[Fsuk-manchester] the non-free neighbour asking for help dilemma

[lists]

2008/5/5 Tim Dobson <address@hidden>:
> what would you do?

I'm glad to see some lively debate on this topic. Several people have also
mailed me off list about this, which is fine, but keeping it on-list tends
to make it more intersting for everyone.

The situation has changed a little, but first let me address the issue as
I put it in my previous email.

I don't really wish to help my brother *back* to using a non-free
operating system. It seems to me, to be wrong to "help" someone back to
something I find unethical.
However, I am willing to accept his decision for the short term in the
event he installs Windows without my assistance, I just don't want to
compromise my moral values.
If I don't take them seriously, how can I expect anyone else to?

=====

A quick update on the technical situation as this changes several things:

The BIOS is fine. GRUB doesn't seem to be installed.
gNewSense 2.0 live CDs and Kubuntu Feisty CDs boot fine.
The Windows CD doesn't boot at all.
My Brother believes that his broken Windows XP partition is stopping the
Windows XP install CD from booting. This is, of course, absurd.
Because of the previous dual boot system allocating 15GB to windows and 40
GB to GNU/Linux (now FAT32 files partition) my brother feels that the 15GB
partition is too small and therefore should be removed.
My brother wants me to wipe the said partition.
=====

Based on this situation, I have decided to install $a_GNU/Linux_based_OS
on the said partition and make it nice and shiny (ie. work for what he
will use it for).

Why?

Let's see what this solves:

a) My moral values aren't compromised in terms of helping my brother put
some *large* handcuffs back on.

b) I do what my brother asked me and thus, in theory, he doesn't feel like
I'm being deliberatly unhelpful.

c) The Windows CD doesn't seem to work anyway so I'm not knowingly helping
him install Windows.

d) He will probably choose to use $the_GNU/Linux_based_OS for the short
term (facebook/music/amsn/video) until he can:
   i)  locate another windows xp OEM install cd
   ii) understand and use $the_GNU/Linux_based_OS enough for Windows not
to be a top priority.
I don't know whether he will find another Windows XP OEM CD. I suspect he
will ask me for one. I don't have one.

e) His choice of OS isn't compromised because he wanted to install Windows
XP anyway and installing over $the_GNU/Linux_based_OS is just the same as
installing over the existing Windows XP partition.


-- 
www.tdobson.net
----
If each of us have one object, and we exchange them, then each of us still
has one object.
If each of us have one idea, and we exchange them, then each of us now has
two ideas. - George Bernard Shaw