__/ [ Ian Hilliard ] on Saturday 15 July 2006 14:43 \__
> It is a well know fact that it is very hard to punish someone you are
> dependant on. As such, the very fact that the EU has unanimously decided to
> punish Microsoft says that the EU no longer believes that it is dependant
> on Microsoft. This being the case, I wonder how long it will take before
> other governments come to the same realisation.
>
> The day that happens, those billions Microsoft has in the bank won't be
> enough.
You must be thinking of the relationship netween an employer and a programmer
that has become an asset due to knowledge, access, and trust.
Last year I thought exactly the same thing (the context being Korea at the
time). Without Linux and all the migration tools that have evolved over the
years (due to demand, Turbolinux springs to mind), where would the ability
to rebel be? This comes to show the importance not only of choice, but also
the importance of the work GNU has laid over the years. There are more and
more documents and literature that are composed to convey all of this, in a
way that is digestable even to non-technical diplomats. The issue are people
at the high level who believe that a platform which is used to write
documents and (top-post) E-mail is also more suitable for the nation's
infrastructure. Big mistake! Add to this the factor of /image/, e.g. man in
suit versus RMS.
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | Useless fact: penguins are the greatest birds
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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