On Thu, 2003-01-02 at 15:03, Gilad Ben-Yossef wrote: > So you think what your children need to be successful adults is full > knowledge of Word? > > Funny, I prefer my children to learn to think for themselves, be self > reliant, learn to solve problems and be creative, learn to protect their > rights and ask smart questions, not operate a word processor like good > drones. And for this they need tools they can take apart and put > together again like Lego, not closed source systems.
Come on, Gilad, you're being a bit of a demagogue here. Operating a computer or a word processor has nothing to do with being a drone -- it's a skill, just like any other. Like knitting or cooking or juggling balls, it's something you learn, practice, and become good at. And you can very well think for yourself, be self-reliant, learn to solve problems, be creative, learn to protect your rights and ask smart questions, while at the same time using Windows for your computing needs. I respect and believe in the values of free software, but you're taking it way too far. Don't forget that not everyone in this world is meant to become a programmer. In fact, *all* the people in the modern world are mere consumers of most of the technologies and products that they use, be it computer software or canned tomato paste, and they neither know nor care about the way they're created. People do not expect to be able to take apart their cell phone and put it back together like Lego, and they don't expect to do that with software either. For you, as a software developer, it's a natural desire, but you must understand the other people who couldn't care less, and it's just fine for them to think that way! -- Alex Shnitman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.hectic.net/ UIN 188956 PGP 0xEC5D619D / E1 F2 7B 6C A0 31 80 28 63 B8 02 BA 65 C7 8B BA ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
