From: "Rob ." <rob.02004@...>
Date: 2005-04-01T03:56:09+09:00
Subject: Re: Respect and Disappointment

Nikolai Weibull wrote:
> However, what I think Paul is mainly talking about are
> the Apple laptops, not necessarily Macintoshes in general.  When it
> comes to choosing a laptop, your basically bound to whatever is
> available, as there is no easy way of building one yourself.  Then, as
> the market is today, you have a choice.  You choose to go with something
> that is either covered with Intel(R) Inside(TM) and a Microsoft(R)
> Windows(TM) Pre-installed stickers or a big outline of an apple.

Just to let everyone know - you do have a choice when it comes to
laptops. I bought a no-name barebones laptop (Uniwill 223ii), added
the processor myself and installed Ubuntu GNU/Linux on it. The laptop
looks cool, so does the Ubuntu desktop, and the performance is great
because I got fast hardware for my money. No Windows tax and no Apple
tax either, but great for developing Ruby code on!

For people in developing countries the cost of proprietary software
(including the embedded marketing and legal costs) is an unnecessary
and unwanted expense. Free software can provide for their needs,
promote IT industry in their local economy and improve their nation's
trade balance.

Great (Ruby) prog'ers can and will come from developing nations, but
they don't need to be beholden to Microsoft or Apple to shine, neither
do the rest of us.