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<TITLE>RE: [Sussex] Agree</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>> i'm quite happy to have my DVD player now up and</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> running with</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> VideoLan installed. But it was a bugger to get going - I </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> spent several</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> hours last night downloading DEB file upon DEB file, until all the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> references resolved. On WinDoze I just slam the installation </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> disk and 5</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> minutes later I'm watching "Fast and the Furious in Quality </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Surround Sound".</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>>While that may well be true you are forgetting one major point - you pay for software on Windows. THe DVD decryption algorithm is protected by patents >and licenses and thus (in the USA at least) the open-sourcing and royalty free delivery of such an algorithm is not allowed (you can of course find out >what the algorithm is by reading the patent documentation - but you may not use or modify it without license). </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>>The free libraries you are using _do_not_ use the patented algorithm, but even so, under the terms of the USA's lovely DMCA they cannot be used or </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>>communicated (or so the MPIAA claim - the debate continues in court) - thus they cannot be built into nice tools like apt-get and you are forced to jump >through hoops get them installed (an indeed find them in the first place).</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Whilst I / we may think linux / Free software is facinating, and I long for the time when the patent situaltion is resolved to our way of thinking, the fact is no sane person gives a damn!!!!!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Fact is I don't mind spending hours fiddling with my computer in order to get something that works. I actually get a buzz out of solving or watching others solve ( :P ) IT problems. But most normal people do not!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>I like using free software I believe in most of what it stands for. But my mum doesn't care!!! </FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Todays culture is: If its free, it ain't any good, and whilst this is in part at least, true for linux (wrt usability!) we're not going to see immediate success. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>One day, the Linux environment (or something else ??? ) will equal and almost certainly better M$. But until then it *doesn't*. It does other cool thing much better.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>But...</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>It doesn’t feel smooth on the desktop no matter what hardware you thow at it</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>It doesn't do anything you want with a point of a mouse.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>It doesn't make my mum think she can rule the world from her laptop.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>It doesn't matter about Patents and courtroom debates, it just doesn't...</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>(IMHO) :)</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Dominic</FONT>
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