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MS Has Free Software Removed From U.N. Paper

Posted by Zonk on from the dirty-pool dept.

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."

8 of 303 comments (clear)

  1. Commercial software buisness practices by RichMan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well the paper might have originally described how free software works but what was done clearly shows how commercial software works.

  2. Re:thats it... by CyricZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How exactly are you going to "play dirty" with Microsoft?

    And will your "playing dirty" result in better open source software? I doubt it. That's why it is probably best for the community to just continue producing superior products, and eventually people will migrate the to the best (and likely open source) products.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
  3. Fine by hug_the_penguin · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Let's remove all favourable references to microsoft off slashdot then.

    It's just so absurd, they walk around, flash some cash and get what they want done. This all after the whole european antitrust thing... I find it shocking they CAN have this removed. I wonder this isn't classed as attempted monopolisation, they are, after all trying to lock out other competitors from publicity.

    --
    ~HTP~ Hug that tux ;)
    1. Re:Fine by sklender · · Score: 5, Funny
      Both of them?

      Hmm. I must have missed the other one then. Do you have a link?

      No need... it was a dupe.

  4. Stage 3: fight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Guess the "ignore us" and "laugh at us" phases are officially over.

  5. Tempest in a teapot by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 5, Informative
    We're upset because this sentence:
    "Increasingly, revenue is generated not by selling content and digital works, as they can be freely distributed at almost no cost, but by offering services on top of them. The success of the free software model is one example,"
    got changed to this:
    "Increasingly, revenue is generated by offering services on top of contents,"
    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
  6. Background of the story by GeorgGreve · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  7. Re:lets face it by Obstin8 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I think Open Source has a lot of potential, but until its advocates remove their blinkers, industry will continue to dismiss it as a group of eccentrics on a religious crusade. It is only when open source projects take a mature and pragmatic approach that the projects become relatively successful.

    Hmm. Can't wait until Apache becomes mature and pragmatic. Or Debian, and Slackware too. And all those immature projects on Sourceforge. When that happens well, by golly, you'll probably see these eccentric oddities at Lawrence Livermore Labs or running on Cray hardware.

    If they were really mature and pragmatic, they just might make it into government use, or even become more commonplace.

    We can only patiently wait for that wonderful maturity and pragmatism to blossom. Until then we should be thankful that we are skillfully guided by the benign monopolists. They only have our best interests at heart.