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UK Govt Warned: Don't Buy GPL
JPMH writes "ZDNet is reporting that a UK IT industry body backed by Microsoft, IBM, Intel, BAE Systems and other high-tech heavyweights has urged the UK government not to commission open-source software, and particularly not software covered by the General Public License. According to Intellect, which lobbies for about 1,000 UK IT companies, the requirement of open-source licences for software funded by the government could have a negative impact on competition for contracts, the quality of the resulting software and even the confidentiality of government departments. In particular, Intellect recommends that the government drop the GNU General Public License (GPL), the licence upon which the GNU/Linux operating system is based, from its list of acceptable default licences for government-funded software, and steer clear of the GPL generally."
That which is free.
What should I do??
On one hand, they do tons of work on GPL'ed software, now here they are against GPL code.
What gives??
Press any key to continue, any other key to quit.
telling you not to buy Kentucky Fried Chicken.
DUH.
I'm happy to see Microsoft is looking out for governments worldwide, and not just here in the US.
666-607: 6th floor apartment of the beast
A study commissioned by the fox, today issued a strong warning against putting a lock on the henhouse. "Locks are dangerous things. They can pinch your fingers. They cause changes in behavior that are undesirable."
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
Number of mentions of the word innovations per page is roughtly equivalent to the probability that this report was funded and ghost written by Microsoft.
Lets see: 3 mentions in 4 pages. MS probabilty factor - 75%.
Well now that companies are turning countries into virtual communist controlled economies by lobbying for (and getting) extentions to copyright laws, requirements for manufacturers to implement digital restrictions, and tariffs on blank media, expect more of the same in the future. Ironically, socialist operating systems such as Linux and BSD are the only way to avoid a communist future. Linux is socialist software and is not communist in any way, much like the American Heart Association is a socialistic organization and not associated with communism in the least. Capitalism is dead!
when you head up to the local military base to take an M1A1 Abrahm's for a test spin. You're a tax payer, you paid for the damn thing, about time they let you drive it, right?
I look forward to using your well written GPL notepad clone.
you have to remember that lobbying groups in Parliament are 10 a penny.
You must have gotten quite a deal. Over here, they're a dime a dozen.
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
Just because you are a member of a group does not mean you always have to agree with the majority.
I know. I'm an American.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
In addition to the 75% MS probability factor, there's also a 150% chance Ballmer wrote it himself. The word "developers" is mentioned 6 times in those 4 pages.
Warning: Opinions known to be heavily biased.
Duh.
So the interesting question is wheter fireing a missile containing a GPL'ed binary counts as distibution...
I would say not, since who you are distributing it to will not be in any position to demand to see the source code once the transaction has been completed.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
bla
That the receiver may not want it is no reason to violate the GPL. If you distribute the binary code, you must distribute the source code.
Just include the source code in the "package".
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
"...industry body backed by Microsoft..."
Of course they would tell them not to buy open-source/GPL software, or any other software for that matter, because they aren't buying M$.