[LINK] Apple to Use Intel Microprocessors Beginning in 2006

[Craig Sanders]

On Wed, Jun 08, 2005 at 11:52:26AM +1000, Con Zymaris wrote:
> I disagree re: drivers. My laptops are 50% crippled in terms of
> functionality that wont run well on Linux. Clean and simple ACPI
> support for instance.

as a counter-example, all the laptops i've ever used with linux have
worked well. the only thing i've ever noticed that didn't work was the
built-in winmodem on a compaq laptop.


> > that will be outweighed by the sheer number of stupid people asking
> > stupid questions in support forums and, FAR WORSE, stupid people
> > providing stupid, wrong and outright dangerous answers to questions
> > - and being highly resistant to any sort of clue being installed in
> > their ignorant heads.
>
> This doesn't or shouldn't affect us. The same thing happens in all
> spheres of human endeavour - it's an accepted part of existence.
> Making too much of this shows you up as being needlessly elitist.

'needlessly elitist' - that's an oxymoron, isn't it :)


one of the things i liked about the net in the early days, and about
linux, was that it effectively had a natural barrier to entry. there
weren't many stupid people online or involved with linux. given that
there aren't many places in the world where there aren't stupid people,
i think i can be forgiven for mourning that loss and for feeling annoyed
by the invasion of stupid people into "my" space.

(and yes, i'm aware that there are some compensatory benefits. that
doesn't mean i can completely ignore the price).

the fact is, that i resent stupid people. i hold them to blame for much
of the condition of this world. they are the ones who are enthusiastic
consumers of worthless garbage, they are the ones who vote for evil men
out of manipulated fear and greed, they are the ones who mindlessly
swallow the lies and propaganda. they may not be the actual root cause
of the mess this world is in, but it's their fault for condoning and
even supporting it.


> You can't stop the 'stupid people' from acting or living or using your
> FOSS.

of course you can't. you can however remain aware of the dangers of
pandering to idiocy.


> Luckily, because of its nature, _you_ (and I) do not have to care
> about any or all these dumbing down features that are added to one or
> multiple interfaces/applications in the Linux/FOSS space.

maybe. probably. depends on how deep any idiocy manages to get
entrenched.

if, for example, pandering to idiots becomes fashionable in either
KDE or Gnome then we'll see a lot of applications and libraries which
compromise either security or stability or both. we can choose not to
use them, but we'll have lost a lot of useful software. i don't want to
have to stop using mozilla or gnumeric or gxine or whatever just because
one of the libraries they depend upon has been corrupted in order to
support some stupid misfeature that idiots want.

idiocy is a powerfully corrosive force. far more dangerously influential
than you'd think.


craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>           (part time cyborg)