Close All the Windows

Thanks to my parents' holiday generosity, I am now the proud owner of a Toshiba Mini NB205, AKA a netbook. I love it and I love them (with or without said netbook).

Anyway, seeing as this is the first new computer of my very own, I want to make sure I go about learning everything I can about making the most of it. I'm learning so many interesting things that I didn't really think were that interesting before...

I came to learn about specific operating systems for netbooks...with systems that create less strain and operate according to the netbooks' specific structures. Blah, blah, blah....you get the point. ANYway, so I was wondering whether to take the leap into "linuxland" and download the Jolicloud OS, and I started doing some research into Windows for comparisons. My computer came with Windows 7 Starter. I thought this seemed coolish at first. I mean, I keep hearing that Windows 7 is everything that Vista hoped it could be and it's Windows...I've never used anything BUT Windows. BUT when I was doing some basic things on my computer (like trying to post a picture as my desktop background), I kept getting messages telling me to upgrade to the REAL Windows 7, meaning that what my computer had was just like a little commercial for or an intro to Windows 7 and if I wanted the real deal, I'd need to pay over $100.

Then I had a thought...

Why should I have to pay for this at all? Wasn't the computer's price tag enough? THERE, my friends, is the rub! Apparently, the jokes on us! (Isn't it always, though?) I was completely unaware of all the Microsoft shenanigans that have been going on for years. Just typing in "Windows 7" to google brought me to the Windows 7 Sins site. Here are a few blurbs:

Monopoly behavior: Nearly every computer purchased has Windows pre-installed -- but not by choice. Microsoft dictates requirements to hardware vendors, who will not offer PCs without Windows installed on them, despite many people asking for them. Even computers available with other operating systems like GNU/Linux pre-installed often had Windows on them first.

Lock-in: Microsoft regularly attempts to force updates on its users, by removing support for older versions of Windows and Office, and by inflating hardware requirements. For many people, this means having to throw away working computers just because they don't meet the unnecessary requirements for the new Windows versions.

Abusing standards: Microsoft has attempted to block free standardization of document formats, because standards like OpenDocument Format would threaten the control they have now over users via proprietary Word formats. They have engaged in underhanded behavior, including bribing officials, in an attempt to stop such efforts.

Some other finds...

From Slashdot (2007)- "After trying to bribe a local supplier with a $400,000 marketing contract, Microsoft has still apparently lost out in trying to woo Nigeria's government to use Windows over Linux. Microsoft threw the money at the supplier after it chose Mandriva Linux for 17,000 laptops for school children across Nigeria. The supplier took the bait and agreed to wipe Mandriva off the machines, but now Nigeria's government has stepped in to stop the dirty deal."

From ZDnet (2002), Microsoft's Lobbying Efforts Eclipse Enron- "The software giant's budget for its Political Action Committee (PAC) increased from about $16,000 in 1995 to $1.6 million in 2000, according to Edward Roeder, a self-styled expert on efforts to influence the U.S. government, and founder of Sunshine Press Services, a news agency devoted to investigating money in politics."

And GET THIS! According to IT PRO, Microsoft put Windows 7 on new computers and that gave the owners a chance to get used to and play with the new OS, BUT on June 1st, 2010, that is going to expire, which means it's time to upgrade to the "real deal". Oh, and THAT'S not all...on March 1st, 2010...

“'The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010. You’ll also need to install the programs and data that you want to use.'”

And there's more where all that came from. So, here's my point...this is yet ANOTHER example of a corporate power repeatedly behaving unethically, creating a monopoly, while we all just sit here, none the wiser, and partake. First off, by now we all need to honestly acknowledge that the mainstream media is crap and it won't report this kind of information that we could benefit from knowing. So that's the first step- doing the investigating ourselves. I found all this out in a matter of minutes while browsing the web. And secondly, once finding this out, we need to actively oppose it. Choosing to use a linux OS breaks free of the restraint that is happily put upon us. I know that could seem kind of silly, but it's about the bigger picture. Some of the most basic things in our daily lives have a nasty trail behind them. Like how Coca-Cola is america's sweetheart soda, but it robs communities of natural resources and union leaders in Columbia have turned up dead at the hands of this corporate criminal. We've got to wonder, we've got to question.

SO, my little netbook is now equipped with the Jolicloud OS and I'm loving it. I think I've closed a window(s) and opened a new door here...I have now entered the land of Linux. So far, so good.