Dear Kylea,

Thanks for the note.

Seriously, while your note may be about computers, programs and operating 
systems, I see it as an individual discussing a journey to find a system 
they can live with.

My only suggestion is that you consider giving a nod to the pantheon of 
giants, including but not limited to Mark the SADFL (who is no slouch at 
coding BTW :^), who for reasons known only to themselves code these 
systems.  I suspect that their software development activism is a new art 
form, and we patrons owe to them whatever we can give, but minimally we 
can easily prefer to these good crafts-folk our thanks, our recognition, 
and in my case more than a touch of envy.

My own resources are, on the eve of my country's election, at depressingly 
low levels, yet I feel the strength of Ubuntu here in the world.  My own 
modest personal commitment at this time of personal and economic privation 
in rural Vermont, in North America is to commit to those traveling in the 
name of open systems that they need only say the word "Ubuntu" at my door 
that they be assured the spirit of that word will be delivered to them in 
full measure.  I am no great coder, but this is what I currently have, and 
this is what I have to offer.

Kylea, you live literally on the other side of the world from me, yet we 
share the same 30 years of experience
(reference http://www.flint.com/flint).

At one time America had leaders who asked us not what our country could do 
for us but what we could do for our country.  In a previous paragraph I 
outlined my own very modest commitment to this system we use.  Beyond 
celebrating these coders by using their systems, and commenting here in 
your letter on how fine their systems are (except of course, the damn 
Bluetooth :^), I believe that the key to this whole movement is what can 
you and I, personally do to help.

Part of this help are bug reports.  So thanks for the bug report Kylea, I 
hope all is well in your land, and that Democracy and prosperity are soon 
restored in my own.

Kindest Regards,


Paul Flint
(802) 479-2360


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please send an acknowledgment in response to this note.

Paul Flint
Barre Open Systems Institute
17 Averill Street
Barre, VT
05641

http://www.bosivt.org
http://www.flint.com/home
skype: flintinfotech
Work: (202) 537-0480
  Fax: (703) 852-7089

Consilium
gratuitum        .~.
valet            /V\
quanti          /( )\
numerantur      ^^-^^


  On Mon, 3 Nov 2008, kylea wrote:

> Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:30:03 -0000
> From: kylea <email address hidden>
> Reply-To: Bug 1 <email address hidden>
> To: <email address hidden>
> Subject: [Bug 1] Re: Microsoft has a majority market share
> 
> Having been involved with IT for 30 years starting with IBM PC's & XT's
> and Apple Lisa's, ICL Mainframes running card punched Cobol programs,
> PICK and Prime Information and Universe, MS-Dos and Windows PC's, I
> finally decided to try and kick Microsoft out of my life and off my PC.
> Well nearly - I still need it for a few things as there is no acceptable
> options under Linux or the only supported platform is Windows or Mac,
> (thanks Australian Tax Office). So I use Sun's xVM VirtualBox.
>
> I took the gamble and stepped up dived into Ubuntu and 8.10 and 64bit. I
> have put many many many hours into getting it to where now I think its
> an acceptable alternative, just re-fix Bluetooth !!! and its will be
> perfect.
>
> However the effort has been large, so I am going to give it 3 months
> (??) and try and install the final stable release onto other laptop to
> see if its really an viable alternative to XP and Vista and all that
> that means.
>
> Also I am not sure if the 'community' is as mature as it needs to be
> really break Microsoft's monopoly.
>
> Does free = freedom? Not sure thats true. One definition of Freedom
> could be the right to chose from viable alternatives.  Free is not
> always better and paying for well developed and supported software is
> not unethical.
>
> -- 
> Microsoft has a majority market share
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>