Re: [lojban] New to lojban, any suggestions?

[Andrew McDowell <drewcifer@knology.net>]

On Mon, Aug 13, 2001 at 04:23:32PM -0400, pycyn@aol.com wrote:
|:    The analogy fails precisely because an MS program isn't like a pencil
|:    (it's
|:    more like a book but not quite that either, I suppose).  Yes, if you
|:    want to
|:    do all those things, then don't buy MS programs.  But if you do have
|:    MS
|:    programs then don't do those things either.

I think the complaint was made precicsly because he chose not to use MS 
products.

|:    do and are quiet about it, getting on with their work.  A tiny group
|:    does not
|:    and talks about it way too much, claiming vast superiority for their
|:    pet
|:    system -- but pretty generally not being willing to do what would make
|:    that
|:    system available (in a real,as opposed to a "Well, you can get it off
|:    the
|:    net," sense).

There are _many_ Linux distributions out there.  Some of which you can 
buy convieniently online, at Best Buy, or even Wal-Mart.  I think that's
pretty available.

|:    Nor to make the advantages of this system or of
|:    programs
|:    running on this system available to people who, for whatever blind
|:    reason,
|:    refuse to change from MS.

As opposed to people who refuse to change to from Linux?
(and it's alot cheaper to switch to Linux)

|:  But they are never shy about pooh-poohing
|:    anything
|:    that has worked for years longer than their system has been in
|:    existence for
|:    ten time the number of people who have even heard of their system.

Linux has been arround for 10-ish years, and UNIX for 40ish? (Correct
me if I'm wrong.)  How long has DOS/Win95/WinNT/Win2k been arround?
And if sheer numbers of users is the hallmark of a good OS, then we
should be running something like VxWorks or one of the other embedded
OS's that power your bank teller, car, and gas pumps.

|:    In practical terms this is bad planning on their part, since it
|:    decreases the
|:    probability that their system will eventually come to occupy a
|:    significant
|:    role for computer users generally.  It is especially bad for Lojban,
|:    since
|:    our growth is almost entirely computer based and alienating 90% of
|:    that base
|:    is not a good strategy for growth.

According to most of the industry rags, Linux has the second fastest
growing market out there.  Outpaceing it's competition (other Unixes)
by a factor of ~2, and passing MacOS for the number of total users.

I think Lojban would do well to imitate it's success.

|:    As you say, some people use MS, some don't. Let's let each use what
|:    they want
|:    or need to use and try to accomodate them equally (we've gotten a lot
|:    better
|:    on that lately, by the way, with Robin -- for all his puffery -- doing
|:    good
|:    lead work) and not cast random asparagus on either side.

Here here.

-Drew