Re: looks like it's happening everywhere but the US.

The US is home to many of the world's most vocal FLOSS advocates because
we've always had this love for the outlaw/cowboy/maverick.  We sort of
grow people like that.  We're also home to the world's most vocal
nutcases.  Ever notice that most of them live in California?  I like
Johnny Carson's explanation for that - when God made the US he picked it
up by the east coast, shook it, and everything loose rolled down to
California.

If you're waiting for the US government to stop advocating proprietary
software as part of it's foreign policy you've got a long wait. 
Micro$oft represents a large chunk of change.  Why would we want to stop
making money from foreign markets?  I have to agree with one thing
though - software patents are wrong.  They're actually bad for the
market in the long term.  It's just that the companies on top see the
short term money gain and start salivating.

Jan




On Sun, 2003-10-26 at 18:28, Russell McOrmond wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 24 Oct 2003, Tom Adelstein wrote:
> 
> > Another point, I don't think the US is moving toward OSS also - like 
> > other countries - but instead my research indicates we've been their 
> > before anyone else. Certainly Richard Stallman was the first one doing 
> > it and before him, DARPANET and ARPANET (now the Internet) passed OSS 
> > around as early as the 1960's.
> 
>   Question for you to ponder:  Is the USA the home to many of the worlds
> most vocal FLOSS advocated because the USA as a country and its government
> promotes these values/methodologies, or because there was a need first in
> the USA to counter largely domestic opponents to FLOSS?
> 
> 
>   The whole question of FLOSS vs "software manufacturing" only dates to 
> the 1960's, and obviously no government had formed a position at that 
> early stage.
>   http://www.flora.ca/copyright2003/section92.html#history
> 
>   What governments did in the 1960's to 1980's isn't an adequate
> reflection of what their current domestic and foreign policies are given
> the infancy of the software sector being separated from the hardware
> sector. It wasn't until the 1980's that the USPTO started to accept
> software patents and in various other ways to pick sides in policy on
> "software manufacturing" vs FLOSS and other non-manufacturing
> methodologies.
>   http://www.flora.ca/patent2003/
> 
> > I don't want to seem argumentative, but "other countries" aren't the 
> > reference point.
> 
>   I too don't want to seem argumentative but if what you say is to have
> meaning it needs to be reflected US foreign policy. If you wish the USA to
> be viewed this positive way you should probably communicate with the US
> Trade Representative and the US Patent and Trademark Office.  Each have
> positions strongly opposing FLOSS in the international arena.  Those of us
> not in the USA are not going to be as concerned about what happened
> domestically in the past as what representatives of your country are
> trying to do today using US foreign policy leverage.
> 
>   It is far more important to know what direction someone is moving than
> where they previously stood.
> 
>   Whether the issue is software patents, WIPO's meeting on "Open
> collaborative models for the production of public goods", or WSIS attempt
> to promote FLOSS as methodologies to help reduce the digital divide, it is
> representative of the US government which are the largest and most vocal
> opponents to FLOSS.
>   http://www.flora.ca/copyright2003/section92.html#wsis
> 
> 
>   I look forward to the leadership that may be seen by citizens in the USA
> eventually being reflected in the foreign policy exported by the US
> government.  It would be great to eventually have the influence of US
> foreign policy on our side rather than our opponents side.
> 
> ---
>  Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> 
>  Governance software that controls ICT, automates government policy, or
>  electronically counts votes, shouldn't be bought any more than 
>  politicians should be bought.  -- http://www.flora.ca/russell/
-- 

********************************
Jan C. Depner
Code N43T
Naval Oceanographic Office
1002 Balch Blvd
Stennis Space Center MS, 39522
228.688.5609
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I'm a programmer with a soldering iron, and I'm not afraid to use it.