Oddly yes, it is easy to program with, at least going by my experience with HyperTalk (HyperCard scripting language) 20 years ago.

I’m a decent programmer, and was then too, but actually the English-like scripting language was a joy to use—at least for the things I used HyperCard for.

I’m quite willing to believe that this thing can make programming easy for ‘non-programmers’ for certain kinds of problems. It’s not going to be the next Java, but then we already have the next Java.

The fighting is about politics, not minerals.

And what is politics about if not the distribution of power and wealth? (Remember that the minerals are making the warlords richer and funding the mayhem.)

And it won’t solve the problem completely, but it will put pressure on to start towards a solution. And this is a good thing. Especially when the alternative is to turn a blind eye and pretend nothing is happening.

An imperfect solution is better than nothing.

About how it’s a devious masterstroke beyond our ken.

But I say: never attribute to malice what can be explained by advanced syphilis of the BRAIN.

Seriously, when I read this it was all I could do not to point at my screen and say "heeah, heeah" in the style of Nelson from The Simpsons.

And moreover, do not attribute to malice what may be adequately explained by the fact that writing bug free, let alone robust, let alone secure software is difficult.

You’re saying that you’d publish anyway, and then shoot any judge who disagrees?!

Well, that’s one way of ensuring a speedy judicial process.

...as soon as the oil-producing companies compensate the oil consuming countries for any environmental damage their product causes. ...and compensate me for not being obscenely wealthy.

+1 Paranoid

(Not seen one for a while, mind you.)

Hmm, to me Icaza reimplementing .NET as Mono seems to be the direct analogue of Stallman reimplementing Unix as GNU. And for many of the same reasons (to allow people using the un-Free .NET escape to a Free platform). And with many of the same risks (that he would be shut down by the legal department of a powerful corporation).

Especially if they charge $10 for DRM'd digital copies of Dan Brown novels.

The Internet tells me that distributers take about 60% of the sale value of a book. Printing (especially hardbacks) must cost something too. It seems reasonable to expect that digital copies of just-released Dan Brown novels, especially those with DRM (given that they get to prevent resale and possibly sell it to you again in the future), should be charged at nearer $5.

(Take note of my incredibly rigorous mathematical analysis.)

'Course, then the publishers would be competing with their own physical-books business, so don't imagine that that would be popular.

"Yes, yes they will" (I should probably go tell The New York Times rather than Slashdot, mind you.)