5 ms·

Let's boycott the hell out of Microsoft. They gleefully sold out their users to the NSA.

Intermernet 13y ago
As long as you also "boycott the hell" out of: Yahoo Google Facebook PalTalk YouTube Skype AOL Apple Who have also been mentioned as complicit in this whole scandal. Just to be fair :-) By the way, I actually agree with you and have been slowly switching all my home stuff to linux and trying to get away from Google Dependence (although I type this in Chrome on a Win 8 laptop... damn work computer)
- phaemon 13y ago
  If you think a company has behaved badly, why are you under any obligation to be fair to them? It might be extremely difficult to boycott every company involved, so why not choose one to make an example of? The idea that you must boycott all or none appears irrational.
  - vacri 13y ago
    A boycott is supposed to carry a sheen of justice, and this suggests at least a nod towards being fair.
    - phaemon 13y ago
      It's as though you're being bullied by two people, and when you try to deal with one of them, you're accused of being unfair because you can't deal with both! It sounds very much as though it was the bullies who decided what was "fair" in this instance.
      - vacri 13y ago
        The boycott request was a call to community action. You're reframing it as a single individual's struggle for survival, which isn't the same thing.
        phaemon 13y ago
        I see; you think it's right for the individual but wrong for a group. Why? What changes?
        vacri 13y ago
        I didn't say it was right, I said it was different and that your reframing wasn't appropriate. What changes? For a start, the more people that are involved, the less each knows of the situation. A single individual being bullied is aware of each incidence and what it going on at all times. A group doesn't - witness mob justice as a clear counterpoint. A group is highly susceptible to hearsay and misdirection. As for why it's unfair - if we expect the judicial system to be fair when it acts on our collective behalves, it is dissonant to not expect other group action to also be fair in how it's meted out.
        phaemon 13y ago
        So you don't think it's right for an individual? I don't see why a group being "susceptible to hearsay and misdirection" is a good reason for their ire to be directed at more companies rather than just one. I also don't see any reason why a group fighting against the injustices they can tackle, obliges them to take on the ones they can't. EDIT: To take your example of the justice system - if I steal from someone, it would not be a valid defence to point out that other people had not been successfully convicted of stealing, therefore I should not be prosecuted.
  - nbevans 13y ago
    You're an idiot if you can't see why this would be unreasonable.
- vijayr 13y ago
  What about ubuntu tracking/sending our info to Amazon? Which Linux distro would you recommend, that is easy to use, and not sell out it's users?
  - baggers 13y ago
    All areas of Ubuntu that report to Canonical/Amazon/etc can be disabled and/or uninstalled. I personally find this the optimal way from base install to get to a desktop I enjoy using but otherwise I would probably have a look at debian.
  - lmm 13y ago
    Mint seems to be popular. But honestly if you care about this sort of stuff you're going to have to get a bit technical, at which point you might as well use something really serious like OpenBSD.
  - drcube 13y ago
    Slackware.
- npsimons 13y ago
  As long as you also "boycott the hell" out of: Yahoo Google Facebook PalTalk YouTube Skype AOL Apple Done and done (including Microsoft) for well over a decade; I don't get this whole "can't be trusted anymore" thing. These companies could never be trusted, and never should have been.
- genwin 13y ago
  May be best to focus all boycotting energy on one company, like was done for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- iopq 13y ago
  I am already switching away from Google services and software because of this (and because they decided to drop XMPP from Hangouts)

As long as you also "boycott the hell" out of: Yahoo Google Facebook PalTalk YouTube Skype AOL Apple Who have also been mentioned as complicit in this whole scandal. Just to be fair :-) By the way, I actually agree with you and have been slowly switching all my home stuff to linux and trying to get away from Google Dependence (although I type this in Chrome on a Win 8 laptop... damn work computer)

phaemon 13y ago
If you think a company has behaved badly, why are you under any obligation to be fair to them? It might be extremely difficult to boycott every company involved, so why not choose one to make an example of? The idea that you must boycott all or none appears irrational.
- vacri 13y ago
  A boycott is supposed to carry a sheen of justice, and this suggests at least a nod towards being fair.
  - phaemon 13y ago
    It's as though you're being bullied by two people, and when you try to deal with one of them, you're accused of being unfair because you can't deal with both! It sounds very much as though it was the bullies who decided what was "fair" in this instance.
    - vacri 13y ago
      The boycott request was a call to community action. You're reframing it as a single individual's struggle for survival, which isn't the same thing.
      - phaemon 13y ago
        I see; you think it's right for the individual but wrong for a group. Why? What changes?
        vacri 13y ago
        I didn't say it was right, I said it was different and that your reframing wasn't appropriate. What changes? For a start, the more people that are involved, the less each knows of the situation. A single individual being bullied is aware of each incidence and what it going on at all times. A group doesn't - witness mob justice as a clear counterpoint. A group is highly susceptible to hearsay and misdirection. As for why it's unfair - if we expect the judicial system to be fair when it acts on our collective behalves, it is dissonant to not expect other group action to also be fair in how it's meted out.
        phaemon 13y ago
        So you don't think it's right for an individual? I don't see why a group being "susceptible to hearsay and misdirection" is a good reason for their ire to be directed at more companies rather than just one. I also don't see any reason why a group fighting against the injustices they can tackle, obliges them to take on the ones they can't. EDIT: To take your example of the justice system - if I steal from someone, it would not be a valid defence to point out that other people had not been successfully convicted of stealing, therefore I should not be prosecuted.
- nbevans 13y ago
  You're an idiot if you can't see why this would be unreasonable.
vijayr 13y ago
What about ubuntu tracking/sending our info to Amazon? Which Linux distro would you recommend, that is easy to use, and not sell out it's users?
- baggers 13y ago
  All areas of Ubuntu that report to Canonical/Amazon/etc can be disabled and/or uninstalled. I personally find this the optimal way from base install to get to a desktop I enjoy using but otherwise I would probably have a look at debian.
- lmm 13y ago
  Mint seems to be popular. But honestly if you care about this sort of stuff you're going to have to get a bit technical, at which point you might as well use something really serious like OpenBSD.
- drcube 13y ago
  Slackware.
npsimons 13y ago
As long as you also "boycott the hell" out of: Yahoo Google Facebook PalTalk YouTube Skype AOL Apple Done and done (including Microsoft) for well over a decade; I don't get this whole "can't be trusted anymore" thing. These companies could never be trusted, and never should have been.
genwin 13y ago
May be best to focus all boycotting energy on one company, like was done for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
iopq 13y ago
I am already switching away from Google services and software because of this (and because they decided to drop XMPP from Hangouts)