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FSF Wants Your Vouchers

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the light-side-of-the-force dept.

Ridgelift writes "California residents can help support the Free Software Foundation by donating their Microsoft vouchers to the FSF. In turn, the FSF will be able to convert the vouchers into hardware. There's more information here at the FSF website. With 1.1 billion dollars in vouchers Microsoft is forced to pay through the recent anti-trust court case, it's satisfying to see some of those fortunes being spent to help create good software for a change."

5 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. Not "Good Software" by SpringRevolt · · Score: 4, Insightful


    The FSF primary goal is *not* to create good software. It is to create *moral* software - software for goodneighbourliness and sharing - the fact that it is good (high quality/few bugs) - is a welcome - but secondary effect.

    FSF's beef with Microsoft is not that it produces poor software - but that it produces non-Free software.

    1. Re:Not "Good Software" by Col.+Klink+(retired) · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The FSF does have a beef with Sun, IBM and Red Hat. They even have a beef with Debian, a distribution which requires all software in its release to be free, because they maintain non-free software on the same servers as their distribution. So, from the FSF's point of view, it is not any more complicated than that.

      --

      -- Don't Tase me, bro!

  2. Re:I think... by Ianoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What, then have them buy Microsoft software to put on those computers? Donating money to a free or open source software organisation (FSF, EFF, etc) means that free software improves. It will receive more widespread adoption. Schools will feel more inclined and more justified using it over Microsoft's products. They can then spend the money they'd otherwise spend on Windows and Office on more PCs.

    Giving the vouchers to the FSF (or EFF) is a long term plan rather than a direct feedback route to Redmond's bank account.

  3. Re:hmm by pongo000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Could you imagine if a certain grade school decided, "Hey. I have a good idea! Let's use Linux on all our computers here.". The children learn and get aquainted with Linux then get into Jr. High - Uh oh, now the students from that grade school are way behind.

    The reason for this is because we really don't teach computing fundamentals. We teach computer technology through rote memory. Go ahead, pick up any Windows application textbook. You will find many enumerated lists on how to accomplish Task A, with lots of pretty graphics with pointing arrows. By the time the student is done with such a book, they know exactly how to perform Tasks A, X, Y, and Z--and nothing more.

    We are building a society of automatons, with little in the way of reasoning ability. A big shame.

  4. Sigh. Just report the news. by Junks+Jerzey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    satisfying to see some of those fortunes being spent to help create good software for a change

    Classic (unnecessary!) Slashdot editorializing in a news report.

    Hint: News has an impact of its own. Ending every story with an inflammatory spin, one that's often misinformed, is not needed.