Re: [discuss] Re: [Fsfe-uk] Re: [discuss] Open source software News

[Sander Vesik]

Chris Sherlock wrote:
> I suppose this seems like a fair enough answer... I guess you see 
> software more as an infrastructure that the govt should maintain and 
> develop. I'm still not so sure...
>
> What I *do* think, however, is that governments should make it 
> compulsory for software companies (and peripheral companies, in 
> particular!) to open their code. Do you know the number of times I've 
> had to scrap or make do with 2nd-best because I couldn't see the source 
> code of some crappy product???? :) I guess that's why I only run Linux 
> now (especially now I've worked out CUPS and Samba).

I don't agree with this - governemnts dictating things about software 
and hardware have so far only given lots of negative results. The 
goverment should require that things it buys have open interfaces (and 
this applies to both hardware and software). This gives you a good 
balance and keeps most of the lobbyists from paying attention and 
screewing things royaly up.

> Chris