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I received a letter today from a computer recycler which proudly puts Windows on their machines and then gives them to people who can't afford to buy Windows. Their words are quoted (since I don't know how to highlight in ascii): "Microsoft donates Windows licenses to organizations such as ours, millions each year." Yes, I'm sure they do. The better to get their malware into the hands of the unaware. "When you are poor and want to get a job employers want people that know Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Visio, Project, SharePoint, Dynamics and hundreds of other standard business programs offered by Microsoft." Translating skills from one Office suite to another, such as OpenOffice to Microsoft Office, is not different from translating between different versions of Microsoft office. However, on the rest of these applications, I agree. Somehow, I doubt that they're getting free licenses for all of them. The same objection to the expensive upgrade treadmill exists for these applications as well. "We tried to offer Linux systems with open office for $25 a system when we started, never had one person ever look at one - we can't even give them away - I tried to." No, they tried to sell them, not give them away. Even allowing that they dropped the $25 pricetag, it's a fact that people think that Windows is Free. The comparison in their minds is not the $200 Windows license vs. $0 for Linux/LibreOffice, it's between $0 with the Microsoft label and $0 without it. The choice is obvious. I have written about this before: http://anarchic-order.blogspot.com/2011/03/windows-is-not-free.html And it is the "poor" who are least able to afford not getting hacked/cracked upgrades "from a friend" when their "free" Windows runs out. "They want Windows or Apple and Apple has no interest in poor people. If you have kids they want to play games - not Linux games, good games that their friends are playing online." Three gross assumptions here: 1) Microsoft cares about people who cannot afford their software 2) Linux games are not good 3) Online games don't run on Linux 2 and 3 are sadly somewhat true, yet rapidly declining. I have to wonder what these "poor" people are doing paying for first-run games and online game time. Maybe they're getting hacked/cracked versions of them? 1, however, is absurd. Microsoft Corporation wants people to buy their product. By giving this one away just like the drug dealer, they perpetuate the illusion that there is nothing else. "I think there are lots of zealots running around that think they have the only solution for mankind when in fact there are many." Zealots also push Microsoft crapware. "You seem to have twisted 'the value of genuine' - all that means is LEGAL not cracked or virus ridden." This copy is all nice and legal, sure. What about the upgrade that the "poor" will soon have to buy? Will that also be all legal and not cracked or virus ridden? No. Only the first one is free. Giving people Windows and Microsoft crapware is not doing them any favors. Curt- - -- The Magistrate, enrobed in taxes, condemns the thief in stolen rags. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.12 (GNU/Linux) iFcDBQFRjYKDtk9X6NaR4akRCAeEAP4rn9Q3QAh8UOsai7HkGhQ0At55ECOzebt8 8YCjpekRhAEAvzxn4kxeaLwrO7WLE1ZXJ92UBeMYnicCGivzfRLnXfw= =D1MU -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/