On 2/7/07, Kenneth Gonsalves <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On 07-Feb-07, at 3:42 PM, Anupam Jain wrote: > > >> M$ ideology is exactly opposite of Linux ideology, so its like > >> Smirnoff > >> sponsoring the Alcoholics Anonymous meet. > > > > Except that Smirnoff is in the Alcoholic drinks business which is 'by > > definition' opposed to an AA meet's purpose. Where as Microsoft is in > > the software business, just like the FOSS fellows. Microsoft > > sponsoring the LA event is NOT the same as Smirnoff sponsoring an AA > > meet. > > and there lies the problem - microsoft is in the software business > buying and selling software as a commodity. FOSS fellows are *not* in > the software business and do not buy and sell software as a > commodity. In fact we oppose treating software as a commodity and > hold that doing so is the biggest danger to the development of > software. So the analogy is exact.
Wouldn't you call making money from software being "in the software business"? Ok let me put it this way - I also make money from creating software, it's the sole way I earn my daily b & b. The company I work for very much treats it like a commodity and I am not against that viewpoint. Would you (if it were up to you) bar me from attending LA events in the future? Ask anyone around me and they would tell you how much of a Linux-head I am, selling FOSS's virtues to the slightest of receptive ears. Isn't my interest in the Linux community enough to make me a part of it? FOSS is not about forcing a choice. It's about letting people know that a choice exists so that they can take a well informed decision. I see nothing wrong with letting MS parade the choices it has for offer and us parading what we have. If MS pays us good money to hold such a showoff and that too *on our turf* then what is the problem? Why are we worried unless we believe that Vista is better than Linux and MS is better than FOSS and so on and so forth. It really isn't a comfortable argument for me, comparing myself with MS the-evil-one. But if this LUG boycotts a Linux event being organised by a company actively promoting Linux just because MS was allowed to make an appearance and put forward it's views, I have a right to be appalled. If something sneaky and underhanded took place which compromised the LA agenda, let us know what exactly it was. Otherwise don't spread FUD. Regards, Anupam Jain _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- [email protected] http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
