[ale] petition

[Mike Millson]

This is EXACTLY how I feel. I consider Microsoft like the mafia or drug
dealers. Or apartheid. Principles before profits - I couldn't have said it
better.

Is life so dear and air so sweet that it has to be purchased at the price of
Microsoft tyranny?

I see nothing wrong with elevating Microsoft to a moral issue. In fact, it
is where the issue belongs, in my oppinion.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: James P. Kinney III [mailto:jkinney at localnetsolutions.com]
To: ale at ale.org
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 9:11 AM
To: Benjamin Dixon
Cc: Atlanta Linux User Group (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [ale] petition


My comments reflect my justified mistrust and disdain for Microsoft.

It is the _business_ that I don't trust. I don't do business with the
mafia. I don't do business with terrorists. Unlike Microsoft, I put
principles before profits.

I don't buy Coors beer products. I will never again buy a diamond since
they all come from DeBeers. I drive an extra 15 minutes to go to a
different store than the Best Buy near me because of horrendous customer
service and an attitude of indifference from the management.

It is Microsoft's code. They claim that they wrote all of it. They claim
than none of it was acquired from outside sources without a license.
They claim that they do business honestly and fairly. As we all know,
the federal government has shown that Microsoft is a liar about their
fair business practices.

I don't run Microsoft products on my machine. I do own legal copies of
Win95, 98, NT3.51, NT4.0, and win2k pro. They were all rammed down my
throat when I purchased 5 other machines to run Linux on. I have to
interact with Microsoft products on a daily basis. My clients run
windows on their desktops. My networking systems have to interact with
and support their setup. Recently, I had to configure networking on a P4
1.8GHz 256M running XP. My wifes Celeron 700 128M running RedHat 7.2 and
Gnome runs circles around it. Quality of product?

I don't apologize for my disdain and mistrust of Microsoft. They have
done nothing to earn my trust or respect. Not as a software development
house, nor as a multi-billion dollar business venture. Instead, I am a
vocal advocate of kicking Microsoft out of all public funded locations.
This includes schools and all government activities. I think it is a
conflict of interest for the federal government to be simultaneously
using and suing Microsoft. I know from some first hand experience that
schools use Microsoft because they are told to by leadership who are
mostly computer illiterate. These "leaders" are pitched (duped) by the
salespeople from Microsoft into believing that because Microsoft in on
90% of the worlds desktop computers, it must be good for the schools to
teach students how to use Microsoft since that's what they will use in
the adult world. Gag! Spit! Choke! Puke! And we are forced to pay,
through our taxes, for this "privileged opportunity" for our children.

Microsoft is a despicable business run by the greediest of bastards with
no interest whatsoever in doing a good job at anything. As long as the
cash flows in, that's all that matters to Microsoft.

Blech!

On Thu, 2002-02-14 at 23:14, Benjamin Dixon wrote:
>
> As scary as MS and the thought of anything MS on linux is, these comments
> are just as frightening. While MS may have been cunning in their
> questionably legal marketing manuevers, let's face it, they've played the
> business game the best of anyone. Their code, no matter how evil, is not
> a random occurrence but is the product Microsoft's investment in time and
> money to create a product. If they don't want you to see the gears, thats
> their decision. Its their code, they should be able to do what they want
> with it no matter how much of a "threat" they pose. Ultimately its the
> people who continue to buy into their monopoly that are causing the
> problem. If you're worried about nefarious things going on inside the code
> that you don't know about, which is undoubtably the case, don't buy their
> products for linux, windows, or any other operating system.
>
> Ben
>
> On 14 Feb 2002, James P. Kinney III wrote:
>
> > I would prefer to have Microsoft forced to publish every line of code
> > for every OS they have released since DOS 1.0.
> >
> > I don't want MSOffice on my linux boxes unless it too is fully
> > documented with full access to every line of code. I simply don't trust
> > the vulture of Redmond.
> >
> > The code doesn't have to be GPL. They could have a redistributon
> > prohibition clause on binaries. I want to see what they are doing when
> > my network shows traffic and I'm not doing anything. (kids windows box)
> > I want to see how my personal data gets handled. I want to see how the
> > difference between the published API and the purchased API.
> >
> > <side note - how much $$ does Microsoft make from licenses with Norton
> > and MacAfee virus software?  Whose cash-paying interest would be served
> > by closing the security holes?>
> >
> > On Thu, 2002-02-14 at 20:43, Geoffrey wrote:
> > > I've come to the conclusion that we need to get the word out. I've
heard
> > > that the hold out states on the Microsoft trial want Microsoft to port
> > > Office to Linux.  I don't know about you, but I don't want Office
taking
> > > my Linux box down.  I think the proper solution is for Microsoft to
> > > publish their file formats.  What do you folks think?  I want to get a
> > > petition going.  I've dead serious about this.
> > >
> > > Anyone know how you would go about this, from the legal standpoint?  I
> > > can throw up a site for this purpose on no time, but how do I get it
to
> > > the right people, so that it can be 'heard?'
> > >
> > > --
> > > Until later: Geoffrey		esoteric at 3times25.net
> > >
> > > "...the system (Microsoft passport) carries significant risks to users
that
> > > are not made adequately clear in the technical documentation
available."
> > > - David P. Kormann and Aviel D. Rubin, AT&T Labs - Research
> > > - http://www.avirubin.com/passport.html
> > >
> > >
> > > ---
> > > This message has been sent through the ALE general discussion list.
> > > See http://www.ale.org/mailing-lists.shtml for more info. Problems
should be
> > > sent to listmaster at ale dot org.
> > >
> > --
> > James P. Kinney III   \Changing the mobile computing world/
> > President and COO      \          one Linux user         /
> > Local Net Solutions,LLC \           at a time.          /
> > 770-493-8244             \.___________________________./
> >
> > GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics)
> > <jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>
> > Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7
> >
> >
> >
>
> Today's Random Quote--------------------------------------
>
>  "Dont critisize a man till you've walked a mile in his shoes,
>  that way when you critisize him you're a mile away and have his
> shoes."
>
>     - unknown
> -----------------------------------------------------------
--
James P. Kinney III   \Changing the mobile computing world/
President and COO      \          one Linux user         /
Local Net Solutions,LLC \           at a time.          /
770-493-8244             \.___________________________./

GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics)
<jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>
Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7




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