Comments on: Apple Advocate-at-Large

By: Ken

Ken — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:57:04 +0000

Boris has an exellent point there. Not many people are passionate about using open source softwares and is willing to spend time and put up with the rough edges.

Give it time. Already a few great opensource softwares had emerged to take on a number of categories like browser, office suite, email client.

Apple has avocates so does open source. Don’t give up!

By: Apple opened some of their source at A Fool’s Wisdom

Apple opened some of their source at A Fool’s Wisdom — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 22:18:15 +0000

[...] Unfortunately, nothing of the Mac OS X “experience” has been open sourced. And at the same time, the concerns continue about Apple’s predatory treatment of independent software developers. [...]

By: Eli

Eli — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 06:32:58 +0000

Personally, it makes me very happy to know that all 3 Macbooks your friends bought were defective — just think of the horrible bugs that Jesse could be coding right now if he had a working laptop again! And I am spending much more time packing since I can’t watch movies in bed.

(Oddly enough, I just found an enormous uncashed check from Apple dating back nearly a decade in my boxes of old papers that I’ve been sorting. I can’t believe I’d have forgotten about it, but I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.)

By: foolswisdom

foolswisdom — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 19:54:18 +0000

Boris, spending time: I think you have been very fortunate, but you have also spent your life time in Apple products — even if it is for the most practical of reasons. It is time away from free culture

By: foolswisdom

foolswisdom — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 19:07:54 +0000

Hi Boris,

Thank you very much for the comment!

Advocacy is likely in the eye of the audience, and much of your audience may not appreciate the differences you articulate so well

You are a good person, and I am happy if you keep focusing on your other battles.

I still can’t help, but be saddened because we are so far from a free culture and the computing desktop is a major battle filed, just like the Web is — where you fight the good fight.

Money, I would be surprised if that is the case. How do we confirm either of our assertions? Ubuntu is a solution for the whole world, not just our 1st world problems. My discomfort is the only discomfort I can heal.

By: Boris Mann

Boris Mann — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 18:44:07 +0000

Hmmm….I don’t remember being an *advocate* for Apple…I use the tools. I explain how those tools work for me at maximum effectiveness. It is the product that I love, not necessarily the company.

Advocates of anything must be realistic. Ubuntu simply does not allow many people to function at maximum effectiveness.

Re: time and money. I don’t spend time, and that’s kind of the point. Money I do spend…but I would probably personally have to spend many Macbook’s worth of money to smooth the edges of various apps and experiences that I depend on.

So, don’t be sad…do what works for you, show and explain what works for you, find out the areas that need smoothing. I think most of the people you linked to are in favour of free culture — we just have other battles we’re fighting.