Slashdot Mirror
MS Has Free Software Removed From U.N. Paper
linumax writes "Microsoft asked for references to free software to be removed from a document presented at last week's UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) conference, the software giant admitted on Friday. The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is unhappy that the document was changed and claims that even though it was on the panel discussing the document, it was not made aware of Microsoft's changes. The document (2.8MB PDF), known as the Vienna Conclusions, discusses issues around IT and creativity. The original draft of the document discussed how the free software model is changing the way people do business."
got changed to this:
These are U.N. peole (think University board members - only more useless) who play with words for a living.
"Nothing to see here, move along."
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
For those of you who are interested in the entire story and its background, here are the links:
The best overall analysis and description of the situation so far was written by Germanys largest IT news provider, the Heise Verlag. They have the story online in both English and German.
Sales of Windows systems accounted for 36.9 percent of all server revenue in the quarter, versus 31.7 percent for Unix and 11.5 percent for Linux.
math..... the difference between unix type or oriented systems and windows???
Of the unix type there is Linux, FreeBSD, MacOSX, unix (of course), etc. Due to the licensing of such FOSS amd its packaging (you don't always need a server edition of a distribution to install a server) it is difficult to genuunely track teh use of such FOSS server usage. But do the math, unix style servers are greater in number than windows based servers. and of course there will be more servers in general in use tomorrow than today...
Then there is the company compatability and administrator education/expierance being tied to a windows past, as the company grows and need to either replace their servers with newer hardware able to handle more. Such purchases often include windows server upgrades, perhaps to help take advantage of the newer hardware.
What of FOSS server software? The capabilities are not static, but improving as well. Maybe there is just less need to learn more to use its next release... making it easier for the foss experienced server administrator to not need to buy the next major release and support, but rather to upgrade less at any given time as time goes by. A process where there is less likelyhood of massive user rush to patch holes and cause a ripple thru industry from such common and wide taxation of resources from administrator to user.
So maybe foss is a slower upgrade process, but its also going to obtain in such trade off, a reduced risk base.
At any rate FOSS is not declining in use. Its growing in all the ways and places it does.
Of course non of this counters teh fact that MS lies every chance they get, about FOSS. And that's the real point. If they are as good as they claim, then certainly they must realize that lying is not consistant with public relations marketing, and certainly only shows doubt about their own product and/or sales pitch.
Here is what I found so far...
o ft/microsoft.pdfs liking_micro.html. 9399:_foray_into_the_Internet_and_other_venues
http://www.catb.org/~esr/halloween/
http://archive.corporatewatch.org/profiles/micros
http://www.proudlyserving.com/archives/2005/03/di
http://www.salon.com/tech/special/microsoft/
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Microsoft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft#1995.E2.80
http://uk-linux.news-view.co.uk/topic-6268.html
Unfortunately, I didn't find a comprehensive timeline of Microsoft's misdeeds.