Which sites/programs do you boycott?

[embryo]

I wonder why you people hate non-opensource softare. Have you read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Letter_to_Hobbyists? What do you think about that?

After reading this "Open Letter" I see the same situation is here after 40 years of Microsoft's efforts:

In the letter, Gates expressed frustration with most computer hobbyists who were using his company's Altair BASIC software without having paid for it. He asserted that such widespread unauthorized copying in effect discourages developers from investing time and money in creating high-quality software.

And now we see why the quality of Windows is still questionable - it's just all about "widespread unauthorized copying" that's still "discourages developers from investing time and money in creating high-quality software". Yes, 40 years is not enough to make something good in such an unfriendly environment with billions of dollars of profits pocketed every year.

[Roman]

As people already pointed out, Poettering's bloatware is a mess. Canonical doesn't seem to care about freedom, it becomes similar to other corporations.

Edit:

I wonder why you people hate non-opensource softare.

Because it's potentionally harmful, especially when it comes from big corporations like M$.

[glauxosdev]

Hi,

Alternatively you can restrict your software and internet experience to some "trusted" pieces and live in a dark environment stone-age-alike (excluding osdev.org, of course

Here on the forum we can also watch you!!! Become hidden like me!

Regards,
glauxosdev

[iansjack]

I wonder why you people hate non-opensource softare.

Because it's potentionally harmful, especially when it comes from big corporations like M$.

All software is potentially harmful. What business sense would it be for Microsoft to deliberately make their software harmful? That would be a recipe for failure. There is a lot of harmful software about, but it doesn't come from the big corporations.

(M$ might have been funny thirty years ago - now it's just childish.)

[Roman]

I wonder why you people hate non-opensource softare.

Because it's potentionally harmful, especially when it comes from big corporations like M$.

All software is potentially harmful. What business sense would it be for Microsoft to deliberately make their software harmful? That would be a recipe for failure. There is a lot of harmful software about, but it doesn't come from the big corporations.

(M$ might have been funny thirty years ago - now it's just childish.)

By being harmful I mean being harmful for privacy in the first place. Using open source software is less potentially harmful, showing the source code is just like showing there's no bad intentions.

Yes, I am one of those, who believe Orwell, Huxley and conspiracy theories, but let's not start a yet another flame war (though this topic is a bit provocative).

[iansjack]

let's not start a yet another flame war (though this topic is a bit provocative).

I'm all for that. I don't understand why people feel the need to start these silly, flame-bait topics. If someone wants to use, or not use, a particular bit of software then fine. But do we all need to know about it? This place gets more like Twitter or Facebook every day.

[Combuster]

The Google's advertising scripts always find you.

Code: Select all

$ cat /etc/hosts
(...)
127.0.0.1 www.google-analytics.com
(...)

They definitely find me

[iansjack]

The Google's advertising scripts always find you.

Code: Select all

$ cat /etc/hosts
(...)
127.0.0.1 www.google-analytics.com
(...)

They definitely find me

That's not going to work, is it? What about google-analytics.com and ssl.google-analytics.com?

[Kazinsal]

Sourceforge. Hijacking user projects to distribute malware is unforgivable.

That's really it. I like Windows, I like Apple hardware, I like Google. I think so largely disowning three major tech companies who are at least partly responsible for three revolutions in computing because they are companies who do things to make money that you don't like is absurd.

There are many groups in computing I try to avoid associating with. Often, they're open source and free software ones because they're often openly arrogant. But there are not nearly as many that I boycott.

[Combuster]

That's not going to work, is it? What about google-analytics.com and ssl.google-analytics.com?

Truth be told, it's redundant in the face of my browser plugins, but fixed the hostfile nonetheless. Consider it an illustration

[iansjack]

It is an illustration but, TBH, I think it's an illustration of how easy it is to think you have covered all the bases, security-wise, when in fact you haven't. The extensions designed specifically to carry out a block tend to be more effective if only because of the feedback their developers will receive from hundreds of thousands of users.

But it is a truism that people can think they have security covered when in fact they haven't. The most glaring example of this are the smug Linux and Mac users who don't bother with taking any precautions against malware because they think they are immune. Or, more pertinent to this silly thread, those who think that open-source software is inherently more secure than closed-source. I suspect that the most secure software in the world is not only fiercely closed source but we don't even know it exists.

[xenos]

But you (and others) still use other corporate products, even in the area of software. So, the main principle, you are protesting against, is still intact. Or there are some Microsoft-specific problems you dislike?

How do you come to any conclusions about which products I'm using and which not?

The Google's advertising scripts always find you. They're everywhere, there's almost no serious site without advertising and biggest part of advertising is provided by Google (with heavy usage of cookies and user actions tracking).

Of course, there are also other websites using advertising scripts from Google and other websites. That's why I have blocked access to those advertising websites in my web proxy (so, for example, *.google-analytics.com is blocked).

Now I also set DynDNS on my boycott list. Up to today I used them for one hostname, but now they managed to mess up my account data, claim that my hostname belongs to a different account, but they don't want to tell me what account this should be, (What the hell? I have only one account!) and if I want to access my website, I even end up on some stupid advertisement website. I have immediately discontinued my use of DynDNS and asked them to disable that hostname completely. Looks like either they have just completely messed up something, or some fraudulent activity going on redirecting from domains with high search engine affinity to some advertisements.

Edit: They don't even read my mails correctly. I told them I don't want to use their services anymore and asked them to disable my account, and they suggest that I register a new one and a new hostname. I do not want another account or hostname, I just want to stop using their services.

[iansjack]

But you (and others) still use other corporate products, even in the area of software. So, the main principle, you are protesting against, is still intact. Or there are some Microsoft-specific problems you dislike?

How do you come to any conclusions about which products I'm using and which not?

Unless you know exactly what software is used by every web site that you visit (and I would bet 100 euros to 1 that you don't) - not to mention all the routers that your traffic passes through - and you only use web sites that use no "corporate software" (and I'll bet another 100 euros to 1 on that one too) you use such software, like it or not.

Just another example of overconfidence in knowing what is going on with our computers.

[xenos]

Unless you know exactly what software is used by every web site that you visit (and I would bet 100 euros to 1 that you don't) - not to mention all the routers that your traffic passes through - and you only use web sites that use no "corporate software" (and I'll bet another 100 euros to 1 on that one too) you use such software, like it or not.

Of course I cannot control what other people use on their computers, but that doesn't mean that I use that software on my computers.

[iansjack]

Unless you know exactly what software is used by every web site that you visit (and I would bet 100 euros to 1 that you don't) - not to mention all the routers that your traffic passes through - and you only use web sites that use no "corporate software" (and I'll bet another 100 euros to 1 on that one too) you use such software, like it or not.

Of course I cannot control what other people use on their computers, but that doesn't mean that I use that software on my computers.

I think that's exactly the point that embryo was making. Like it or not, you use all sorts of corporate products. The only way not to would be to not use the Internet. In these days of internetworked, distributed computing which machine the software is actually running on is a very minor detail.

All those who claim they are boycotting Microsoft (Apple, IBM, Oracle - substitute the evil demon of your choice) aren't really doing so. To have the courage of their convictions they would have to do a lot of due dilligence and would have to miss out on a lot of what the world has to offer.

That's why this topic is so silly.