[WSIS CS-Plenary] More poor suckered into Microsoft bondage

[Carlos Afonso]

Grande McTim, I notice even among certain movements like some community 
nets in the USA that freedom of knowledge in the software realm is not 
really taken as relevant. Why? Because the main proprietary software 
companies are USA-based -- after all, they are national companies to 
their nationals, and these do not need to own M$ stock to sympathize 
with the likes of Gates, which, the nationals assume, will spend the 
billions and generate employment in the USA (even though they are 
employing thousands of people outside of the USA instead with code 
outsourcing). So several of these community nets see no trouble in 
showing off at the M$ stand in international events.

So people in the USA tend to believe that it is not M$ which imposes 
certain conditions, that the billions they claim they donate are real 
money and not mostly an income tak exemption claim value based on their 
estimates of the commercial value of the near zero-cost licences they 
"kindly" donate etc etc.

But for the ones, outside of the USA, buying into this, is not only M$'s 
or the USA's fault, but the human gullibility mixed with greed which 
lets them accept  these pseudo-gifts, selling their future for an 
apparently easy present. Not really different from what Monsanto, 
Syngenta and etc do with GMOs...

frt rgds

--c.a.

McTim wrote:

>[Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the entire list. Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended for specific people]
>
>Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access automatic translation of this message!
>_______________________________________
>
>Hi Rui,
>
>On 12/8/05, Rui Correia <correia.rui at gmail.com> wrote:
>  
>
>>_______________________________________
>>
>>"The computer network does not allow any of the users of the donated
>>computers to install any software not owned by Microsoft, even any open
>>source software" - read below.
>>
>>Rui
>>    
>>
>
>It's probably the network Admin that sets these policies, NOT M$ themselves.
>
>Though without knowing more about the network and the donated boxes, I
>can only make an educated guess that it's the permission levels and
>not soem M$ conspiracy.
>
>NB: I own no M$ stock, but do use Winx from time to time (like now).
>
>--
>Cheers,
>
>McTim
>$ whois -h whois.afrinic.net mctim
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-- 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Carlos Afonso
diretor de planejamento
Rede de Informações para o Terceiro Setor - Rits
Rua Guilhermina Guinle, 272, 6º andar - Botafogo
Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brasil         CEP 22270-060
tel +55-21-2527-5494        fax +55-21-2527-5460
ca at rits.org.br            http://www.rits.org.br
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