A Letter from Linuxland
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| ....I don't know exactly what bit of Microsoft corporate madness
| finally provoked the allergic reaction that swelled my anger gland. It
| could have been Windows Media Player offering to 'protect' my content with
| a smarmy message that smelled as bad as 'Crusher' Nobbs offering to
| 'protect' a pub. It might have been Windows Genuine Advantage slithering
| its way into my PC and lobbing my personal information back to Microsoft's
| HQ without telling me. It might have been waiting two minutes for my
| computer to start while a large and massively stupid lump of antivirus
| software declared itself the most important being in my world. Or it
| might have been another stonkingly arrogant statement from Steve Ballmer
| -- you know, the man who's proud that he bans his kids from owning iPodsa
| nd using Google. There are many, many candidates for the last straw in
| the bale on this camel's back.
|
| Whatever it was, it was suddenly too much. I realised fully what I've
| actually known for 20 years -- I wanted to use my computer on my terms.
| I wanted to be part of a community, not some battery hen kept in my own
| ordure and fed god knows what to lay golden licensing fees. I didn't want
| to be part of Microsoft's world, not even one where someone else pays for
| my software. I wanted to have fun. I wanted out.
|
| There are two options for the escapee -- Macintosh and Linux. I like the
| Mac. OS X is an addictive shiny thing, the hardware is toothsome and if
| you can afford to join its gated enclave the lawns are well-mown, the
| security guys courteous and your fellow inmates stylish and bright.
| But I can't afford it. Truth to tell, I get a little scared by the
| evangelical chaps on the corner.
|
| Which leaves Linux.
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http://crave.cnet.co.uk/desktops/0,39029426,49283337,00.htm?r=1
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