Microsoft announced it is joining The Linux Foundation?

[Ralf Mardorf]

Hi,

this thread started at
https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2016-November/274673.html .

On Sun, 20 Nov 2016 22:37:14 +0100, Polytropon wrote:
>On Sun, 20 Nov 2016 22:22:49 +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
>> A quick search didn't show me an off-topic FreeBSD mailing list.
>> However, there's
>> 
>> https://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/d-community-offtopic
>> 
>> subscribing shouldn't be required, to post to this list.  
>
>There is freebsd-chat@ - "Non technical items related to the
>community", maybe this one is preferred for the current kind of
>discussion?
>
>> Here in Germany nobody is forced to use anything related to
>> Microsoft.  
>
>That is not true for schools or governmental installations where
>there are _strict_ requirements on what software is allowed to
>be used, typically MICROS~1 products due to long-term contracts
>and lobbyism. Additionally, people at work cannot refuse to use
>something that they are forced to use (or they will get fired,
>_that_ is the choice they have).
>
>Choice: "Eat it or leave it." ;-)

The schools and governments were not forced to use Microsoft. Sure,
there is lobbying and as already pointed out, I dislike Microsoft, I
dislike capitalism with it's mechanisms, such as lobbying. However, the
thread started obscure and became more obscure when it was continued.

"Microsoft announced it is joining The Linux Foundation?" Actually
Microsoft seemingly is a contributor. Contributing to FLOSS is
something very common. Kim Jong-il could do, you could do, I could do.

People pointed out how bad Linux became, with statements that are de
facto wrong. Anyway, assuming they would have valid arguments, the
fusion of two unrelated topics makes no sense, let alone that there
indeed is a fusion between FreeBSD and Linux userspace, ergo this
conspiracy would affect FreeBSD, too.

>> Computer users are free to chose what they want to use.  
>
>Home consumers are, yes. For those who need a specific software
>which is available only for "Windows", or those who are already
>affected by vendor lock-in (data cannot be migrated, programs
>do not exist in portable code form etc.), and those who are
>under strict requirements (see above) this is not true. With
>upcoming hardware configurations, that ability of choice will
>be harder and harder to implement (things like "Restricted Boot").

Half-truth! There are regulations such as the monopolies law. There are
workaround such as jailbreaks, don't multi-boot containing a Windows
that requires secure boot and simply disable secure boot.

>> If people still use e.g. a service provided by Microsoft, despite of
>> all we know about the Microsoft and Linux conspiracy/conspiracies,
>> this is another evidence for the conspiracy/conspiracies.  
>
>Leaked NSA material _proves_ the role of MICROS~1 within the
>spying apparatus aimed at people.

The USA PATRIOT Act is not an invention of Microsoft. The folk of
the USA vote governments and those governments pass resolutions. If
they really, really would be against it, they wouldn't have voted
for the presidents they have voted.

German companies are free to use a German operating system and German
computer related services. Oh wait, there is no German operating system
providing all that, what's provided by and for Windows, because Germans
voted that old-line, that our governments were not interested in modern
technology, when computer technology was new. Now they claim they are
pro new technology and call computer technology something new, but it's
an old technology.

We - the folk - make mistakes and no conspiracy theory does rule out
our mistakes. Nobody could have knowledge about everything. You might
have computer skills, but how much knowledge do you have about other
domains, e.g. seafaring. Jane Doe can't maintain a FreeBSD install,
just to watch YouTube videos, let alone that professional non-linear
video editing can't be done with FreeBSD or Linux and real-time audio
at least requires Linux and for tablet PCs only Apple allows it, even
Linux based tablet PCs don't have the ability. There are domains and
business software might be one domain, too, were a proprietary OS is
required, because there is no alternative OS available. There is no
evil conspiracy. Sometimes a company events a standard, because a
standard is required, to realise something. FLOSS communities have no
leader, they try to make things better, but never find an end to
beginn to realise something complex. A less good standard often is
required to beginn development with a standard. An unfinished better
standard is no standard at all. A standard not necessarily is something
to lock in users.

Regards,
Ralf