🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <41sqbm$5...@csugrad.cs.vt.edu> jmax...@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Jon A. Maxwell) writes:
>Joseph T. Malloy wrote:
>] >] But you are not FORCED to buy a Gateway.
>] >] God. This is so simple and you just don't get it.
>
>] >Who doesn't get it?  Hell, you aren't forced to use city water --you
>] >can always catch and store rainwater, and filter the stuff out of it,
>] >and add chlorine to kill germs, and add flourine to make you teeth
>] >stronger, etc.  You /could/, but you aren't going to.
>
>] Yeah, right, like Gateway is the only provider!  Where do you live?  :)
>
>In my analogy, Gateway is /you/ buying into the city water or
>local power --they /could/ go with out Microsoft, like you /could/
>make your own water, but that ain't happening.

No.  If I don't like Gateway's practice then I don't buy a Gateway
product.  If enough people do that, Gateway will change or go out of
business.  As I say, there are enough sources of non-Microsoft products
out there that make a living. 

>
>(How about using half a brain.  I guess I should have spelled it out
>for you.)
>

You need to learn how to "spell".

>] >You can generate your own electricity too, so what the heck does it
>] >matter it the power company says you have to give it a key to your
>] >house (or any other crazy demand, like Microsoft makes)?  You always
>] >have a choice, dummy!
>
>] And Gateway is the only supplier of PC's, right, gotcha.  (Boy, that
>] Gateway must be rolling in dough with a franchise like that!)
>
>You know a provider that doesn't agree to Microsoft's deals?  Please
>Tell!  

Apple, for one (and it wasn't hard to think of it either, but you're
blinded by you hatred of Microsoft).

>It's not that Gateway is the only supplier, but that all the
>suppliers (that matter) have to agree to Microsoft's terms --they
>might as well be one supplier.

No they don't.  Look at the supplier who provide IBM software, look at the
supplier who provide either Microsoft or IBM OS's, look at Apple, IBM,
Dell, Vobis.  There are choices, but you resent Microsoft's dominant
position.  Tough.  Better get used to it.

>
>] Look, the obvious thing to most people is that Gateway is just one of
>] hundreds of suppliers of PC's.  You don't like the fact that they bundle
>] Windows with the computers?  You look for another manufacturer.
>    
>One of hundereds, that all agree to Microsoft's terms --so you can
>still shop around on the best deal, but it's still a deal where MS
>gets the money for something you didn't buy (or whatever their scam
>is now that the Justice Department has "warned" them).
>
>As in, you can move to a different part of the country, but you still
>have city water (just a different city!). Duh.

Uh, in any given municipality, the water concern is owned by the city and
that's it, you have no choice in how they (mis)manage the water supply
(or: you may have a "vote" in an election, but idiots get elected time and
time again).  The PC world is *nothing like* that.

>] If I don't like the water they city provides or the eletricity
>] supplied by CMP, realistically speaking, I *don't* have a choice in
>] the matter (except by byzantine ways involving a ballot box, and
>] even that doesn't usually work!).
>
>Again, for computers you don't realistically have a choice either,
>because the vendors don't realistically have a choice.  Microsoft is
>the monopoly, like city water.  If Gateway refuses to drink water,
>they die.  Because they have no choice (realistically) neither do
>you.

I'm sorry you're forced to use Microsoft software or die.  Here, in the
USA, we have a choice.  Most vendors *want* Microsoft because most of
their customers and perfectly happy with Microsoft.  But *you*, of course,
will think that these customers are -- what's the term you
anti-Microsofties use?  -- Oh, yeah: "lemmings".

>] It's not that hard to find a vendor who will accomodate your
>] special need in the PC world.
>
>Please give me an example of one that does not agree to Microsoft's
>terms (as in, in the past, making you pay for DOS/Win even though you
>don't want it or now, well, I hear it is something like they have to
>agree to share patents or something).

IBM. Dell. Vobis.  And hundreds of local vendors.  But you'll not accept
that, though I don't know why.

>
>] 	This message is copyright 1995, Joseph T. Malloy, and may
>] 	not be distributed in any form by any IBM Network
>] 	Please report any violations to POSTM...@IBM.NET
>] 		   Please send *me* cash penalties!
>
>See, this unoriginal copy just doesn't work;  IBM just isn't the
>antichrist like Microsoft is, so people just think you're a big dummy
>that spends his time playing with Little Beavis.

Ooh, it's religious with you!  See, IBM is soft and warm and cuddly (and
has much larger cash flow) than The Evil Empire (tm), Microsoft, whose
employees have to turn over their progeny to The Grand Wizard, Bill Gates
for, uh, "training".  

Yeah, right.