Free software and public administrations?

[Anton Zinoviev]

On 23.XI.2002 at 04:45 Wouter Vanden Hove wrote:
>
> Can you give more details about these books and tv-transmissions? 

I don't watch TV and I know about this from mailing-lists.  My
impression is that the criticism against free software in TV is of
very low quality and in low-rated transmitions.

The author of the most famous book is Dobri Bozhilov.  There is some
truth in this book but I think I am the second after the author who
says this in Internet.  But I haven't read the whole book yet.

The first chapter is: `Lessons of marketing'.  The author begins that
it is a very popular marketing trick to sell some well-known and
needed good cheap.  Then people come and buy and don't mention that
they buy also other things that are not cheap.  All we need operating
system.  But no one makes theirs job only by operating system, we need
additional software as well.  There is still no big loss because
people see the fraud early enough and loose only their working time.
In future this will be more difficult.  People will tie themselves to
Linux and crash their busyness.  The author makes analogy with
printers and consumatives -- the free software is like a printer at no
cost but with very expensive consumatives.

Who is interested to promote free software?  Those who sell services.
The commersial software is more advanced and requires less and cheaper
additional services.  At the lowest level the IT specialists benefit
from the free software.  They make solution in their firms based on
Linux and after that their boss is no more able to dismiss them.  At
middle level these are firms who offer free software together with
their services.  And at highest level those are great international
corporations like IBM.  Then the author analyses why IBM have interest
to invest over 1 billion dollars in free software.

The next chapters are: `Who uses open source?', `Who must start to use
open source?', `What make those who are powerful?', `The price of the
information', `The parameters of the license', `Standards and
compatibility', `The conclusions' and `Advises for adventurers'.

The author owns two web sites about news www.komentari.com and
www.e-balkani.com (both in Bulgarian).  A shortened translation of
what you can read now on the second of these sites follows.

   The book "The traps of Linux... and the open source" has been
   published in Internet without permission of the author.  And the
   greatest show is that there is a laughing crown staying sidelong
   and enjoying what happens.  It enjoys that he who doesn't think as
   the crown is punished.

   It is interesting that the author was punished by someone who
   belongs to the same laphing crown.  One very sly and smart IT
   specialist discovered a weakness in the authors site, entered it
   and published the password for access to the database.  Then he
   congratulated himself to everybody how it is good to make harm.

   The history shows that similar repressions against books and the
   free speech always end with vindication of their authors.

   They reject the book but they haven't even read it.  Then some
   revolutionary people break the site which is not connected to the
   problem.  As a side effect they confirmed that the book says the
   truth because this site runs Linux.

   A few months ago when Microsoft contracted a bargain with the state
   administration for using its software, the same crown made a fuss
   up to the heaven that this contract was not advantageous and there
   are many more cheap solutions that can save the money of the tax
   payers.

   It was natural that then the administration didn't let it down
   despite that in that time there wasn't the book generalising and
   explaining why all such ideas are nonsense and there weren't all
   these examples that show the stupidity of these ideas.

   Now the idea about open source and Linux in the state
   administration is forever in the tomb.  You must be sure that now
   if you offer the open source to some offices you will find much more
   definitive refusal.  This is because you showed how bad busyness
   partners you are.

   If I am a officer in the administration and someone comes and
   offers me Linux I won't take him seriously knowing that among the
   greatest fans of Linux there are famous hackers and even more
   famous pirates.  And what is more important -- knowing that the
   whole Linux community supports these pirates.

   What makes the other side, the winning side?

   It waits.  It keeps its cause clear.  When the potential client
   looks at the offerings he will see one neutral, peaceful and
   reasonable offer on the one side, and senseless battles of fools
   who try to let reason in others heads.

Anton Zinoviev