Is anyone else unable to connect to the freespire torrent tracker? On 8/9/06, Mike Schwartz wrote: > > > nothing relating to the ability to run Windows programs, [...] > > Maybe this can help explain the **spire "cachet": > There are lots of folks out there (my wife included) > who do not want to have to learn anything [they do not > already know], but would like to surf the web, and do > a little bit of word processing, etc. My wife even uses > yahoo.com for e-mail, so using the browser gets rid of > the need for any [further] e-mail software. > Meanwhile, the use of FLOSS is preferable, whether > [i] for philosophical reasons [as RMS would say] > (and I agree, mainly) > or just simply > [ii] because it is nice to know that the source code is > available, so that if I really wanted to, I could read it, > or hire someone to do so. > Nowadays we need this option [ii] not only to be able to > make changes (e.g. to fix bugs). Today, being able to read > (and, if necessary, change) the source code, is the > only way to make sure that it is the person who owns > the hardware (i.e. paid for it) who gets to decide > (determine) what gets done (executed) on their machine. > With Windows, [e.g.] the authors of the software > (including worms, viri, spyware, what have you) may > well be able to override the wishes of the person who > owns the machine. Typically of course, their motive is > somehow to cause that machine owner to pay some > money - whether to > [1] a software publisher, of either OS or application > code - - such as, an AV ["anti virus"] vendor, > or > [2] for content (DRM -type checks, etc.), > or anything else. > (an "is your OS legal?" checkup was > mentioned in the news recently...) > Nowadays, there is no other way to be in charge - > other than running some FLOSS - typically copylefted, > such as, released under the GPL. (in our house we > have found that just using Firefox instead of MS-IE > helps a lot, even if running it under [over?] Windows). > So I think that, even if the software doesn't really > "replace" Windows applications, (e.g., by being able to > read and/or write some of the proprietary data formats), > it is a big help, ((at least for certain of these users who > consider themselves "non techie" oriented and would > not know how to boot from a CD/DVD to save their PC)) > if it just > [a] gets the same general kind of work done > (like perhaps web browsing, text processing, and > some simple tasks with photo / sound / video files), > AND > [b] does not require any complex "learning curve", > for the person who is coming from a corporate (or school) > environment that has accustomed folks to think that > stuff is easy to learn (or already know) if and only if the > user interface is Windows "-like". > ...sorry this was so long/rambling. > hope this helps... > PS I am back now from Iowa and > attended the 25 July 2006 West Side meeting. > another PS: > another factor: plenty of folks just want to buy some > hardware, not have *any* of the money forwarded to > MS / Gates, and then promptly format the hard drive > and install a distro that is less whiny than Linspire > (FreeSpire might even fit that) this is just my .02 ... > -- > Mike Schwartz > Glendale AZ > schwartz@acm.org > Mike.L.Schwartz@gmail.com > > > On 8/9/06, eric(c) wrote: > > > I'm a little confused. Looking over the Freespire and Linspire > > homepages, I saw nothing relating to the ability to run Windows programs, > > the whole reason I got interested in Lindows in the first place (every time > > I attempt to run Linux, I _always_ end up going back to Windows for certain > > software needs, and dual boots are pointless for me). Whats the deal with > > that? > > > > eric > > > > > > On 8/9/06, Eric Shubes wrote: > > > > > > FWIW, Freespire 1.0 (Freespire is to Linspire what Fedora is to Red > > > Hat > > > Enterprise, sort of) was released on Monday. Being the nice guy that I > > > am, I > > > have a torrent seeding it. 69 connections at the moment. Swarm looks > > > cool! > > > -- > > > -Eric 'shubes' > > > --------------------------------------------------- > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > >