Augury and reading chicken bones for profit... (was Pun-ditry...)

[Jay R. Ashworth]

On Fri, Jul 23, 2004 at 06:55:29PM -0400, John Esak wrote:
> > On Fri, Jul 23, 2004 at 05:44:45PM -0400, John Esak wrote:
> > > Subject: RE: moving from Sco to Linux
> > > > Because SCO is now a litigation company, not a software company?
> > > > I've added SCO to my close-of-business 2005 list.  Along with
> > Microsoft.
> > >
> > >
> > > If Microsoft goes out of business in 2005, I will write you a check for
> > > $10,000 and bring it to you personally wherever you live. This
> > is among the
> > > most... outlandish... things you have proposed... Perhaps, you
> > think Exxon
> > > and GM will be leaving us shortly, also? :-) I've got more checks.
> >
> > The exact, full prediction, which I've posted on my website several
> > times since 1999 is: "by close-of-business 2005, either Microsoft won't
> > be in anything like the same business they're in now, or they won't be
> > in business at all."
> 
> Quite a strange explanation for "close-of-business"...

That was a reference to 23:59:59 2004-Dec-31, John.  Not a reference to
them going *out* of business, though I still don't think it completely
impossible.  But I have hedged the phrasing almost since I first said
it.

> > If some combination of OS/X and Linux/BSD make it to 50% unit market
> > share by my deadline, I will consider myself to have been correct.
> 
> Well, even _that_ will never happen by close of 2005... as for the whole
> concept of what you first stated that I took the $10k issue with... it
> sounds like severe, unrestrained back-peddling to me. You would beat Lance
> Armstrong to the finish line this way and you'd be facing in the wrong
> direction the whole time. :-)

As I noted, I have been saying it that way since about 2000, so I don't
consider it backpedaling in the grand sense.  I didn't think someone
was going to offer cash here, so I didn't get into the details.

:-)

> > You may not.
> 
> Ya' think not??  :-)

I guess, huh?

> > Given those clarified parameters, is the check still on the table?  ;-)
> 
> Sorry, I thought you meant what you were saying originally... with "words"
> that is... "close of business", not gabblings about some other market share
> nonsense. I'd raise either the $10k or the time limit on your first
> statement, though.... But, you aren't giving me any incentive.  The new
> stuff you are adding is uninteresting to me.

Ok.  Well, if I turn out to hit the jackpot, I'll still take the 10
grand.  :-)

> When and if Linux systems ever write strong enough underpinnings and
> foundations for their software that such as screen readers could work...
> maybe then I'll start looking more closely at it. On the whole, I still view
> Linux as a toy for developers and a hell of an OS for small control system
> chips.

I'm fairly certain that screen readers are already available for both
text consoles *and* X, actually.  Ok, maybe they're not JAWS.  But I
gather they don't suck, either.  I'll look into it.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra at baylink.com
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	"You know: I'm a fan of photosynthesis as much as the next guy,
	but if God merely wanted us to smell the flowers, he wouldn't 
	have invented a 3GHz microprocessor and a 3D graphics board."
					-- Luke Girardi