[conspire] Ubuntu

[Greg Dougherty]

On 10/18/04, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> writes:

> Greg Dougherty <gregd at molecularsoftware.com> wrote:
> > Sorry, Rick, but you're off base here.  Those pictures are totally
> > "unprofessional".
> 
> {shrug}  I guess so are about 30% of the billboards I see, while walking
> around San Francisco.  You've seen the "United Colors of Benetton"
> clothing ads, I assume.

No, actually, I haven't.  :-)
1: I spend very little time in SF.
2: I rarely look at any billboards (I don't sightsee while driving, and I'm
usually the one driving).

> My reaction when I saw the splash screen wasn't "Oh my, that's
> unprofessional!", but rather, "Heh, that's vaguely sweet but trite.
> Looks like the side of a Muni bus."  

Well, my basic look at the matter is that, if you have a quality product, you
"sell" it based on quality.  If you don't, you use sex to sell it.  :-)  Putting
pictures on nude women on your product (yes, they have arms in front of their
breasts.  So?  They're not wearing any clothes, and they're comfortable with it. 
Therefore they're nude) == using sex to "sell".

> > Further, from your description, I take it that these picture were
> > added w/o warning or discuss.
> 
> "Take it" as desired, but my knowledge of particulars is very distant,
> so you should investigate if you care, rather than leaping to odd
> conclusions.  
> 
> As I said, I keep being surprised after thinking that I have finally
> figured out this country of mine, but you might want to cover kids'
> eyes if you drive any up the Peninsula and over the Bay Bridge.

There is a significant difference between that which is forced upon you by
society, and that which you chose to bring into your home.  What's on your linux
computer counts as "what you've chosen to bring into your home."  Tighter
standards apply.

> (Maybe hanging around Swedes too much has made me blasé, but I doubt the
> poor little tykes' psyches get injured worth mentioning.

Well, it's America, not Sweden.  Whether or not we should look at things
differently, we do.  Ignoring reality is, IMHO, pretty much always a bad idea.

Greg