[svlug] VCR Alert: "Antitrust" On Showtime, today-tonight 7/30/02 only -- Computer Wars

[Mark S Bilk]

The world of computer software is dominated by a single giant 
corporation -- Microsoft -- which by dishonest business and 
technical practices, forces most people to buy from it alone, 
at high prices. *

But many people and businesses are switching to open-source 
software such as GNU/Linux, developed by thousands of individuals 
and small groups, and given away for free to everyone who wants it.

The fictional movie "Antitrust" is about the battle between these 
two forces.  Following in the footsteps of "Hackers" and "The Net" 
(and much better than "Swordfish"), "Antitrust" is about a giant 
domineering software corporation in the Pacific Northwest, and a 
few young computer experts who struggle to expose and defeat its 
evil schemes.  

It's also about trust -- how do you know who you can trust and 
who is working against you, especially in the trillion dollar 
world of big business, where almost everyone can be bought, 
blackmailed, or worse.

Given the subject matter, which portrays capitalism not kindly, 
but accurately, it's amazing that this film has ever seen the 
light of day.  

There are only two showings left -- this evening and after midnight 
-- and with the fascist regime in the White House (which has just
told the government of Peru to buy Microsoft products), who knows 
if there will ever be any more.  

Find someone who gets the SHOWTIME channel on cable or dish, and 
tape this movie!  The schedule below lists the broadcasts in 
Pacific Time, on the both the East and West Coast Showtime 
channels, which are 3 hours apart.  Check your local schedule, 
because some East Coast systems get the West Coast feed, and 
vice versa.

   TITLE: Antitrust
   SYNOPSIS: The billionaire founder of a software corporation
   offers a lucrative position to an idealistic computer
   genius.
   CHANNEL: [SHOW]
   DATE / TIME: 
   July 30: 5:00PM , 8:00PM
   July 31: 2:45AM , 5:45AM
   RATING: PG-13 **
   STARRING:
     * Ryan Phillippe
     * Rachael Leigh Cook
     * Claire Forlani
     * Tim Robbins
     * Douglas McFerran
     * Richard Roundtree

* Some of the actual ways Microsoft has tried (and sometimes 
succeeded) to kill off the competition:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=9hFA8.53172%24ao1.9826%40rwcrnsc54