[svlug] Re: WC:>: AOL Anywhere

[Rich Kulawiec]

On Fri, Nov 27, 1998 at 12:03:25AM -0800, Javilk wrote:
> > Relax.  The OSS movement -- of which Linux is one part, FreeBSD is
> > another, KDE and GNOME and Mozilla and Apache and sendmail and BIND
> > are others, and there are a hundred other pieces, is far too big
> > already to be stopped by traditional corporate power plays and litigation.
> 
>     The effectiveness of litigation remains to be seen. 

Consider the following scenario:

	- Microsoft attempts to squash a popular OSS project, say WINE,
	via litigation.

	- OSS community gets very annoyed and clones Microsoft Office,
	doing the work outside the US (and therefore outside
	the reach of the US legal system) and then procedes to give it away
	anonymously.  (Since nobody expects to be paid, the authors
	need not reveal their identities.)

	- What is Microsoft's response?  Trying to file suits in 50
	different countries against unknown parties?  Reducing the
	price of Office to $0 to compete?  Or just plain old FUD?
	Good luck.

It would be very, very stupid for Microsoft to antagonize the OSS
community any more than it already has.

>     There is nothing as destructive to burro-cracy, as a piece of truly
> powerful software in the hands of people who care. 

Well put.  It's gonna be a bumpy ride for some of the folks out there.

---Rsk
Rich Kulawiec
rsk at gsp.org


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