The Toshiba Standoff (Linux Journal)

Posted Sep 13, 2002 21:24 UTC (Fri) by rmdirms (guest, #2659) [Link]

Thanks, Salsaman.

I am glad you enjoyed it. Every once in a while I can tirade in a way that downright brings people to giggles, and in the same crowd some would want to behead me, regardless of the law and freedom of speech. BTW, I replied to the Toshiba Standoff also on Newsforge. Except, there I replied to a guy who ranted about Toshiba selling secrets of the propeller milling machine to Russia... My intro is the only difference to what you read hear. The rest is just the same imperious heresy I posted which you already read...

I did, however, forget to mention my ordeal with Gateway, back in Jan/Feb of 2000. Boy, it was an ordeal.

On the phone, the sales lady refused to let me buy the system naked. I told her I was going to put Mandrake and SuSE Linux on it, and that I didn't even NEED nor did I WANT windoze. I did manage to get her to agree to send me a LOGITECH mouse. Guess what. I got an ms mouse. So, I threw the #$^%er in the box in a corner for a year. I then had need to buy a propane mini-torch and one day.... I got out my Sony HandiCam and made a home video burning and scolding ms and their wretched every-where mouse. The fumes got noxious, and I did feel guilty about pollution, but one day, I will release the defecatious defamation of his lord bill's rodent. Anyway...

I know that companies get volume discounts, but I find it astounding to think that they are NOT getting any kickbacks at all. After all, if only 2,000 of their 40,000 buying, legit, honest Customers ask for a naked system, then what's it to Dell or Gateway. Hell, they didn't WRITE windoze, and so any loss is inflicted BY microstorf. See, if a PC maker ships 55,000 units, the cost of windoze is X. If they tell ms (miscreatn) they THINK they'll ship "48,000 windozed-based PCs" and don't mention "naked PCs", then miscreant will charge them for a license for X amount. Now if Gateway stunningly ships, instead, 75,000 units, they'd BETTER tell ms, otherwise the market will be skewed and eventually traced back to the supplier.

However, if Gateway ships 375 units naked, really, what's it to ms, except the beginning of a trend. And, NOOOOOO, they can't have any of THAT crap hanneping, right? So, anti-trust, BAM! BAM!! (of the gavel) it's time to HAUL ms' butts back into court.

I STILL am boggled by their getting off the the meat hook for D*)King with the (our own) video testemony. Just let me or you fiddle with video surveillance showing we actually dragged the girlscout cookie pusher INTO the house and jacked her up for pushing cookies. Yep, WE''d BE in JAIL. Cannot get away with saying she pushed her way in and tried to force cookies sales.

I don't buy this apologist "what the market will bear" and "supply and demand" crap that is leveled in defence of ms. After all, THEIR stuff SHIPS, is PUSHEd on the world. Linux, no, we have to fight tooth and nail. Heck, from day one, almost, ms was scheming and probably hiding in seemy, stinky closets, choking themselves up over the biggest pyramid scheme in history (other than government taxation and religious quarrels, if you don't mind...)

So, the government, by not directly pouncing ms in a way that REALLY is substantive, that HURTS, and that leaves them humbled and limping (and maybe with a crowbar or Dremel spinning up their small intestine's upper and lower trap doors), is just SUBSIDIZING ms.

Unfortunately, this war effort going on is just one GREAT big convenient smokescreen for a number of things but for ms it works out just fine. Prince Geo is a buddy, however labyrinthine the "club org chart" is, and you can BET ms won't be facing a meat hook anytime soon, at least not by any lawmakers and enforcers. So, It is up to the UK to do what the US greed keeps the law from having the cajones to do:

From LWN's very own front page....

"The London-based Commission on Intellectual Property Rights has issued its final report on intellectual property law, especially with regard to developing countries. There is much to be found there in favor of free software and freedom of access to information in general. "Where suppliers of digital information or software attempt to restrict 'fair use' rights by contract provisions associated with the distribution of digital material, the relevant contract provision may be treated as void. Where the same restriction is attempted through technological means, measures to defeat the technological means of protection in such circumstances should not be regarded as illegal." "

You gotta love it, if I read it correct.

So somebody needs to get a FOOL&STOOL saver and shrink-wrap ms (freeze first, lest the brown stuff leak all over your machine...) heheh

Anyway, I have to admit here, that I DO comment Gates (upper case respect here for the next words finishing this sentence) for donating charity and resources for AIDS research and HEALTH-related/protein-distribution programs he & miss-Mindy (Hey, is Bill "MORK", or DORK) underwrites. However, I thoroughly despise the gates (lower-casing/deprecation here intentional for the following and paragraph-preceeding material) for letting his megalomania machine get out of control.

Monopolies on tooth brushes and scissors and tires are hard to maintain. Consumers can ALWAYS find alternatives and actually get them easily and relatively cheaply. But, not so with pre-built, mass-produced, in-your-face-at-work and at-home computers. No, gates, Uncle Fester, and the scarecrow (mr skinny) just HAVE to have the market to themselves. Well, not on MY chinny-chin-chin, Allchin... You can BET on it! I notice ballmer is doin' his bop & gloat (read Mop & Glo) jigs all over the stage. I wonder how many times he might have almost slipped. They WOULD be mopping the floor up with HIM if he fell. Dude must think he's the Albino/Alternate Universe version of James Brown. Heyaahhhhh, huyh, Kama-su-pama-shoo, noo-noo... yyyhooooo , heyahhh.... I think his insurance company told him to be a bit more careful. After all, he might LOOK like the merger of Uncle Fester and WEEBLE WOBBLE. But, if HE falls, he WILL stay DOWN! HEHEH EHeheh I crack myself up... A LOt of times...

ANyway, Toshiba, Gateway, Dell, HP, and others should be put on NOTICE. LIVE BY micostorf's SWORD, YOU WILL PERISH BY micsotorf's SWORD! Plain and simple. Quick using tiresome "market economics" excuses and bogus statistics to prop up your houses of cards. You can MAKE or help MAKE markets if you just sit down and chat with Sun and IBM and Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, LSB and others who NEED a decent, fair door-opening. As for "queer or weird" GUIs, hey, the Customer demand (especially from interest free-loading or rabid and PAYING Customers) will MORE than justify and vindicate your OPEN support of Linux. Besides, Toshiba and Sony are Japanese companies. Why embrace Linux back home and leave pro-Sony Customers to the wolves here in the States? C'mon Sony. You need to reign in your New York and LA staff who are a bit too comfy or under-watched on this side of the pond (regardless of their birth place, Sony, you REALLY need to keep tabs on your overseas offices so they don't make decisions that'll haunt your reputation...)

Regards,

David the Imperious Impudent Impetuous anti-ms Wretch