Massachusetts v. Microsoft

Rich Braun richb at pioneer.ci.net
Sat Sep 27 13:27:45 EDT 2003


Dan Barrett <nullpointer at pobox.com> wrote:
> It may have ran in yesterday's Globe, but I can't seem to find the version
> of the article that should have run on Boston.com. Their search function
> has never been a strong point though... :-/

I'll give the Globe credit for one thing:  at least they provide their content
online free for a couple days.  The NY Times gives you that truly annoying
pay-up-bud message whenever you click an article link someone sends you
(unless of course you've already paid up, which I refuse to do because news
items are pretty much always available somewhere else).

The AP article about Linux on Beacon Hill was excerpted in the "Business in
Brief" section which they never bother cross-referencing in their search
engine: 
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/09/26/putnam_has_27th_month_of_withdrawals/

Call me jaded, but somehow I don't see the Finneran/Romney duo out there
embracing open-source in the same spirit as the folks who founded BLU or FSF. 
They have plenty of profiteering pals whose campaign donations keep the votes
coming.  There's real news behind this "news", but it'd be hard to find a
reporter who takes the time to really get to the bottom of this.

The older and crotchetier I get, the more I think we need to build a broad
grass-roots movement encompassing about 60% of the adult popluation to vote
all the bums out.  And to string up by the <insert obscenity here> with rusty
piano wire anyone who ever purchases anything promoted by a spammer. ;-)

But hey, maybe Bain Capital will throw a few $billion into the BLU treasury to
promote open source projects, and Hale & Dorr will devote 50 full-time
attorneys to the cause.  Stranger things could happen.

-rich




More information about the Discuss mailing list