[LUGSB] MS employee posting to list

[Michael Graffam]

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003, Mark wrote:

> I just got an email from an employee at Microsoft by the name Michael
> Surkan.  He was asking if I thought it was appropriate for him to send
> an email on the LUG's mailing list to "help us identify capabilities,
> improvements, and features that Microsoft should be focusing on the help
> our customers over the next 5 years or so."  So, I said that I was okay
> with it as long as he "not try to sell anything to the members of the
> list.  That is, don't try and sell any actual product, and don't try
> and get us to use Microsoft products if we choose not to."

Mark,

I'm fine with this -- and I agree that Linux users should help provide
real advice to MS. For starters, MS should move to a BSD-based operating
system and provide a GUI API for application compatibility. Think MacOS X
and not Cygwin. :)

On a more serious note, however, I'd like to offer a bit of advice: please
be highly critical of any MS jargon involving their Shared Source
licenses.

Microsoft Shared Source is not the same as Free Software, or Open Source.
MS reserves the right to restrict who can use the code and in what
fashion. It is "open" only for peer review and MS has specifically
restricted distribution and use by projects with use the GPL or LGPL.

It is important to see MS shared source for what it is: a ploy to get
developers to abandon Free Software.

Just a thought.

Enjoy the holidays, everyone!