[sf-lug] Now is the Time to hate Apple?

[Christian Einfeldt]

hi,

The best way to "stop the madness" is to completely ignore iPhones,
> iPads, iPod Touches, and other DRMed computing devices.


I recently bought a Droid, and I am encouraged by the fact that a
Linux-powered computer is being promoted so heavily by North America's
largest celluar provider, Verizon.  To the extent that the Free Software on
the Android market place continues to grow, it will get people accustomed to
seeing their software as something that is free as in free beer, which
undermines the value proposition in Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office.
 I would be less annoyed by Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office if they
were small niche players, rather than the platforms upon which so many other
software projects are built.

Clayton Christensen wrote that disruptive technologies usually start in
markets adjacent to the market leaders' main market.  We are starting to see
Linux and Free Software gain mainstream acceptance through cell phones,
which is a market in which Microsoft is a minority player and an
after-thought.  Now, Verizon is selling netbooks with Microsoft XP for
$149.00, which is much less than the cost of a Droid, at $199.00.  How long
will it be until Android, and then Ubuntu, is regularly offered by North
American telecoms?
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