Attend Foss.in, Get Proprietary Software
I am participating in foss.in along with Prasad who spoke about contributing to Spicebird. I was disgusted when along with the delegate kit, I was given a CDROM containing proprietary software from VMware.
Organisers, perhaps, are doing that because VMware is a silver sponsor. They are, in effect, trapping people into proprietary software. I have come to think that the organisers don’t give a rat’s ass about Free Software philosophy or at least the spirit of open source development communities. This is what happens when people get involved for petty/wrong reasons.
I returned the CDROM at the delegate kit distribution desk as soon as I found it in the kit. I even got some objection from across the desk when i was doing that. Next time, however, I will mostly certainly refuse Foss.in itself.
Update: If you happened to visit the VMware stall and give your contact details out of courtesy, you will also receive a recruitment offer from VMware. So, now, FOSS developers have cool venue to turn into proprietary software developers.
on November 29th, 2008 at 10:06 am
I was surprised to see vwware out there especially when the focus of the conference was on FOSS “code” – it would have been appropriate to have some organizations that has contributed to the FOSS movement. But I didn’t give the CD back, I threw it away after I saw it at home.
on November 30th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I was there too. the delegate kit wasn\’t worth it at all. a bunch of lousy openoffice stickers with CDs of \
on November 30th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
darnit, your WP ate half of my comment. I ended the above saying “irony”, heh.
on December 2nd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Jayadeep Purushothaman said:
> But I didn’t give the CD back, I threw it away after I saw it at home.
I felt that it was important to show my discontent to the organisers in some way. I could not come up with a better idea at the moment. Prasad threw the CDROM into the waste bin at their stall.
sindhu said:
> darnit, your WP ate half of my comment
Sorry about that. I only maintain it very rarely and don’t want to subscribe to some blog service in the cloud. That way I can keep my Software Freedom on the net.
on January 1st, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Just for funsies- what’s wrong with taking money from your opponents to fight against them ? You go there every time and test their commitment to conduct such and event again, when all the participants throw their sponsor’s proprietary software CDs up in the air , at once, saying in chorus “we are free now” . That would be quiet a spectacle, and might even catch up as the official closing ceremony
. What do you say ?
on January 4th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
> what’s wrong with taking money from your opponents to fight against them ?
Think of why an opponent would give anyone money in the first place if one can gain net positive advantage against them?
>That would be quiet a spectacle, and might even catch up as the official closing ceremony
That would be quite a spectacle indeed. For that to happen however, all the attendees should have understanding of the Free Software movement and should be activists. That is far from reality. Many people attend foss.in with little or no understanding of Free Software philosophy. It is they who could get addicted to the free cigarettes.