French Media Companies Lobbied to Ban Free Software

The US still plays a major role in NATO.

The US military is a big user of open source software. http://www.mitre.org/work/sepo/library/SoftwareEngineering/O...

Does the French Military also use Open Source?

I know that the US military is not popular in France, but a ban on open source could undermine French national security, and would certainly harm the French defense contractor industry when they try to compete with companies from other NATO countries for contracts to supply NATO's demand for Open Source.

Quoting:Does the French Military also use Open Source?

Good remark. From our own Linux migration list (click on MIGRATIONS in the LXer top bar, click on 'country', and go to page 4/5):

Gendarmerie Française WebCT95 (French Department of Val d’Oise) French Ministry of Equipment Mandrake France French ministry of Justice (servers) French Agriculture and Fishing Ministry Dassault-Aviation French Ministry of Culture & Communication MACIF (partial) UGAP France (Union of the Public Buying associations)

As you see, they all use open source. So will the French army by the way, for swarming robots.

slashdotted also : http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/05/12/02/2040237.shtml?tid=123&t...

Yes, French administration uses a lot of open-source software. The bad thing is that it doesn't get into our politics minds. As this law proposal is inapplicable, I don't worry that much, surely I should care more.

This is the Business Software Alliance at work. Getting together with the French equivelants to the MPAA and the RIAA to try to get Microsofts competitors banned from the market place. What does this tell you?

That without Government intervention Microsoft thinks it can't win?

That they'll try anything to squash Open Source?

That the BSA is basically Microsofts strong arm, used to apply pressure where suggestion and discount have failed?

It seems to me that lobby groups on behalf of the recording industry need bringing down to size. They are emboldened by the crap they've managed to get away with thus far and are getting out of hand.

Do you want to live in a world where the only sources of media are officially sanctioned, Microsoft approved channels?

sal, in my own words, BillG knows best. Just relax and go with the program, you'll be happier. They can block access to contraceptives and painkillers, but the happy pills are free.