> Microsoft may have some limited scope in this matter, but not like Google.
Mr. grimlok, I assume you haven't read Winbones 10 privacy policy.
hmm... you do have a point, even if google doesn't go to the same lengths in
restrictions, they are worse in being "better with spying" so then I guess
none of them, apple, google or microsoft is any good.
meh I suspected that two out of the three were bad, but google I guess is
worse than
Google tracks and infringes on peoples privacy no matter what the platform
is. Microsoft may have some limited scope in this matter, but not like
Google. Think about all the people now on Android or using Google Chrome.
They have a much broader reach than Microsoft ever could have
Who are you to say they all want to conform or don't care about freedom and
privacy? Most do not know. Anyway, I would say young people are least likely
to conform and be content with their lot in life. Look at the strength of
student movements for example.
More evil/less evil, I don't think we can say this. They all are bad, I don't
see why Google is worse than Microsoft or Apple.
Not to mention you would be supporting an even more evil company by buying a
chromebook.
I disagree. You cannot speak for every college student in the world because
you visited a campus last month. You can't even speak for every college
student on that campus!
This is not an all-or-nothing venture. If we got 1% of the students turned
on to the Free Software Movement, whether
I can see the appeal of a traditional desktop or laptop with GNU/Linux for a
programmer or tech savvy person at a university, but if they are an
engineering or computer science student, they are aware of alternatives or
run GNU/Lunux already.
As for the average 18-22 year old, they are
Lots of people think that way until they learn about the issues. Why are you
here when you can use a MacBook or tablet?
College students are more interested in MacBooks and tablets than an
underpowered laptop with a Windows XP interface. Have you walked around a
campus lately or been in their library? You will see the Apple logo
everywhere.
The low-end Chromebooks are just cheapo laptops. I'm thinking more of the
high-end ones. Some have 4GB or more memory. I've even seen a 15-inch
Chromebook with 8G of RAM (I think it was an HP one?). The Google Pixel was
pretty good apparently.
So they're basically generic laptops with
the problem with chromebooks though is until they have a decent amount of
memory, (128 gigabytes or more)
they will not have much use even if you put libreboot on it and remove all
blobs by some miracle...
Reminds me of how MediaTek complained about people reverse-engineering their
kernels...
The GNU GPL doesn't place requirements on how much money you can make selling
copies of programs. The only limitation is you can't require an additional
fee for someone who you have already given a binary to getting the source
code to that binary. You can charge $1,000,000 for a copy of the
No software is always reliable, cheap, secure. Not even GNU+Linux in
general, and not even free software.
However, if there's one thing that free software promises and has a
chance to guarantee at long terms is: the respect to society's essential
freedoms.
To give you an idea, software that is
What do you find unrealistic about the plan I suggested about selling to
college students at student fairs?
Well, Google Chromebooks come close as they have Coreboot. They are also not
locked down that much; they can be unlocked and re-flashed with upstream
Coreboot and most support GNU/Linux reasonably well. You're also not paying
the Windows tax which is something I suppose. Yet it hasn't led to
If only someone who doesn't support drm, would sell computers with bioses
that would support any operating system.
and have a chain of stores all over the world that were not locked down and
could be reverse engineered with libreboot if needed. This however is not
going to happen or at least
Most of the people know buy computers from a brick-and-mortar store. They go
into a store like Best Buy, and they try out different computers and
eventually buy one. It would be great if there was a GNU/Linux store where
people could go and try out GNU/Linux in person, buy it installed on
Google is also getting behind Vulkan for Android which could help adoption. I
believe Unreal Engine 4.12 now supports Vulkan for Android. It's too bad that
Android got support before GNU/Linux and Windows.
> I'm happy to note that I recently saw a headline asking if the Windows 10
update reminders qualify as spyware.
More like adware - it is an add nagging the useds to upgrade to Nsaowns 10.
Oh, OK. Well, I would say that proprietary systems supporting OpenGL is a
good thing. At the very least, it then doesn't encourage developing programs
that depend on some proprietary standard, like DirectX.
I'm saying although Google demands manufacturers to support OpenGL, which is
free, the end result does not respect people's freedom. Sorry for not making
this clear enough.
GNU/Linux has the same problem that the Windows Phone platform has. No one's
developing for it because it has such low market share, and it has such low
market share because no one develops for it.
> demands manufacturers to implement OpenGL for fancy effects, but it is
still bad for your freedom
How is demanding that hardware manufacturers support an open standard bad for
your freedom? Their support of OpenGL might require a proprietary driver or
proprietary firmware, but that's a
The same can be true for Android, which demands manufacturers to implement
OpenGL for fancy effects, but it is still bad for your freedom, especially on
Quallcomm platforms. It does not matter that you are supporting these 'open'
technologies if it harms your freedom. In a way, I might point
I also want to inject something else here. We all know that non-free software
is bad, but when you play a game (non-free or not) on a GNU/Linux platform,
you are supporting OpenGL and Vulkan, which are both open. If you support
Windows, you are supporting the proprietary DirectX. If you are
Windows 7 is basically the LTS release.
They come from vendors. For example:
https://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2015/12/10/the-linux-vendor-firmware-service-welcomes-dell/
But yes, your point is valid regardless of who it comes from. Time for free
firmware!
https://jxself.org/free-firmware.shtml
There is a problem arising with fwupd, in that the firmware is
user-submitted. Couldn't someone add a malicious firmware file?
It enables me to run free software, an excuse, my excuse.
