Re: [OSCOM] Is Byrne "a friend of OSS?"

Paul Everitt wrote:
> 
> The strong feelings below notwithstanding, I would like to be the first 
> to state an alternate view.
> 
> OSCOM invited Tony to speak at OSCOM 3 and I specifically encouraged him 
> to give us a blunt assessment of what we need to do.  I remember the 
> article you refer to.  I remember a few people took a 
> stone-the-messenger approach.  From my POV, I was happy to see someone 
> giving us a critical assessment, especially one that's

      sic; "who has"

 > been a pretty
> good friend of open source CMS over the years.

	I would like to know why you believe that Tony Byrne has "been a pretty 
good friend of open source [CMSes] over the years." When answering this 
question, keep in mind the many disparaging remarks about OSS CMSes that 
appear on Byrne's web site, CMSwatch.com.

> Tony's piece was constructive criticism.  We need more of this

	Yes, constructive criticism is useful to the OSS CMS community. 
Certainly, OSS CMSes need to improve. However, remarks that are meant to 
"plug" proprietary CMSes (PCMSes) and to cast OSS CMSes in an 
unfavorable light (in comparison to PCMSes) do not qualify as such 
criticism. I suspect that many of Byrne's remarks are meant to have this 
effect. Why? Because Tony Byrne has a strong financial interest in 
"plugging" PCMSes and in disparaging OSS CMSes. He derives considerable 
revenue from the sale of his product, "CMS Report," which, for the most 
part, covers proprietary CMSes. His disparagement (of OSS CMSes) causes 
readers to think that they should buy a PCMS rather than consider using 
an OSS CMS, and, to that extent, it probably increases the sales of his 
"CMS report." IOW, his disparagement (of OSS CMSes) probably increases 
his revenue.

	I do not know how much revenue Byrne receives from the sale of his "CMS 
report," but I suspect that, as a percentage of his total revenues, it 
is fairly high.

	Byrne may also derive some revenue from advertisements on his web site. 
Of course, all of this revenue comes from makers of PCMSes (not the OSS 
CMS community), giving him further incentive to "push" PCMSes over OSS 
CMSes.

> and I 
> hope Tony keeps participating.  Geesh, I hope Tony joins the OSCOM 
> board, but he's probably too busy for something like that. :^)

	If OSCOM invites someone such as Tony Byrne to join its board of 
directors, then I promise you that I shall consider _never_ having 
anything to do with OSCOM again -- other than "lurk" on this mailing list.

> 
> --Paul
> 
> On Apr 2, 2005, at 2:28 AM, Paul D. Bain wrote:
> 
>> Tony Byrne - CMS Watch wrote:
>> >
>>
>> > Someone stumped me recently by asking whether I knew of any open-source
>> > DAM projects.
>> >
>> > I've heard of fedora (http://www.fedora.info/) and know that some 
>> people
>> > use traditional CM packages (like Zope) for basic media asset
>> > management.
>> >
>> > Am I missing any other ones with reasonably wide support?
>>
>>     Tony, let me refresh your memory. Fewer than two years ago, on 
>> your web
>> site (www.CMSwatch.com), you disparaged open source (OS) CMS's, saying
>> that they were _all_ inferior as compared to proprietary CMS's and that
>> no one should consider using a OS CMS. Now, I see that you are asking
>> for help from those who use and develop OS CMS's. You are asking for
>> help from those people whose work you have disparaged! I am amazed that
>> someone who disparages OS software would have the effrontery to ask for
>> help from the OS community. Your effrontery amazes me.
>>
>>     I sincerely hope that no one on this list will give you any help
>> whatsoever. Get your damned ass back to CMSwatch.com and that mailing 
>> list
>> for the mentally retarded, [email protected] The participants on
>> that mailing list _love_ proprietary software, just as you do, and for
>> the same reason: you and they are morons.
>>
>>     Please, folks, do NOT help Tony Byrne. He is an enemy of the OS
>> community and a damned bastard.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Paul Bain