[Gllug] EU patents

[Daniel Ahrens]

Geez, what a dim view of 'the Real World [TM]'. The silent majority is doing
no-one any favours. Only by engaging can you make a difference. In my
experience, people who love to hackle from the sidelines are afraid to lead
from the front because of the existence of people like themselves. It's so
easy to criticise, to tear down, to annihilate and destroy, but so hard to
create, to be positive, to contribute and to be ready to make a difference.
M$ is only a company with roughly 5000 programmers and an army of sales
staff and managers (approx 50 000). The 'free' and open software movement
numbers in the millions. Yet, ur still shit scared of M$? That's pathetic.
We're only going to get a EU version of DMCA if you / us / we / me allow it
to happen. If we don't get involved at this stage, we don't have the moral
right to criticise anyone or anything after the fact. But even if we will
get a EU version of the DMCA because of our present collective inertia
(while we're busy congratulating ourselves on having managed to install the
latest kernel patch, which is a lot more difficult than writing a number of
emails to your local MP, to your EU representative, to No 10 Downing Street
in order to register your voice, your protest, your opinion in a matter
which is of general concern to humanity as a whole), it will even then still
be possible to change whatever has been set as law. But if you don't believe
this to be even remotely possible, I agree that you might just as well
continue using M$ software and forget about OS. Doesn't the fact that you
are on this list signify that you DO believe that change is possible? :)

Let's rrrrrrrock!


Daniel Ahrens



dan at prankstersproductions.com
************************************
http://www.prankstersproductions.com





-----Original Message-----
From: gllug-admin at linux.co.uk [mailto:gllug-admin at linux.co.uk]On Behalf
Of Christopher Hunter
Sent: 30 June 2003 22:10
To: gllug at linux.co.uk
Subject: Re: [Gllug] EU patents


On Monday 30 Jun 2003 3:45 pm, Alain Williams wrote:

> A rough unsaid comment in the above is ''will someone else please do it''.
> I'm not trying to flame Adrian in particular here, just that too many
> people sit around moaning gently and eventually complain ''no one did
> anything''.

Unfortunately, in the Real World [TM], no amount of "lobbying" will achieve
anything!  Despite their protestations to the contrary, ALL politicians are
"bought", irrespective of their supposed allegiances.  The OS "lobby" hasn't
got the money to compete with the likes of M$, and it's just a matter of
time
before we're beset with an EU version of DMCA, all sorts of bizarre patents,
and perpetual legal action.

Remember - whatsoever Bill wants, Bill gets.....

Gloomily

Chris

"It doesn't matter who you vote for, the "Government" always gets in!"
- Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Bnd

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