Windows vs. Linux-based OS and vice versa

Hallo!

I heard from many people that one of the most silly problem you can have by using OpenOffice is that you cannot open excel files containing macros...Yesterday it happened to me exactly the opposite:
I got a file written with Microsoft Excel, containing some very simple macros.

I firstly try to open with Excel...but no why, the macro was making problem...than I tried with OpenOffice and the document was immediately opened

Now it would be nice to know why by using the native software I got problems (and in the end it didn't work), while by using Open Office (an open source free version of Microsoft Office) I didn't have any trouble.

The same happened to me with the some new .pptx files...
I can easily open them in OpenOffice, while I cannot open with the previous version of Microsoft Office...

As you can see, open source software

• is always performing better...no matter the topic and the problem...
• is much more reliable

and do you know why?
The reasons is simple, the are millions of persons who can have access to the original source code and they are all willing to improve it...nobody does it for money..
everybody contributes...and the software is improved...
Microsoft instead doesn't have any push to improve his licensed software just because of its not deserved monopoly on the software industry...
Just take the example of Vista....

If a company in any other field had put on the market some low quality product as Windows Vista is, that company would have had to close its activities immediately...

Can you imagine that whenever you buy a PC with Vista you can ask for an officially downgrade...

it is like if Apple produce a new IPhone and instead of buying that one, you ask for the previous model..

Instead what happend?
Microsoft wasn't hurt by Vista disaster at all, just because you are forced to buy it....no matter you want it or not....if you buy any notebook, you must buy it

yours sincerely
Antonio

La locura del general

Dear readers,

I recently read a book written by the Chilean world-wide famous novelist, Luis Sepulveda.
I do not know the English title of the book, but translating from the Spanish version ("La locura del general"), in English should sound something like "the madness of the general", where the general is the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
The book consists of a collection of articles published world-wide by Sepulveda on several newspapers during the period of the Pinochet detention, in London, because of the international mandate of arrest signed by the Spanish judge Garzon.
In this period, Luis Sepulveda, and with him all people who still believes in justice, in Chile and all over the world, hoped that finally the Dictator could have paid for the crimes he commit during his 16 years-long dictatorship.
These articles are interesting to understand the feelings of Sepulveda, that changed everyday moving from a sense of hope and trustworthiness in the justice and in particular in the Spanish judge Garzon, who still represents one of the most prominent judge in the world, brave enough to ask for the arrest of Pinochet, and the sense of impotence and sadness, since too many people in Chile and in the entire world still helped Pinochet to escape from the justice.

In this short but highly intensive summary of emotions across a couple of years (from the arrest of the dictator to his return to his, by him destroyed, homeland), Sepulveda remember several facts happened during his dictatorship.
He remembers in particular the high expectation and hope among Chileans followed the victory in the 1970 election of Salvador Alleande.
He remember how young people helped the president to realize his way to socialism and how strong was the engagement of Allende's followers. He also remembered how the putsch started and happened, when Allende politics was stopped with all the possible means (including corruption of trade-unions responsible in order to cause problems to the country, and as a direct consequence to Allende government).
He remembers when Chilean extreme-right parties together with the supporter of USA, realized that there was no semi-legal way to stop Allende, and therefore they finally plot, as extreme solution, the putsch realized on Sept. 11, 1973 (note: it does not exist only the Hollywood one, but at least two).
As we all know, the dictator won also his last battle: He was able to return to his homeland, where he was celebrated by his supporter. After his return, almost everybody in the parliament was willing to forget, better, to cancel what happened during the dictatorship. The solution elaborated by the socialists and Pinochet party was to decide to cancel that period of Chilean history and consequently not to prosecute the criminals, who are still today actively involved in the Chilean politics at all level of the government, locally and nationally speaking.
Pinochet was protected, by both sides, and as immediate effect he was elected senator, keeping his place in a humiliated parliament until his death.

Chile decided not to judge his past as many other countries (e.g. Spain, Italy, etc.).
This is worse political decision that a government can make.
If a country does not judge and condemn the crimes committed by someone inside and outside it, it will, sooner or later, still have to deal with this part of society, which normally should have been condemned and imprisoned, and instead it is still very active and condition the political life.

