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[News] [Rival] Gates the Don Who "Just Writes Checks"; Microsoft FUD Continues

Bill Gates’ Disdain for Open Source Even in Retirement

,----[ Quote ]
| Without compromise there is no progress. In the software world Gates was the 
| Godfather he didn’t need to work with anyone until the Justice Department 
| ruled against him. Even as the richest man in the world he’s got to work 
| together with researchers and others if he wants to be successful. Too bad he 
| didn’t learn anything about open source’s collaborative values it might have 
| served him well as he tries to help cure disease and improve world health 
| standards.      
| 
| I have to wonder if he will be able to make the transition from dictator to 
| do-gooder or if he will just write checks? 
`----

http://socializedsoftware.com/2008/04/24/bill-gates-disdain-for-open-source-even-in-retirement/

Three myths Microsoft tells Russia

,----[ Quote ]
| I figured it would be good to note (and then bury) three myths that I heard 
| perpetuated by Microsoft at the Interop Moscow conference. They've been 
| largely discredited elsewhere, but it appears Microsoft prefers to keep 
| regurgitating the party line until abject ridicule sets in.   
| 
| 1. Myth: Open source can't innovate. Coming from Microsoft...
| 
| [...]
| 
| 2. Open source doesn't interoperate with other software well, while Microsoft 
| does. Wow! The cheekiness of that one was breathtaking. 
| 
| [...]
| 
| 3. There is no money in open source. It's funny to hear Microsoft use this 
| one, as if its customers are desperate to hear it talk about how much money 
| it makes at their expense.   
| 
| [...]
| 
| Microsoft has gotten better in its open-source rhetoric. Now it just needs to 
| make sure its far-flung outposts get the message, too. 
`----

http://www.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9928657-16.html


Yesterday:

Open Source Government: Several notes on the Russian Free Software Development
Concept

,----[ Quote ]
| Russian Ministry on Information Technology and Communications published 
| recently a document entitled Concept of development and usage of Free 
| Software in the Russian Federation (Russian). It is a 29-page text, which is 
| by far the most detailed roadmap of government involvement in Free Software. 
| The legal status of this document is not very strong: in the recent Russian 
| governmental tradition a ‘concept’ is a kind of a detailed policy 
| declaration, which may not be fully observed or may even be rejected or 
| forgotten after a short period of time. However, it may serve as groundwork 
| for future projects and more specific policy measures. Thus, even though a 
| concept document does not create anything by itself, its availability is 
| necessary for creation of good things.          
`----

http://robertogaloppini.net/2008/04/24/open-source-government-several-notes-on-the-russian-free-software-development-concept/


Bill Gates, which we disagree with

,----[ Quote ]
| As but one more piece of testamentary evidence that the old guard at 
| Microsoft needs to be shown the door, Bill Gates has demonstrated 
| conclusively that he has exactly zero understanding of open source, or at 
| least zero desire to have an intelligent discussion about it.    
| 
| [...]
| 
| Open source insists upon leaving software open to further improvement. And if 
| you were to read the European Union's report on open source, you'd see that 
| it's actually a massive opportunity for improved GDP growth.  
| 
| What open source does is ensure that customers share equally in the economic 
| benefits of software, rather than having profits hoarded by one company 
| (i.e., Microsoft's model). The GPL does this perhaps best of all. In another 
| age, Mr. Gates would have found the GPL to be a dear friend to his better 
| capitalist instincts. It's actually a close cousin to a proprietary license 
| in some ways, except that it protects through openness, not closed source.     
`----

http://www.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9927661-16.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheOpenRoad


