Re: [hangout] Re: eGovOS conference in D.C.; I'm not attending that

[David Sugar]

I know everyone has expressed strong concerns about this conference and what 
has happened and at least some believe immediate action must be taken in 
response to the situation.  I think the important question is what form of 
action should be taken that is likely to have a favorable outcome for Free 
Software.  Also, I do consider it possible that some of the other organizers 
of this event simply made a bad choice in judgement or were misled without 
being fully aware of what they were doing, the implications of their action, 
or the ways that thier event is being misused as a result.

Since I have no other contacts other than Tony I do not know the other 
organizers of this event.  Certainly I had not talked with anyone else 
involved in their event before making my own decision.  I do know that if we 
create an immediate and public confrontation it would become far harder for 
them to choose to alter their current plans if some of them would have been 
open to doing so, and would also immediately limit our choice of options to a 
single and fixed course of action.

While I completely understand the reasons that both Ruben and Derek have 
suggested that we have a boycott of this event, and that Jay has expressed 
for a public protest, and I think everyone has well expressed what particular 
grievences exists, I have not heard anyone say or suggest any single course 
of action we would actually want to try and get them to do.  I suggest 
thinking about what our goal really should be, and after that, then seeing if 
and how best we can achieve that goal.  Is our goal to have Microsoft removed 
from the venue?  Is it to have an effective platform and representation of 
our views at the conference to correct any mis-information they are 
permitting Microsoft to portray?  Is it something else?

On Friday 07 February 2003 18:09, Richard Stallman wrote:
>     If we go the press will report what we say.  Some reporters may partly
> fall for some Microsoft lies, but if we do not go, almost every reporter
> will present the worst, stupidest, and most vicious Microsoft lies as being
> "simply the facts".
>
> It is important to go to the event to correct the falsehoods, but at
> the same time we must also cast doubt on the legitimacy of the event.
> For people who think that "Linux" World reflects what our movement is
> about, the simple fact that they invite Microsoft is a statement much
> louder than ours.  How exactly to do this, I am not sure.
>
> The tendency for events that pretend to be part of our community to
> betray its spirit is very harmful, and we have to push back against
> it.  I wish we could push back much harder than we have done in the
> past.