MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-02-07 |
| FROM | From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Claus_S=F8rensen?=
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Communication is the way - not boycutting
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On Thu, 6 Feb 2003, Ruben I Safir wrote:
> This program is not being supported by the Free Software community and
> is currenly being boycotted
I am a part of the Free Software community - and I don't boycut the event.
Maybe Free Software Foundation does - but boycutting is the most idiotic
thing to do. Right now the Free Software and Open Source community have
the ball - and we could make Microsoft play our way - on our terms.
Microsoft biggest problem is their lockin file formats - and we should be
there and address that problem again and again - XML is an open standard -
but file formats based on XML is not necessarily an open standard.
That is why I worked on getting the OpenOffice.org format out of the
OpenOffice.org project - so everybody can see that the file format is
being developed in an independent standardization group (OASIS) - and not
a Sun format - like Microsoft Office formats are Microsoft's.
We have to tell the press. We have to tell the public sector.
In Denmark the minister of science saying that the infrastructure for
Danish eGovernment will be based on open standard. And right now Denmark
is a role model for the rest of EU when it comes to eGovernment.
If we don't go to this conference and representives from governments all
over the World is there - and Microsoft is the only one saying anything
unquestioned. Then they will go home a think that Microsoft Office 11 file
formats are open because it is based on XML - so we will base our
country's eGovernment infrastructure on this format.
We have to create a lot of brochures about the file format problem.
And an open independent file format for office suites is exactly what the
world needs - it's the only way to get free competition in the software
marktet for eGovernment - which also makes it cheaper.
And by boycutting we don't get the attention of government representives -
they don't read Slashdot and other medias who will print or write about
this boycut.
Writing letters to the medias is what you should be doing instead - a try
to get them into the medias which government representives read. Letters
where you only use facts about license agreements, open standards, who can
use and change what - and remember references. Try to use positive words
more than negative words.
"You don't win a battle by asking, `Will we win?'
You win it by doing your best to win"
- Richard M Stallman
This conference is a battle we can win. But not by boycutting it.
The most enjoyable greetings
--
Claus Sørensen Befri kontoret med en åben pakke - OpenOffice.org
Dansk kontaktperson -------------------------------------------------
cs-at-openoffice.org OpenOffice.org Onsdag - ugentlig dansk nyhedsbrev
da.OpenOffice.org http://da.openoffice.org/newsletter.html
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New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
Fair Use -
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