-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Thursday 08 February 2007 10:57, Janani Gopalakrishnan wrote: > [snip] > "Isn't open source about being 'open', isn't it about a free > market, isn't is about giving everybody a chance, isn't it about > higher talent and ideals winning over lower ones, isn't it about > people making their own 'choices', then what is wrong in Microsoft > participating? By trying to shut Microsoft away from the Linux > world, aren't you shutting competition away, and in a way playing > at their own 'closed' game? To the best of my understanding of > 'openness' as a word (and not as any hi-fi tech term), if one wants > to fight Microsoft, the right way is to stand right next to them > and prove you are better! Put up a stall right next to theirs and > say, 'Hey, here, our products are placed on a level playing field, > next to each others', now you judge for yourself, aren't the OSS > offerings as good as Microsoft's?'"
Firstly, if you want to end a discussion, it's usually a good idea not to throw more ideas at it. As far as being open is concerned: openness and freedom don't mean ``Anything goes''. E.g. if I manage a free software mailing list (which I don't) it doesn't automatically become a forum for discussing Hindu-Muslim relations, the nuclear deal with America or promoting software patents or proprietary software, simply because the list charter includes the words ``free'' and ``open''. Entities such as mailing lists and events have a focus, and anything outside that focus area is to be eschewed. I think the questions being asked here (I could be wrong, of course) are (a) What is Linux-Asia's focus and (b) Does MS' presence at LA contribute to that focus or detract from it. If the answer to the second question is that it detracts, then ``open source'' cannot be used as a reason to justify its presence. To repeat the old adage, your freedom to move your fist ends where the tip of my nose begins. Regards, - -- Raju - -- Raj Mathur [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://kandalaya.org/ GPG: 78D4 FC67 367F 40E2 0DD5 0FEF C968 D0EF CC68 D17F It is the mind that moves -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFFyr8uyWjQ78xo0X8RArG+AKCQ3/9u8KW3tQ54EK3Efit+CoDFYwCdFSit LNoY++lh+zP/840ynsld7q0= =z62t -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
