6 May
2002
6 May
'02
8:24 a.m.
Richard Erlacher wrote:
The line of reasoning you present is what's called
a "red herring." If you'd
attended your "critical thinking" classes as an undergarduate, if you're
that
far along, you'd know that. It's a device used to throw someone off the
trail, in this case, the trail of the underlying logic. What people should do
and what they, in fact, DO are quite apart from one another.
The fact is we DO expect to operate a computer without having to enroll in a
defensive computing class, though I think it might be warranted just the same.
The fact is that if one attempts to operate a motor vehicle without proper
qualifications, people and property could be damaged, injured, or even killed.
The consequences of failing to drive your PC or Mac correctly are not quite so
severe.
People also expect to get work out of their microwave oven or TV set as soon
as they turn it on. Why not the computer? It's not sacred. It's just an
appliance.
Dick
Dick, I could make the same claim about the "computer-as-appliance"
argument (which isn't relevant to me or just about anyone else here),
but that's not even necessary. Your statement about Unix (or Linux) is
just plain false for modern instances. Anyone who can install Windows
out of the box can just as easily install Solaris or Redhat or OS/X or
whatever and go straight to work on spreadsheets, documents, databases,
or whatever with as much ease, if not more, as with Windows.
I don't know where you got this idea, but it's exactly the disinfo that
Redmond was peddling a couple of years ago.
jbdigriz