On Sat, 2006-09-02 at 20:15 +0100, John McCreesh wrote: > On Sat, 2006-09-02 at 12:43 -0400, Chad Smith wrote: > [rant deleted] > > Chad, please calm down.
:-) > The ZDNet article has already attracted one link > to another OOo variant. By tomorrow there may be another ten. Sooner or > later someone out there is going to take our source code, recompile it > with nasty stuff in it, and issue it to the world as "OpenOffice > Supreme". Maybe, but there really isn't much that can be done about it while the code is FLOSS. In this particular case there was the option for the main project to adopt the OOo Premium concept and grab the name and concept before anyone else could use it. Maybe that is now just a missed opportunity (perhaps there is still an option to take it on if we can find people willing to do it and back them). Maybe its just necessary to learn from it. In the end its down to risk management. Missed opportunity is just as much of a risk as preventing people from doing something considered risky. That is why innovative companies have skunk works etc even in the proprietary world, its to get away from the conservative control systems that stifle innovation and growth - Read the "Alchemy of Growth" Baghai, Coley and White. There is always going to be a trade off with OSS between freedom to develop and proliferate and freedom to do harm. Its the nature of the beast. > If open-source is serious about entering the mainstream, we have a duty > to educate the masses about 'safe hex'... if you don't know where it's > come from, don't let it loose on your PC So what comprehensive education strategy is there that will teach people about licensing, security and the responsibilities that are required to operate in a free technology environment? Ian -- www.theINGOTS.org www.schoolforge.org.uk www.opendocumentfellowship.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
