[MLUG - DISCUSSION] Linux and/or VCR programming (was Re: [MLUG] Open Source politicalphilosophy)

[Jonathan King <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Thu, 8 Apr 2004, Rick Buford wrote:

> isn't there a "Windows = Dictatorship; Linux = Capitalism" debate
> here?
> 
> Or is the linux = socialism argument that if you take and change
> linux, you have to contribute your changes back to the community?

[moved to discussion]

First off, that's just NOT TRUE.  I can take Linux, and do whatever
I like with it, changing it beyond all recognition and making it the
most exquisite OS on the planet to hoard for myself.  No, there's no 
reason why Jonix can't become the best and most greedily kept secret 
OS on the planet by the terms of the GPL.  (OK, other the fact that 
I'm not a stud systems programmer...)

The only thing I cannot do with modified GPL code is distribute it
in binary only form or release the code, but under a new non-GPL
license.  That's it.  I can sell the source for whatever anybody is
willing to pay, although I cannot restrict the buyer from
distibuting the source to others, which does have an effect on the 
price I can get...  But saying that a license is socialist because 
it has restrictions on my re-distribution of the licensed product is 
a bit...weird.
 
>  Well, let's just say, 'if your VCR is still blinking 12:00, you
> don't want Linux'.

So here's my funny story on that.  We have a Panasonic TV/VCR 
all-in-one in the kitchen, but appear no longer to have the manual.  
This actually had prevented us from trying to program the thing to 
do timed recording, since every previous VCR we'd had was designed 
by somebody who must have thought that "user interface" just meant 
that you would have LEDs on the buttons, which would have to be 
pushed in some completely arcanic order.  You could do it (and we 
did) but you wouldn't consider doing it without the manual, since 
that was the source code and you were just compiling the 
instructions down into VCR machine language...

But then Tuesday night, tragedy struck: we forgot to watch or record
the NOVA episode on coelacanths.  This was obviously a major, MAJOR
oversight.  Just as unfortunate, the replay time was last night at 1
AM.  Clearly a job for timed recording.  So, despite having no
manual whatsoever, I stoically took out the remote, pushed buttons
that looked like they might do something useful...and had the whole
thing programmed up inside of 2 minutes from a cold start.  Holy
cow; somebody had managed to create a useful and virtually
self-documenting interface for this!

But since this had seemed *way* too easy, I presumed that I had done
it wrong, and then spent 28 minutes trying to find and download and
decode the stupid PDF manual from the Panasonic website, which only
served to prove to me that their on-screen programming is better
designed than their website, and that they apparently sent the guy
who used to design the retarded "timed recording" UI into the
technical writing department.  Where he presumably could do no
harm...

jking

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