MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-02-12 |
| FROM | rc
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [hangout] Stanco show his colors
|
On Wednesday 12 February 2003 10:00 am, Dave Williams wrote:
> Below is the text from Tony Stanco's editorial to NewForge this
> morning:
>
>
> Leave it to the kooks in the community to make Microsoft look
> sympathetic. I heard from Microsoft yesterday on the chatter over
> their appearing at our Open Source in Government conference and they
> quickly proposed that they be uninvited. Not so fast.
>
> The unspoken subtext of their offer was: "Oh, we are so morally
> superior to you Open Source guys. You guys are so intolerant. You
> talk a good game about free speech, high principles and morality, but
> you are no better than we are.
This is a baffleing statement.... but M$ strategy in it's purist form.
> "In fact, you are worse. We invited Eben Moglen from the Free
> Software Foundation to our annual BSA convention in Washington a few
> months ago to talk about the GPL, and everyone welcomed him with open
> arms when he spoke.
>
> "No protests. No boycotts.
>
> "We respected his right to free speech. But you guys, you guys...
> you're hypocrites! How can the government possibly trust its systems
> to flakes like you?"
This has got to be a joke. Has Everyone forgot THEY ARE CONVICTED
MONOPOLISTS??? "Exclude the flakes ! They're not worthy!!!" This is a
sad joke and really sums up the entire commnetary.
We are playing with fire. This is EXACTLY the type of tactic MS is
loking to use. They will jump on any point they can yell and scream
about. ANYTHING TO DIVERT, DISRUPT, CLOUD or otherwise OBSCURE Our
Message. (ie-Peoples attention was Greatly obscured AWAY from Bayonne
by awarding them an award at LWE. Their presence stole spotlight and
thunder from an excellent project)
This is inviting the wolf into the henhouse. This is supposed to be
about Free Software, which They ARE NOT.
Remember the M$ goal- NO Free Software. PERIOD.
> What the loons on the extreme of the extreme don't understand is that
> Microsoft would love to have an excuse to not attend. Microsoft is
> not coming because it wants to. It is coming because it is compelled
> to.
>
> It's Microsoft's government customers who want them there to explain
> themselves in public when they say that Shared Source is better than
> Open Source, instead of just talking that way in private. And it is
> the government that wants them to do it in front of Open Source
> supporters, so that they can hear both sides at the same time.
>
> Instead of trying to throw Microsoft out, we should be asking that
> they do more and present their very best. And then have our best, say
> Eben Moglen or Bruce Perens, debate whomever they put forward as
> their champion. And then trust that reasonable minds can decide for
> themselves which side has the better arguments.
>
> This fear and intolerance of opposing viewpoints is an anathema to
> reasonable people and hurts Open Source more than anything anyone can
> possible say against it.
>
>
> So far the responses are sympathetic. People are calling him out as
> the true hypocrite, and my favorite cliche has always been the one
> about how people are more likely to be guilty of they accuse others.
>
> He's reading a lot into Microsoft's reaction -- I would prefer a
> direct quote instead of his interpretation, because I'm not convinced
> those are actual MS quotes. But then again he did say in the first
> article that he likes being halfway in-between Microsoft and OSS.
>
> Is there any way to get this guy to have nothing to do with Free
> Software or Open Source Software? Can he just call his organization
> the Tony Stanco Society or something? I mean it's great that he has
> opinions and everything, but I don't have the luxury of hosting
> conferences in the name of Open Source and enforcing my opinions on
> others. Maybe if I earn a law degree and hang around DC I can earn
> the right.
>
> Mr. Perens, how long will you remain silent and defer explaining you
> position on this subject? Will you keep referring all questions to
> Mr. Stanco, Esq.? What are you getting out of this position in his
> Cyber Institute anyway?
>
> I'm glad he is so skilled in anti-logic, but the fact remains that
> there was no reason to invite them other than his personal
> motivations. He created the issue, and now he's trying to turn the
> tables. Fine, let Microsoft think I'm an irrational kook. One
> invitation to Eben Moglen does not make up for past and future
> anti-competitive behavior. There's nothing to discuss. What impact
> did Mr. Moglen's speech at a BSA conference make anyway? Have they
> stopped harassing and extorting small businesses? Do we even want
> them to, when that motivates them toward Open Source?
>
> ____________________________
> New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
> Fair Use -
> because it's either fair use or useless....
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____________________________
New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
Fair Use -
because it's either fair use or useless....
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