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Re: Don't Be Soft On Microsoft



Dear Ms. Krause,

I read your posting, as forwarded to someone who posted it to the ILUG
(Israel Linux Users' Group) mailing list.

I didn't see any mention in your article of encouraging people to, in the
memorable phrase of Barbara Bush, "Just say NO."

You go on and on about rallying people to have the U.S. government bully
Microsoft and Bill Gates - why not even mention that 1) alternatives to
MS software DO exist, and 2) people can and do use them all day, all over
the planet, or even 3) encourage people to use them?

You may not be aware of it, but there is an entire community of users
world-wide involved in Linux.  We have years ago come to the conclusions
that you're now espousing.  Instead of appealing to "a higher authority,"
however, we simply developed our own alternative.  Unlike the Tareyton
smoker, we chose to switch rather than to fight.  :-)

Admittedly, the thought of using an operating system which was NOT
developed by any single corporation, but sprang out of the massed mind
power of thousands of software developers working cooperatively on the
InterNet, is not appealing to everyone.  Linux has no single entity to
represent it, nor is there any one person or organization to point the
finger at when dissatisfied, as you seem to enjoy doing to Bill Gates.
For those users who need a place to point fingers at, perhaps the thought
of IBM and its OS/2, also a fine commercial product competing with
Microsoft (and, in many peoples' opinion, technically superior to MS
products,) is also unappealing, with memories of IBM's own anti-trust
suit still in their minds.

For such people, Apple products are a viable alternative.  If only a small
number of those who will no doubt flock to your Bill bashing banner were
to choose Apple instead, that manufacturer would be in a much better
position to compete with "the thing that ate Redmond."

Further, I fail to see what you really want.  You seem to be against
Microsoft doing anything to improve their product, which is precisely what
a company in a competitive, free-market environment _should_ be doing.
You also don't want them to make a profit.  But you _do_ want to keep
using their software.  Are you seriously suggesting that the U.S.
government should tell the largest software company in the world to 1)
stifle creativity, and 2) stop making a profit and start giving their
products away for free or at cost?  That hardly seems to me to be fair,
capitalist, or in the best interests of America and the free world.

Frankly, if all of the many people who constantly buy Microsoft software
simply stopped, then the company would whither on its own, as so many
other companies in the computer industry have.  Instead of buying Word,
use WordPerfect.  Use Netscape instead of Explorer.  And if the new
version of Windows doesn't support the Netscape browser, and you simply
can't switch to OS/2, then keep using the OLD version of Windows (and,
incidentally, DON'T give another few dollars to Bill Gates for the
upgrade.)

I, however, and many others like me, have chosen Linux.  You can, too.  We
exchange software freely, with no legal hassles or money.  If some
commercial product takes everyone's fancy, then _someone_ on the InterNet
is bound to come up with a free replacement sooner or later.  And it's not
only computer programmers that make this happen - many Linux users are
just that, users.  They also contribute in many ways: some take the time
to report problems to those responsible, so that they can be fixed; others
write FAQ's and Users' Guides to promote the free software; and many
simply provide goodwill by talking about the system and being, "just
another satisfied non-customer." 

Please take to heart my suggestion to add some positivism to the
overwhelmingly negative tone that I saw in your mailing.  Make the public
aware of alternatives to Microsoft, and encourage their use.

Thank you.


					Sincerely,

						Eliyahu Skoczylas
						<eliyahu@pobox.com>