I agree that ethics are important.
MS apologists often try to spin the discussion of ethics into a general
closed source vs open source debate, which is wrong. There are some very
good closed source companies out there, Opera AS being one, which provide
an excellent product which works well with others and the company treats
its employees very well. So it's not open vs closed source, it's MS vs
both open and closed source. If you discuss software ethics, then be
prepared to have to steer the debate back to that.
There's a lot that could be explored there. Treatment of employees is
one. (see permatemps) Use of the BSA to shake down customers *and* remove
competitor's software is another. Use of false advertising and rumors
(esp. vs Novell Netware) is there too. Then there are the DOJ vs MS
trials with the doctored evidence and perjury by executives. There is
also the non-compliance, in spirit, with punishments like the whole
vouchers deal as 'punishment' for overcharging the state of California.
Also, there in my experience are quite a few people out there interested
in an ethical supply chain, but in the case of ICT, it's a problem where
they know of no options except what the vendors and vendor-owned magazines
tell them.
I guess two activities are needed: 1) get people informed, 2) get informed
people to make a decision. Choosing, even choosing the bad company, is
better IMHO than choosing not to decide:
"Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as
cooperation with good." - Gandhi
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men
to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
New Year's and Lent are a long time away, but are there other times people
try to give up bad habits?
-Lars
Lars Nooden ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Software patents harm all Net-based business, write your MEP:
http://wwwdb.europarl.eu.int/ep6/owa/p_meps2.repartition?ilg=EN
On Tue, 24 May 2005, Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon wrote:
"The Ethical Choice"
In discussions over computer software, particularly regarding Linux vs.
Windows and OpenOffice vs. MS-Office, the vast majority of people only
discuss which is easier to use, or which is more common, or which one they
have to use in the office, etc. I think people have a certain responsibility
to support companies and organizations which they believe are doing things
right, and by "right", I also mean "proper", a word that has fallen out of
use as stodgy, but when people *only* care about ease-of-use and not about
how a company conducts its business, we are all collectively damaged. When
people avoid doing business with companies who regularly engage in shady - if
not downright illegal - business practices, then we all collectively benefit.
It's a simple concept - support that which is good, shun that which is
bad. Unfortunately, vast numbers of people don't care if the companies who
provides the products they buy are ethical or not. It's a problem I
think....
Lyle
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