Just so -- All the same when I visit these 'politically themed' threads I find it all too easy to imagine myself at that 'banquet' - and, perhaps most disturbingly, when 'sufficiently' 'worn down' by the rancorous atmosphere, in the person of Mlle. Salsafette!

TTFN
HP

As long as you don't think that your clothes should be worn in the inside...

 

As long as you don't think that your clothes should be worn in the inside...

IIRC the lady's eccentricity was vested (NPI) in the notion that one was properly clad only when outside of their attire? -- In any event 'tis the wrong season for that particular 'line' of fashion 'round here

TTFN
HP

 

Yebut as creator/developer, Linux is Torvalds "baby"...

Yebbut, Linux has grown-up. His contributions are minimal with respect to the overall size of the code base. And, the license (GPL3) is such that anyone can copy it, make modifications, and redistribute it freely. Nothing prevents anyone from creating their own personal fork.

Go download and make your own!

notwithstanding said platform's 'eerie' resemblance to Unix

Nothing eerie about it. Linus's intention was to create a POSIX compliant operating system. Thus, its resemblance to UNIX. This question has been asked, answered, and settled.

[H]e undoubtedly lives in mortal fear of would be 'co-option'

Nope. And, if you think so, might I inquire as to from whom?

[H]ence his iron fist

His iron fist arises from the support of the community of developers around him -- both volunteer and corporate.

 

Sincere thanks @joeyd999 -- you've cleared up all but a single point -To wit (Re: Risk of 'co-option') :

Nope. And, if you think so, might I inquire as to who?

Microsoft and Apple come to mind?... --- While I'm no intellectual property attorney (nor, mercifully, any manner of barrister) it seems Torvalds' gratis 'open-sourcing' of his highly popular platform might reasonably be expected to cast him in the unenviable role of a 'David' in the land of 'Goliaths' sans hope of divine intervention... -- FWIW I hope I'm wrong!

Best regards
HP

 

Sincere thanks @joeyd999 -- you've cleared up all but a single point -To wit (Re: Risk of 'co-option') :

Microsoft and Apple come to mind?... --- While I'm no intellectual property attorney (nor, mercifully, any manner of barrister) it seems Torvalds' gratis 'open-sourcing' of his highly popular platform might reasonably be expected to cast him in the unenviable role of a 'David' in the land of 'Goliaths' sans hope of divine intervention... -- FWIW I hope I'm wrong!

Best regards
HP

You're wrong.

OS X is based on OpenBSD Unix kernel, yet another open source OS, albeit with a different (less restrictive) license (one of the main reasons why Linux is so much more popular than OpenBSD), so there was never a threat.

Microsoft? Where were you in the 2000's? They funded a great deal of SCOs legal challenge against IBM and Novel with respect to their Linux contributions. That is what the Groklaw link was about. The entire case history is there.

SCO lost big time, both the case, their company, and about $150M.

Microsoft now embraces Linux for many uses.

Besides, Google is a Linux company, and all their server software is based on Linux. Talk about a Goliath!

 

You're wrong.

OS X is based on OpenBSD Unix kernel, yet another open source OS, albeit with a different (less restrictive) license (one of the main reasons why Linux is so much more popular than OpenBSD), so there was never a threat.

Microsoft? Where were you in the 2000's? They funded a great deal of SCOs legal challenge against IBM and Novel with respect to their Linux contributions. That is what the Groklaw link was about. The entire case history is there.

SCO lost big time, both the case, their company, and about $150M.

Microsoft now embraces Linux for many uses.

Besides, Google is a Linux company, and all their server software is based on Linux. Talk about a Goliath!

I remember there was a cheesy 90's movie about the rivalry between Gates and Jobs... think it was titled "The Pirates of Silicon Valley" or something like that.... was there ever a movie about the history of Linux?

 

I remember there was a cheesy 90's movie about the rivalry between Gates and Jobs... think it was titled "The Pirates of Silicon Valley" or something like that.... was there ever a movie about the history of Linux?

Not that I'm aware of. Not enough people know what Linux is -- even though most use it every day -- to make such an endeavor profitable.

