"Software Choice" Campaigns Against Open Source

Verizon Guy writes: "News.com is reporting that a group called The Initiative for Software Choice, led by the CompTIA, but backed primarily by Microsoft and Intel, is lobbying against Open Source-only laws in for example, the State of California government and the government of Peru. While their goals don't specifically mention open source, they do mention that publicly-funded research should steer clear of licenses such as the GPL. Interesting read."

Comments

Re:Its the coertion stupid

[why-is-it]

There is nothing in the open source world that touches Visio, Adobe Premiere or Visual Studio .NET.

Visual Studio .NET?

LOL!

If I chose to work for a government agency I want to be allowed to use high quality professional software

I work for a large multinational corporation, and *I* want to be allowed to use high-quality professional software too. Unfortunately, the CIO has mandated that we must all standardize on m$ office and use lookOut as our email client. Outlook is the biggest piece of crap I have ever had the misfortune to use!

Like the title you are mistating the issue here. I think that there is a lot of consensus that code developed with public funds should be Free. But GPL does not mean free, it means heavily encumbered by a bushel-load of RMS's ideology

Bullshit!

The GPL allows anyone to make use of GPL code, with the restriction that they must share the results with the community. I would not consider that "heavily encumbered". I prefer that model, rather than put publicly funded work into the public domain where m$ could take without any benefit returned to the public at large.

since a programmer who reads GPL code is just as tainted as someone who disassembled proprietary code.

I would wager that CS undergrads who study at one of the universities which have taken part in m$' "shared source" initiative are far more contaminated than someone who has worked with GPL code.

Re:Its the coertion stupid

[mcrbids]

You are an idiot.

I don't like the viral license in GPL

There is nothing viral about the GPL. It's code that's available for your use, and it comes with some restrictions that also provide a benefit.

With the GPL, you get code that improves itself! As a developer, you can release GPL code and know that you are likely going to get something out of it - the efforts of other developers improving your codebase.

The GPL is the "Golden Rule" enforced by license - Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.

Don't like those terms? Don't use somebody else's code!

Now, how much of Microsoft's code base are you going to incorporate into YOUR pet project?!?!

This whole "viral" idea is marketing spin cooked up by Microsoft goons to discredit a very noble movement...

-Ben

PS: It's "coercion"...