[Office-commits] r10028 - trunk/campaigns/windows7sins

[sysadmin]

Author: mattl
Date: Tue Oct  6 16:50:09 2009
New Revision: 10028

Log:
updated

Added:
   trunk/campaigns/windows7sins/pr-piece.mdwn

Added: trunk/campaigns/windows7sins/pr-piece.mdwn
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+## Breaking the dependency on proprietary software: A call to nonprofits to 
refuse Microsoft Windows 7
+
+The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to
+promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and
+redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and
+use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating
+system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free
+software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and
+political issues of freedom in the use of software.
+
+Last month, The FSF launched its "Windows 7 Sins" campaign, making the
+case against Microsoft and proprietary software by writing to the
+Fortune 500, asking them to avoid Windows 7, consider the value to
+their customers and shareholders of avoiding proprietary software.
+
+Today, we are asking the leaders of the most influential
+nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide, asking them to make
+the switch to freedom-respecting free software, and to help foster
+awareness of the ethical importance of computer user freedom.
+
+For many years, charities and nonprofit organizations have relied on
+Microsoft and the Windows operating system. Microsoft threatens to
+stop supporting older versions of Windows in the long-term, and
+because the Windows operating system is proprietary software,
+organizations are dependent on Microsoft (and only Microsoft) to
+provide regular security updates and fixes.
+
+By threatening to withdraw their support, we feel Microsoft is abusing
+its monopoly position to strong-arm organizations into adopting new
+versions of their software, even when the new "features" are unwanted
+and even when updating negatively affects the of nonprofits ability to
+operate
+
+The dependency of organizations working for social change and
+improvement on software owned and exclusively controlled by Microsoft
+is leading society into an era of digital restrictions, threatening
+and limiting our freedoms. Microsoft Windows was engineered from the
+ground up as a Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) and Treacherous
+Computing (TC) platform. Microsoft hides these defects under more
+benign-sounding names like "Digital Rights Management" and "Trusted
+Computing" -- the fact is that Windows is designed to limit what
+people can do with documents and digital media files.
+
+The alternative, free software, is designed to give you the ability to
+study and improve the software for your own needs. Free software such
+as the GNU/Linux operating system is readily available, easy-to-use,
+and supported by numerous vendors and a worldwide community. GNU/Linux
+systems come with thousands of installable freely licensed software
+applications, including complete accounting and fundraising solutions
+suitable for charities, as well as communications and typical office
+software.
+
+As with Windows Vista, Windows 7 represents Microsoft's continued
+attacks against the security, privacy and freedom of your
+organization, and are no mistake. Microsoft has a history of
+manipulating computer manufacturers into installing its products onto
+the computers you purchase.
+
+Today, we're asking leaders in the nonprofit sector to switch to the
+free software GNU/Linux operating system for all their desktop and
+computer infrastructure needs.
+
+Free software, such as GNU/Linux is about freedom, and not price. 
+
+Free software is software that you can use and adapt independent of
+any one vendor and free software provides all of the freedoms
+Microsoft tries to deny, and is therefore better in all areas:
+security, accountability and monetary cost. 
+
+GNU/Linux and OpenOffice.org are available from numerous vendors
+ensuring competition for your patronage and your freedom to change
+supplier.
+
+Charities, NGOs, and other nonprofit organizations that choose
+proprietary software are undertaking bad public policy, often through
+misinformation or a failure to see their technology choices as
+connected to their social missions. We hope to alert these decision
+makers to the positive contribution they can make to society by
+switching their organizations to free software. I hope these groups
+will make a public policy commitment to freedom and join a growing
+list of organizations who understand that sinking money and time into
+proprietary software is inconsistent with the core values of freedom
+and progress.
+
+Free software is more secure because you, your IT supplier and the
+wider IT community are independently able to read the source code of
+and customize any program you use in your infrastructure. It saves you
+from relying on a secretive third party, and the public availability
+of free software code means that many qualified eyeballs, the security
+experts and researchers around the world, are continually studying and
+reporting on its integrity.
+
+Replacing all your desktop systems with GNU/Linux will give you
+independence from Microsoft, access to thousands of free software
+applications, and help break the social ill of proprietary software.
+Thousands of organizations have already moved to free software. What's
+your organizational plan?
+
+More information about the campaign, including the text of the letter
+and a mailing list that will provide subscribers with information
+updates and action alerts, is online at <http://en.windows7sins.org>.
+
+*Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at
+<http://donate.fsf.org>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.*
+
+