World Summit on the Information Society

[Imran William Smith]

MJ Ray wrote:
 >
 > Maybe the main incentive to offer these people is the ability to fix
 > and adapt the software to do the tasks that they need to do?  That,
 > and the ability to study the software design in detail, to give them
 > new useful skills for the future.
 >
 >

Yes, certainly we can push the benefits for education and
developing an vibrant local software industry.  In particular,
the current widespread anti-American feelings may help to
encourage people to be wary of software pushed onto
them by US based Microsoft (Taiwan and China are especially
influenced by such political motives).


In the recent Asia Open Source Symposium I attended, which Georg
Greve from FSF Europe also attended (my writeup and all the
slides from the sympo are at http://www.asiaosc.org/article_22.html),
there was mention of 'replacing the US centric development
model'.  I didn't like to mention that just as much stuff
is done in Europe.


On an unrelated topic - could the FSF do something to
raise the profile of the risk anyone involved in shared source
/ GSP is to further software development?  If we can make
companies worried to employ people with a GSP / shared source
history, because of possible future lawsuits from MS, then
programmers know it's in their personal interests to refuse
any GSP / shared source work.  I would like to see a question
on IT recruitment forms asking if you've ever done GSP / shared
source work worked.  Let's make these people 'untouchables'!


Imran
Malaysia




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