The additional aspect that should be added is the fact that those who redistribute Fedora or otherwise bundle it also benefit from that added indemnification consideration, which is a very significant aspect. -- Bryan J Smith - mailto:b.j.smith@xxxxxxxx http://thebs413.blogspot.com Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile -----Original Message----- From: "John Babich" <jmbabich@xxxxxxxxx> Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2007 14:06:26 To:"For discussions about marketing and expanding the Fedora user base" <fedora-marketing-list@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: Fedora 7 "Moonshine": Freedom vs. Ease-of-Use (Part 1) Just my two cents' worth ($0.02): There will always be people who will not like Fedora's position on leaving the encumbered bits out of the distribution. To quote from the article: "Much of this can arguably be laid to rest at the feet of Fedora's decision to stay completely within the bounds of open-source, non-patent-encumbered (at least in their opinion) software. (Keep in mind that Fedora isn't sticking to this decision for purely ideological reasons — it has a business to run and doesn't want to get sued.) It remains to be seen how the struggle between the demand for ease-of-use/proprietary formats, on the one hand, and a strict emphasis on free-and-open-source software, on the other, will turn out." I find this is be a pretty fair, if somewhat cynical, view expressed in this article. Yes, I'm sure Red Hat, as the commercial sponsor of Fedora, doesn't want to get sued. At the same time, I see a genuine commitment within Red Hat and Fedora to promote unencumbered codecs and applications. Purity doesn't guarantee invincibility in regards to lawsuits. It always possible to get sued for alleged infringements, also known as "frivolous" lawsuits. Some individuals and companies sue, hoping to get an out-of-court, off-the-record, settlement, because it would be cheaper to settle than go to trial. The best thing is for any American concerned with the abuse of patent law, such as the whole category of "software patents", to lobby for abolishment of software patents altogether. In parallel, FOSS software and practices should be promoted as an alternative means of doing business and improving society in general. My view is this: "Better to a pragmatic purist, than a pure pragmatist". John Babich Volunteer, Fedora Project -- Fedora-marketing-list mailing list Fedora-marketing-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-marketing-list -- Fedora-marketing-list mailing list Fedora-marketing-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-marketing-list
