We have all met people who really have no clue about using a PC. They find they can do things and just repeat even if they are risky operations like downloading and executing random software from the web. However, some believe using that other OS is perfectly safe if there is no Problem Existing Between Keyboard And Chair. That’s not always true.

That other OS of M$’s has repeatedly been attacked by malware during perfectly innocent operations: Continue Reading

“8″ is just about irrelevant for me. I can do everything I want with GNU/Linux but that does not prevent M$ from trying to restore its monopoly on PCs through hardware. M$ is requiring PCs labelled, “Dsigned for…” to include hardware that locks out unsigned software. While that is obviously an attempt to secure the PC, it is also anti-competitive and totally impractical for users of GNU/Linux. What would be the cost to a Linux kernel-developer to have to get a signing authority to sign his build several times per week? How would folks work around the GPL this way? The GPL allows the user to run the code. Can the OEM prevent that, legally? Can you see some lawsuits over this?

Clearly, M$ needs legacy PCs to run “8″ so why insist on this for new PCs? That undercuts the security argument. The near-term answer must be that M$ is trying to populate the world with PCs that can run only their OS. Every country on Earth should ban the importation of such machines as illegal restraints on trade in operating systems. M$ and every OEM who goes along with this should be slapped with anti-competition actions. It is a tax on every individual, IT-using organization and small businesses who provide or install operating systems.

On top of that M$ will not run legacy apps on ARM so limiting ARM to a tiny space in IT. OEMs may well agree to produce ARMed machines for M$ but businesses will not buy them without the legacy apps working.

We have the strange situation that a business, M$, is entering a market only to stifle the market.

It’s past the time where the world should cut M$ off. No more taxation on competition. No more dictation of standards in IT. No more bullying. Enough. Use GNU/Linux and don’t do business with any OEM that does not support GNU/Linux wholeheartedly.

UPDATE
SJVN’s take on this is that OEMs won’t be snowed. I hope he’s right. M$ loves to spread around money for promotion and I would bet they will barb their hook with money the OEMs cannot afford to pass up with their tiny margins. I hope many will see that they can have higher margins with GNU/Linux.

www.linuxfoundation.org and kernel.org have been down a while mopping up after the intrusion. Kernel.org is still not back. www.Linux.com is still not back. I hope they soon are back. The Linux Foundation blogs are still not working for me… I can read a few blogs but likely others are still not reactivated. Users are required to reset their passwords.