Re: [ox-en] osslaw.org - site gone - new links to 'right to compatability'?
- From: Graham Seaman <graham seul.org>
- Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 13:06:03 -0400 (EDT)
Following from on the the links to bills on govt. use of free software,
I found this
http://www.gnu.org.pe/carta1.html
letter from Microsoft complaining about the bill; it's hilarious.
Microsoft's main points are: (summarizing, not translating)
1. Compelling public bodies to use free software breaks the principle of
equality in law, protected by the constitution by disrminiating against
free enterprise
2. The law would stop competition
3. The law would create unemployment, since only commercial software
creates non-service jobs
4. The law doesn't consider the security risks created by using free
software (!)
5. The bill has no proper cost/benefit analysis
6. Free software is not cost-free
7. Microsoft can offer special discounts for governments (!)
8. Free software creates compatibility problems, since there can be
multiple versions of the same program (!!)
9. Free software has no guarantees
10. The bill would stop the creation of a local software industry
11. The bill would stop the creation of software exports
12. Free software used in schools stops students learning (? I don't
understand this one - they claim this was shown by the failure in
Mexico. My spanish isn't good enough to make sense of this).
13 If free software was good enough, there would be no need for a law -
the market should decide.
There's a nicely sarcastic point-by-point reply from the Congressman:
http://www.gnu.org.pe/rescon.html
saying that Microsoft are making the mistake of assuming that the
argument is about money, when it's actually about freedom.
This is the most detailed breakdown of MS' anti-free-software case I've seen.
I suppose goveernments will listen to them, but still, their arguments
do sound incredibly feeble..
Graham
_______________________
http://www.oekonux.org/