Your sincerely,
Antonio

Lettere dall'Italia - parte II

Ciao a tutti,

ecco qui la seconda lettera dall'Italia.
Il tono e' lo stesso della precedente se non piu' pessimista...

Ciao,
Antonio

P.S.
The english version will come soon...

SECONDA LETTERA

Ciao,

Scrivo a voi perché purtroppo la mia voce è nascosta tra le tante voci di un popolo italiano sempre più triste, solo e arrendevole di fronte alla prepotenza e all’arroganza di una classe politica ottusa e completamente indifferente ai problemi della gente.

La congiuntura internazionale è tale per cui bisogna sempre accontentarsi di quello che si ha, per cui bisogna solo ringraziare "Dio Onnipotente" di avere ancora quattro soldi in tasca per farsi una birra con gli amici e offrire una pizza alla ragazza di turno. E non abbiamo più neanche il tempo per incazzarci e andare in piazza dove rischi di beccarti una pallottola vagante dalla polizia o dal mafioso di zona. Non abbiamo il tempo e la forza perché siamo impegnati a lavorare sotto padrone o a sbatterci affinché il contratto venga prolungato, o perché ci prendano a fare uno stage non retribuito in cui se siamo carine e piacenti e ci facciamo toccare il culo, forse rimaniamo anche un altro anno con contratto a progetto.

L’Italia sta diventando sempre di più il paese in cui non ci sono certezze. Non ci sono certezze nei diritti in quanto ti possono incarcerare e tenere sequestrato 48 ore a Bolzaneto senza farti pisciare o ti può rapire la CIA , con l’avallo del governo, perché professi la tua religione e sei sospettato di terrorismo.

O semplicemente non hai la certezza che gli stupratori di tua figlia o della tua ragazza si facciano gli anni che meritano o che i picchiatori squadristi delle ronde vengano puniti in base alle leggi e alla costituzione che viene continuamente calpestata nei suoi valori democratici e della resistenza antifascista.

E soprattutto viviamo in un paese arretrato moralmente in cui la corruzione spadroneggia, ma ci si scandalizza se si parla di coppie di fatto e unioni civili omosessuali. E poi non si può neanche morire in pace perché il Governo che ormai ha rotto ogni indugio e va a vanti deciso verso un modello autoritario stile dittatura sudamericana, cerca di varare un decreto intervenendo in una questione spinosissima con la delicatezza di un elefante in una cristalleria.

Subiamo piccole violenze ogni giorno in questo paese. A partire dalla Televisione che per legge dobbiamo pagare per forza, ai divieti di circolazione quando non c’è la possibilità di scegliere mezzi non inquinanti, se non cambiandosi la macchina ogni anno per arricchire i concessionari e la famiglia Agnelli e simili; all’impossibilità di avere figli con la fecondazione assistita, al ricatto a cui dobbiamo sottostare se siamo immigrati e ci ammaliamo.

Non mi fa schifo il mio paese, mi fanno schifo le persone che lo governano e tutti quelli che non fanno niente per cambiarlo. Tutti quelli che dicono che Saviano è solo un irriconoscente e un rompipalle, quelli che dicono che Falcone e Borsellino volevano solo fare carriera, quelli che dicono che il pesce grande mangia sempre il pesce piccolo.

A volte mi vengono davvero dei pensieri cattivi, vorrei vedere un po’ di teste che cadono e un po’ di gente inferocita per le strade con i forconi. Pronti lì a piantarli nel culo ai manager che si alzano lo stipendio prima di andare in pensione o a quelli che per dimettersi si fanno ricoprire d’oro, o a quelli che sfruttano la beneficenza per arricchirsi o a quelli che vincono gli appalti nel mezzogiorno e poi si mangiano tutto e lasciano gli scheletri delle costruzioni sulle coste.

Scusate lo sfogo, ma è l'unica cosa che mi è rimasta. E lo faccio con voi prima di fare la fine di Piero Ricca che riceve denunce solo per andare a dire per strada e in faccia ai politici la verità.

