If you use Open Office or Linux you may be a Communist

[Dragonelf68]

I have one word for these people: Firefox

That is all. I guess there are a shitload of communists out there then.

[MrFancypants]

They may have a point. Communism is often associated with something evil nowadays, but the ideology behind it is not bad at all. Open Source may be as close as mankind can get to such an ideal.

But to say that it is the enemy of capitalism is a bit flawed. Of course it hurts the big companies that earn tons of money with their software, but those companies are assuming that protection of intellectual property is a permanent thing that they should always enjoy. That is not the case though if you look at how patents are set up in most countries.

Also, OS software helps smaller companies that don't have the money to buy commercial programs. OS software can sometimes also be modified by companies and then sold in that modified version.

[Nittany Tiger]

I wonder if this is partly due to our economic problems?

[Nemmerle]

It's funny how capitalism has evolved from a descriptive term for an economic system to being descriptive of an ideology of total greed and dominion over the rights of others. Enemies exist only in relation to living things. Capitalism is not alive, it has no, 'enemies.' Rich fucks with large companies on the other hand...

[Nittany Tiger]

Isn't that what the Soviet Union taught its citizens?

[Nemmerle]

The CCCP would have wanted to espouse the idea that, 'capitalism,' meant a specific economic structure and that such a structure was bad - arising from and propagating the bad ideology, (greed, etc). My claim is slightly different, that, 'capitalism,' has become a term that refers largely to an ideology rather than an underlying economic structure.

Generally speaking you have two types of economic system; those that serve to concentrate power and those that serve to diffuse power. They're really just extremes on a scale of course. The CCCP was the former, and in that much is remarkably similar to the ideologies being espoused by certain business leaders in America.

[Adrian Ţepeş]

Originally Posted by Schofield

So basiclly, anyone who uses a good OS is a commie? The only reason I use Windows is for games, literally the only reason, its a POS for everything else. In my opinion.

I strongly disagree with your opinion of Windows, but that's another story. Well, it looks I must a follower of Marx cause I use Open Office. Before you know it, giving someone a gift will be frowned upon because they didn't pay for it

[Dragonelf68]

Originally Posted by Killer Kyle

I wonder if this is partly due to our economic problems?

Economic problems? For huge ass companies that are total assholes?


Economic problems, if you go by the definition of the average person, do not exist for big companies. Apple's monthly profit dropped a couple thousand dollers? Who gives a shit besides idiotic rich people who can't understand the concept of poor. Like it makes a difference.

[The Drunk Demoman]

Well,at least in Serbia while there was communism everyone had a job and wasn't homeless.
Now when capitalism rules and Western countries (or should I say USA) are trying to have total control of it.
I think that USA's plan was to collapse USSR in first place,and they used Yugoslavia as tampon so USSR wouldn't advance to Europe.

Bit off topic here.

[Rich19]

Communism = state control of the economy. Forcing people to buy stuff when there are free versions available = state control of the economy. I fail to see how people can claim than there is anything remotely capitalist about removing consumers' choice of product they use.