[K12OSN] Re: ms12steps

[Access Systems <accessys smart net>]

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004, Access Systems wrote:

       By Debra Ricketts and Claire Wolfe
       Originally published by Sierra Times
       and condensed by Accessbob
                        ______________________________


       A terrible addiction grips the world. It invades the most
       respectable middle-class homes and offices. It causes untold havoc.
       Yet, in this era when enlightened people understand that even
       coffee drinking ("caffeine use disorder") can be a serious
       disability, this addiction goes unrecognized and untreated.
       
       We speak of Microsoft addiction -- a dependency that costs its
       victims billions, first to buy the products to feed their habits,
       then in damage done by opportunistic viruses that prey on
       MS-weakened systems.
       
       What is Microsoft addiction? It is hopeless dependence on a
       computer operating system that is more insecure than a junkie in a
       room full of narcs and more expensive than a hit of heroin. In the
       end, this addiction strips its users of all privacy and
       independence.

       Until now, the future has looked bleak for the ordinary victim
       hooked on Microsoft. But today, thousands are breaking free -- and
       so can you! -- thanks to the 12-step program of Microsoft
       Anonymous.
       
       Follow these steps and, though you may never be fully cured of
       Microsoft addiction, you will walk the road of recovery.
       
       The 12 Steps to Microsoft Recovery
       
       1. We admitted we were powerless over Microsoft -- that our privacy
       had become negligible.

       2. We came to believe that a different operating system could
       restore us to sanity.

       3. We made a decision to turn our computer systems over to Tux as
       we understood him.

       4. We made a searching and fearless inventory of our applications
       and data files.

       5. We admitted to tech support, to ourselves, and to another Linux
       newbie the exact nature of our misgivings.

       6. We were entirely ready to have Linux remove all those cookies,
       GUIDs, and trojan horses from our systems.

       7. We humbly installed the operating system.

       8. We made a list of all the software we used and became willing to
       use alternatives.

       9. We downloaded alternative software where possible, but never a
       Microsoft product.

       10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were
       leaving security holes, promptly repaired them.

       11. We sought through user groups, books, whitepapers, and HOWTOS
       to improve our conscious knowledge of Linux, searching only for
       understanding and the power to improve data security, system
       stability, and personal freedom.

       12. Having had a computational awakening as the result of these
       steps, we tried to carry this message to Window users and to
       practice these principles in all our affairs.

-

       Sometimes, you have to hit bottom before you're ready for recovery.
       Remember us the next time your screen turns that funny blue color,
       and pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL for an hour only gives you blisters on
       your fingers. Remember us next time your data ends up in an FBI
       dossier. Remember us next time some 13-year-old called H ckWit
       infects your Microsoft Outlook with a virus that converts your hard
       drive into strawberry Jell-o.
       
       You will be among friends at Microsoft Anonymous.
       
       -----
       
       © 2002 by Debra Ricketts and Claire Wolfe (with a little help from
       Authentic Linux Guru, Charles Curley). and condensed by Accessbob
       in 2004. Feel free to copy and circulate, as long as full credit
       and copyright information are attached and no changes are made to
       the text.



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