so the question is: where to draw the line? For that fine distinction, it is not enough to be lofty-minded; we desperately need the contribution of the technically knowledgeable. They have a better chance of getting it right than the pure idealists. To draw a parallel with another field, I like the suggestion of an important environmental thinker, Professor Herman Daly, that the "scale" (total size) of the economy should be decided by the scientific community. Other things can (and should) be left for governments or market forces to decide, but not this one -- it requires technical knowledge. Another idea from the environmentalist camp is the concept of "intermediate technology" from E. F. Schumacher, the author of "Small is Beautiful". Back in the 1960's he would point out something we always knew but love to forget: for the vast majority of problems the appropriate technology is one of an intermediate level of complexity. It helps explain why I use FreeDOS. So this is what I'm driving at. Nowadays, people holding technical expertise have increased responsibilities (as compared to, say, 100 or 200 years ago). This is simply because we are in a technological age. Even when we believe to be engaged in a purely technical discussion, we come across important implications. My feeling is that we should rise to the occasion and include them in the discussion, instead of leaving them for others. And who would these "others" be, anyway? To sum up: I think the thread was very good, because people were examining past mistakes and learning from them. What could be more laudable? It is our only hope of improving the world. But then, it had to end at some point, so Jim is right too :-) Congratulations to us all. Sincerely, Marcos -------------------------------------- Marcos Fávero Florence de Barros Campinas, Brazil ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Master Visual Studio, SharePoint, SQL, ASP.NET, C# 2012, HTML5, CSS, MVC, Windows 8 Apps, JavaScript and much more. Keep your skills current with LearnDevNow - 3,200 step-by-step video tutorials by Microsoft MVPs and experts. ON SALE this month only -- learn more at: http://p.sf.net/sfu/learnmore_122712 _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
