[dundee] OLPC BBC report

[Gary Short]

Hi Kris,

Kris Davidson wrote:
> The Tin Foil hat argument, although I've used it jokingly in the past
> and without getting too heavy is really just another way to dehumanise
> and marginalise a group.

Well I'm sorry if it came across that way, that wasn't what I meant. I 
use "tin foil hat" to describe a situation where someone puts forward a 
point of view without backing it up with a fact or two. I guess I should 
have used the word dogma instead, but hey, tin foil hat conjours up a 
better image don't you think? :-)

> Next .NET has excellent marketing as people seem to think it can do
> anything, I admit its a decent technology but its just another byte
> code / virtual machine language.

You don't have to tell me, I come from a Smalltalk background all I was 
saying was its the dominant technology so if you want to earn a reliable 
income, you have to use that technology. Today its .Net but Microsoft 
haven't had it all their own way, its not that long ago since Java was 
the dominant techonology.

> Moving on just because a lot of people do or use something doesn't
> make it better after that bastion of innovation, the established
> business world there not open to sales, marketing or partnership
> tactics at all.

I totally agree.

> Finally, its hard for me not classify you as a troll. You seem to have
> an obvious and vested interest in .NET, in fact you trade on it.
> Therefore why join a Linux discussion although I'm sure anyone is
> welcome, it just seems odd.

I'm no troll, in fact it wasn't even me who brought up the Microsoft 
arguement. If you look back the thread the point I was making was that 
there are better ways to help the poor than providing them with a 
laptop. It was another member of the group who brought up Microsoft.

Why join a linux group? Easy, Microsoft stuff I do during the day for a 
living, what I do in my own time I do for fun. Linux is where Smalltalk 
lives these days and Smalltalk is my first love. I don't know much about 
Linux, I intend to change that.

> Kris (Tin Foil hat firmly in place deflecting CIA transmissions)

See, told you it was a good image! :-)

-- 
Cheers,
Gary
http://www.garyshort.org