from the libertarian newspaper

[Jared]

> A Snow Penguin is off topic, but this intense exposure of sociological 
> ignorance isn't?

Well, if it were an intense exposure of sociological ignorance,
this might be a valid point. But it isn't. The thread is entirely
ON-topic, being a wide-ranging discussion centered on Linux as a
complex social, political, and philosophical force in the world.

> Windows sells because Windows works.  Most of the time, for most people, who 
> need it specifically for one thing or another.  Linux can be made to work 
> better if a) you're very lucky or b) you are or have access to a Linux guru.

Actually, it's the other way around. Windows works because Windows
sells. You see, we have very strong laws and social ethics protecting
the consumer from fraud in the United States. I firmly believe that
this is the reason Windows works -- because the logic which
drives any marketing-driven strategy is simply not sufficient
to explain their technical ability.

In other words, it is true that Microsoft has actual technical
ability. But a deeper analysis of this fact reveals that its
technical competence comes by a very different path than Linux.

Microsoft is composed of micro-meritocracies operating within
a larger purely capitalistic hierarchy. Linux is a meritocracy
attracting both micro-meritocracies and micro-capitalists. All
are welcome, even those who lumber around telling people they're
not welcome. :)

To be brief, Microsoft is marketing-driven, and Linux is tech-driven,
and the two strategies are fundamentally different in origin and
destination, even when to outward appearances they may manifest
similar attributes because they are targeting the same audience.

You write "Linux can be made to work better if you are lucky
or a guru." So become a guru. This would be a valid criticism if
it were difficult to become a Linux guru. It just takes time and
curiousity. You see, as long as Linux remains wide open, you're
finding fault with the great strength of Linux, not its weakness.

> My dad tried Linux - I think it was a Knoppix disk I sent him - and he 
> couldn't get his printer to work.  That's a deal killer - and probably a 
> permanent loss of a potential user.  Not everybody would have an easier time 
> using a Linux computer, even one running Gnome.

Any user who stops using Knoppix because his printer doesn't work,
ought to be using Windows anyway. Windows caters to the consumer
because of the strong ethic against fraud, whereas Linux caters
to the user who is curious, and became a programmer to fix things.
One is driven by a carrot and a stick, and the other is driven
by a carrot alone.

> There's a reason there isn't a "College of Conservative Arts".

Yes. The College of Conservative Arts is everything that is not
organized within the College of Liberal Arts, and they're being
modest about it.

-Jared