Bill Gates ridicules the GPL, equals software to medicines, insists on sw. patents

[José Pedro Ferreira]

> "I think if you invent drugs, you should be able to charge for them," he said, adding with a shrug: "That may seem radical."

I wouldn't expect otherwise... his whole life has been about
exploiting the basic needs of the computer users, why would he take a
different approach regarding health issues?

I think his charity will never compensate for the attack on the
fundamental rights that he's been sponsoring.

Cheers,

Pedro

On Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 1:11 PM, José Pedro Ferreira
<pedro.ferreira at fe.up.pt> wrote:
> > "I think if you invent drugs, you should be able to charge for them," he said, adding with a shrug: "That may seem radical."
>
>  I wouldn't expect otherwise... his whole life has been about
>  exploiting the basic needs of the computer users, why would he take a
>  different approach regarding health issues?
>
>  I think his charity will never compensate for the attack on the
>  fundamental rights that he's been sponsoring.
>
>  Cheers,
>
>  Pedro
>
>
>
>  On Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 8:32 AM, David B <davidb_info at yahoo.es> wrote:
>  > So much for the allegued "openness" and "open source
>  >  friendliness" of Microsoft: There is no such thing:
>  >  They want to open the breach inside the FOSS community
>  >  separating tame just-business-friendly patent-friendly
>  >  open-source from free(dom) software and marginalise
>  >  (and eventually kill) the GPL and the FSF.
>  >  He goes as far as downplaying the benefits of open
>  >  source software in medical science projects (better
>  >  leave it to Gates' charity)
>  >  Notice they keep insisting on software patentability
>  >  and that no matter if it is open source they want to
>  >  make you pay for software (and Novell is helping them
>  >  in pursuing this strategy).
>  >
>  >  Source:
>  >  http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/bill-gates-what.html
>  >
>  >  Best regards.
>  >  David B.(Spain)
>  >
>  >     One thing Gates won't be leaving behind in
>  >  retirement is his distaste for open source software.
>  >  After one scientist asked if Gates would consider open
>  >  source uses in health research, the man who built his
>  >  $280 billion company on the power of intellectual
>  >  property bristled.
>  >
>  >     "There's free software and then there's open
>  >  source," he suggested, noting that Microsoft gives
>  >  away its software in developing countries. With open
>  >  source software, on the other hand, "there is this
>  >  thing called the GPL, which we disagree with."
>  >
>  >     Open source, he said, creates a license "so that
>  >  nobody can ever improve the software," he claimed,
>  >  bemoaning the squandered opportunity for jobs and
>  >  business. (Yes, Linux fans, we're aware of how
>  >  distorted this definition is.) He went back to the
>  >  analogy of pharmaceuticals: "I think if you invent
>  >  drugs, you should be able to charge for them," he
>  >  said, adding with a shrug: "That may seem radical."
>  >
>  >  it's very revealing that Microsoft tries to separate
>  >  Free software (it tries to characterise it as gratis,
>  >  i.e. zero cost, cheap, shoddy) from open source. Open
>  >  source is, to Microsoft, mainly about visibility, but
>  >  it wants it to be subjected to the same rules,
>  >  including software patents. Where are those geniuses
>  >  who defended Microsoft's seemingly-friendly approach
>  >  towards the OSI?
>  >
>  >  http://www.endsoftwarepatents.org
>  >  ------
>  >  ¿Eres un usuario cautivo ó libre?
>  >  ¿controlas tu ordenador o tu ordenador te controla a tí?
>  >
>  >  Libérate: Usa Gnu/Linux y OpenOffice.org:
>  >
>  >  http://www.obtengalinux.org/windows/
>  >
>  >  Are you a free user or a captive one?
>  >  Do you control your computer or does your computer control you?
>  >
>  >  Set yourself free: Use Gnu/Linux and OpenOffice.org:
>  >
>  >  http://www.getgnulinux.org/windows/
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >       ______________________________________________
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