Hi Ben, I'm afraid you've called my bluff on the "irlgov is Microsofts biggest customer" bit. I reckon it's true simply because I can't think of a larger employer of office staff. I'll try to dig up a decent reference for this. (does anyone have any they know of?)
I agree with your comments about my dictator/comrade terminology, I'll use your vendor lock-in and associates (or similar) in future.
(If 92% of desktops only used Free Software Linux-based OSs, would I call it a dictatorship? Well, who would be the dictator? How would the rule of the dictator be enforced?)
You're right about needing to be rigourous regarding facts. I gave myself a bit of slack since the mail was from me as an individual, but if/when "we, the list" get organised, we will need internal reviews of statements before they get sent.
Thanks for the feedback. ciaran.
On Mon, Jul 28, 2003 at 09:50:16AM +0100, Ben Klaasen wrote:
Hi Ciaran -
Nice work. I didn't see the article, but I usually check out Karlin Lillington because she's better informed than most journos who write for the business or technology sections of their respective newspapers.
We've got to be absolutely rigourous regarding any facts we wish to use
- I've heard that quote before about the Government being Microsoft's
largest Irish customer - what's the source of that quote? (Please don't say "the FSF" - I mean /independent/ source.)
You say Free Software "represented liberation from the desktop dictator role that Microsoft had." I think a quick explanation of "vendor lock-in" would be less strident. (If 92% of people were using Linux on their desktop, would you consider that be dictatorship too?) I'm not sure how helpful terms like "comrade" are, either, in terms of getting our point of view across to a mainstream press journo.
regards Ben