Nathan Hurst wrote:
>     Given that MacOS X seems to be a much more elegant system than Debian,
>   why not switch to MacOS X?
>
> comments?  I'm running out of arguments, which means I'll probably
> switch too.  There must be a reason to stick with Linux?  Surely?

Definitely.

If you make the assumption that proprietory software is bad (see below),
and free software is good, then you as a technical user with development
skills should use free software because:
 * you can fix/report bugs, and be generally helpful to the free software
community.  The fact that Debian sucks means it's really important to
improve it if we want a Free World.
 * network effects: if you use free software, you encourage other people
to as well.  (Eg: Latex/abiword/whatever becomes easier to use, etc.)
OTOH, if you use non-free software, it encourages other people to use
non-free software.

Anyway, the assumption I mentioned above... well, here's a rough
argument for it:
 * software controls the way people communicate, and also the way
people work and "do things"
 * non-free software tends towards monopoly (or at least oligopoly), due to
network effects (eg: the .doc incompatibility fiasco), and high barrier
to entry into markets
 * therefore, non-free software not only disempowers users (they
can't change s/w, or hire someone else to), but it also becomes a force
by which the population at large can be controlled because this control
of communication and how-you-do-things is centred around a small number
of powerful entities (i.e. Microsoft and Apple).  It wouldn't be so
bad if it were a competitive free market.

I think it's important for democracy that software be free for the
same reasons the media should be independent.  (Another rant?)