MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-02-08 |
| FROM | Ruben I Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Re: [fairuse] Re: E-Gov-OS conference
|
On 2003.02.08 21:23 Bruce Perens wrote:
>
> From: Ruben I Safir
> > Probibly not. They certainly don't tolerate us at a Microsoft board meeting
>
> Nor would we want them at the FSF board meeting. Do you get into that? I
> don't. You should be comparing trade shows - and then trying to get to
> do talks in those.
>
Microsoft has CLOSED conventions with their partners and developers in which NEVER be invited.
We would not be invited to those, or any of their other thousands of private conferences they
do with IT leaders and politicians.
You do understand how big business works? You must have seen the invitations to IT heads for
private conferences in Bermuda.
> > > If we lock them out,
> > > they will say, very publicly, "see, these folks won't let us tell
> > > you the truth".
> > >
> >
> > Minimal risk after they have been conviicted twice of antotrust action.
>
> Not everybody sees those trials in the same way as us. The fact that
> they are still walking around makes many people think that they won the
> case - de facto if not de jure.
The public is very uspect of Microsoft at this point and within the IT field the
suspesions are at an all time high. This is when we need to strike. It will never
be more ripe than it is currently. There is a ground swell of resentment against MS
while we speak, this minute.
>
> This is really important. Can you put yourself in the head of the
> unconverted? Richard absolutely can not.
I'm not Richard, but I will say, Richard does a damn good job at making his
case. Your working under a misnomer about how people go about changing their minds.
In fact, I really resented Richards speach at the first LWE I attended and have butted
heads with him personally, on my door step, about issues and things I wrote.
Never the less, Bruce, when I viewed the Film Revolution OS, he was the only one interviewed
who cam out looking sane in the film. Especially when I saw it, when they put in subtitles
about the current stock values of VA and so on.
You came accross like you were on Coke. I though Eric Raymond was going to hit the
Camera Man, Larry came off as a self indugent frat boy.
Rick Moen looked OK though when he waved in the background.
I saw Richard in France with an audience captivated, and under a hostile
question and answ session. Richard EXCELLED. I don't know of anyone else who
would have done so well.
It took nearly 8 years for the American Revolution to take root in the colonies,
despite vicious repression of the population. And still nearly a third of the nation
left after as loyalists after 7 more years of war.
People are not convinved by cold hard logic. They absorb inforamation and work it out
in their own minds, sometimes taking years before they change their minds. I myself was a
huge Microsoft advocate until I finally was literally pushed to divorse myself from the
OS after it killed my hard drive for the 12th time. I listened to Richard and Mad Dog, Rob Young and
Rob Malnada for a few hours, and was ready to challenge Richard at the mike about his definition of
Freedom, when I never made it to the Mike. Never the less, his clear message made increasing sense
as time went by and over time he was by far the greatest influence on my thinking, along with Mike Smith
here in NYC and others.
But ultimately, the case for Free Software stands on it's own two feet. It's a mainstream message which
everyone can properly agree to with enough experience and time. The only that can undermine it is the
idiotic decisions to do things like let Microsoft take porecisous needed resources and to use their marketing
muscle to distort and confuse people.
And THAT is what we are facing in this conference. I will no longer just sit back and let Microsoft have a seat
at the table with Free Software as if they are equals, and pretend no harm is done. Harm IS done, and I know the
individuals, wives, children and who suffer as a consequence of bad choices in this deregard. The award at the expo, for
example, would have gained needed noteriaty to David Sugar which the FSCC could have parleyed into a half dozen sales.
These are sales which would have fed David, who has suffered badly in the developmemnt of Bayonne, and his wife Louise,
and his children Micheal and David Junior. It would have ment jobs to deerving people like Marco Scoufee, who worked his
tailbone off promoting Free Software in the NYC area, and hasn't pad a pay check since he arrived to New York. Or it could have
helped Marc or Paul, or Ray, or even me. It would have multiplied to even more work as people began to see what we could do, and
viewed our dedication in our work.
But know, the award and floor space was taken by Microsoft. It was brilent.
I don't know what your priorities are, but I'm dedicated to delievering freedom and empowerment to my Free Software community.
And I'm hell bent about it.
>
> > > If we disrupt their program, they'd say the same,
> > > and also would point out that we were incapable of taking part in a
> > > civilized political dialogue.
> >
> > Politics has little to do with dialogue? Where did YOU learn about politics?
> > This statmemnt is almost devoid of reality. Do the Republics invite the Democrat
> > to their national convention? Have youy EVER seen dialogue on a national debate?
>
> I don't think you're responding to the question.
Think again...
> The Democrats don't
> disrupt the Republican's conference. If they did so, there'd never be
> another coalition vote in congress.
That's WRONG. The Republicns don't upset the Democratic Convention because there
is an armed guard at the door.
Otherwise they would.... See Nixon, Richard M.
>
> Those who are not for us, are against us! Don't you remember who it has
> been that speaks that way?
>
Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan and Teddy Roservelt ... as a matter of fact.
> > Name one major victory to in getting Free Software adopted in Government.
>
> I can name about 100,
Name just one. And make it one that actually generates jobs please. So far Stanco's efforts hasn't been
even a blip on the radar.
Your not going to respond to the rest of the letter, not because it's about personalities, but because
you probibly don't know much about politics in the 'real world'.
Ruben
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