[LINK] Moved to Linux

Brendan Scott brendansweb at optusnet.com.au
Wed Sep 13 21:20:14 AEST 2006


Kim Holburn wrote:
> 
> On 2006 Sep 13, at 5:17 PM, Ivan Trundle wrote:
> 
>>
>> On 13/09/2006, at 4:59 PM, Kim Holburn wrote:
>> <snip>


> Yeah but computers really do change - get faster, cheaper, more powerful
> all the time.  There is the old Bill Gates quote, not great but you get
> the idea:
> "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we
> would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG"

You forget a couple of the unspoken riders -
 
"...but the price for the operating system essential to its operation would be gradually increasing while your usage rights would be gradually decreasing." 

"... but if you learnt on one make/model it would cost more than the cost of a new car to use another brand."

"... but if you wanted to have the 'able to turn left' optional extra, you'd also need to buy the '2 door hatchback' accessory."

"... but if you'd like to park it somewhere other than your garage, you'd have to pay double."

"... but it will record your every movement and report back to its masters on a regular basis"

"... but if you let anyone else borrow it, you could end up in gaol."

"... but if you let your kids drive it, you'd have to pay a per use kids fee."

"... but if you want to ferry your friends kids to soccer, you'd have to pay a per use ferry fee."

"... but hackers could take control of it over the network and drive it through your living room at high speed."

"... but anyone else could so easily use it without your consent you might as well leave the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition."

"... but the hood would be welded shut."

"... but you'd pay to use it every year"

"... but if you wanted to use the fifth gear, you'd pay double."

"... but if you wanted more than 2 people in the car concurrently you'd have to pay an additional fee per user."

"... but you couldn't use it both at home and at work."


And the kicker: 

"... but while the right to use the car only costs a couple of hundred bucks, the consequences of getting the licensing wrong are so disproportionate to any loss anyone would ever suffer as a result, you need to employ someone at $60K/annum (with another $15K for legal advice) who makes no productive contribution to your business other than to make sure all your licences are compliant."

I'm sure there are plenty of others.

see also the apocryphal response (and variants) from GM CEO: "but who wants their car to crash twice a day?"




More information about the Link mailing list