Is Microsoft the Newest Free Software Advocate?
Submitted by srlinuxx on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 08:29
What the heck is happening in Redmond? Is Microsoft really giving away antivirus software? Yes, friends, it appears that they are. Come on Microsoft, we really want to hate you. I've carried this Microsoft voodoo doll* around with me for years--stabbing it every time I have to pay money for one of your products on a new laptop or desktop computer. I cringe when I see "Vista Ready." And, I almost hurl penguin when I have to activate my software. So, somebody please pinch me, wake me up, take the needle out of my arm and tell me it's all been a bad trip.
Microsoft giving away software is like Donald Trump giving away real estate. First, they come up with that dastardly excuse for an open source lab they cleverly named, Port25. Next, they have the nerve to donate money to The Apache Foundation. A couple of months ago, they made their new flagship virtualization platform, Hyper-V, available free of charge. Then they founded The CodePlex Organization headed by Sam Ramji. Now, they're giving away antivirus software.
My head hurts.
no-cost software is not Free Software
Giving away software does not make that Free Software per the Free Software definition (DFSG, FSF, others). 'Free' has more than one meaning of the term.
Even if MS were to both give that software away and put it's code under one of MS' Open-Source-Initiative (OSI) accepted licenses, it would still not be Free Software. Open Source, sure. No cost, sure. But without the user rights to modify and redistribute, its not Free Software.
re: no-cost
And who, except those that had a frontal lobotomy, gives a rats ass?
lol, skippy confused again
Anyone who's interested in reality, in calling a spade a spade. For microsoft to ship some gratis software for microsoft windows to help mitigate its virus woes, how on earth does that help free software?
There is no connection at all between the two.
Take another ...
... deep draught of that Kool-Aid. Don't mind that tingling at the extremities. (This comment is for those who can remember Jim Jones.)