Re: [Fsuk-manchester] freedoms analogy

[Simon Ward]

On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 10:51:55PM +0000, EVISON ROY wrote:

> plumbing does not equate to software, nor is it that standardised.

You both miss the point and get it wrong. Plumbing *is* standardised,
(although I admit it may not be beyond Europe).  I may not be a plumber,
but I needen’t be one to replace one part exactly because they *are*
stanndard.  I only need the plumber to deal with things that I have no
idea how to deal with.

>   New starters (grandparents,etc.) are unpolluted by software
> preconceptions. They don't care much, unless otherwise notified, what they
> are using as long as it works to an acceptable level (ok, acceptable level
> is not defined).

That’s exactly my point.  Someone who does not know any other way of
“working” a computer may learn to use any system without any other
pre‐conceptions.

>    'easy to use': this is a phrase that might need explaining in that one
> might assume that everyone wants to use it for the same thing.

>xRunning a server (system server) on linux is not reliant on an
>application of bank notes but running the BBC Iplayer on Debian is not
>straightforward, this might well vindicate your case but the pros and
>cons are not something you see advertised.

What has this got to do with the price of fish?

We weren’t talking about running a server (and we certainly weren’t
talking about running the Linux kernel by itself, you should know
better).

Getting BBC iplayer to work, I admit, is a constant pain, and I assure
you that I have been campaigning to make this not a pain for free
software users.  In the meantime, I would recommend get_iplayer, which
allows you to download BBC iplayer stuff and play in the media player of
your choice.

>    'time vs. money': your time is finite and weighed up against the
> financial rewards you could get from , perhaps, doing overtime (particularly
> true of the 'polluted') and so how do you apportion your time, install
> Drupal or buy Dreamweaver? This is not an apology for preparatory software
> but an excuse for how some people make decisions.

Personally I wouldn’t touch Drupal or Dreamweaver with a barge pole and
I don’t see what point you are trying to make here.

Is it that Joe Bloggs might use this, and I should say why it’s a bad
idea?

Simon
-- 
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a
simple system that works.—John Gall

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