article: MS in Peruvian open-source nightmare

[Gonçalo Rodrigues]

On Wed, 8 May 2002 19:20:34 +0200, holger krekel
<pyth at devel.trillke.net> wrote:

>Laura Creighton wrote:
>> > a peruvian congressman answers to letter form MS.
>> > 
>> > its an long, but interesting read in favor of open source (hi Oleg ;-).
>> > i post this note here because GvR is metioned along with RMS, Linus and 
>> > others.
>> > 
>> > here's the article from "The Register" (found on "/."):
>> > http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/25157.html
>> > 
>> > chris
>> 
>> Thank you very much for posting this Chris.
>> 
>> I don't have to write the 'why do I want a world in which the right to
>> close source your program is greeted with the same sort of horror as the
>> right to sell your children into slavery' article.  The Peruvian
>> legislator David Villanueva Nu?ez has done a better job than I could.
>> 
>> I think that this is pretty straight forward, and written well, as one might 
>> expect from a famous Poet.  But if anybody wants 'marginal aggregate value'
>> and the like explained to them, post away and I will get to it.
>
>This letter is really an *astounding* work. I have never read anything
>like this from a politician. 'Our democratic' politicians should
>start to think about his statements such as:
>
> "It is also necessary to make it clear that the aim of the Bill we are
>  discussing is not directly related to the amount of direct savings that
>  can by made by using free software in state institutions. That is in any
>  case a marginal aggregate value, but in no way is it the chief focus of
>  the Bill. The basic principles which inspire the Bill are linked to the
>  basic guarantees of a state of law, such as: 
>
>  Free access to public information by the citizen. 
>  Permanence of public data. 
>  Security of the State and citizens."
>
>makes one want to move to peru.
>
>thanks you very much for posting this,
>
>   holger
>

I can't resist to add that I completely agree with H. Krekel on this. It
is surely one of the most impressive defenses + myth-debunkings I have
ever read on the issue open-source vs proprietary software.

Gonçalo Rodrigues