Deer in the Headlights

Dear Colleagues,

Here is the beginning of an article that appeared today in the Washington
Post:

(start)--------------------------------------
   Microsoft's Big Role on Campus
   Donations Fund Research, Build Long-Term Connections


   By Ariana Eunjung Cha
   Washington Post Staff Writer
   Monday, August 25, 2003; Page A01

   REDMOND, Wash. -- Bearing gifts of cash, software and computers worth
   $25 million, Microsoft Corp. came to the Massachusetts Institute of
   Technology in 1999, saying it wanted to jointly develop educational
   technologies. Some scholars expressed more suspicion than gratitude.

   At a celebration to kick off the collaboration, students and faculty
   members heckled the speakers, insisting the computer company's
   software wasn't worthy of use or study at MIT. Some took boxes of
   Microsoft's Office 2000 software and stomped on them. An editorial in
   the school newspaper wondered: Had the school sold itself out to
   become the "Microsoft Institute of Technology?"

   Today, four years into the five-year partnership, the protests are
   over and Microsoft technology is firmly entrenched at MIT.

		[  You can go to www.washingtonpost.com to get the
		complete article, or you can E-mail me, and I'll forward
		it along:  Alan  ]

                 -------------------------------------(finish)

I have been a member of this E-list pretty much since its inception, I
believe, and it is interesting to read the occasional postings of people
making us aware of Linux's successes and occasional stumbles at various
places around the world.

I have also posted once or twice, to try to make people aware of an E-list
with somewhat similar subject matter, but quite different objectives; I
refer to   linux-pe   .  Linux-pe, which stands for "Linux -- Public
Education" was founded by, and is administered by me, Alan McConnell.  
I live in Silver Spring, a suburb of Washington D.C.

Linux-pe is dedicated to the goal of getting Linux installed in as many
governmental entities in the United States as possible.  Note that it
is not intended to be a "discussion" E-list, but an "organizing" E-list.
My hope is to have a membership big enough so that a subset of its
membership -- say the members in Dallas, TX, who wish to move the Public
Library system in Dallas to a Linux-based system -- can get together, using
linux-pe as a virtual rendezvous, to plan meetings, exchange documents,
and make decisions.  If the Dallas people do this using linux-pe, the
other members, not Dallas based, can lurk, and pick up tips from the
success and disappointments of the Dallas people.

Another example: we in Maryland, whose Motor Vehicle Authority was shut
down for a day by Blaster, could form a lobbying group to change the MVA
software here.

As the WashPost article above shows:  M$ is not sitting idly by.  Neither
should we.  They have the money.  We have, I would hope, the people, the
cause, and the votes.  But we've got to get organized; or rather, we've
got to start organizing ourselves.  I think linux-pe is one place where
this can be done.

Here is what I have written as a "statement of purpose":

"linux-pe is an E-list dedicated to "activism" about ways of getting
Linux into use by local governments(libraries, police forces), state
governments(tax and finance SW, communication with constituents) and
national government(my particular cause; I want Congressional offices
to use it).  I am the admin, but not the "owner", since I hope for
untrammeled discussion.  Examples of what I'd like to see:

"1) Linuxians from e.g. Oregon banding together to urge their state
reps to push the bill mandating consideration of Open Source for all
SW purchases by the State of Oregon

"2) Reports on Linuxians visiting officials, SW associations(such as the
MMITA in Maryland I visited)

"3) Reports on SW already in place, feasibility of ports to Linux, etc

"4) Investigation to how the Largo, FL experiment is running

"5) Statements from public officials about what they'd like to see.

"6) Financial comparisons . . .

"I feel that Linux is certainly ready for government use, and it seems clear
that its use can save strapped governmental entities money.  If, as is
sometimes asserted, some government shops have "zero interest in saving 
money" . . .  well, that is an issue which we, as tax-payers, should 
address, no?"

I hope this does not seem vague; I hesitate to be more specific, for I
have a strong belief that E-lists, at least of this type, should be owned
and run, as far as possible, by its members.

It of course is to be seen if the people, the cause, and the votes can
beat money.  One thing is sure: if the people -- that is, among others,
the US readership of this E-list -- sit idly by while the M$ machine
roars down at them, money will win for sure.

At present, linux-pe does not have many members; we have about 60 members,
and to be effective we need at least 1000, which is of course a tiny
fraction of the total US Linuxer population.  This E-mail is frankly
and explicitly an invitation to join.

So I invite all -- especially US members -- to join linux-pe.  To do so,
go to:   
	http://www.tux.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-pe
and follow instructions<g>.

A final plea:  if you are motivated to comment or query what I have
written, _PLEASE_ do not reply only to me.  Reply to this whole E-list,
or join linux-pe and reply there.  Your comment only to me may likely do
me good, but don't you want to do us all good???<g>

Best wishes to all,

Alan

-- 
Alan McConnell :  http://patriot.net/users/alan
    "Where are the WMDs???"    "Hey, good buddy, try looking in Washington,
    D.C.  They are named Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and Little Shrub."