'UN Summit Tones Down Open-Source Stance' from CBROnline (English)

Although I found out about this several days ago, I had to delay writing about it until my blood stopped boiling. So, it's a little old by now, but still significant.

When you consider the market valuation of Microsoft and its importance to the US (and even world) economy, it's obvious that great measures will be taken to protect it from harm. Consider this article from Barrons. There is a lot of information which indicates that despite Microsoft's current excellent cash and earnings positions, it may really be a giant, unstable financial entity that could come apart in a short period of time if economic conditions become less stable. While from inside the US this may not appear to be even a remote possibility, people on the outside are not so sure:

"In a world where the world's largest economy lives in denial as their wealth sits not on a solid rock base but instead is supported by the shifting sands (quicksand?) of a mountain of debt illusion and their currency is backed by nothing but empty platitudes and is in a clear downtrend, foreigners who hold a substantial asset base can only become increasingly alarmed at the attempts to devalue their holdings. For years this scenario has been playing itself out usually unnoticed by most although occasionally as we saw in the 1998 Asian currency crisis it rears its ugly head with the potential for a financial earthquake." (from 'Debt Illusion' by David Chapman, reprinted in Richard McClendon's Market Commentary.)

While these irritating lobbying actions are understandable and may even seem logical, from a historical perspective it will probably look like the Copyist Monks Union fighting against the printing press. With Linux and FLOSS, forces larger than next quarter's earnings reports or even the USD vs. Euro exchange rate are in play.

Resistance is futile, software will be free.

Willy Smith, reporting from Costa Rica