Comments

• mcinsand

  2012-03-07 21:04:40

  This must be a tough position for the duopoly. They really can't do without FOSS, or they wouldn't have any new features to copy and market. Then again, how could they ever compete with the leader in innovation and features. Barriers are their only chance, whether it's litigous barriers or informational barriers (why would the masses pay more for less, otherwise?). Once more, we in the US need to write our senators and congressmen to have software patents officially declared off-limits. The Supreme Court went as far as they could with Bilski. The SC doesn't make the law; it can only interpret. If we don't like an interpretation, then we, the citizens, have to write to have the legislative branch clarify the language. Reddit showed that we can have an impact over the better-financed voices.
  
  If we do write in enough numbers, we can make a difference. Granted, MS will probably go away, and Apple will be only limited to selling to the remaining whose egos are satisfied by paying overpriced for underchoiced, but Apple will still survive. PT Barnum hasn't been wrong yet. In the end, the rest will benefit by having leading edge features without being restricted by walled gardens.

• Dr. Roy Schestowitz

  2012-03-08 01:23:11

  What did PT Barnum say? Do you have links?

• mcinsand

  2012-03-08 03:15:31

  Well that was a learning experience. For as long as I can remember, I have heard the phrase 'a sucker born every minute' as attributed to PT Barnum. After looking for a reference to your question, though, I found several references claiming that Mr. Barnum didn't say it. Here's one: http://www.historybuff.com/library/refbarnum.html
  
  All the same, that Macs sell at all shows that the principal holds, no matter who said it.

• mcinsand

  2012-03-08 03:16:01

  Doh! I tried to correct my misspelling of principle, but was too late. *blush*

• Michael

  2012-03-08 03:29:37

  Macs sell well because they offer an excellent user experience. I know this is a hard thing for many in the OSS community to get, esp. those who follow Stallman as opposed to Shuttleworth and the like, but user experience matters a lot. In fact, the experience the user gets is the only thing that matters - when you define that "experience" in very broad terms.
  
  Apple has earned its highest user satisfaction ratings. Desktop Linux is clearly improving and I hope it continues to (how could it not). Many of the changes in Ubuntu, for example, are being done because of how the KDE and Gnome teams have dropped the ball on making the software made for each system less inconsistent. Would be much better to come from that level than to have Ubuntu have to sorta kludge solutions... and the fact that the solutions have to be kludged hurts the user experience.
  
  This who myth by some in the OSS community about Apple being overpriced is just silly... if they were too expensive for what they offered they would not sell as well as they do. Cheaper alternatives would make that impossible. The complaint is merely sour grapes. Again, I am happy to discuss this in more detail with more specifics and data and evidence and logic. But Roy and crew are not willing or able to... they operate on emotion and the wishes that their preferred platform was as good, or most users, as the top of the line platform.

• Michael

  2012-03-08 03:30:27

  With the misspelling of "principle"... it happens. We all make mistakes. :)

• Michael

  2012-03-08 02:57:12

  Interesting how you think Android would not be economical if they paid for the work they use. Does not speak well of the system at all.
  
  I think they can act and work fairly and still be economical. Apple does it... so there is proof it can be done and even done well. Maybe Google will find a way to do so as well.