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Obama Looking To Symantec CEO For Commerce

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the fear-monger-your-way-to-the-top dept.

patentpundit writes "Word has started to circulate that President Barack Obama may be close to appointing John W. Thompson, the outgoing chief executive of network security firm Symantec Corp., to be the next Secretary of Commerce. According to the LA Times, over the last several days Thompson has spoken on the telephone and met with key senators, and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), a member of the commerce committee that would hold confirmation hearings for any appointed Secretary of Commerce, is 'extremely supportive and hopeful he'll be the nominee.' The appointment of Thompson to head the Department of Commerce would be an exceptionally interesting choice given that only days ago President Obama asked Scott McNealy, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, to lead his open source charge and conduct a study and report back regarding the feasibility of the US government forgoing proprietary software and moving toward open source software solutions."

8 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Guilty of supplying Parasitic bloatware by Finallyjoined!!! · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is his track record so far.

    What can we now expect?

    --
    If I had an Ass, I'd call it Fanny Bottom, then I could slap my Ass; Fanny Bottom, on the Arse.
    1. Re:Guilty of supplying Parasitic bloatware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Is his track record so far.

      What can we now expect?

      Dude, that's a great resume for a government bureaucrat.

  2. It'll be news when he asks Stallman to work by xzvf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    CEO's are just part of the same thought elite recycling old ideas. Even ones that run technical companies. Stuff like this is only news when real reformers like RMS get cabinet appointments.

    1. Re:It'll be news when he asks Stallman to work by WindowlessView · · Score: 3, Insightful

      CEO's are just part of the same thought elite recycling old ideas

      Worse. Letting Scott McNealy lead an open source initiative is like putting the CEO of United Fruit Company in charge of campesino agrarian reform.

      --
      Leave the gun, take the cannolis.
  3. lame by nilbog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What has this guy done except lead a company that makes a crappy product that only succeeds because of their volume license deals with computer manufacturers and Microsoft's own ineptness and inability to produce a secure product?

    Symantec produces software that slows down your computer, makes your other software stop working, and makes itself difficult to uninstall. Pretty much the same as a virus.

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    or else!
  4. Re:One of the worst proprietary vendors... by Firehed · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If we're going to make political statements out of software, then is it safe to equate republicans with spyware?

    /sick of party-line bullshit - they both suck

    --
    How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
  5. Re:Oh great- by AvitarX · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Libertarian is a political party.

    liberalism is an ideology.

    The presence of another party that shares views is irrelevent, if you are not a partisan Libertarian, but share liberalist ideas, then you are liberalist, not a Libertarian.

    --
    Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
  6. Re:open source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't quite understand the hating on Exchange I see on a daily basis here. What exactly is wrong with it and are there actually any serious alternatives?

    On a side note, my captcha is 'martyr'