Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sun 29th Jul 2007 19:02 UTC, submitted by flanque
"Red Flag Linux has turned out to be little more than a key bargaining chip in a high stakes game of commerce between the Chinese government and the world's largest software maker. Thanks to some major concessions on source code and a precipitous price drop, the Chinese government has now thoroughly embraced Windows and Office. And thanks to a major about-face in the way that it deals with piracy, Microsoft has also won over the Chinese people."
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Member since:
2005-07-24
"""
That's when they call me, usually, and have done so for the last 20 years.
"""
Serious question. Why do you help them? To me, everyone, including me, has helped create, nurture, and support the problem that we now have.
I'm in the IT business professionally, and although I have resisted, I've done my part as well, because it made short-term sense. That's how MS operates. By making their "solutions" make short-term sense.
I finally decided that while I can't stop the problem, I don't have to be a part of it. I've made it clear to my Windows-loving employer, (whose philosophy is that a Windows support dollar is just as good as a Linux support dollar and easier to sell) that I won't do it anymore. There are still times that it makes sense to me to support Windows. E.g. when I can edge OSS onto a Windows machine. But I still don't like it. These days, there almost has to be a Linux server involved, carrying the future possibility of moving the Windows boxes to thin client status, before I can support Windows and actually feel good about what I am doing.
That's just me, of course. I respect the fact that different people can have different ethical systems which are just as valid as mine.
But I find that as time goes on, I have become less and less comfortable aiding and abetting the MS Windows/ MS Office monopolies. And so I ignore the carrot hanging from that stick and do what I feel is right.
I would encourage others to join me if their ethical leaning are similar, and if they can do so without compromising other, more important, ethical responsibilities.
Edited 2007-07-30 16:32