[ale] Laughing myself sick!

aaron aaron at pd.org
Mon Oct 14 10:13:54 EDT 2002


> > On Sun, 13 Oct 2002 18:44:51 -0400, Irv Mullins wrote:
> > > Say, just how much does the never-ending attempt to remain
> > > 'compliant' add to the total cost of operating a Windows shop?
> >
> > Excellent point.  Next time someone comes out with a Windows/Linux
> > TCO comparison, we should be asking "Do your figures take into
> > account the expenditure of money and personnel time required to keep
> > licenses for proprietary software straight, or the cost of BSA fines
> > if the company fails to do so?"

On Sunday 13 October 2002 19:37, Adrin wrote:
> That is a very good point.
> That office that has the same cute little screen saver on all the
> machines that some employee brought in and everyone just had to have. 
> Could just be the one program that gets the company fined.

And don't forget to cost in the massive productivity losses directly 
attributable to miserable employee moral. Now the long suffering cubicle 
clones can't even load a light hearted little screen saver on their 
machines or open an email attachment from a friend without worrying over 
the deadly threat of losing their jobs. Not the kind of environment any 
sane person would want to be working in.

That thought brings to mind just how much the M$ winblows world is 
growing in resemblance to the absurdist nightmare depictions of 
bureaucracy in the movie "Brazil".  As soon as the "Blue Screen of Death" 
actually causes an M$ machine to explode in a user's face (and some 
obsessively helpful and entirely innocent Linux installation guru is 
tortured to death as a terrorist for it), then reality will parallel that 
sardonic fantasy completely.

peace
(after justice)
aaron

< wayOT >
[It further occurs to me that, above exaggerations aside, comparing 
"Brazil" and "1984" to today's realities of corporate and political 
corruption is becoming a frightening exercise. Given the M$ monopoly, 
the DMCA, the RIAA and the BSA, and the way they are all readily aided 
abetted by Ashcroft and the rest of the constitution shredding Klan 
members in Washington, one can find that the parallels are growing far 
too consistent and disturbing to be funny.]
< /wayOT >




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