MESSAGE
| DATE | 2002-08-16 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [hangout] Open Source Rally Cry/Call to Arms
|
OK
This is interesting because it's on AP.
Too bad they're using the term Open Source
But here is the most important thing to observe.
Notice the language used by Microsoft's pet Lobby
"The bill would stifle inovation in corperate America"
See - this is a word game, and we have to play this out
correctly.
<revolution. Can we have any doubt that in the future nearly all music,
literature and works of non-fiction will by available mostly through
digital means? Under these conditions, can there be any doubt that our
ability to reuse the cultural materials all around us will be badly
impaired if we continue to be dependent on software models designed
to exploit us? How severely impaired will our means of creating new
material be? How suppressed will be our economic growth? Econocmic growth
is dependent on invention and creativity. We must protect our freedom to
innovate. We must protect the rights of others to utilize our innovations.
We must protect the rights of others to improve on our innovations.>>
<prosperity, and security for all the peoples of the world. Only through
the freedom to associate, to come together and collaborate in solving
our problems can we hope to assure that these wonderful tools which we
use for our expression, our industry, and our education, continue to
remain as free as our press and our governments.>>
<is to assure the creation of the widest possible tent. We welcome all
individuals to participate with Free Software. We welcome them to code,
and to use Free Software to enrich their lives.>>
On Fri, Aug 16, 2002 at 10:47:22AM -0400, Ray Connolly wrote:
>
> Computer Programmers Rally for Bill
>
> By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
> Filed at 7:22 p.m. ET
> August 15, 2002
>
> SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Comparing their cause to America's fight for
> independence from England, computer programmers rallied Thursday to support
> a proposal that would require the state of California to purchase more
> open-source software.
>
> Michael Tiemann, chief technology officer for Raleigh, N.C.-based software
> company Red Hat, led about 30 protesters from the Linux World Conference &
> Expo to a podium outside City Hall. He urged politicians to adopt the
> Digital Software Security Act, a month-old proposal gaining support among
> hackers, civil libertarians and people opposed to Microsoft's dominance of
> the global software industry.
>
> ``Government and monopolists want to take away our right to write software
> and use computers as we want to use them,'' Tiemann said to marchers, mainly
> shaggy-haired men in T-shirts and jeans. ``Open source is the true spirit of
> democracy, and we must preserve it.''
>
> The proposal would require California state agencies to use open-source
> software such as the Linux operating system as an alternative to proprietary
> software such as Microsoft Windows. Tiemann and several other open-source
> enthusiasts wrote the proposal and published it online, but they're asking
> programmers around the world to suggest changes.
>
> Open-source programs can be downloaded from the Internet for free, and they
> don't require users to pay licensing fees. Installing Linux on servers has
> saved Amazon.com, 7-Eleven, Deutsche Telekom, the Chinese government and
> other groups millions of dollars.
>
> Mainly because of the reduced cost, government agencies and corporations
> around the world are switching to open-source software to run databases and
> manage e-mail. According to research firm A.D.H. Brown Associates, about 20
> million people are using the Linux operating system, the most popular
> example of open-source software.
>
> But the Computing Technology Industry Association blasted the notion that
> California adopt an open-source approach. The Washington-based trade group
> said the proposal would stifle innovation in corporate America and cause
> ``unintended repercussions for California, its (information technology)
> industry and its citizens.''
>
> A Microsoft spokesman refused to comment on the bill but said the world's
> largest software company supported the CTIA's position.
>
> Microsoft's snubbing didn't surprise protesters. Many worried that Microsoft
> could extend its dominance in operating systems and Internet browsers to
> gain access to personal data stored on computers, including passwords or
> financial information. They feared digital privacy bills introduced earlier
> this year, including one to put government-mandated anti-copying mechanisms
> in consumer electronic devices.
>
> ``They're all in cahoots -- Microsoft, the government, corporate America,''
> said protester Mike Collins, 48, a computer consultant in Austin, Texas, who
> sported a tattoo of the Linux penguin logo on his calf. ``We are at a
> pivotal point. We need open source now more than ever.''
>
> But the rally's sparse attendance may underscore challenges facing the
> proposal. Only about 30 of the 15,000 Linux World attendants marched to City
> Hall. Open-source enthusiasts are known for their libertarianism and disdain
> for politics.
>
> ``Programmers are more comfortable in front of a keyboard, not at a
> podium,'' said Raj Nagra, 33, a network specialist who supports the proposal
> because he's seen significant cost savings after installing Linux-based
> systems for the city of Fresno. ``They'll submit code and maybe they'll send
> a check to support their cause, but they probably won't take their cause to
> the streets.''
> ____________________________
> New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
> Fair Use -
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