Mostly The Lonely Howls Of Mike Baying His Ideological Purity At The Moon
Just wanted to make a quick note about the #boycottapple thing going on on Google+ and on Twitter. I've read several people saying that boycotting Apple is dumb, and that the real problem is with the patent system. To the people pointing out that the patent system is broken I have one thing to say.
Recently I took my first vacation in over 3 years. A whole week in the wilds of Montana. For that whole time, I had no access to my computer. I had my phone, my tablet, and wireless access that makes 3G look screaming fast.
My Dad was born in 1923. He was the 3rd child, and the oldest boy. He had one younger brother and two older sisters. He grew up in California and Washington States. He had jobs like being a hired hand in an apple orchard. I think he swept floors at one point. He wasn't royalty by anyone's standards. I'd say that his upbringing was pretty normal for the times.
I sometimes ask my Dad to tell me stories about when he was a kid. I get all sorts of crazy tales. Riding his bike down the biggest hill in town. Shocking people by hooking up a coil to the frame of his car and waiting for people to bump into it. Running away from home for a whole summer to work the next town down the road, only to come back home for school. All those stories bring a smile to his face. He rarely tells one without laughing.
The stories suddenly dry up around 1941. He would have been 18 years old at the time, and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. On December 8th, the United States of America officially joined World War 2. It wasn't long after that my Dad joined the Navy.
He and many of his friends. Not all of them made it back.
There are very few stories from that time of his life. I know he was stationed in the Philippines for at least part of his stint. I know he was on some of the naval aircraft that flew in combat during that time. I know he was on at least two aircraft that were shot down. He also was a aircraft mechanic for at least part of it. If he talks about these years, it's rarely with a smile on his face. Quite often, he has to pause when he remembers a particular individual. More stories than not have tragic endings.
This year, my Dad will be 89 years old, and to this day those memories bring him sadness the likes of which I have never known, and hope never to understand.
What I do know is this. Tonight, when I tucked my own two sons into bed, warm, safe, and secure, I owe my Dad and thousands more individuals like him a debt of gratitude that can never be paid.
Several days ago, I was sitting at my desk minding my own business when a received a new email. This is a regular occurrence for me, as I'm sure it is with most people in today's office workplace. With not even a thought, I open it.
I’ve had people ask when they find out that I’m a Linux user if I miss Windows. Do I ever have any second thoughts about moving from Windows? They think that I have to, or maybe that I’ve never tried a Mac and that’s why I’ve chosen Linux over a Mac.
I've been using Linux now for quite a while. I couldn't even tell you when I first tried it. I can place a general time around 1997 or 1998. Probably 1997. So, if my math isn't truly horrible, about 15 years with Linux. During that time, I've had many, many computers. I think Linux is amazing and right now, I wouldn't use anything else, but I can say that it hasn't always worked perfectly for me. When I've had troubles with it, I've done what every other person does when they have troubles. First, I Google. Second, I ask friends. Third, I go to the forums. I can't think of a single negative experience I've had in the process.
It’s funny. For years, I kept around a Windows partition just so that I could play the few games that still appealed to me.
Android has been exploding in popularity since it's release to the public in 2008. Recently, it's success has bred a new collection of rumors and FUD. HP's new CEO Meg Whitman claimed that Google's acquisition of Motorola would lead to Android being becoming closed source. It seems ridiculous, and is probably just an effort to bring herself more public attention, but there have been some people out in the real world that have also expressed concern. I received a tweet, saying “I am concerned that at the end Android kills the open source Linux community.” I don't think that will happen. Here's why.
Today I read what I can only say is the most stupid explanation for why people choose Windows over Linux (or Mac for that matter). I couldn't even think of a response.
“Its like this question – if you take a baby girl and a baby boy and place them on a deserted island with just food and water, would they know how to reproduce. The answer is yes they will because it is part of human nature and is natural. As is Windows is natural to a PC. Linux and OS X no matter how good they are, just aren't a natural choice.”
I don't usually dedicate a whole post to something like this, but the sheer magnitude of the stupid demands it.
Originally posted on October 23, 2011 by Michael Hall on Michael Hall's Blog.
There have been several humorous variations of the “If Linux was a car…” theme, but a recent rant against Linux made me wonder, what would the stereotypical hater’s opinion be on our modern automobiles? Here is how I imagine it would go: