Let me just be clear on this. I couldn't care less about Mike or anyone elses previous writing. THIS ARTICLE is completely BIASED and confuses the public. It's a flat out canned news report, with no investigation, no content, just a marketing blurb which misinforms the public. NY Fair Use and NYLXS has spent considerable time and money to clear up the mess your creating with dribble such as this article. Your article is WRONG. It's morally wrong, wrong in the facts, and misleads the public. The topic itself was NOT EVEN NEWSWORTHY. We in New York are doing more newsworthy things which you do NOT REPORT. Your hurting people, and they are taking it personal, those hundreds of thousands of people who put out real work and put in time to get the public real Free Software products. Those peoplec who don't have a billion dollar budget for canning new for you to report. Who sweat everyday if they'll feed their children when faced with a calous and malicious Tech Press which is biased and paid off. This is just a mouth peice for Microsoft.... PERIOD. Adam gave you a very reasonable set of corrections about the article. Your response was to insult him, and make flat out WRONG statements about the meaning of Quotes. Next you will be telling all us stupid people what the meaning of IS is. This is the article: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8992 It is reprinted below. There is a a shread of integrety in it's reporting. YOU ARE WRONG. Put your fooling pride and flaming insults aside and FIX YOUR MESS. And BTW - your not the only people to get millions of web imprints.... Ruben Microsoft speeds up "Open Source" campaign Windows open in new office. Blind panic? By INQUIRER staff: Thursday 17 April 2003, 11:10 SOFTWARE MAMMOTH Microsoft opened an office in Japan on April 10th to promote its shared source initiative, according to wire reports. Asiabiztech said that the office will give source code not only to municipal and central government departments, but to companies and to research organisations and universities. The only condition, according to this report, is that the different participants have to sign a contract before they start messing with the Windows code. The initiative is a Microsoft response to the success of Linux as an operating system, and products such as Open Office. While the Shared Sources programme has been in train for a couple of year, opening a dedicated office shows it's taking the threat ever more seriously. The different software available under the scheme includes W2K and XP, WinServer2003, CE, and other products in its line up. On 2003.04.21 18:36 Arron Rouse wrote:

Sigh. Let's do a quick summary here...

1. Mike is the editor of The Inquirer and he has said that he has given up. That means there aren't going to be any changes. Get it into your head and get over it. 2. It is quite obvious that none of you are regular Inq readers or you wouldn't be creating such a fuss. Try reading the site for a while. 3. The Inquirer has published several hundred pro-open source articles that have several million individual article views. I don't remember a single pro-Microsoft article, though there may have been a few, there have certainly been many anti-MS articles. But then you wouldn't know that, you're obviously not regular readers.

Over the year that I've been writing for The Inquirer I have personally written several pro-open source and several anti-MS articles. You guys are tempting me to change that around. It is more likely that you are pro-Microsoft agitators trying to give open source advocates a bad name by acting like complete tossers than it is that that article will have its headline changed. The headline is correct English. We have plenty of open source advocates who are regular readers, including some of the bigger names in the game who occasionally write to us directly, and they didn't say a word. You are out on a limb.

Lastly, even Egan's "flame," note the use of quotes, was relatively polite. You've had several nice replies and it still hasn't sunk in. We could have ignored you entirely as just about any other news service would have done. We could have said, "fuck off and rethink your life."

Anything more from you on the subject will be treated as pro-Microsoft trolling to make open source advocates look like morons.

The matter is closed. No more correspondence will be entered into. Finished. The End.

Arron

Adam Kosmin wrote:

...

Egan, You fail to realize the problem with quoting. By quoting, you (and your publication) create an association between OSS and SS. Noone asked you to do this. This is just the kind of game that Microsoft is trying to play and you're falling (as well as leading your readers) right into it. It's bad enough that OSS dilutes the message behind Free Software, now your publication is in the process of diluting OSS by associating it with this crap that Microsoft is throwing in the mix.

In response to your wonderful explanation about the use of quotes, I'll say this:

Microsoft speeds up Shared Source campaign.

