[OT] Re: Creating Excel files on Linux

[Roman Suzi]

On Fri, 7 Sep 2001, Maan M. Hamze wrote:

>>    But again, am I free not to deal with this world?
>
>Yes, you are free not to deal with it.  But it depends on what world you are
>living in.  I am not defending Microsoft here, but I am being realistic.

I've heard that realistic ~= pessimist.

MIcrosoft "invented" .NET and now everybody who is "realistic"
adopts is as fast as possible or at least learn what that mean.

IT industry is drived by hypes and not technical merits. Yes, ordinary
user doesn't know what "operating system" is unless reminded about the
"clouds" at startup. And THIS is realistic.

I share the views of Oleg but I feel "realistic" about this too. I can't
change the world. I must live with all those stupid MS Office documents in
my mailbox and ohs of my collegues having fun while their system goes
down.

>In the same way, an open platform is a MYTH.

Oh, no! Open doesn't mean "free of charge". Windows NT is also
open (to some extent unless MS lied).

Linux and Python ARE open. What myth are they? Probably you've meant that
sincerity of large corporations regarding open platforms is a myth. I
agree. I do not believe them. And this doesn't make me feel bad.

>Larry Anderson of Oracle likes
>to talk about this while he flies his own jet looking down on everything.
>Sun talks of open platform because they want their Java to be the standard
>that runs........on their very own machines.  Mark Andressen (sp?) talked of
>the ever present CORBA on every server.  Is not that a covered talk of
>monopolies too?
>We live in a world of arrogant men and greedy corporations, and they play
>with concepts of the open platform.

May be they are playing. But if laws have any effect, they leave
good things in open space too.

>As far as I am concerned, getting a job done is the issue here.  Anyone can
>learn VBA during a lunch hour.  This is what I call empowerment for people
>who got to work for a living, not to philosophize about the open platform
>myth where people do not know what language they are using.

And what about those who want to work not only for living but
being interested in the process itself?

Sincerely yours, Roman Suzi
-- 
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