[Linux-aus] NBN discussion

[David Newall]

> If open software is not working as reliably or is as easy to use as its
> proprietary counterparts, that is*absolutely*  a discussion we in the
> open source community need to be having.

You find few Apple customers willing to admit that Linux is as reliable 
or easy to use as a Macintosh.  Macintosh famously just works.  Linux 
infamously has issues with power management, graphics adapters, network 
interfaces and Microsoft Office, to name only a tiny few; Macintosh has 
none of those problems.  Yet none of that calls for a debate on the 
merits of Apple.  Let's discuss what features of Finder should be put 
into KDE, but not the benefits of Apple-menu versus Start-button.

Drawing rather a longer bow than Jeremy (quoted above) probably 
intended: We should and do discuss problems with free alternatives. We 
should and do discuss the strengths of those free alternatives, too.  
For my opinion, Skype has one strength, which is it's huge 
customer-base, by which I mean its directory.  It's a pity that one has 
to use Skype in order to gain any use of that directory.  There are free 
alternatives, ones which are fine excepting that they lack 
near-universal adoption.  I'm looking at *you*, Skype user.  I applaud 
those brave people who said of Microsoft Office that universal adoption 
was no reason to avoid alternatives, and I say the same for VoIP.

Contrary to all of the responses incited by my suggestion that Skype is 
an uninteresting topic for an open-source mailing-list, I have in no way 
tried to forbid or otherwise prevent discussion of it.  By all means do 
discuss how Skype HD is better than Google Wave.  I happen to think 
that's largely off-topic but much posted here is off-topic, or worse.

On the other hand, rather than waste time fluffing* some corporation's 
proprietary product, I would rather discuss good, free, standards-based 
alternatives and I hope the majority amongst us would, too.  I did hope 
to encourage talk about alternatives but, sadly, some chose to 
misinterpret "uninteresting" as "forbidden" whilst ignoring the subject 
of SIP.

Has enough been said?


*Cinematic term.