MS on German Free Software Petition

[Seth Johnson <seth.johnson@RealMeasures.dyndns.org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/23964.html


MS Chief Lashes Out at German Free Software Petition

By John Lettice
02/06/2002


A petition lobbying for the use of Free Software in the
German Bundestag has rattled Microsoft Germany sufficiently
for the company to retaliate. Microsoft Deutschland chairman
and EMEA VP Kurt Sibold has responded to the ringleaders,
complaining of discrimination, and of being accused of being
a hindrance to democracy. 

(Pause while you think about that). "Open Source software,"
he continues, "is not per se a guarantee of free
competition." The campaign is pushing for "discrimination
against our products and services as being undemocratic and
a hindrance to democracy." 

Sibold may well have justification in feeling somewhat
bruised, as the petition itself is rattling good stuff,
possibly penned by people who believe that Bill Gates is
indeed das Böse: "We believe that, in a free market economy,
it is the state's duty to prevent the development of
monopolies and to grant the possibility of real competition.
The public signal of introducing alternative software in
such a prominent institution as parliament would be an easy
and practicable step in the direction of a more open market.
While free software is not in itself a warrant for free
competition, in today's situation there seems to be no other
alternative to insure practicable and safe information
technology equipment for the legislature. 

"Civic supervision and improvement of software by the
general public is only possible using free software, due to
its openly accessible source code. Short term disclosure of
source codes - as offered by Microsoft - can only remain
patchwork... The democratic aspect cannot be reduced to its
mere increased security and flexibility, but is much more
the expression of an extended understanding of democracy,
encompassing economic and scientific progress. It therefore
seems to us the duty of a democratic state to support the
use of open source systems." 

In support of its case it cites the introduction of Open
Source in South Korea, it's role in the European
Commission's e-Europe initiative, and the UK's planned
"mandatory introduction of open source software in the
public sector." We hadn't heard that last one either - nor,
frankly, do we expect to. 

One of the things likely to have worried Microsoft most is
the fact that quite a few of the initial supporters of the
petition are Bundestag members, meaning it looks much more
like a genuine campaign with heft than just a clutch of
crazed visionary lobbyists. It has also, almost immediately,
achieved a high level of support, some of whom seem to be
listed here. So it could indeed be a tricky one for MS
Gmbh... ®