As a futher matter of interest, MS's generosity has also recently been changed and now specifically excludes churches from receiving the "community development" support
Gordon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rodd Clarkson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "List - Insights" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 4:05 PM Subject: Government, The Smith Family and Software Promotions > Below is a letter sent both to the editors at the Australian, and also > The Smith Family. > > I thought people on Insights might be interested into my comments below, > and have something useful to add. > > > Rodd > > see: > http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,9791286%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html > > It is ironic to see The Smith Family, who work toward improving the > quality of life of low-income Australian, promoting software that these > people simply can't afford buy, and shouldn't need to. > > It would be much better to see The Smith Family encouraging government > to promoting software, like open source software, that enables the > future of low income Australians, rather than promoting companies that > use file lock-ins and anti-competitive behavior to limit software > choice. Microsoft's expensive software can easily be replaced with > products like Linux, OpenOffice.org, Evolution and Mozilla (for example) > that enables Australia's low income families to step across the digital > divide, both now and in the future. > > Microsoft's donation of software may seem nice (and buy them a little > positive PR), but these donations are only a stop gap, and in reality > reach very few people in need. And, sooner or later, low income > Australian are going to have to upgrade, and Microsoft's software isn't > getting any cheaper, or easier to move away from. > > Instead of promoting software that uses 'lock-in style' file formats, > that has to be imported into Australia (damaging our balance of trade > figures), The Smith Family and our politicians should be working > together, to make access to alternative software easier. Until they do, > the poor will always be reliant on the kind donations of Microsoft, > instead of being able to take control of their own future. Of course, > this means Mr Howard might have to forgo a photo opportunity with the Mr > Gates. > > If you're well-to-do, five or six hundred dollars for Microsoft's > software might not seem like that much, but for Australia's low income > families, five or six hundred dollars is a couple of weeks wages. While > donations of software might help are few, most low income Australians > will continue to be either further alienated from mainstream Australia, > or forced to pirate software so that they can communicate with > government, or read press releases from The Smith Family. > > > Rodd > ------------------------------------------------------ > - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] > - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) > See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm > ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm ------------------------------------------------------
