It is with a sour tone not quite in the Olympic spirit that Tom
Giovanetti, everyone's favourite lobbyist around here, has announced
that he has detected a world record in the repetition of the term "Free
Software". Predictably, the prize goes to Georg Greve, FSF Europe's president.
If you ever wondered how many times someone can say the phrase "free
software" in about 7 minutes, I've just seen the world record
performance.
Georg made a statement
criticising the Friends
of Development proposal, which does not mention Free Software as an
issue to be included in the Development Agenda, though previous
proposals did. Can't let them get away with it, can you?
If Tom took offence, it was probably because he might still be a bit
sore about his institute not being
admitted to the Microsoft Antitrust case in the EU, on the grounds that
they had no legitimate interest in the case, meaning that they are
irrelevant.
What Georg did not mention in his statement, though, was sliced bread:
They use their opportunities to speak as a chance to complain about DRM,
to complain that the public domain is under threat, to say that a
"reprivatization of the public domain" is under way, to pontificate
about all the glories of free software and how it was free software that
invented sliced bread and electricity, and how it was free software that
taught us how to make fire and how to take care of public sanitation and
cure rabies, etc.
IIRC, rabies did not come up either, though at least one person involved
in this debate certainly seems to be affected.
Also, the claim that FSF Europe's statement lasted seven minutes (limit
for NGO is three minutes) is false. Maybe Tom should ask Microsoft to
buy him at least a decent watch, since that appears to be all they can do
for him.
Tom, if you so strongly dislike Free Software, you might want to give up
on using the internet and the World Wide Web. Not only was Free Software
at the heart of the creation of both, it also keeps an ever greater
part of it running today.
