[plug] RH7.x

[Bret Busby]

On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Tony Clark wrote:

> Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 08:24:01 +0200
> From: Tony Clark <tclark at telia.com>
> Reply-To: plug at plug.linux.org.au
> To: plug at plug.linux.org.au
> Subject: Re: [plug] RH7.x
> Resent-Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 14:24:26 +0800 (WST)
> Resent-From: plug at plug.linux.org.au
> 
> On Monday 26 August 2002 07.39, Bret Busby wrote:
> >
> > So far, 7.3 seems good to me. The main thing that I have found, that I
> > don't like, is the lack of availability of the RHN for the up2date
> > agent, unless a person pays for being able to update, which makes RH a
> > bit mercenary, when users have to pay for bug fixes. But, that goes to
> > my standards for software development, which appear to be different to
> > RH's standards for software development.
> 
> How dare RH charge for providing a service.  I agree with you!  It should all 
> be free from those thieving mungrels, they can go on and make all their 
> services free and file for chapter 11 protection when they run out of cash.  
> A much better senario for GNU/Linux don't you think?
> 
> OTOH you could always download the file and use rpm -uvh or choose one of the 
> many other _free_ tools that will handle dependencies for you. 
> 
> dum founded
> 

That is the kind of belligerent, arrogant, rubbish that has already been 
raised as cause for concern on the list, and, the type of attitude that 
encourages people to both leave the list, and, to avoid Linux.

It is certainly not conducive to encouraging people to attend the Linux 
conference ("Come to Perth, and see what an arrogant lot of people are 
involved in Linux, and the local Linux User Group in Perth"), or to 
subscribe to the PLUG mailing list ("Want some help with Linux, or to 
communicate with people in Perth who use Linux? Get stuffed - the list 
is not about that - its purpose is to abuse people."), or to convert to 
Linux ("If I try Linux, are there people in Perth, who can advise and 
help me?" - "No - there are people who use Linux, who can abuse you, 
though."), or, to join PLUG ("What benefits do I get, if I join PLUG?" - 
"You get lots of arrogance and abuse.").

There are some people on this list, who are quite helpful, and, 
unfortunately, there are those who appear to make it their sole purpose 
in life, to be arrogant and belligerent, and, to ruin resources such as 
the PLUG mailing list.

Regarding the issue of whether users of Red Hat Linux should be charged 
for bug fixes, I have this ideal (yes, I know that I am altruistic), 
that, when a person provides a good or service, and the good or service 
is faulty, it should be repaired free of charge. In this case, that 
means free patches. If you buy a new car, and it doesn't work, are you 
willing to pay to have faulty workmanship repaired, or, do you expect it 
to be repaired at the cost of whoever did the faulty workmanship?

Companies like Red Hat, with their paid support contracts, supposedly 
provide things like training, commercial software (like the RH database 
thing), and telephone support ("You have to turn your computer on, 
before you get the pretty pictures on the screen", for the benefit of 
people like the person who posted the message above), etc.

I suppose that you have never paid for any Red Hat software that you 
have obtained? We HAVE supported Red Hat, by buying official boxed Red 
Hat software. What manufacturer's official boxed versions of Linux, have 
you paid for, if you are going to accuse others of being freeloaders? 

Or, are you a freeloader as you hastily accuse others of being, and, 
one who likes starting flamewars, just for the sake of causing trouble?

Oh, and, the word "mongrel" is not spelt "mungrel".

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
  Chapter 28 of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Douglas Adams, 1988
....................................................