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UN Summit Tones Down Open-Source Stance

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the wait-a-minute dept.

akb writes "CBR is reporting that the latest draft of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Plan of Action has considerably removed language that promoted open source awareness, the creation of intellectual property mechanisms supporting open source and the creation of a UN 'Programmers Without Frontiers' body to support open source software in developing nations. This language was removed from earlier versions to make the document more palatable for business and commercial interests. In recent years commercial software interests, notably Microsoft, have lobbied hard to keep governments from openly preferring open source over proprietary software. Other issues to be debated include the archiving of and access to government information, access to wireless spectrum, government subsidies of Internet access, Internet taxes and international cooperation on information security."

5 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Just like George Bush told us... by Distan · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The UN is increasingly making itself irrelevant in the modern world. This is just one more sign of the trend.

  2. Programmeur Sans Frontieres by fermion · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    This could have really helped our image alot. Just like the plastic surgeons who spend 10 months out of the year curing small breast disease and then two weeks helping deformed infants in some place no American has ever heard of, the US programmer can spend their days creating the means of world domination for MS and then go home and write the 1,361st GUI for GNU/Linux!

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
  3. Re:WSIS? - WE SEIZE! by Mike+Hawk · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Wow, if you are really THAT paranoid, you should probably just kill yourself.

  4. Re:Meet the new boss, same as the old boss by budgenator · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I suspect this will be especially true in poor countries

    These poor countries, are these the same countries where people actualy believe that Microsoft's Windows XP costs $5.00 and $199.00 is twice the meadian anual per capita income?

    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  5. Outstanding! by Theatetus · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I've worked on UN ops before. Let me assure you: the biggest barrier ANY goal can ever have is having the UN supporting it. Now that that's out of the way, Open Source software should have no trouble flourishing.

    --
    All's true that is mistrusted