Norwegian Free Software Center Opposes Government Pro FOSS Policy

[J.B. Nicholson-Owens]

Carsten Agger wrote:
> This is a very strange point of view for an entity which calls itself a
> "Free Software Center". They don't seem to care about the philosophical
> advantages to free software, nor to the fact that entities which build on
> proprietary software compromise their infrastructure and places it in the
> hands of private vendors, but seems to think it's all about technical
> advantage.
>
> Maybe they should change their name to the "Norwegian Open Source Center".

I concur; the vague terminology ("call for a clear renewal policy, which 
includes sharing, reuse and openness"), declaring absent any evidence 
that software decisions are "not a political matter one needs to 
consider" (as opposed to political matters one should consider?), 
declaring that better software should be the primary determining factor, 
and no recognition that bad free software can be improved by all but 
proprietary software of any quality is only understood and improved by 
the proprietor -- all these things are strong tip-offs that the open 
source philosophy is at work here.

I wonder if this is a case where free software advocates have 
successfully explained the difference between the two movements to the 
point where proprietors now seek to either obscure that difference or 
co-opt the phrase "free software" to stand for the proprietor-friendly 
values of the open source movement?