Loudmouthman

Monday 17th September is going to be one of those days which tagline writers just live for.

“No matter who wins… we lose.”

As discussed on Engadget and available to tune into live as well as discussed on various news sites and most likely reported in an informed fashion by the Open Rights Group, Microsoft will discover tomorrows the verdict , the final one ( possibly again ) in the ongoing European Antitrust case.

If it looses and Europe is enabled with many new ways to penalise and encourage Microsoft to conform and play well with other kids in the playground. We can expect an extension of the usual recalcitrant  sulky kid routine as Microsoft finds ways to make Windows less workable all as part of its “We just doing what we were told to do”  mentality. As an example lets see how much fun Internet Explorer became after it lost the Patent case for click and run ActiveX components.  In short more users will spend more time asking their tech support people why things are not working as they expected.  Which incidentally whilst amazingly fluid and simple has also been an absolute mindfield of management and security hassles.

If it wins and Europe is no longer able to press for conditions and penalties to force them into compliance with playing well then we are faced with the Bully that got away with it. With little or no strictures on their performance and delivery they will be pacing the playground demanding ever more lunch money and expecting even more tributes in place of menaces. It will be wonderful news for the consumer but awful news for progress, innovation and creativity.

I could possibly be being a little but chicken little about this  but my experiences of supporting this monster have never been pleasant ( even if they have been profitable ) ones.

The only ones who win Tommorow are news media , bloggers and podcasters and thousands upon thousands of forums. So I am getting mine in early!

Thanks for reading.

If you have signed your copy of the Code of Conduct then you are already aware of the 6th Rule which states;

“Step down considerately. Developers on every project come and go and Ubuntu is no different. When you leave or disengage from the project, in whole or in part, we ask that you do so in a way that minimises disruption to the project. This means you should tell people you are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where you leave off.”

I need to step down from being actively involved in Ubuntu UK as the Loco contact. Ive become quite involved in another project relating to  where the Internet is going in regards to Social networks and  Social Media and this is now consuming time that would ordinarily have been focused on Ubuntu based conversations. I am not moving away from Ubuntu or its community, I am just letting people know im not paying as much attention as you need me to.

There is a meeting on our IRC Channel tonight to discuss how to proceed with moving on but Id like to say its been great fun helping promote the Open Source love but  as a big believer in doing the things which are fun and interesting I need to move on and allow other people to do fun and interesting things as well.

Thanks for reading.