beyond - archive.fosdem.org · open standards, microsoft will increasingly lose the initiative....
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Beyond
Free Software today and tomorrowGeorg Greve
Free Software Foundation Europe
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 1
640K ought to be enoughAn old and honorable tradition
"I have traveled the length and breadth ofthis country and talked with the bestpeople, and I can assure you that dataprocessing is a fad that won’t last out theyear."
-- Editor in charge of businessbooks for Prentice Hall, 1957
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 2
640K ought to be enoughAn old and honorable tradition
"There is no reason anyone would want acomputer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, president, chairmanand founder of Digital EquipmentCorportation (DEC), 1977
...so let me now add my own.
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 3
almost there: GPLv3Most changes uncontroversial
Controversial changes:Software patentsMain controversy in language & fine tuningDigital Restrictions Management (DRM)Controversy based on misunderstandingControversy in principle
Status:slight delay (MS-Novell)Next draft might be last
Participate @ http://gplv3.fsf.org
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 4
Earthquakes? Rain of fire?What happens when GPLv3 is out?
Many scenarios and theories, but:
"In theory there is no difference betweenpractice and theory. In practice there is."
-- Yogi Berra
My personal trend theory:Adoption: constructively in several wavesDevelopers: like to argue, but pragmaticCompanies: will find it reasonable & solid
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 5
Future legal focus: StructuralLegal maintainability
Ability to relicence
Ability to enforce licence
Maintain clean legal status
e.g. FSFE’s Freedom Task Force (FTF)Expert teams for law and technology
full-time coordinatorLicensing educationFiduciary servicesLicence enforcement
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 6
Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645)
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 7
The right timeMicrosoft Vista is shipping
"If Vista’s price, especially for Europeans,is its most eye-popping feature, its secondmost eye-popping feature is the AquaAero desktop interface. ... Indeed, Aerolooks nearly as good as KDE, although itdemands about three times the systemresources."
-- Thomas C Greene, The Registerhttp://theregister.co.uk/2007/02/14
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 8
Microsoft under pressureVista technologically weak, expensive
"main feature" DRM increasingly unpopular
"This antitrust thing will blow over."
-- Bill Gates, 1995
EC antitrust work gaining momentum
Free Software to the desktop!
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 9
The right actionThe global push for Open Standards
"One person’s RAND is another person’sbankruptcy"
-- Susy Struble, Sun Microsystems
various Open Standard Definitions
possible convergence uponpublicly documented and accessiblefreely implementablemaintained by independent standard orgFree Software reference implementation?
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 10
Open Standard ConvergenceOpen Standards central for governmental use
Struggle between ODF and OpenXMLSubvertive attack on definition
This can be our game
Discussions in various fora (IGF & Co)
Push for Open Standard legislation
Free Software developers:
Support Open Standards!
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 11
Pick your quote – choice 1"I don’t know what you mean. Vista’s hadan incredible reception... The reviewshave been fantastic. This is a big, bigadvance in the Windows platform. It’s theworld’s most used piece of software...Overall, the reliability feedback has beenwell better than we expected."
-- Bill Gates to Reuters, 2007
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 12
Pick your quote – choice 2"Sandwiched between Vista problems,antitrust issues and the global push forOpen Standards, Microsoft willincreasingly lose the initiative. FreeSoftware will start to cut into the desktopmonopoly from which Microsoft haspreviously excerted force to conquerneighboring markets. Eventually Microsoftwill be forced to fundamentally rethink itsbusiness model in favor of Free Software."
-- Georg Greve, keynote@FOSDEM, 2007
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 13
Turning point 2007We can make that choice this year!
Thank you for your attention!
Free Software Foundation Europe:http://fsfeurope.org
Get involved, defend your freedom:http://www.fsfe.org
Contact:mailto:[email protected]
FOSDEM – 24,25 February 2007 – Brussels, Belgium – p. 14