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CCAGW Misreads Mass. Policy, Open Standards Generally

Posted by timothy on from the amateur-clowns-vs.-professional-clowns dept.

mhrivnak writes "The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste made this press release blasting the Massachusetts policy decision to move to Open Source. They explain why Linux is a 'monopoly,' how this policy is 'socialist' and why 'The old Soviet Union could not have done this any better.' The CCAGW has been previously informed about the benefits of open source software in government. Tell them what you think!" The CCAGW is at least not completely one-dimensional; the group is also opposed to mandatory embedded snoopware. Maybe they don't realize that conventional closed-source software has big costs worth avoiding.

7 of 534 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe they haven't heard... by Xformer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Socialism is just a red herring. ...or maybe that's Communism.

    Oh crap, now I'm confusing Clue quotes... heh :-)

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    All I want is a kind word, a warm bed and unlimited power.
  2. Monopoly by ctour · · Score: 3, Funny

    I didn't know you could have a state-imposed monopoly on free stuff. I wonder who funds this group...

  3. Come on, really? by Snoopy77 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Do we have to have the Soviet Russia jokes in the articles as well now?

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    "She's a West Texas girl, just like me" - G.W Bush Iraqis
  4. Wow, good thing they exist! by flashbang · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Yet while the software itself is free, the cost to maintain and upgrade it can become very expensive"

    Yeah - good thing they didn't have to FIRST pay for the software, and THEN have to pay to upgrade and maintain it. Sheesh. Microsoft would never make you do that...

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    My sig left me for a younger user id.
  5. Re:In Soviet Taxachusetts... by rampant+mac · · Score: 1, Funny
    "Government using linux, good. Government forcing the use of linux and ignoring sound procurement procedures, bad."

    I work as a civilian for the government, but moving to Linux is a BAD idea in our office.

    When a virus/worm hits our LAN, my productivity sky-rockets. I have close to 468 FreeCell games completed on this computer; This is something I can not easily part with. I'm at the 98% percentile regarding this winning streak, a reboot and reinstall would destroy my statistics. Linux is not an option.

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  6. Re:Wanna hear a joke? by brian+woolstrum · · Score: 2, Funny

    I would also like to point out that the CCAGW was not criticizing the value of using open-source open-source itself, but rather the decision to exclude all other competitors in the bidding process.

    Really? Did they say Microsoft was not allowed to bid on providing open-source software?

  7. Most technically inept state? by gordlea · · Score: 2, Funny

    Anyone heard of MIT?

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