[brlug-general] An all too common opinion

[willhill]

Bruce Byfield, the guy who told you to "grow up" last November, is beating up 
strawmen again.  If we listen to him we will censor ourselves and our 
friends.

In a three page rant, he tells us to be happy for what we have (good) and 
leave M$ alone (bad).  He derides anyone who does bothers to utter more than 
an "occasional curse" is a scary, obsessed, self important, childish 
miscreant that will somehow destroy the free software community.

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/article.php/12068_3738341_1

It would be easy to ignore this person it were not for how common and 
destructive such insults are.   M$'s recent abuse of the ISO shows us that 
the "Evangalism is war" attitude is alive and well and there will be no 
peaceful co-existence.  While we happily use and produce world class 
software, Microsoft is making it as hard as possible for us to run:

OGG:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/27/accidental_music_monopoly_bid/
ACPI:
http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/3000/PX03020.pdf
OOXML:
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=2008040212120873

The OOXML fiasco will have us all reliving the 90s if governments are dumb 
enough to embrace the xml version of M$'s infamous formats.  You would think 
the "grin and bear it" attitude would be rare, especially after such a fresh 
attack, but it's impossible to get away from.  I found his article on the 
first page of a Google News search for "'free software' Linux". There was 
plenty more like it but not much real free software news to be found.  
Slashdot, of course, is flooded with more of the same. Recently, I was kicked 
off the CCCC general list for "politics" and daring to say anything negative 
about "any company" so this kind of propaganda was effective, at least on 
Roger Carlyle and a few others with the power to act against members.

Microsoft deserves frequent ridicule and criticism because they frequently do 
things which are wrong.  They are either too stupid to understand the social 
harm they do or are too greedy to care and they should be called to task each 
time they are caught saying or doing the wrong things.  This is an impossible 
task for any single person, of course, but it's easy for the community if we 
cooperate and share what we know.