We’ve been using it for years without it being registered, and you wouldn’t want those nasty patent trolls at Microsoft to steal it from under our noses, would you?
This basically applies to any case at all where a random anti-Linux shill (for which, read, member of the global population) points out a defect in Linux. Doesn’t matter how trivial or how important. Doesn’t matter whether it costs money or lives or anything. Any defect is, by definition, not Linux’ fault.
Consequently, it’s somebody else’s fault. Many other TMs have captured various flavours of this insanity, but here are a few frequent instances:
I can’t make XYZ work on DistroX
— That’s because you’re not trying hard enough/are using the wrong distro/don’t need it. Did I mention that Linux is free?
My [insert hardware of choice: WiFi, video card, whatever] doesn’t work with Linux
— That’s because the evil manufacturers refuse to co-operate with our hard-working programmers. Did I mention that Linux is free?
I can’t play [insert music format of choice] on Linux
— That’s because the patent trolls encumber all manner of important software, like bog-standard codecs. Did I mention that Linux is free?
And so on. In the hands of a master, like SJVN, you can appear to be talking about something completely different, and still manage to ShiftTheBlame™:
In his comment on the RDS fiasco, SJVN neatly skips around the fact that this is, in fact, a piece of lousy design in the Linux kernel, and casually points out that Oracle were at fault for creating RDS in the first place.
Brilliant! As long as Oracle are the bad boys, which they are this year. They weren’t last year, and they may not be next year. Meanwhile, however, job done: this catastrophe is not Linux’ fault.
Comments
I never understood the reason linux distros shun MPEG formats like they are the plague.
Oh yeah, patents… However, patents apply only in the USA, which, if you come to think of it, is a small fraction of the world. Here in Europe, we are free to use MPEG4 (mp4) without paying royalties as much as we want. The videolan team has been offering support for MPEG formats since forever, and so does avidemux. So they could always offer a European ISO that would have those codecs installed.
But, as it’s usual in the linuxworld, it’s not about being legal. It’s about being 'ethical’. If you aren’t with the freetards side, you can’t touch Linux. You are out. So, when the YearOfTheLinuxDesktop comes, you will be out of the whole market. The problem is that, it’s PRECISELY that kind of behaviour that prevents linux from dominating.
I mean, just look at the TERRIBLE deadlocks Stalinman is trying to impose on the world of computers (if Linux dominates).
- Don’t want to expose your drivers out on the public? Linux won’t support your hardware. You are out.
-Don’t want to publish the source code of your apps and give it to the package managers, because you want to make money? Linux will break API compatibility, and your app won’t work. You will be out.
-Want to use patented technologies in your format (ex mpg, mp4) because everything including B-frames and up is patented in the USA and it’s your only hope of making a decent video format? Linux won’t support that format. You are out.
So, i really hope Linux will NEVER take over on the dekstop, and stay right there in the 1% of hobbyist market share it has now. Linux is an attack on our freedom.
Imagine if Microsoft prevented your right to run open source software in Windows (like the iphone does). They don’t. Despite their ideology doesn’t like open source.
Because, if you come to think of it, Microsoft purpose it to make a good enough product and sell it, and not to force feed down your throat their ideologies, like Stalinman tries to do with linux.
“Imagine if Microsoft prevented your right to run open source software in Windows (like the iphone does). They don’t. Despite their ideology doesn’t like open source.”
That is an excellent point! Never thought about it, but MS, the supposed evil giant out to destroy open source, actually does nothing to prevent you from running OSS ..
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