Craig,

OK. But I still think you should reconsider your argument that the freedom offered is worthless.

cheers

>Jim,
>
>I think you missed something. I have not discouraged the use of Linux. I think it's a great product and has a place. What I am discouraging is the lies and half-truths used by both the Open Source and proprietary communities in an effort to say why their business model is better than the other. IMO, the Open Source community is more vocal in expressing those lies and half-truths.
>
>
>>Hi Craig,
>>
>>Well, only a very very small percentage of people NEED actually "freedom of the press" or even "freedom of assembly". Does that make either bogus or worthless?
>>
>>I think you dismiss the freedom offered by Open Source way too cavalierly. I especially think that you dismiss the converse - MS' ever-tightening noose of the EULA and related - without even a thought.
>>
>>When the day comes (and it may be here already for all I know) that your Mom buys a PC with Linux and Star Office pre-installed and get to working with it just as she does now, will that automatically make MS' proprietary source the bad guy now?
>>
>>You are nowhere near alone Craig, as I see far too many people for my liking willingly giving up a little here and a little there without much thought at the whim or request of some vendor (or government agency or whatever). Each seems harmless at the time. Few seem to ask themselves why it might be, if it really is harmless, that they are so interested in getting you to give it up in the first place.
>>
>>One of the odder ones that rings similarly was the statement that (paraphrasing) 'I can't blame MS for giving little attention to VFP given that they make around $500 per developer and $0.00 per actual user'. That rationale is totally silly but it is out there! With that reasoning a hammer should cost thousands of dollars given that they are used to build houses and big boats and skyscrapers etc!
>>It's very true that MS has the right to put whatever it wants into its EULAs, just as it can scare the pants off a 17 year old kid named Mike Rowe. But there does come a point where more rational people say enough is enough and start looking elsewhere for what they need.
>>THAT is reason enough alone to ENCOURAGE Linux and Open Source. Why any of MS' customers would think otherwise for even a nonosecond is way beyond my comprehension.
>>