10.08.09
FSF Mails NGOs Regarding Microsoft Traps While Microsoft Continues Abuse of Power in Kenya
Summary: The “Windows 7 Sins” campaign reaches charities and NGOs across the world
MICROSOFT’S RECENT history when it comes to NGOs may be bordering the criminal. The FSF must understand that Microsoft is an amoral (if not immoral) entity, so to expect anything different from Microsoft would almost be unreasonable.
The FSF’s “Windows 7 Sins” campaign is one that we covered in:
- FSF Campaign Upsets Exactly Those Whom It Ought to Have Upset
- “Windows 7 Sins” Campaign a Great Success So Far
- Vista 7 Campaign Starts Tomorrow
- The Group from Boston That Makes Microsoft Scared (Not Novell)
- Vista 7 Sins – Teaser Video
The FSF has taken the next step and now it is addressing NGOs rather than top companies. The Inquirer reports:
THE FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION (FSF) is to write to the leaders of 500 of the most influential non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide to urge them to refuse Windows 7.
The letters will outline the seven areas where the FSF says Microsoft and the commercial software market is damaging: invading privacy, poisoning education, locking users in, abusing standards, leveraging monopolistic behaviour, enforcing Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), and threatening user security.
At the same time we relearn from IDG that Microsoft is among those exploiting their influence in Kenya. It advances its agenda at the expense of Free(dom) software.
Kenyan Linux advocates face well-funded U.S. companies
[...]
Microsoft has received most of the criticism because of its market position. It has several projects with the government.
We wrote about this region before, shortly after Microsoft had allegedly blackmailed the country using withdrawal of incentives. Microsoft actively fights GNU/Linux adoption in Kenya while Bill Gates creates agricultural monopolies over there. This hopefully puts in context the pleas from the FSF and shows why they make perfect sense.
This is about autonomy; Kenya has been exploited by foreigners for far too long. Several days ago we showed a similar situation in Nigeria. Microsoft does over there similar things to what the oil industry does [Flash - video] (also with Bill Gates' investments) █
“All that poverty alleviation means is an increase in exploitation of the resources, and it provides short-term and relatively superficial gains for people in Africa”
–Athan Manuel
