Technocrat

Can I have your signature to help me protect Open Source?

Bruce Perens
Tue Mar 18 12:48:29 -0700 2008
Open+Source+Software
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The Open Source Initiative, the organization that certifies Open Source software licenses, is holding an executive board election soon. I am standing for election. The board is self-electing, and I'm told I don't have a chance unless I can show community support for my candidacy. Please visit http://techp.org/p/7, read the message, and sign. Also, please publicize that link where you can. Thanks! - Bruce Perens

Absolutely

Chuck Burgess
Tue Mar 18 13:13:08 -0700 2008
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I'm in...
Can I have your signature to help me protect Open Source?
disco
Tue Mar 18 17:52:05 -0700 2008
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I signed it, but you should have left out that "Microsoft could be elected" thing. Do you have evidence of that? Or is that a little bit of FUD of your own?
Can I have your signature to help me protect Open Source?
Roy Schestowitz
Tue Mar 18 20:11:45 -0700 2008
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It's already keynoting OSBC. Be sure, Microsoft wants to be inside. I've watched this closely for a couple of years.
Can I have your signature to help me protect Open Source?
Thomas Lord
Tue Mar 18 22:13:23 -0700 2008
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I'm in and I'll spill some beans.

A little while ago, a question of OSI legitimacy came up on some of their mailing lists. They were trying to figure out, e.g., whether to become a membership org.

I spoke up with some pretty banal but hopefully positive ideas. I tried to sketch out how becoming a really impressive membership org might go. I don't think I said anything too horrible.

A third party colleague whom I barely knew was considering support for some aspects of my ideas -- but was surprised by some mail he got. He was warned, from within OSI, to disregard me, Tom, because I was Tom, and no matter what I might have to say.

That is what my colleague has told me, anyway. I am inclined to believe him having seen much supporting evidence.

Come to the board of OSI? Heck, I hope you do. I'd be even more comfortable if you simply found a way to entirely shut down what has long since become an obscene farce.

-t

Yes, if your website lets me sign

Philip Hunt
Wed Mar 19 06:45:21 -0700 2008
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I would sign if your website would let me do so. I don't remember my password for it (I have gazillions of usernames/passwords for websites and sometimes I forget to write them down). I have asked the website to email me a password but it has not done so.

I think you should update the process so that signing a petition just requires one's email address (no password) and then an email is sent to that address to confirm.

... Then they fight you ....

wowbagger
Wed Mar 19 07:11:03 -0700 2008
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Given some of the stories about the various goings-on (the slandering of the Mass. IT manager over open documents, the slandering in the OOXML fiasco, Mr. Lords comments above, etc.) I would remind everybody of Ghandi's famous quote:
First they ignore you
Then the laugh at you
Then they fight you
Then you win
We are most definitely at the "Then the fight you" stage, and Microsoft fights dirty.

No, scratch that — using "dirty" to describe Microsoft's style of fighting is like using "damp" to describe the ocean. Microsoft's tactics are just short of what the Italian Mafia, the Russian Mafia, the Chinese Tongs, La Emma (the Mexican Mafia), etc. use.

If Microsoft perceives you as a threat, expect to be followed by private investigators using every legal (and some unlawful means) to do whatever it takes to discredit you.

... Then they fight you ....
Thomas Lord
Thu Mar 20 10:14:38 -0700 2008
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I was following you up until you started talking about Microsoft. I thought you were talking about OSI as it stands, up to that point.

-t
... Then they fight you ....
wowbagger
Thu Mar 20 11:23:29 -0700 2008
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I have my suspicions about where all these activities are coming from - I suspect that much of what is happening in the Free Software universe, including some of the issues in the OSI, are being instigated by Microsoft.

One good way to throw sand into the gears of Free Software is to sow dissension within the OSI. One good way to corrupt the Free Software movement from within is to bias the OSI to be more favorable to licenses and software that is "Open" only the Arthur Dent ("This must be some strange, new definition of safe^WOpen of which I had not previously been aware....") sense of the word.

While there are many companies which feel threatened by Free Software, which one company has the most to fear?

Can I have your signature to help me protect Open Source?
Dennis Kibbe
Wed Mar 19 08:20:53 -0700 2008
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You've got my vote, Bruce.

By the way, we missed you at this year's FSF members meeting in Boston. Thanks for signing my laptop last year.

Dennisk
Can I have your signature to help me protect Open Source?
David Kuehn
Wed Mar 19 10:02:03 -0700 2008
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Done. Best of luck, Bruce.

-D
 

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