Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on June 30, 2005 10:14 PM
WE NEED SELF-SPREADING PROPAGANDA
We (supporters of free/open software) can learn from the wide circulation of certain types of email messages such as bogus virus warnings, get-rich-quick schemes, conspiracy theories, and jokes. What makes them circulate? How can we harness the same dynamics in the service of the TRUTH? Here are some suggestions on the sorts of emails we need:
* Could your software suddenly become ILLEGAL? (Don't get
caught by software patents. Always choose software that
runs on multiple platforms, so that if your operating
system is sued from under you, you can change your OS
and keep using your apps. Here's a list of programs
that only run on Windows, together with their
multi-platform equivalents...) [It would help to explain
how patents, unlike copyrights, are infringed by
independent reinvention, and how checking for prior art
can result in extra penalties for willful infringement.]
* How to avoid being sued for spreading Word macro viruses
(Set the options so that you always save in RTF format.
Forward this to your boss so that your whole
organization follows suit.) [I think some caveats are
needed about residual macros in RTF, and viruses that
make Word look like it's saving RTF when it's really
saving<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc format. And I think RTF is applicable to
other MS Office programs, but only as an export format,
not a working format.]
* How to extract discounts from Microsoft / How to get
FREE Microsoft Office licenses! (Prepare by importing
your existing MS Office documents to OpenOffice. If you
can't do that directly, try exporting an intermediate
format [RTF? SVG?] from MS Office. Then demand that
Microsoft supply licenses free of charge, with support
paid on a per-hour or per-incident basis -- because
that's what you can get for OpenOffice. If Microsoft
won't play ball, retain only as many MS Office seats as
you need to maintain your existing documents. Create
new documents in OpenOffice format. Next time, if there
is a next time, they'll know you mean business.) [Note:
Promising discounts for MS Office probably gets more
attention than directly telling people to use something
else.]
* FREE Word-to-PDF converter! (Import your Word document
directly or indirectly into OpenOffice and click
File-Export-PDF. Is the formatting less than perfect?
Well, if you actually CREATE the document in
OpenOffice...) [This suggestion, like the previous one,
leverages off Microsoft's strength.]
* Why Microsoft Office is best (It saves files in formats
that only it understands, so that you are forever
beholden to Microsoft if you want to read your own
documents. It changes its file format to force other
people to upgrade. It pollutes the WWW with proprietary
HTML extensions that only work with IE, which only runs
on Windows, which other people have to buy from MS. It
doesn't matter if it's no good, because you have to use
it because other people use it, because they have to use
it because other people use it, because they have to use
it because other people use it... [to terminate this
* How to lose friends and alienate people! (Upgrade to MS
Office<nobr> <wbr></nobr>... [whatever version it is], save documents in
the new default format, and send them to your contacts
so that they think they have to upgrade Office if they
want to keep working with you.)
I stress that such emails must be short, sharp, alarmist, sensationalist, thoroughly referenced, and SCRUPULOUSLY ACCURATE. I further suggest that such emails be released under a sort of one-sentence mini GPL like ``Copyright 2005 Fred Nerque. Forwarding, copying, translation and modification of this message are permitted worldwide without royalty provided this notice is preserved, and provided that only the last modifier is named as the copyright owner.'' The best versions will self-select by propagating fastest.
Could I write some of this stuff? Yes, but I'm probably not the best person for the job, because of my lack of in-depth knowledge of OpenOffice and MS Office. I spend my life drafting HTML documents in Emacs (thank you, RMS). Besides, I'm not a lawyer and I'm not funny. But I'm open to persuasion.
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We need self-spreading propaganda
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on June 30, 2005 10:14 PMWe (supporters of free/open software) can learn from the
wide circulation of certain types of email messages such as
bogus virus warnings, get-rich-quick schemes, conspiracy
theories, and jokes. What makes them circulate? How can
we harness the same dynamics in the service of the TRUTH?
Here are some suggestions on the sorts of emails we need:
* Could your software suddenly become ILLEGAL? (Don't get
caught by software patents. Always choose software that
runs on multiple platforms, so that if your operating
system is sued from under you, you can change your OS
and keep using your apps. Here's a list of programs
that only run on Windows, together with their
multi-platform equivalents...) [It would help to explain
how patents, unlike copyrights, are infringed by
independent reinvention, and how checking for prior art
can result in extra penalties for willful infringement.]
* How to avoid being sued for spreading Word macro viruses
(Set the options so that you always save in RTF format.
Forward this to your boss so that your whole
organization follows suit.) [I think some caveats are
needed about residual macros in RTF, and viruses that
make Word look like it's saving RTF when it's really
saving<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc format. And I think RTF is applicable to
other MS Office programs, but only as an export format,
not a working format.]
* How to extract discounts from Microsoft / How to get
FREE Microsoft Office licenses! (Prepare by importing
your existing MS Office documents to OpenOffice. If you
can't do that directly, try exporting an intermediate
format [RTF? SVG?] from MS Office. Then demand that
Microsoft supply licenses free of charge, with support
paid on a per-hour or per-incident basis -- because
that's what you can get for OpenOffice. If Microsoft
won't play ball, retain only as many MS Office seats as
you need to maintain your existing documents. Create
new documents in OpenOffice format. Next time, if there
is a next time, they'll know you mean business.) [Note:
Promising discounts for MS Office probably gets more
attention than directly telling people to use something
else.]
* FREE Word-to-PDF converter! (Import your Word document
directly or indirectly into OpenOffice and click
File-Export-PDF. Is the formatting less than perfect?
Well, if you actually CREATE the document in
OpenOffice...) [This suggestion, like the previous one,
leverages off Microsoft's strength.]
* Why Microsoft Office is best (It saves files in formats
that only it understands, so that you are forever
beholden to Microsoft if you want to read your own
documents. It changes its file format to force other
people to upgrade. It pollutes the WWW with proprietary
HTML extensions that only work with IE, which only runs
on Windows, which other people have to buy from MS. It
doesn't matter if it's no good, because you have to use
it because other people use it, because they have to use
it because other people use it, because they have to use
it because other people use it... [to terminate this
infinite loop, press ctrl-alt-del]... Don't argue.
Microsoft Office is best -- for Microsoft!)
* How to lose friends and alienate people! (Upgrade to MS
Office<nobr> <wbr></nobr>... [whatever version it is], save documents in
the new default format, and send them to your contacts
so that they think they have to upgrade Office if they
want to keep working with you.)
I stress that such emails must be short, sharp, alarmist,
sensationalist, thoroughly referenced, and SCRUPULOUSLY
ACCURATE. I further suggest that such emails be released
under a sort of one-sentence mini GPL like ``Copyright 2005
Fred Nerque. Forwarding, copying, translation and
modification of this message are permitted worldwide
without royalty provided this notice is preserved, and
provided that only the last modifier is named as the
copyright owner.'' The best versions will self-select by
propagating fastest.
Could I write some of this stuff? Yes, but I'm probably
not the best person for the job, because of my lack of
in-depth knowledge of OpenOffice and MS Office. I spend my
life drafting HTML documents in Emacs (thank you, RMS).
Besides, I'm not a lawyer and I'm not funny. But I'm open
to persuasion.
--- Gavin R. Putland.
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