[ale] [Fwd: Pirate Banned from Using Linux]

[Michael B. Trausch]

Jeff Lightner, on 08/27/2007 02:23 PM said:
> 
> Your argument equates the ultimate penalty (death) to an
> inconvenience (use of Windoze) and I don't buy it.   Of course I've
> never bought the "mental anguish" type of "damages" often seen in
> civil suits either.
> 

I wasn't equating the penalties to each other---I was saying that if we
can be humane in situation X that we should be consistent and do so for
situation Y; just as there is no reason to cause a long, slow, and
painful death when someone is condemned to that fate (which mind you, I
don't agree we should do for many reasons), there is no technical reason
for mandating an operating system just to monitor a user's actions.
That's all I was saying.

> 
> It all reminds me for some reason of the guy who slows down at a stop
> sign to see if anyone is coming but never actually stops.   A cop
> pulls him over for not stopping.   He says to the officer "I slowed
> down - what's the difference?"  The officer cuffs him and bends him
> over the hood then starts hitting the scofflaw with his nightstick
> and says "Now - would you like me to stop or just slow down?"
>

I haven't heard that one before, and it would be funny if it weren't
something that I could imagine has happened.  Of course, there is an
entire plethora of issues regarding that entire situation that tie in
with the current discussion; namely, the cop didn't need to do that to
do his or her job.  :-/

	-- Mike

-- 
Michael B. Trausch               Internet Mail & Jabber: mike at trausch.us
Phone:  (404) 592-5746 x1                         http://www.trausch.us/
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