Windows FOSS on the Live CD -- the OOo2 question

[Peter Garrett]

On Wed, 22 Feb 2006 20:59:43 +0800
"Michael T. Richter" <ttmrichter at gmail.com> wrote:

> They don't care about free software philosophy.  They care about their
> work which happens to use software in the process.  If the software is
> free or not doesn't even enter their consciousness.

Michael, I find this assertion, shall we say politely, *interesting*.
Some years ago, I was a completely "non-technical" computer user.

I got tired of being treated like a suspected thief, having to prove my
honesty with codes after legitimately buying products, and give information
to a company whose principles, behaviour and methods were anathema to me.

I also got tired of the unreliablity of the OS I was using (it froze at
the drop of a hat, required constant rebooting, and lost data regularly).
I got tired of paying for antivirus, when it was clear even to me, in my
"non-technical" state, that I was basically paying protection money. I got
tired of losing performance and watching my machine slow down. I got tired
of researching how to fix all this, and tired of running "Spybot" and
"Adaware" all the time ..

So I looked for something better, safer and less insulting. In some ways it
was  more work initially, but in the process I have learnt a great deal and
now feel confident that I understand basically how it works - at least
well enough to achieve what I wish. I also know that I am free to change it
and reconfigure it, without being browbeaten into "signing"
execrably restrictive and, in my view, almost criminal EULAs. I can always
find out more, because the code is there, if I decide I need it and am
willing to learn about it. I was *looking* for Free Software, even though
at the time I didn't know what "Free and Open Source Software" was.

Perhaps you underestimate the intelligence and principles of the people
you write about. Many people are tired of being controlled, and are taking
their power and freedom back.

And when these things are explained to them in a non-technical and
non-zealot manner, they are usually quite interested in how it works, on
the levels I've described.

Sincerely,

Peter