tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post5757962216969526131..comments2024-03-22T12:20:48.920+00:00Comments on open...: Microsoft, Enemy of Human Rights in Russia?Glyn Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436885795882611585noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-66611464100855845642010-09-12T15:32:37.645+00:002010-09-12T15:32:37.645+00:00@valdis: yes, interesting stuff.
It seems to me ...@valdis: yes, interesting stuff. <br /><br />It seems to me that the solution is actually quite simple. Since the issue is how much Ubuntu, say, is "worth", and the measure is Vista, all you need to do is to make the investigators *use* Vista so that they realise that is worthless, and hence the value of Ubuntu is 0, and hence no taxes need be paid...Glyn Moodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04436885795882611585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-21858414037637969652010-09-12T14:13:42.966+00:002010-09-12T14:13:42.966+00:00Russian state institutions will find way to interv...Russian state institutions will find way to intervene even if free software is used. Look at http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fhabrahabr.ru%2Fblogs%2Fsam%2F97421%2FValdishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04743334381211637315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-56701451526395048272010-09-12T11:04:10.609+00:002010-09-12T11:04:10.609+00:00@jhominal: see comment above regarding Microsoft&#...@jhominal: see comment above regarding Microsoft's complicity in this.<br /><br />Well, what could the authorities have done had the groups used free software? Nothing in terms of licensing. So, yes, they would have moved on to something else without doubt - but the point is, using Microsoft makes it easy to pull them up for alleged piracy. If they had used free software, at least they would have made it harder.<br /><br />In these cases, you can't win, but you don't have to simply throw in the towel...Glyn Moodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04436885795882611585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-34808894364139031112010-09-12T11:01:27.637+00:002010-09-12T11:01:27.637+00:00@FleaStiff: of course, you're right, this was ...@FleaStiff: of course, you're right, this was purely an excuse. But the story explicitly says that the groups in question said "Microsoft needed to issue a categorical public statement disavowing these tactics and pledging to never cooperate in such cases."<br /><br />In other words, Microsoft is still complicit in this, even if it is only a bystander.Glyn Moodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04436885795882611585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-36184909516933303642010-09-12T10:56:28.397+00:002010-09-12T10:56:28.397+00:00You seem to miss the most important factor there: ...You seem to miss the most important factor there: Russia's state police was out to get that NGO, and they were not afraid to falsify the truth to do it - they have enough power to get away with ignoring inconvenient facts and spouting blatant lies.<br /><br />Had these computers been loaded with free software, they would still have been hauled off for "investigation" - any tampering done by the police with these computers would be passed by the police off as "investigation".<br />Even if the NGO wins a following trial about software piracy (highly improbable), they will still have lost all of their confiscated data and a lot of time and money.<br /><br />As for Microsoft's implication, I suspect that they are misled, manipulated, used, rather than a driving force in these events. (Never assume evilness when stupidity is enough to explain it.)Jean Hominalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07681961092663904629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-82803719999136220642010-09-12T10:50:30.540+00:002010-09-12T10:50:30.540+00:00I would expect that any software violations are pu...I would expect that any software violations are purely excuses for the police seizures and that any "prior application of a Microsoft lawyer" is pure fiction or some document filled in by the police under a signed-in-blank Microsoft letter. <br /><br />Big deal. It has nothing to do with Microsoft. It has nothing to do with software piracy. <br /><br />It is the price of getting any action on legitimate piracy claims.FleaStiffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09837830811566745662noreply@blogger.com