The far more important point is, in my view, should I have to install Win
first to be able to install a BIOS update. They should at least provide a way
to update the BIOS without Windows. I think there is a way but I failed to do
it
And here an issue arises: should I refuse to install proprietary software on
my computer (the BIOS is software)? :)
tg3: Cinnamon (buguntu based)
"Provides improved security of UEFI code and variables. HP strongly
recommends
transitioning promptly to this updated BIOS version which supersedes all
previous releases."
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq//sp76001-76500/sp76003.html
I have always updated the BIOS when it's available -- so far
You are missing my point. Of course these "hardcore gamers" are better using
GNU+Linux. It's just that they don't represent most people. They care about
performance over free software. We should focus on people who would be happy
now on GNU+Linux, such as children, people at school, people
Why did you need to update the BIOS? Was it crap or something?
I had to install a copy of Win 10 to be able to update my laptop's BIOS. I
tried other means but failed. Maybe it was due to the BIOS password, don't
know, but the installer/updater/flasher reminded me of the password before
proceeding. I had an old HDD that I swapped in for the update and
Thanks tg3 for the information about the fact that Windows 10 will be forced
upon users despite closing the installer window:
My Wife has Windows 7 and since several months she has been refusing to
upgrade to 10
Her main reason for Windows 7 was for professional reasons,seeing these have
I have installed Trisquel on My Mother's Computer, Uncle's Computer, Both a
Friend and his Wife's computers, and have sold two laptops with Trisquel on
them, and no one has complained yet.
The funny thing is, even most Windows users should always wipe the OEM image
and install a vanilla OS. You can't trust an OEM preinstalled Windows setup.
They are mostly booby-trapped with bloatware, adware, crapware,
'value-adding' crap, OEM backports and whatnot.
I think Ubuntu's method is clearer than Debian's since their Contrib
repository contains a mixture of free and non-free.
Mint has a custom update manager that disables kernel updates by default.
Many have wanted them to change this policy, but they are stubborn. Getting
an updated kernel with patches and security fixes should always be an option
due to the standard kennel sticking to a main release. Like how
Cinnamon or MATE version? Oh and I'm guessing you did the Ubuntu based
version (17.x) instead of the Debian one.
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/nonfree-games.en.html
"However, if you're going to use these games, you're better off using them on
GNU/Linux rather than on Microsoft Windows. At least you avoid the harm to
your freedom that Windows would do."
I don't think Mint has any particular advantages in this regard over Ubuntu.
Ubuntu makes it just as easy to install proprietary drivers as Mint does.
Unlike Mint, though, Ubuntu separates libre from proprietary software, for
the most part. (I don't entirely agree with Canonical's definition
We all know that, mr. root.
Fact is, my mate's hardware is terrible (freedom wise) and so I installed the
non-free distro I enjoyed a lot when I first switched to GNU. I did explain
him what is free software and why he should buy a decent laptop next time.
Baby steps, you know. The whole
I totally agree with this. Mint is basically a terrible Ubuntu respin. Ubuntu
MATE, Xubuntu and Ubuntu GNOME are brilliant for new users and Canonical are
great with security updates.
I'm concerned about security with Mint and suggesting Ubuntu-Mate. One
internet friend (who says she needs Skype for work) says she loves it.
Everybody else on the Little Old Ladies' Hobby Society forums are just
disabling security updates and wringing their hands about Windows 10 and
2 weeks ago I installed Mint on a friend's laptop, he is a total computer
illiterate. I asked him several times so far if he likes it and if everything
is ok. Answer: perfect.
Steve Gibson (the developer of the original light pen for Apple II and Atari
systems as well as numerous software programs) has been a Windows developer
for many years and developed a free 83k application called Never10 that
prevents the Windows pop-ups from upgrading to Windows 10. It will
The "hardcore" gamers who are complaining about lack of games on GNU/Linux
are not the people who are going to care about freedom all that much. If they
are using the proprietary NVIDIA drivers there is no point, they might as
well just use Windows.
I thank Microsoft for updates. Everyday
Thanks to the updates I get sick of windows. And that is what made me think,
I should try linux (I wasn't even sure what linux was)
Now, I won't say GNU/linux has a chance against windows when it comes to
gaming.
But, thanks to the lack of games I
I admit that I only boot into Windows to play games. Other than that, I stay
in a GNU/Linux boot.
The main reason people use Windows still is because there's a lot of
proprietary software available for it and not GNU/Linux. Games, mostly.
There's sort of a "chicken and egg" situation here, and also the fact that
GNU/Linux systems are so different from each other that decentralized
Yes and no.
Some people would be perfectly fine to change. They either do not know or
when they actually find out they are afraid of anything new. In Windows world
"new" means a load of problems, like annoying pop-ups and strange error
messages; just look at Windows 10 for crying out loud.
I still use both versions, I did disable all the updates in both versions,
because I don't like non of it.
Still I prefer Debian.
some times when I compare GNU/Linux & Losedow$, I ask myself, why people use
Winsucks? Because GNU/Linux offers all what a user wants. But not everybody
knows it, and some people don´t want to.
Generally speaking, if a product is good and cheap it becomes the market
leader. GNU/Linux is good (reliable, secure, respects your freedom and
privacy, etc.) and very cheap (free of charge). It's a mystery to me why so
many people prefer just the one is familiar to them.
poor dudes.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3075729/windows/fearing-forced-windows-10-upgrades-users-are-disabling-critical-updates-at-their-own-risk.html
I just saw that today that many people don't want to upgrade to Windows 10
and due to Microsoft's insistence, have disabled Windows Update entirely. I
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