[cumbria_lug] Software patents - am I a crackpot?

[Russ]

Michael Saunders wrote:
> 
> But they WON'T slag it off. That'd be utterly pointless, and, most
> crucially, it wouldn't make Microsoft money.
> 
> No, instead, they'll talk about how open source has a place, how
> Microsoft has done some recent work in this field, how IP issues are
> of supreme importance, etc. etc. etc. They'll discuss 'Shared Source',
> throw around buzzwords, and get everyone hyped up.

I'm sure they won't slag it off, really. I was joking :-)

As the event is aimed at "Technical Decision Makers" I expect they'll
give all sorts of compelling arguments about why MS software is better
than anything that open source developers can offer. I'll be there
because I advise on IT at work. One compelling argument for open source
at work, which MS can't compete with (unless they execute a *major*
U-turn) is licencing. With open source, it's simple. I download
OpenOffice.org and install it on all the PCs. No worries. No licences.
With MS Office or Works, I have to make sure that no-one decides to
install it on a machine that doesn't have a licence for it. It's a
nightmare.

> It astounds me that people are willing to waste their time with this
> kind of business.

I'm interested to hear what they are going to say. I expect there to be
a lot of FUD, but I'm interested to hear what they have to say. I might
even be able to counter some of the FUD with some truths.

> Microsoft isn't evil; it's just an oversized money-lusting company
> that breaks the law. And it wants to stop people enjoying our OS and
> software. Let's not forget that.

I haven't forgotten, and I intend to remember when I go to the seminar.
Just because I'm going into the lion's den doesn't mean I want to become
lunch.

Russ