[wilhelmtux-discussion] [bytesforall_readers] NEWS: New initiative packages Free Software for Governments - beware of FSC , tthough

[Claude Almansi]

<<From: "Alex Schroeder" <alex at gnu.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2003 2:29 PM
Subject: [wilhelmtux-discussion] [bytesforall_readers] NEWS: New initiative
packages Free Software for Governments


Die angehängte mail fand ich spannend, weil hier mit damit geworben
wird, dass andere Länder diese Distro schon eingeführt hätten, etc.
Keine Ahnung wer das Free Software Consortium ist...

Alex.



New initiative packages Free Software for Governments

SOMEWHERE IN CYBERSPACE, June 20: Governments bold enough to opt for the
freedom that comes with Free Software now have another tool in their
armoury that will make their switchover easier.

A Free Software package know as Government Distro was launched on June
19th  by the Free Software Consortium (FSC), a global organisation dedicated
to
the  promotion and distribution of Free Sofware.>>

Dear Alex,

I know them, unfortunately. Put "Free Software Consortium" + Off-Topic +
Spam in Google and you'll be edified. They spammed about every single Linux
list and lug with exactly the same message saying they were looking for
consultants last December, got banned and blocked.

I personally (well have been corresponding with) one of them, Giuliano
Gennaio, who is also vice-president of the European Students' Students'
Committee www.eusc.org . We starte corresponding after he spammed TWELVE
educational mailing lists about a Socrates+Leonardo project about languages
and ICT.

Giuliano is honestly convinced that spamming is a legit means of
communication. When he spammed again WWWEDU, this time about the Free
Software Consortium, I gently warned him this was counter-productive, as
people had reacted badly to the december campaign. He asked me for evidence.
I sent it him, asking him for Pete's sake to make an effort to blend in at
the lists he subscribed to, not just use them to throw info about things he
has an interest in. He answered he'll try: there were some pretty strong
quotations by pissed-off people in my e-mail.

Giuliano might change. But I have serious doubts about the crowd he is
hanging with. It's a bit like www.hackerjournal.it - people exploiting the
interest for an alternative, non corporatist approach to the internet to
make  a lot of money. Giuliano has even less of a clue about tech than I,
and it's the same with the chief editor of Hacker Journal. The FSC seems to
be a corporation out to make a buck, and I wouldn't bet my shirt on the
percentage of them who actually can use the package they are making for
governments...

Cheers

Claude

Claude Almansi
claude.almansi at bluewin.ch
www.adisi.ch