Boston Linux Conference December 3-4

[Paul Iadonisi]

On Tue, 2002-11-26 at 10:55, Derek Martin wrote:
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> At some point hitherto, Paul Iadonisi hath spake thusly:
> > > > True.  Next question: Do I want to work for one of them?  :-)
> > > 
> > > Good question.  Can you pay the rent this month?
> > 
> >   I'll try not to be too knee-jerk here, but my general reaction would
> > be (if I couldn't pay the rent) is: "Gee, you're right, I can't pay the
> > rent.  I think I need to go sell some illicit drugs."  Different people
> 
> Bleah.   There is a HUGE difference between choosing (or not choosing)
> doing something which is punnishable by law, or something that is
> known to cause serious harm to people, and something that you'd simply
> rather not do...

  I will concede that there is a huge difference between the two. 
However:

o Multnomah County has a policy not to do business with those convicted
of, oh, I think it was federal crime.  Whatever, the point is that the
M$ antitrust conviction makes them fall into this category.  So a
Multnomah County employee doing county business with M$ Word could be
potentially violating the law.  (I'm reaching here, but having fun doing
it ;-))

o Drugs harm the body and the society as a whole.  Monopolies do
significant damage to markets and society in terms of choice.  It could
also be argued that continuing to support the M$ monopoly in way is
contributing to that harm.  (Now, I'm *really* reaching here.  Hehe.)

  Okay, a little more seriously, now.  While I agree the comparison was
not a good one, I do take exception to the statement that it's just
"something I'd rather not do."  It's much more than that for me.  It's a
form of protest against the regurgitations of the Redmond pariah and
anyone who even unknowingly spreads its control-polluted technologies.

-- 
-Paul Iadonisi
 Senior System Administrator
 Red Hat Certified Engineer / Local Linux Lobbyist
 Ever see a penguin fly?  --  Try Linux.
 GPL all the way: Sell services, don't lease secrets