[Am-info] PAINFUL RESCUE

[Fred A. Miller]

PAINFUL RESCUE

Posted June 7, 2002 01:01 PM  Pacific Time


LAST WEEK, a friend had a problem that brought to light
one of the benefits of open source. He was trying to
install a dual-boot Linux and Windows XP system on his
laptop and discovered the function of the rescue disk
-- the hard way.

You see, his laptop did not come with a Windows XP
distribution. It came with a rescue disk which wipes
the disk drive clean and restores the laptop to
factory condition. It's quick and easy. But it's not
painless.

There's a lot to like about rescue CDs -- as long as
you are not the end-user. Microsoft wins because most
rescue CDs are suitably brain-damaged so as to be
unusable on most other PCs. This virtually eliminates
the ability to create illegal copies of the operating
system, preserving the revenue stream.

Hardware vendors win because they reduce their
telephone support burden immensely. Any nontrivial
problem can be met with the phrase, "Load the rescue
CD and tell me if the problem persists." In one swift
motion, any software problem is eliminated. And all
the user's data will be eliminated as well.

The user is left holding the bag, or, in this case, a
fully functional but useless laptop.

Why? Because of an assumption that the needs of the
vendors outweigh the needs of the user, an assumption
that we do not tolerate from any other vendor.

Suppose you purchase a new home. During the warranty
period from the builder, a problem occurs. Let's say
that a crack appears on a wall where a worker has
neglected to fully fasten down a piece of wallboard.
You call the builder and go out for the day.

Upon returning home, you find the wall fixed. But you
also find that all your belongings from the largest
piece of furniture to the smallest sentimental memento
have been thrown away. Your new in-ground pool has
been filled in and the imported marble and oak
upgrades which trimmed your home have been replaced
with Formica and painted pine. "We restored your home
to original condition. It's your fault if you weren't
smart enough to move your belongings out before we got
here. We are not responsible for your stupidity."

Is this situation ludicrous? Yes. So why do we stand
for it in when it comes to computers?

Compare this to open source. Open source is designed to
empower the user. It assumes that you, not your
vendors, are the most important party to lay hands on
your machine. With open source, vendors know that you
can go elsewhere and get equivalent software. So they
must deliver the services you need to keep your
business. It is no surprise, then, that a typical
Linux distribution gives you multiple ways to preserve
your data when something goes wrong.

Open source puts power in your hands. If you're betting
your business on your software, isn't that precisely
where you want the power to be?

Do you think open source will keep vendors in check?
Let us know at  http://www.infoworld.com/os  or tell
Russ at pavlicek@linuxprofessionalsolutions.com.

-- 
Fred A. Miller
Systems Administrator
Cornell Univ. Press Services
fm@cupserv.org, www.cupserv.org
--- SuSE Linux v8.0 Pro, Netscape 7.0---