The only way I can interpret that comment is to guess that you have in mind what redstar noted above, namely that Best Buy "restructures" too, so that both chains are equally brutal with their workforces.

Whether Best Buy is also "brutal," -- they're only going to pay what they can get away with paying, since it's a business rather than a charity -- I don't know, but part of the reason for why I mentioned CostCo was to illustrate the point that a store doesn't have to pay low wages and provide no benefits in order to compete.  CostCo is quite profitable.

Circuit City coming across as seedy most certainly has something to do with the company's present difficulties.  If your stores look like trash dumps, and your employees and managers are all rude or clueless or both, it doesn't tend to go far with customers.

As for Linux is concerned, I have no idea as to which platform is the more rational to use.  (What criteria are we using to determine rational choice?)  I'm sure Linux is great, but, as someone who is -- shall we say -- less-than-brilliant with computers, I don't bother with it.  And I don't quite follow the offense taken at what I thought was a fairly benign use of profanity.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.