Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999 13:21:28 -0700 From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: Gregory Sutter <gsutter@pobox.com> Cc: jgrosch@mooseriver.com, Gary Kline <kline@tera.com>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Windows Refund Day: Watch out for Linux tactics Message-ID: <4.1.19990214130237.00a618d0@mail.lariat.org> In-Reply-To: <19990214114602.P22179@orcrist.mediacity.com> References: <4.1.19990214114417.03fa0480@mail.lariat.org> <199902132126.NAA14285@athena.tera.com> <199902132126.NAA14285@athena.tera.com> <19990213134206.A10635@mooseriver.com> <4.1.19990214114417.03fa0480@mail.lariat.org>
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At 11:46 AM 2/14/99 -0800, Gregory Sutter wrote: >Brett, your zealotry has reached unprecedented heights. Please keep >all harping about the evils of Linux limited to GPL/FSF/Stallman- >related topics. Those at least make sense and are within the realm >of possibility. Greg, your credulousness has reached unprecedented depths. Please make sure you know of what you speak before you say anything. >>From the very first paragraph of <http://hugin.imat.com/refund/>, the >Bay Area refund organization: > >"If you are a user of Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, or another >free/Open Source operating system, you may be entitled to a refund >for unused Microsoft products bundled with your computer." This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Users of BSDI, SCO, Solaris, BeOS, OS/2, and NetWare are likewise entitled to refunds. Yet Rick Moen, a Linux zealot whose Web site is named (characteristically) "linuxmafia", refuses to allow users of these OSes to participate in his event. He has agreed to allow users of the BSDs to participate, but then conveniently fails to mention that they're involved when he speaks to the press. Look at the press reports that have been generated from his group's effort! Funny how they don't mention FreeBSD, or any OS other than Linux, at all. Guess why. >The Bay Area movement, and Rick Moen in particular, has done a >fantastic job of uniting different OS camps in this effort, achieving >that goal without any sniping between camps (until you had to shoot >off your mouth/fingers). Nonsense. Rick has alienated users of commercial alternative OSes by specifically stating, on their Web site, that they are not welcome to participate but instead are invited to mount "separate" efforts. In a message on the Appraising Microsoft mailing list, Rick wrote: |We're not "dividing people": We're just organising open-source OS |users who wish to return their unused, unwanted, bundled Microsoft |software covered by an appropriate EULA. If you don't like that for |any reason, that's fine, too: Feel free to run your own effort in |your own way. In short, "We're not dividing people, but you are not welcome because you don't run one of the OSes we've deemed acceptable." I tried to get a group of NetWare admins to come and participate, but when the first few I spoke to saw Rick's Web page, and saw the exclusionary language, they declined. >Just admit that, for this one day, all Open >Source (and even all non-Microsoft) OSes have a common enemy. I will, but Rick won't. And you can bet that, when the press comes to call, he'll promote this as a Linux-only effort, making the BAFUG members and organizers feel foolish for lending their support. But if they're going to go, the BAFUG folks had darn well better make themselves noticed, buttonhole reporters, and make a REDOUBLED effort to make sure that this event isn't perceived as Linux-only. Because that's Rick's goal, denials to the contrary. --Brett Glass To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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