Disqus - Latest Comments for Frank

Re: Microsoft is Dead

Frank — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:46:11 -0000

I'm the older half and I agree with you anyway. How old, you ask, well let's just say that my first computer was made by Radio Shack, my first programming language was Microsoft Basic, and I built my own DOS box back in the early 80's.

Microsoft was my hero for 20 years - not anymore. I left Visual Studio and IIS for the world of Java programming in 2000. In 2005 I switched to Linux servers and MySQL. Finally just this year I bought two Macs instead of upgrading anything to Vista. I even work at one of those "Web 2.0" startup companies that are all the rage.

Who says you can't be young forever?

I'm not naieve about Microsoft's power as a company. I still buy their stock, and I expect them to be around for a long time. I just don't expect them to do much that I care about, in the same way that Chrysler makes cars that I'd never consider buying.

Re: A Shining Example of Socialism, and Why America Can’t Compete

Frank — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:29:37 -0000

What's so bad about high taxes? First off, one way or another you pay for stuff. If your taxes are high, your society offers more benefits and that means less you have to buy with your own money. How many Americans go broke paying for health care, or paying extra for private education because they can't find a worthwhile public school?

Secondly, let's stop and think about what money really is. People think they work for "their" money and then the government "takes" some of it as taxes. However, if it were not for the government, you would not have the job you have making the money you make, because there would not be a stable civilization on which people could build businesses and careers. This is especially true if you make your living in an intellectual field. Try being a web site developer in a country with an unstable government and see how far you get with it. Imagine being a musician or a software developer or a movie producer in a country that doesn't have the resources to enforce copyright laws.

Government and industry work together to provide the citizenry with a certain standard of living. How much "money" you end up earning and/or paying in taxes isn't the point. The point is the benefits you get at the end of the day. If you can go home to a heated house, eat a good meal, and get a doctor to take care of you when you're ill, you're better off than most of the world. If you can afford a car and a computer you're wealthy by global standards. Stop complaining about your $9 pint of beer and start thinking about people who don't even have clean water to drink.

Re: Computers Coming Preloaded with More Crapware Than Ever Before

Frank — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:54:06 -0000

I bought a Latitude D620 laptop from Dell last year. It had no extra software, trials or anything else on it whatsoever. It also came in a small box with little more than a recovery CD and the power supply. It was the most pleasant experience I've ever had with a new computer. Perhaps this is one of the benefits of buying from their "business" line of products rather than the "consumer" line.

Re: A Shining Example of Socialism, and Why America Can’t Compete

Frank — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:29:37 -0000