[IAEP] Sad

[Edward Cherlin]

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 1:19 AM, Albert Cahalan <acahalan at gmail.com> wrote:
> Microsoft probably deserves to win. :-(
>
> Problems can't get fixed unless you admit that they exist.
> This may require the loss of a few sacred cows.

Albert means Constructionism. He and I have debated this, but neither
of us believes that the other is offering actual evidence in support
of our positions. You know, like Republicrats and Demicans.

> Responding to several people here...
>
> I fear it was not a joke to suggest that "Sugar on MIPS"
> would somehow be compelling. Let's not be totally out of
> touch with planet Earth. People rightly ask what an XO
> with Sugar can actually do, and the answer is "not much".

Nonsense, Albert. Not even worth arguing with you. Sugar can change
societies. Forget the technical nuts and bolts. It is
life-transforming to those who have gotten it so far, as they have
happily told those who actually talked to them.

> It's simply nuts to think Sugar is competitive with XP.

Sugar has forced equality between Linux and Windows offerings on
sub-$400 notebooks, as reported at Liliputing.com.

> Within the Sugar community, certain activities are adored.
> They hold privileged positions, generally being installed
> be default despite not being of a utility (shell, browser)
> nature. They even get to hide their bloat by being allowed
> to require RPMs that are of no use to anything else. They
> are terribly slow. They are terribly complicated.

You've put your hand up, Albert. Go fix problems. You won't get
anywhere haranguing us.

> It's really offensive to insist that other people (children,
> the poor, dark-colored people, them foreigners...) be forced
> to use stuff which you yourself find to be inadequate for
> your own daily (exclusive) use.

It's really offensive, Albert, to suggest that other people (children,
the poor, dark-colored people, them foreigners...) be forced to use
only stuff which you find to be adequate for your own daily
(exclusive) use.

> Performance issues start here:
> http://shootout.alioth.debian.org/gp4/benchmark.php?test=all&lang=all
>
> Why should we rally around Sugar? Microsoft is getting a
> chance because of Sugar. When something doesn't work, and
> you just keep insisting, how is that going to get anywhere?
> A truly amazing opportunity (Linux-only laptops for kids)
> has been squandered.

Microsoft is getting a chance because it is an illegal monopoly, and
has that kind of market power. I am really looking forward to the
children reporting on the head-to-head comparison of Sugar on Linux
vs. Microsoft crippleware.

[snip]
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