 

Not that I'm aware of. Not enough people know what Linux is

Yeah, but it has a fascinating story

 

Yeah, but it has a fascinating story

And a lot of players. Linus concerns himself with code. Richard Stallman wrote the GPL license -- a brilliant piece of legal work -- along with most of the GNU tools and libraries. The Free Software Foundation are the legal beagles that help protect the GPL and software licensed by it.

Yes, it's a great story, and I've been following it for years.

 

How do you feel about the Carrier deal?

A good answer from Sarah Palin:
http://www.youngcons.com/sarah-palin-but-wait-the-good-guys-wont-win-with-more-crony-capitalism/

 

A good answer from Sarah Palin:
http://www.youngcons.com/sarah-palin-but-wait-the-good-guys-wont-win-with-more-crony-capitalism/

"...fundamentally, political intrusion using a stick or carrot to bribe or force one individual business to do what politicians insist, versus establishing policy incentivizing our ENTIRE ethical economic engine to roar back to life, isn’t the answer. Cajole only chosen ones on Main St or Wall St and watch lines stretch from Washington to Alaska full of businesses threatening to bail unless taxpayers pony up. The lines strangle competition and really, really, dispiritingly screw with workers’ lives. It’s beyond unacceptable, so let’s anticipate equal incentivizes and positive reform all across the field – to make the economy great again."

Couldn't have said it better myself...

 

A good answer from Sarah Palin:
http://www.youngcons.com/sarah-palin-but-wait-the-good-guys-wont-win-with-more-crony-capitalism/

What's the old saying? Out of the mouth of Babes?

 

State governments offer incentives, i.e. reduced taxes, for business to locate within their borders. It's been happening a very long time. What the state government is trading off is the property taxes for the more lucrative sales and income taxes.

Some states have other incentives. Look at your credit card. Did you notice the address? Chances are it's Wilmington or another city in Delaware. Care to guess why?

Back when states were forcing credit card issuers to reduce the rates (think the late 1970s), Delaware didn't have that issue with the issuers. It was cheap to incorporate in Delaware and they only had to employ 100 people to move their credit card operation to the First State. Yes, the State of Delaware has property taxes and income taxes, but no sales tax.

The offering of incentives, on the grandeur scale, include corporations moving to other countries that offer a better tax break, even a simple reduction of their taxes owed is a tax break in the big picture.

Care to guess what one of the tasks of congress is, as written in the Constitution? You got it ... promote the general welfare. Jobs promote the general welfare of the country and the community.

Michigan has all three taxes; income, sales, and property. Income was about 4 percent when I was there. Sales was about 8 percent. So, the dollar that I earned was taxed by the state, and I got the privilege of paying sales tax on purchases. Gasoline is taxed at the per gallon rate by the federal and state governments. Some government also included a sales tax in there are well. Then you get to hear the governor of the state complain when the gallon of gas costs are too high, yet the state is getting a windfall from that rising price.

Incentives and taxes ... The government likes a zero net sum game, but we hear about the negatives (incentive dollars) but not the gains (income/sales/property taxes) to the state. There are times it's not a zero net sum game. Sometimes the state get's a return on their investment (incentive dollars). The federal government has not been getting returns on some of their federal investments, the thirty-three Green Energy companies are one example.

 

Americanos like to talk tax but it's minuscule compared to the rest of the 1st world countries

Well their base salary is basically unpaid internship so no wonder that their hamburgers cost next to nothing.

 

The selfishness strikes a gain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Crescent

 

I am thinking that maybe the forum needs a dedicated politics subsection for this sort of stuff. Call it the 'Forum Reactor Core' where everyone can go and have a full on meltdown and no subject comes out alive to be brought up elsewhere.

À la The Habitablezone's "Flame Room"? -- I like it!

Best regards
HP

 

But, science redux:

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style...good-for-you-eat-up-says-new-dietary-research

And here's another case where I thought the science was settled.

 

Then the bacon grease is back on.

 

Then the bacon grease is back on.

You assume it was ever off!

The only difference is now I have an excuse.

 

You assume it was ever off!

The only difference is now I have an excuse.

Now? I can't imagine you just eating bacon grease all this time without an excuse. You have a basket full for all other topics.