Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (4348 mails)

[Chris Carlen <crcarle@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Kevin McLauchlan wrote:
> Does anybody on this list think that, when I fill out 
> my timesheets, I actually include things like "nine 
> hours trying to get printing to work from Linux... 
> and failing"...??  Not on your life.  I'm sure that
> I'll be a resource for other people in the company when 
> we begin moving from Windows (if I still work here...),
> but in the meantime, I try to hide how much of a
> time-sink this is.

Oh-no! My face is gonna break I'm laughin so hard!!!  I can relate here,
 man.

> So, I think that "business operational environment" 
> is not just an excuse, behind which I'm hiding my 
> embarassment. Rather, it's where I live and work 
> all day, and where my cow-orkers would live and 
> work if I could show the way.  The IT people are 
> bringing more Linux stuff into the server rooms, 
> but I'm the only one trying to make it real on the 
> daily desktop.  So far, I haven't even satisfied 
> myself. That means that I'm nowhere near being 
> able to satisfy all the other Windows users here.
> (And did I mention that even though we are all 
> still using Win NT, it's simply not all that fragile
> anymore.)

But there is another factor, and that is your self-respect.  I am
 reaching the point where I feel that the use of Microsoft software by
 the masses around me, constitutes a clearly growing danger to my very
 freedom.  This is because of DRM, Palladium, and all that kind of sick
 stuff that is going on behind the scenes in our corrupt corporate
 interests/government political economic system.

Using Linux gives me a feeling of dignity, for I am not bending over to
 the criminal monopoly, and to the value for ceonvenience over true
 freedom that all the "we fight for freedom and democracy" lip flappers
 are spouting, all that while using Windows.  To me is directly
 hippocritical.  Linux is a very important human technology.  Using
 Windows is becoming increasingly dehumanising, when you consider what
 the company that provides it, is doing.

And that dignity is worth the frustration.  And having people who see it
 too, and who won't rip me a new butt-hole if I get frustrated about the
 nine hours I blew at work, but hidden from my co-workers, and blow off
 here in the list, that is a great thing too.

Good day!
--
____________________________________
Christopher R. Carlen
Principal Laser/Optical Technologist
Sandia National Laboratories CA USA
crcarle@xxxxxxxxxx