Bill Gates Claims Open Source Means Nobody Can Improve Software

,----[ Quote ]
| His complaint is that open source creates a license "so that nobody can ever 
| improve the software." It's hard to figure out how to respond to that 
| statement since it's the exact opposite of how open source software works. 
| The exact point is that anyone can improve the software. It's proprietary 
| software like Microsoft's that's limited such that only Microsoft is allowed 
| to improve it. It's no secret that Gates isn't a fan of open source software, 
| but it still seems odd that he would make a statement that is so obviously 
| false, both in theory and in practice. Perhaps old FUD habits die hard, but 
| one would hope that as he enters "retirement" he'll have a more open mind on 
| such things.         
`----

http://techdirt.com/articles/20080423/004519925.shtml


Bill Gates on Pharmaceuticals: The System Isn't Working

,----[ Quote ] 
| One thing Gates won't be leaving behind in retirement is his distaste for 
| open source software. After one scientist asked if Gates would consider open 
| source uses in health research, the man who built his $280 billion company on 
| the power of intellectual property bristled.   
| 
| "There's free software and then there’s open source," he suggested, noting 
| that Microsoft gives away its software in developing countries. With open 
| source software, on the other hand, "there is this thing called the GPL, 
| which we disagree with."   
| 
| Open source, he said, creates a license "so that nobody can ever improve the 
| software," he claimed, bemoaning the squandered opportunity for jobs and 
| business. (Yes, Linux fans, we're aware of how distorted this definition is.) 
| He went back to the analogy of pharmaceuticals: "I think if you invent drugs, 
| you should be able to charge for them," he said, adding with a shrug: "That 
| may seem radical."     
`----

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/bill-gates-what.html


Recent:

Linux Ubuntu PCs set for sale in Russia

,----[ Quote ]
| Linux Ubuntu installation on PCs sold by Excimer and NT Computer is to be 
| launched within the nearest month. Consequently, Ubuntu sales in Russia might 
| reach 300 thousand units. Ubuntu 8.04 released on April 24, 2008 is more 
| likely to be preinstalled.   
`----

http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2008/04/23/298333


Linux being launched at schools

,----[ Quote ]
| Besides the operating system the package is to comprise some freely 
| distributed programs, close to MS Office by their functionality, which are to 
| be used on computers with the following characteristics: 233 MHz and 128MB 
| DDR.   
`----

http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2007/10/25/272200


Russian Postal Service Wears Red Hat

,----[ Quote ]
| Russian Post and American company Red Hat signed the Protocol of intentions 
| on IT development based on open freeware earlier this month. Andrey Pogodin, 
| Deputy Director General of FSUE Russian Post and Jim Whitehurst, President of 
| Red Hat signed the document within the framework of meeting. The parties 
| agreed to join efforts to implement operating system Linux and other software 
| products with open code in Russian Post’s IT-structure.     
`----

http://www.hellmail.co.uk/postalnews/templates/postal_global_news.asp?articleid=402&zoneid=11


IBM to offer Linux machines

,----[ Quote ]
| The machines, it was announced, will come with Red Hat's Linux distro, and 
| will come pre-loaded with software from IBM, including its Lotus Symphony  
| suite. 
`----

http://www.pcretailmag.com/news/29500/IBM-to-offer-Linux-machines


OpenReferent - a New Open Source Challenge to Microsoft Desktop Software

,----[ Quote ]
| Mr Pogodin, Deputy General Director of Post of Russia, said: "Post of Russia, 
| which has 42,000 post offices through out the country, can significantly 
| lower the cost of ownership of the Information System." Post of Russia is one 
| of the first customers that signed up to evaluate themove from Microsoft 
| based desktops to OpenReferent solution.    
| 
| [...]
| 
| Open Referent is based on the recently announced IBM Lotus Open Collaboration 
| Client Solution with Red Hat. 
| 
| Business partners classified as Red Hat Advanced Business Partners and 
| Lotus-authorized IBM Business Partners may sell the Red Hat and IBM Lotus 
| products globally with a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription, and may 
| additionally offer a six-month Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop trial.    
`----

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/04/prweb823104.htm


Open Source Market: FOSS getting hot in Russia

,----[ Quote ]
| Recent interest towards FOSS from the Russian government has boosted 
| commercial activity in this field. No longer than a year ago there was no 
| single large company that would say it is capable of doing FOSS system 
| integration projects. Now there are three, and the number will probably grow.   
| 
| Nobody is particularly sure about how to do business with FOSS, but it is 
| already evident that it can be done somehow. That is why the larger ones are 
| jumping on the bandwagon simply not to be late.  
`----

http://robertogaloppini.net/2008/03/12/open-source-market-foss-getting-hot-in-russia/


Related:

