7 Aug
2006
7 Aug
'06
7:16 p.m.
Hi, gang,
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
On 07-Aug-06 at 16:58 Zane H. Healy wrote:
<SPLORRRFFF!!>
Here we go with the 'One Size Fits All' mentality again.
For my part: They can have my PC's, microcontrollers, servers, and my network when
they pry them from my rotting carcass. Seriously.
On today's
BBC "Analysis", there's a little segment on the issue of
personal computers being obsolete because of the rise of The Internet.
Supposedly, we're going to be using our televisions or mobile phones in
place of them. The whole segment hinges on the statement of MS that the
desktop PC is dead and that the future is The Internet and we'd all
better
> get used to it. This whole "the Internet is the Platform" is
rather amusing when you think
about it. It's basically Mainframe thinking. It's also about taking
control of peoples data away from them, and transferring ownership of that
data to the corporations.
Which is one of many reasons I would never buy into it. I believe I can also speak for my
wife and several friends along those lines.
OTOH, you have those of us that are writing software,
articles, and books,
or creating music and video. You also have people with either very slow,
or no internet access. Plus there are the people that just value their
privacy.
While the first group might sucker into this "Internet is the Platform",
how many of the second group will?
Let me put it this way: Not only 'NO!' but 'FRELL, NO!!!'
For certain types of users, it might make sense, but
one size does not fit
all. Take for example the computers available right now that are targeted
at home use. You have handhelds, mini-laptops, laptops, giant-laptops,
desktops, mini-systems, and power-user setups, video game consoles and
set-top boxes...
<snippety>
Add to that special-purpose industrial systems and car-mounted PC's.
Am I making sense, or just rambling, who knows. All I
know is that I'm not
the least bit interested in the "Internet is the Platform", and I'm beating
that there are a lot of other people that feel that way. At the same time
I fear the corporations and governments might just force this down our
throats.
You're making plenty of sense, though the "beating" might get a bit messy
(did you mean 'betting?')
And "they" are going to have to do a LOT of forcing before I would ever give up
my right to run my own servers and domains. As long as my ISP keeps my line up, I'll
keep paying them to do so. Period.
If, further down the road, it turns out that I will need to buy something more powerful
than a DSL pipe to continue being self-hosted, then so be it. I ran a dialup FidoNet BBS
for nearly ten years, and I've been self-hosted for my 'net presence nearly as
long. I will NOT give it up without a fight!
Keep the peace(es).
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner & Head Hardware Heavy,
Blue Feather Technologies -- http://www.bluefeathertech.com
kyrrin (at) bluefeathertech do/t c=o=m
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped with surreal
ports?"