***

Lettere dall'Italia - parte I

Ciao,

questa e' la versione italiana (originale) della post precedente...

Ciao,
Antonio

PRIMA LETTERA:

Caro Antonio,

sono preoccupatissimo per la situazione in Italia dove siamo GIA' parzialmente in una forma di dittatura (impossibilità di scegliere i propri rappresentanti politici per via delle liste "blindate", magistratura intimidita e castrata (vedi intercettazioni), informazione assente o serva, armi di "distrazione di massa" attive ogni giorno ed ogni ora, verità sbeffeggiata e ribaltata, opposizione politica - tranne Di Pietro - inesistente ...) e peggioreremo di molto negli anni a venire.
I gruppi su Facebook inneggianti alla mafia sono stati, molto probabilmente, inseriti da qualche scagnozzo per servire da scusa per una censura globale della Rete e chiusura, o condizionamento pesante, dei blog scomodi.
E anche noi ci siamo forse "cascati", iscrivendoci ai gruppi "anti-mafia-su-facebook".
L'ignoranza e l'inconsapevolezza dilaga fra la gente ed è disarmante.
Il cinismo e la falsità dei politicanti, e la loro fantasia e spregiudicatezza nel male, sono a livelli mai visti.
Ti confesso che oggi stavo cercando informazioni su come si può fare per acquisire la cittadinanza francese.
E' solo una pazza idea senza probabilmente un seguito, anche perchè ho *** anni ormai e la salute non buona, ma ...
... scusa lo sfogo, e tieni ben d'acconto il tuo lavoro all'estero.
Poveri noi!!!
(P.S. Utilizza pure come vuoi, se vuoi, questa missiva, ma non citare il mio nome perché ho paura).

Letters from Italy - part I

Dear Readers,

I recently received some emails from friends who, for various reasons, have to live in the modern version of the fascist Italy (i.e. under the Berlusconi's regime).
All these friends are very high level persons, and for them it is a continuous suffering to stay in a country where the words morality and ethic are just ancient Greek words without any meaning...

To leave in a country, where the information does not exist any more, and where the most of the people surrounding you have been brainwashed by 25-years long of Berlusconi TV model, it is not easy...

I feel really sorry for these friends of mine and the only thing I can say is that

• I will always be ready to provide my help to this poor south European country
• and that they can come to stay with me in Munich whenever they want to finally feel what does it mean to leave in a free, advanced and modern country as Germany it is.

yours sincerely,
Antonio

P.S.
I will not report any name of the authors of the mail for obvious reasons.

FIRST MAIL:

Dear Antonio,

I am extremely worried about the situation in Italy where we are ALREADY suffering a certain form of dictatorship (for example we cannot elected our political representatives since the elected candidates are selected by the parties without any democratic logic, the justice is all over the country continuously intimidated and stopped from doing its work), the media are absent or are just slaves (n.d.a. of Berlusconi), informations through the television channels is reduced to a distraction weapon, where the through is modified and changed (n.d.a. according to Berlusconi's needs).

Last but not least, the political opposition does not exist, a part the small party of Di Pietro. In the next years the situation will worsen. In Facebook appeared some group, likely inserted by some Mafia-boy (nda, = "scagnozzo") to be later on used (by the governmental officers) to apply a global censorship to Internet with the consequently closing, or strong re-dimensioning, of blog that do not report the unique voice of the Italy's owner (n.d.a. Berlusconi). And probably we have been tricked too, joining these anti-Mafia group that appeared afterwards in Facebook.

Ignorance and unawareness are spreading through the population, and this is disarming. The cynicism and truthlessness of the politicians, and their imagination and unscrupulousness to do bad things, reached a level that we never saw before.
I have to confess you, that today I was looking for information to apply for the French citizenship. I know, that it is a crazy idea, that probably it will never be realized, also because I am xxx years old and my health is not good any more, but....

Sorry for the outburst, and keep safe your job abroad.
Poor Italy!

(P.S. You can use as you want this letter, but please do not report my name since I am afraid of)