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Bruce Perens Canned by HP

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what-if-we-were-all-named-bruce dept.

bmarklein writes "Bruce Perens has been fired by HP for "Microsoft-baiting". This was linked in part to the HP-Compaq merger, since Windows is now a much bigger part of HP's business."

4 of 593 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Now that he has some free time... by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 1, Troll
    Oops, sorry about the repetition. I don't use that preview button enough. Now, everyone's sure about my party affiliation :-) . And before you ask, those other parties like the greens are cool, but they don't win many elections. Didn't someone say that politics is the art of the possible...

    Bruce

    --
    Bruce Perens.
  2. Re:Hi by gmhowell · · Score: 0, Troll

    Bruce,

    Are you still a karma whore, even if the topic of discussion is your own firing/resignation?

    Does your karma say: Not even CT can code perl fast enough to deny me a +1 bonus to postings?

    In all seriousness, why not a run for public office? Well, besides the fact that you probably wouldn't win (let's face it, you don't look like what the average slob thinks of when they think 'congressman'), you'd be left destitute, and you wouldn't have much time for your son? Okay, a paid position with a PAC? Any offers?

    (Note: the questions, while somewhat serious, are an attempt to prevent my karma from being burned for making light of your obvious popularity on slashdot. You may not be a karma whore, but I clearly am.)

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  3. Re:hmmmm....somehow I am not realy sure about that by TheGreek · · Score: 1, Troll

    Did somebody hold a gun to your head and make you upload your BSD-licensed code to a public archive server?

    Nobody did?

    Then shut the fuck up. Your point is irrelevant.

  4. This could be a winning move for HP by Brett+Glass · · Score: 0, Troll
    The temperamental Mr. Perens has always stated, publicly, that his goal is to coax, cajole, and/or trick companies such as HP into give up their intellectual property. He normally attempts to do this by enticing them to embrace the GPL -- which would strip them of their rights to it -- or by applying pressure to them in other ways.

    I was, frankly, amazed when HP hired Bruce, in that they were employing someone who was actively hostile to their best interests. When I inquired as to why they were doing this, I was told that they felt that, by employing him, they would gain valuable goodwill from users of Linux and thus be able to catch the Linux "buzz." They also thought that, via careful scrutiny, they could prevent Bruce from giving away or otherwise compromising IP they really valued.

    The balance shifted when HP merged with Compaq, however. Suddenly, a much larger portion of the company's business hinged on Microsoft's goodwill rather than that of Linux users. So, it should be no surprise that Bruce's tenure at HP is history.

    Given not only its new circumstances but the fate of companies that have attempted to embrace the GPL (few are left alive today), HP has likely realized that it must now take a more sensible approach to open source. It should embrace BSD -- which actually freer and more open than GPLed software, is not business-hostile, and for which Microsoft has voiced support. If HP chooses a more moderate open source advocate from the BSD camp, it will be in much better shape. It won't have to worry that its open source "guru" will hurt its interests by trying to give away the farm, advocating unwise business strategies, or antagonizing Microsoft (which, at least for now, could prove fatal). And it won't wind up in a situation where it loses control of its IP, or finds itself unable to maintain an edge, due to the business-hostile provisions of the GPL. In short, this could be a winning move for HP.