Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> ____/ Mark Kent on Friday 18 January 2008 22:57 : \____
>
>> [H]omer <spam@xxxxxxx> espoused:
>>> Verily I say unto thee, that Mark Kent spake thusly:
>>>
>>>> I think we can claim a massive victory here. The ex-Microsoft Mr
>>>> Huggers spent over £100 millions with Microsoft for something which
>>>> didn't work, the flash version was developed in weeks on a tiny
>>>> budget, and the BBC has begun to recruit open-source people into Mr
>>>> Hugger's area. Presumably this is how he's trying to keep his job...
>>>
>>> The thing that really gets me about this ridiculous situations, is that
>>> the Beeb used to be *crawling* with Open Source engineers, working on
>>> things like Dirac and other technology. What happened to all those
>>> people? Were they just dumped to make way for the Microsoft takeover?
>>>
>>>
> http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2004/04/19/201859/reliability-drives-linux-use-at-bbc.htm
>>>
>>> Maybe Ashley Highfield or Mark Thomson can answer that question, along
>>> with all the many other pressing questions that need to be asked?
>>>
>>
>> I think that the open-source guys are still there, probably keeping
>> their heads down, and hoping the ex-Microsoft buffoons will embarrass
>> themselves into P.45 land in short order.
>>
>> The BBC always had several of the world's best engineers.
>
> I found this in a new RMS interview:
>
> http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/interview_with_richard_stallman
>
> 'It is important to know this because we will always face pressure, from those
> who are powerful and would like to take away our freedom, to surrender our
> freedom?and they frequently offer us something attractive in exchange. For
> instance, B?liar wanted to abolish the Rights of Englishmen, and to serve his
> American master, Bush, faithfully; so he offered Britons ?protection? from
> this or that, plus the imagined idea that he influences his master on their
> behalf through the ?special relationship?.
A spot-on analysis of brown-necking Blair. It is very much time to
strengthen our ties with the EU, and put some clear blue water between
the foreign policies of the UK and the US. The US has lead us into a
series of disastrous and unwinnable conflicts since the end of WWII.
Using "terrorism" as an excuse to reduce rights is not appropriate in
any way.
Here's how stupid things have become. On a recent trip (Dallas?), I
arrived at Gatwick, but had forgotten to put my plane toiletries into a
bag (shaving oil & toothpaste), but believed that I had. Result? The
security chap said he'd have to confiscate them, *but*, if they'd been
in a resealable clear plastic bag (as I'd thought that they were), then
he wouldn't have had to confiscate them.
Now, how on earth does the presence of a clear plastic bag, weight < 5
grammes, make me not a terrorist? It's truly absurd. Still, I shrugged
my shoulders, went to boots and bought some more when I was on the
international side of the airport. So, it's even more silly - as soon
as I've had it confiscated, I buy some more...
>
> The same thing happens in our field, too. Companies making consumer electronics
> products want to impose DRM on us; they want to do this in programs that they
> receive as free software, then pass them on to us in such a way that we do not
> have the freedom to change them. So they invite us to allow our software to be
> tivoized, and offer us, as an inducement, that our software will be ?more
> popular? if we cave in.'
He's right, and the argument is completely flawed.
>
> New interview and very relevant to this discussion. From what I've read (by
> E-mail), Gordon Brown is another who is happy to become a {Prisoner of
> Redmond}^TM. Mind you, I'm kind of pro-labour, but it sickens me to see their
> sort of fascistic slant in IT.
Labour are turning into a US-style left wing which is more right than
left.
> The Tories said they would bring Free software,
> but that could just be a publicity stunt.
Maybe, but they'll be happy to put pressure on the government in any
way, I would think.
> The Greens are very pro-Free
> software and I'm not sure about the Liberal Democrats.
>
Well, MP Simon Pugh is a Liberal, so that should give you a clue....
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
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