2010: Russia's open software market to grow 4-fold

,----[ Quote ]
| Analysts note that Linux vendors are traditionally present on the mobile
| device market. According to forecasts the OS might become the leader in
| the segment accounting for 40% of it by 2010. ?Currently the share of
| mobile devices with Linux OS is not big in Russia as compared to other
| countries, such as China, for instance. However, the producer's policy,
| Nokia in particular testifies to the fact the situation is changing
| for the better", Ms. Karaeva concluded.
`----

http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2007/05/15/249978


Mandriva Linux selected as "Product of the Year 2007" at the Russian Softool
event

,----[ Quote ]
| Mandriva has been selected as 'Product of the Year 2007' in the Linux 
| category at the Softool exhibition in Moscow. The 'Product of the Year 2007' 
| competition was held by the department of information technologies and 
| computing systems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Federal Agency of 
| Information Technologies, the publishing house SK Press, and IT-expo.    
| 
| [...]
| 
| Mandriva Linux will also soon be certified by the Federal Service of Export 
| and Technical Control, allowing public sector agencies and organizations 
| dealing with confidential information to use Mandriva Linux.  
`----

http://www.linuxlookup.com/2007/nov/19/mandriva_linux_selected_as_product_of_the_year_2007_at_the_russian_softool_event


Russian public agencies choose Mandriva

,----[ Quote ]
| Mandriva development is carried out jointly by Mandriva's offices in Russia, 
| France and Brazil. The Mandriva Linux OS is thus considered a national OS for 
| Russia. The decision of FSTEC of the Russian Federation (RF) implied that 
| Russian public agencies will be authorised to use the Mandriva Linux OS on 
| PCs running confidential information.    
`----

http://www.mandriva.com/company/press/pr/russian_public_agencies_choose_mandriva


Russian Government Will Migrate to OpenSource

,----[ Quote ]
| Russia decided to follow after EU countries, where opensource
| solutions are more spread then in Russia. Currently, some Russian
| companies can offer their own Desktop Linux OS (the major companies
| are ASPLinux, ALTLinux, Linux-Online and LinuxCenter).
`----

http://danays.blogspot.com/2006/12/russian-government-will-migrate-to.html


Russian schools abandon Windows after piracy scare 

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft says that the incident has nothing to do with them, but it 
| appears that Russian schools in the area are so scared about being shipped 
| off to a Siberian Gulag, that they are buying Linux gear instead.
| 
| [..]
| 
| According to Karpushin, schools would start using freely distributed
| software like the Linux OS, Russky office and Open office desktop apps,
| Ekho Moskvi reports.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37460


Linux Education in America: Inspiration from Russia?

,----[ Quote ]
| The reason that the Russian announcement is funny boils down to the 
| perception over the years that Russia equates to totalitarianism, whilst here 
| in America we're all about Freedom and innovation. Yet our educational 
| system -- the very underpinnings of how we're growing out future 
| technological talent, is based upon the inversion of what one would expect 
| given the respective reputations of both countries.     
`----

http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/93171/index.html


Russia is latest country to move towards OpenDocument format and open standards  

,----[ Quote ]
| The stated rationale for this legislation is that “open standards will 
| contribute to an increased number of bidders for government contracts and 
| will increase opportunities for Russian software developers... [and] the 
| problem of interoperability will be addressed as will the ability to access 
| information into the future.”    
`----

http://www.itrportal.com/absolutenm/templates/article-docsoft.aspx?articleid=4410&zoneid=57


Russian Linux (ALTLinux) to be installed in every school in Russia

,----[ Quote ]
| Russian OS is to be installed on every school computer in Russia by 2009. 
| Furthermore, every pupil will get the opportunity to operate the applied 
| software produced in Russia, Leonid Reiman, acting Minister of Communication 
| stated at a press conference. According to Mr. Reiman, that might 
| significantly reduce Russian dependence on foreign software.    
`----

http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2007%2F09%2F14%2F266177


Linux being launched at schools

,----[ Quote ]
| Besides the operating system the package is to comprise some freely 
| distributed programs, close to MS Office by their functionality, which are to 
| be used on computers with the following characteristics: 233 MHz and 128MB 
| DDR.   
`----

http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2007/10/25/272200

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