Proprietary elegance good enough? (Was: Re: OT: notebook shopping)

[Alan Dayley]

Donn wrote:
> 
> Thank you Austin. That was part of my point. OS X has ONE Price and One 
> version. It also has none of the typical Windows issues with Registry 
> hell, reboot after sneezing hard, corruption of basic services by 
> applications (at least typically), etc.
> 
> As far as 'Free' or Open Source' vs. proprietary software is concerned, 
> I try to take a realistic view. It is somewhat irritating to me to hear 
> 'but that is proprietary software!' as if something smelled bad. I am 
> not trying to be argumentative here, I just want to make a point. I 
> agree on principal in the building block theory of Open Source software, 
> that is that knowledge should be shared and move us all forward without 
> wasting effort in constantly recreating code to do the same things. This 
> is an admirable goal. I try to support open source software that I use 
> and appreciate. I generally do not use free software, since it is 
> generally, but not always worth what you paid for it.
> 
> What I don't agree with is the Microsoft method of market domination by 
> intimidation. I have a great deal of admiration for what Apple has done 
> with their products in most cases. They are not beyond draconian methods 
> either, but the shear elegance of some of their hardware and software is 
> difficult to argue with. No one else in consumer electronics even comes 
> close, except possibly Nintendo, and very rarely Sony (believe it or 
> not). I have a 24" iMac and it is the best piece of hardware (and 
> software with Leopard) I have ever owned. At their core, Microsoft seems 
> to be about one thing, holding on to their 'lands and titles' like the 
> Nobles of old. Apple seems to aspire to something better in every 
> product they sell. They don't always hit the mark, but in my mind, the 
> aspiration is the thing that deserves recognition and admiration.
> 
> These are more words than I have ever written on this list, and I 
> apologize for the diatribe. Please take no offense.

No offense taken by me.  Apple makes superbly designed software and 
hardware and your points are well stated.

I'll just state my points using a quote as the anchor.

“It’s everything we think and say and do, everyday, passing through that 
software. If you don’t have the keys to it, who has the keys to it? And 
what will they do with those keys?” — Eben Moglen

Every time you buy or license something for your digital life, ask 
yourself the above questions.  Who has the keys and what will the do 
with them?  Once you have your answers you can rationally weigh benefits 
against any restrictions, current or future, you are accepting.

Most people who "rented" MSN Music just found out what the restrictions 
really meant to how they can use the music. 
(http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080422-drm-sucks-redux-microsoft-to-nuke-msn-music-drm-keys.html)

Most people who "rented" baseball videos didn't like what happened to 
them. 
(http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071107-major-league-baseballs-drm-change-strikes-out-with-fans.html)

Most people who licensed the upgrade versions of Microsoft Office may 
not realize that the latest version sometimes will not correctly render 
documents created two or three versions back.  And that, because they 
bought upgrade versions, they are not licensed to re-install the old 
version to properly render the files.

Most people don't realize that the newly ISO approved Office Open XML 
file format requires things like "handle the way Word 95 does it," which 
effectively blocks anyone but Microsoft from fully meeting the format. 
(Which they themselves don't comply with: 
http://www.griffinbrown.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,3e2202cd-59a3-4356-8f30-b8eb79735e1a.aspx)

Who has the keys to your life?  I actively work to make sure I have the 
keys as often as possible, even if I might have to hire someone to use 
them for me.  I'd rather have that option than have some piece of my 
life locked away at a time and place I did not choose.

Alan

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