Wow! see that Mr Editor? No quotes, no bullshit, no games or (hidden?) agendas. Just simple, accurate, real information. But why am I telling you this? Don't you get paid to know this stuff?

Still awaiting the corrections...

Adam Kosmin

" Adam, let me try to explain this to you. I will use small words (mostly) " so you can maybe understand, as your reading skills plainly aren't good. " " When one places a term in quote marks ("), that _changes_ the meaning of " its use by the writer from serious to mocking. Such usage has the effect " of denying the commonly held meaning or the intent meant by another use. " " In other words, placing quotes around "Open Source" in the article title " turns it into a pejorative term (you might want to look up 'pejorative') " and it changes that title where Microsoft and "Open Source" appear into " a wry oxymoron. (You might need to look up 'wry' and 'oxymoron', also.) " " I value my intelligent readers, but not "intelligent" readers like you. " Get it? So get off it. Go off now and harass some real Microsoft shills. " " All the best, " Egan " " " On Mon, 2003-04-21 at 13:22, Adam Kosmin wrote: " > Egan, " > Are you (and your staff) blind?!?! How do you expect me to " > believe that you have not caved in to Microsoft's marketing " > agenda when I see you publish an article entitled: " > " > Microsoft speeds up "Open Source" campaign " > http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8992 " > " > There is nothing Open about this campaign and I am accusing your " > publication of spreading disinformation. Please correct this " > immediately and take responsibility. " > " > Thank you, " > Adam Kosmin " > " > " > " Adam, " > " " > " Mike's right: he and the INQUIRER staff "get it" regarding Open Source " > " and Microsoft's cynical Shared Source campaign to co-opt IT mindshares. " > " The INQ's term "Vole" for Microsoft is surely not a fawning compliment. " > " " > " Further, I suggest to you that such mistakenly outraged letters sent to " > " neutral or sympathetic publications and journalists are not appropriate " > " or helpful to Open Source. Instead, they give FOSS advocacy a bad name. " > " " > " Regards, " > " Egan " > " " > " " > " On Mon, 2003-04-21 at 06:56, Mike Magee wrote: " > " > No I'm not Adam. " > " > " > " > It's perfectly clear from the tone of that piece, and the fact that it's " > " > quoting another news wire, that we don't swallow that, and the quotation " > " > marks emphasise that. " > " > " > " > We also have made it perfectly clear on countless occasions on our web site " > " > that we understand the clear distinction. " > " > " > " > Also, for that matter, we have run numerous articles by Egan Orion which " > " > have a very pro-Open Source stance. So I think you're getting very steamed " > " > up about something you don't need to. " > " > " > " > " > " > " > " > " > " > " > " > Mike Magee " > " > " > " > -----Original Message----- " > " > From: Adam Kosmin [mailto:adk9001@nyp.org] " > " > Sent: 21 April 2003 14:37 " > " > To: mike.magee@theinquirer.net " > " > Cc: akosmin@nyp.org " > " > Subject: You are spreading disinformation " > " > " > " > " > " > Mike " > " > I am writing in response to your article entitled "Microsoft speeds up " > " > "Open Source" campaign" (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8992). It is " > " > clear to me after reading the article, that you have no understanding of " > " > what Open Source / Free Software really is but instead, are being " > " > manipulated by Microsoft's well-planned strategy to confuse the line between " > " > Shared Source and FOSS. There is nothing "Open" about Microsoft's " > " > look-but-don't-touch Shared Source agreement that forces it's subscribers to " > " > pay membership fees and sign non-disclosure agreements. As someone who " > " > should be reporting the facts, I personally hold you responsible for " > " > spreading disinformation to your readers and I would appreciate knowing when " > " > you will take responsibility and publish a correction/apology. " > " > " > " > Sincerely, " > " > Adam Kosmin " > " > " > " > -- " > " > "Silly hacker, root is for administrators" " > " > - Unknown " > " > " > " > GnuPG Key : 11C2 79F6 BD3D 3A86 5640 3DA0 3860 B30E 711D 3B66 " > " > " > " > " > " "

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