MJ Ray wrote: > Mark Rogers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [...] > >> This does raise an issue, and that is mainly that the lady in question >> (and maybe the whole of Trading Standards) have no idea about licensing >> in general. [...] >> > > This isn't just in Trading Standards. It's also common in > education, with scare posters and bad information about when > you can and can't copy displayed in schools and colleges. See > http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/fsfe-uk/2004-08/msg00013.html > for some examples. >
I think the real point I was trying to make is that we don't need to point out the error in Trading Standard's ways by talking about the alien concept of FOSS. The fact is that even in the arena that she was familiar in she was making erroneous assumptions., and if I was ever pushed on that subject myself that's the tactic I'd use to defeat it: regardless of FOSS she's wrong; FOSS is just a rather extreme example (in terms of what she's aware of), but not an isolated one. Of-course there are many other examples: how many Windows desktops have an unregistered copy of WinZip on them? That is freely distributable but should be paid for if used for more than 28 days (or something like that, I don't have WinZip installed). That's an example she should be familiar with. Excluding FOSS, her "general advice to businesses" is wrong. Including FOSS, its still wrong, but regardless of that she needs to correct that advice. Surely Trading Standards have some idea that making misleading statements is a Bad Thing [tm]? -- Mark Rogers More Solutions Ltd :: 0845 45 89 555 _______________________________________________ Peterboro mailing list [email protected] https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/peterboro
