I am not saying that (or whether) I agree.
This is just "FYI".
("Read or Toss" -- !)

The first item in this e-zine has a LINK to

https://www.quora.com/When-Linux-provides-so-many-high-quality-operating-systems-of-many-varieties-free-of-cost-why-do-people-still-buy-Mac-OS-and-Windows-OS

Mike Schwartz
Glendale AZ
schwartz@acm.org

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Quora Digest <digest-noreply@quora.com>
Date: Sat, Oct 24, 2015 at 11:54 AM
Subject: When Linux provides so many high-quality operating systems of many varieties free of...? - Quora
To: mike.l.schwartz@gmail.com

Answer: I live in Latin America, where the cost of Windows is prohibitively hi...

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When Linux provides so many high-quality operating systems of many varieties free of cost, why do people still buy Mac OS and Windows OS?

Marvin Varela

273 votes

I live in Latin America, where the cost of Windows is prohibitively high for most families compared to their income. I have helped several families prepare a budget for their desktop computers. When they do this I always give them the choice

Buy Windows.
Install Linux Mint or Ubuntu for free.

Confronted with the choice they ask what the implications are. I always tell them it is really hard to g... Read More »

What are some cultural faux pas in New York City?

Christin Roman, UX Designer

78 votes

A lot of great answers here, but I don't think anyone has mentioned deli etiquette - something tourists and new comers often get wrong, pissing off both deli employees and fellow customers.

First of all, when ordering something from the case or the grill - a sandwich, for example - it's customary to place your order with the person who is actually working that station. Do NOT try to place you... Read More »

Space Exploration: Why can't we just slowly rise to space? Why do you have to go so fast?

Jonathan Miller, 28 Years, NASA Engineer, Johnson Space Center, Houston

326 votes

This is actually a good question. The real answer is that Gravity doesn't magically turn off when you get into orbit. You are still falling back towards the earth. But once you reach a horizontal speed of about 17,000 miles an hour as you fall towards the Earth you keep missing it. The only known way to stay in space is to be going really fast and maintain an orbit. So unless and until we... Read More »

What makes the American Express Black Card the world's most exclusive credit card?

Maxwell Arnold, BA in fashion. Aspiring trademark litigator. Always thinking, always writing.

564 votes

Well it is not the most exclusive credit card. It's very exclusive in that only those who are invited can hold the card, there are strict qualification requirements (that are not officially disclosed, but rumours all say that one must spend about $250,000 per year on their existing American Express charge, not credit, card), and to get the card after being invited will cost you a $7,500 initiat... Read More »

Do OS X get slow over time on HDD like Windows?

Glyn Williams, Grizzled game industry veteran.

65 votes

All desktop OSs can end up with a state which impairs performance.
So the answer is yes. OS X can sometimes become slow over time.

But in my experience it's less commonplace than in Windows installations.
There are a few of reasons for this.

1) I think the UNIX underpinnings of OS X can be a bit more robust. Some of the Windows engineering, (like the registry) seem to encourage this slow dow... Read More »

How did machine guns fire through the propeller arc without breaking the propeller, on a single prop airplane?

Rajan Bhavnani, Founder & CEO of a Tech Startup

250 votes

Good Question! This was a real problem in WWI. Early fighter pilots often had to be careful about how much they fired their forward machine gun because firing it would slowly eat away at their own propeller. Fortunately for fighter pilots, by WWII a "synchronization gear" or "interrupter" had been developed and was standard equipment on fighters flown by both the allied and axis powers.

In it... Read More »

Which computers are using Linux?

Pat Roberts

3.8k votes

97% of the top 500 supercomputers
36% of the top 10 million webservers
97% of the top 1 million webservers
Nearly 100% of all Android devices[1] (as Tim points out, Android is a layer atop an OS, nearly always Linux)
1.8% of desktops/laptops
15% of desktops/laptops that aren't running a Microsoft OS
Roku STBs

Data Source
[1] "Android" not on top of Linux: Myriad Alien Dalvik (mainly used in cable/sat... Read More »

How close to the speed of light have our fastest vehicles that can carry humans gone? Have we gone around 60% the speed of light?

Logan R. Kearsley

195 votes

Not remotely. Not even unmanned vehicles have gone anywhere close to that fast.

That record for the fastest speed any human has ever traveled relative to the Earth was set by Apollo 10, which reached 39,897 kph. That's approximately 0.0037% the speed of light.

For comparison, the fastest unmanned craft ever launched to date is the Helios 2 solar probe, launched in 1976, which reached approxim... Read More »

What happens if Microsoft copies source code from Linux and ships it with Windows?

Mårten Mickos, SVP, HP

478 votes

It would be great news, because Windows would then become open source code. Linux is licensed under GPL, and that license has a "share, and share alike" principle. In essence, the license says that if you distribute a derivative work that includes GPL code, the entire work must be licensed under the GPL. Linux shares its source code with you, and you must share alike. Of course, all of this is ... Read More »

I am in my early 20s, earning between $110-180k/yr depending on my bonus. Would it be inappropriate for me to drive a $50k Mercedes-Benz?

Lucas Neves

149 votes

I feel qualified to give you an answer, since I bought a $50k Mercedes-Benz SLK at age 26, and I earn in the same range. Let me first give you some caveats:

I have a stable office as a civil servant. Are you sure that you won't be fired in the near future?
I have an excellent retirement plan. Are your savings sound?
My car was heavily discounted. Diplomats serving abroad can buy cars tax-free, an...