NEWS
The Free Software Foundation plans to stage a protest in Boston, US on Wednesday, where it will encourage businesses to throw away Microsoft Windows in favour of free alternatives.
In addition to the public display, the foundation is sending letters to the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, warning that Windows is a threat to their businesses' privacy, security and freedom.
Although the demonstration and letter centre around Microsoft's imminent release of Windows 7, Free Software Foundation executive director Peter Brown says the protest has to do with Microsoft's approach in general and not with the specifics of Windows 7.
"Any time Microsoft tries to push them to a new version, it's a good time to make that case," Brown said on Tuesday.
With Windows 7 getting fairly positive reviews, Brown said he knows it could be tougher to garner public support than was the case with the often-criticised Vista.
"There's kind of this attitude of 'Well, it's better than Vista'," Brown said, "so we are working against the grain."
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But, he added, the stakes are high - and it's about more than just which operating system gains market share. Brown points to Amazon.com's recent deletion of e-books from the Kindle as an example of the kinds of action that could become commonplace if the world becomes filled with more digital rights management technologies.
"That's the kind of power that proprietary software gives to these corporations," he said. "When we give that power, sooner or later somebody comes knocking, whether it is the government or the corporations themselves. Free software is the answer to that."
Although the letter focuses on Microsoft, he said the group is also concerned with other products, including the new Snow Leopard operating system from Apple, which goes on sale on Friday.
"It's not just Microsoft," Brown said. "It's a problem generally for society that we should accept proprietary software when there is an alternative."
Comments
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1. Mark
And I'm sure all the free software will be (in my case) PCI:DSS compliant and in the States Sarbanes-Oxley etc.
Get real, businesses are regulated. If you want to put free software on your home boxes so be it...
2. Richard Davies
There isn't really an alternative though that can match upto the mighty 'Windows' OS! Believe me...I wish there was.
I recently tried Ubuntu v9 and although its come along way and I could use it, my mum (I get her to test things!) would still get very confused and probably manage to break it in minutes!
It took me about a day to read up and understand why I couldn't get a flash update to install using the SH file! These types of updates can be automated in the background in Windows which means it suits non-technical people more than any other OS out there.
It would be great to avoid proprietory software altogether, but this is the real world and the offerings out there at the moment are simply not cutting it.
Think about the potential re-training costs for businesses also.
3. anonymous
Just try the 'free' software, you'll be back to Windows in no time.
Finding and installing drivers and configuration takes a lot longer than Windows, even for IT experts, so it costs you more in time wasted.
Windows is still the easiest to use, as the vast majority are familar with it. Apple's OS is OK but it is no better than Windows and you'll pay a lot more for the same hardware in a fancy box.
4. Simon
@ Mark
"And I'm sure all the free software will be (in my case) PCI:DSS compliant and in the States Sarbanes-Oxley etc."
It CAN be if you select and configure it properly and have the right management processes in lace - just like closed source may or may not be 'compliant' depending on whether you set it up properly and have the right processes in place.
I've been through the SO mill at my last job - it's nearly all about the processes and open source really is not a problem if the right processes are in place. I see no valid reason why PCI:DSS shouldn't be the same. Of course, if you are the sort of manager that expects to take an off the shelf package, tick a few boxes, refuse to understand the underlying processes, etc - then yes, open source could be a problem to you, but that would be a problem of your own making.
5. Guy Reynolds
I agree with Richard, its not just the replacing of windows, it everything else that has to run on the PCs, and the products are just not out there. Yes there are MS office replacements, but what about full blown ERP systems? As present for SMEs paying the licence fee for an off the shelf Windows package remains far more cost effective and risk free than attempting to have a system bespoked to run on a free OS.