OSNews

I agree with most of what you are saying. What concerns a computer user is really dependent on what you do with the machine and where you are coming from.

For business users, what I've talked about is important. When one company has complete control over your information infrastucture, you know prices will be high, functionality will be limited, and you will be stuck.

For entertainment users, then your point about the iPod is completely valid. We find prices are high, functionality is limited, and the iTunes user is stuck. I don't own an iPod for two reasons. One, I don't like iTunes and would never pay a cent for low quality DRM music. And two, many iPods were made with low quality output sections, so the sound quality is mediocre. I believe the latest players, including the Shuffle, have made improvements to the output circuitry.

I do look at Apple today as a mini-Microsoft. Apple is not any sort of example I use for how a better world could be created. Apple is arrogant and abrasive for the most part -- and often pettier than Microsoft in their tyranny. While I appreciate the choice that Apple offers in OS X, I would be far happier if it came from another company.

For a more open computing environment to be created, it will take cooperation the likes of which we have not seen. Maybe the spectre of an all-powerful Microsoft will help the rest of the computer companies cooperate. Or maybe it won't.

When I look at the future of computing, I am hopeful that something will arise out of Linux/*BSD other than innumerable distros from people not working together.

It will not be something linear or predictable, but rather something chaotic. Something truly new will emerge out of the noise and the world will be changed.