Forked Up

Well, the new Evil Empire continues to rise in the world of Linux.  I used to halfway like SuSE but since Novell has joined in with Microsoft, and now Dell, I'm looking to scrape it from my partitions when time permits.  Ubuntu is back on the list after I got cranky with the re-weirded MEPIS license.  Seems curious that Dell originally talked about Ubuntu being their point of entry into Linux.  A mini-headfake of the type when Microsoft was giving up Windows development for a complete commitment to OS/2?

The connection that some of us still recall from Michael Dell being quizzed by Congress, under oath, about Microsoft's influence on browser installations is still holding up.  I wonder if that testimony is still available on C-SPAN or YouTube archives.  Talk about butch-fem.

Dell to Join the Axis of Evil  - ITWire.com.au

"It's now clear why Dell decided to sell Ubuntu on some machines; I'd like to see the people who lauded this move, now come out and criticise Dell for snuggling up to Novell. They have no foot on which to stand."

"It is clear now that this snuggling up to Novell is the quid pro quo which Microsoft wanted - else how could Dell ever think it could cut what are more or less umbilical ties?"

Forked Up

Well, the new Evil Empire continues to rise in the world of Linux.  I used to halfway like SuSE but since Novell has joined in with Microsoft, and now Dell, I'm looking to scrape it from my partitions when time permits.  Ubuntu is back on the list after I got cranky with the re-weirded MEPIS license.  Seems curious that Dell originally talked about Ubuntu being their point of entry into Linux.  A mini-headfake of the type when Microsoft was giving up Windows development for a complete commitment to OS/2?

The connection that some of us still recall from Michael Dell being quizzed by Congress, under oath, about Microsoft's influence on browser installations is still holding up.  I wonder if that testimony is still available on C-SPAN or YouTube archives.  Talk about butch-fem.

Dell to Join the Axis of Evil  - ITWire.com.au

"It's now clear why Dell decided to sell Ubuntu on some machines; I'd like to see the people who lauded this move, now come out and criticise Dell for snuggling up to Novell. They have no foot on which to stand."

"It is clear now that this snuggling up to Novell is the quid pro quo which Microsoft wanted - else how could Dell ever think it could cut what are more or less umbilical ties?"

Which Way France?

An electoral postmortem by the Germany-based Spiegel.  Evidently, Sarko was also busy bashing Germany in this election cycle but I haven't quite figured out why.  Clarifying comments would be welcomed.

The Triumph of the Conservatives: France Lurches to the Right - Spiegel Online

"Sarkozy succeeded in retouching his image by dipping his hand into the toolbox of America's neoconservatives. Many French fear they are being defenselessly hurdled towards a disquieting and potentially even dangerous future, and Sarkozy fed these fears by pledging a categorical restructuring of society and an ideological return to traditional values."

"The retouching also involved a clearly recognizable shift to the right: Without any shyness and a demagogic deftness Sarkozy was able -- already at the first round of voting -- to win over the voters of the extremist National Front (FN). With his thinly veiled attacks against immigrants from the North African Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa and his pledge to create a "Ministry for Immigration and National Identity," he made the right-wing slogans of FN leader Jean-Marie Le Pen palatable. In doing so, he managed to hijack Le Pen's right-wing protest voters. Instead of voting for Le Pen this time, the French voted for a copy."

Which Way France?

An electoral postmortem by the Germany-based Spiegel.  Evidently, Sarko was also busy bashing Germany in this election cycle but I haven't quite figured out why.  Clarifying comments would be welcomed.

The Triumph of the Conservatives: France Lurches to the Right - Spiegel Online

"Sarkozy succeeded in retouching his image by dipping his hand into the toolbox of America's neoconservatives. Many French fear they are being defenselessly hurdled towards a disquieting and potentially even dangerous future, and Sarkozy fed these fears by pledging a categorical restructuring of society and an ideological return to traditional values."

"The retouching also involved a clearly recognizable shift to the right: Without any shyness and a demagogic deftness Sarkozy was able -- already at the first round of voting -- to win over the voters of the extremist National Front (FN). With his thinly veiled attacks against immigrants from the North African Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa and his pledge to create a "Ministry for Immigration and National Identity," he made the right-wing slogans of FN leader Jean-Marie Le Pen palatable. In doing so, he managed to hijack Le Pen's right-wing protest voters. Instead of voting for Le Pen this time, the French voted for a copy."