I think you are 100% correct.  We understand more, and some of you guys know the ends and outs.  Knowing all this comes at a price if it is not one's livelihood.  ------------------------ Keith Smith --- On Fri, 1/23/09, James Finstrom wrote: From: James Finstrom Subject: Re: OT: Microsoft layoffs To: "Main PLUG discussion list" Date: Friday, January 23, 2009, 7:03 AM Just a side note on perceptions. I use to do consuner support and the general population doesn't know what they use. Internet explorer is the big blue e or simply the internet. I have heard windows hp office xp I dunno windows and no its a compaq to describe the os. My wife doesn't care as long as there is a fox on the desktop and it takes her to her email and games. It is truely only geeks who put much thought in to this On 1/23/09, Bob Elzer wrote: > They probably just layed off the Vista People :-) > > > _____ > > From: plug-discuss-bounces@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > [mailto:plug-discuss-bounces@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us] On Behalf Of keith > smith > Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 10:10 AM > To: Main PLUG discussion list > Subject: Re: OT: Microsoft layoffs > > > > I think we tend to look at Microsoft and a $150 license fee for XP or Vista > as a lot of money. There are other costs to consider. What is your time > worth? > > Most people do not have the need nor the desire to learn Linux. > > I personally like the Windows operating system for my desk top. I run Linux > on my LAMP dev box. > > To me, as it probably is for most people, is a simple business decision. I > was M$ free for 8 months in 2000. Last year I tried it again. My favorite > code editor only runs on Windows. I hated running IE in wine (I need it for > cross browser testing). I spent tons of time configuring my Linux network > and spend lots of time to make it work efficiently. In the end I re-loaded > XP on my desk top and have enjoyed the mix of M$ and Linux, each meeting q > specific need. > > Why buy a nail gun at extra cost when a hammer will do the same job for > less? > > Two comments on pirating: > > 1) The creators of dBase found out in the late 80's that pirating actually > improved sales. During the time most software came with a copy protection. > The copy protection made installs more tedious and difficult. Several > applications were developed to make by passing the copy protection possible. > > In the end most software companies removed the copy protection. Ashton-Tate > the creators of dBase stated their sales when up once the copy protection > was removed. They attributed this increase to people sharing their copy of > dBase with others giving them a chance to try the product. Once they saw it > was something they could use they bought it. > > 2) Pirating hurts everyone just like shoplifting cost all of us. There is a > lot of quality free software out there. And there is a lot of quality > proprietary software out there. I do not see a day when ALL software is > free. For one cooperate America would not have it that way. The real model > I see emerging is the two feature set software. The lower or lesser > featured application is free. The upgraded software is fee based. I think > this is a great model that provides simple software for a simple need. It > also creates a revenue stream and an incentive for the developer. > > Think of this. What if M$ offered a very slimmed down version of office for > free and a more feature rich version for a fee. That would be a great thing > in that I could have what I need in Office, simple word and simple excel, > while meeting the needs of people who need all those advanced features. > > On a side note I do not want to purchase office, however, those I work with > send me office documents. As a work around I use the free reader provided > by M$. Not as effective as I would like. Office is $400 full retail. It > is purely a business decision. Is it worth my time to copy those documents > to Open-Office? At this point it is. If I received documents daily it > would not be. > > Please no flames. > ------------------------ > Keith Smith > > > --- On Thu, 1/22/09, James Finstrom wrote: > > > > From: James Finstrom > Subject: OT: Microsoft layoffs > To: "Main PLUG discussion list" > Date: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 9:26 AM > > > http://www.alleyinsider.com/2009/1/microsoft-layoffs-live-msft > > I lived a short while in Washington and knew many Microsoft employees so in > a general sense Microsoft laying off 5000 people sucks but in another sense > I would like to think that this is partially our (the Linux world's) doing. > Having to compete with (free as in beer) software and pirates it really is > hard to keep going. This shows a flaw in strategy for the Redmond folks. I > would say if they did a survey especially of the 30 and under crowd about > piracy 80+% would see nothing wrong with it and would not morally classify > it as stealing. this mind set is really going to be the death of sold > software. It is often said people don't adopt Linux because because there is > no reason too when they can get the other stuff free too. We live in an age > where information/data is free (as in beer) weather that was the intent of > the creator or not. Just amaizing that one of the richest companies in the > world is not sucking it up and eating loss for a few years. I do have to > wonder though if bill gates was still at the wheel if they would eat it. > Bill gates love him or hate him is a verry generous person and I believe he > would have fought this over all. > > > James Finstrom > Rhino Equipment Corp. > http://rhinoequipment.com ~ http://postug.com > > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > -- Sent from my mobile device James Finstrom Rhino Equipment Corp. http://rhinoequipment.com ~ http://postug.com Phone: 1-877-RHINO-T1 ~ FAX: +1 (480) 961-1826 Twitter: http://twitter.com/rhinoequipment IP: guest@asterisk.rhinoequipment.com --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss