The trouble with that law is that it would likely only apply to laws created after itself, and logically it'd be the first law to expire after 10 years. At it's first review it would have had no effect, and thus be unneeded, so removed. Thus never apply to any other law. So it'd be pretty pointless.

however. Having skype integrated into open source PBX as a trunk (using the binary protocal, and the know how of how to use from the skype source) would be pretty good..

This doesn't make Stallman wrong all along. The issue Stallman raised is that the situation was not clear enough to have confidence that freedoms would be safe. If this announcement clears that up (as it appears to do), then the situation is *now* clear, and he can change his view based on new facts. That does not mean that he is then made wrong in his previous statements. This statement has brought the information that many in the community were asking for, it doesn't make them wrong for wanting this.

This was exactly what came to mind when I read this headline. Surely if canada are paying a tax on blank media/ipods, then tough MPAA and RIAA, they've paid for the music already, and if they were to do it here (UK), then I (one who does not pirate music etc) would then feel quite justified in doing so as effectively I've paid. So "piracy" goes up..

So not internet explorer then.

For me the issue seems to rather be that Microsoft are getting a number of people to beta test their software, and the least they could do is give them a free copy of the end result.

Yeah but they also use the fact that no-one is consuming their crappy drivel as a means of proving that their low sales are about piracy.

No, it's just going to leave you all over the road and middle of nowhere when it explodes.

you are aware that most teenagers between the age of 13 and 16 lie and say they've had sex when they haven't?

Isn't that what we brits used australia for in the first place?

But At least your article is likeley to be duped within a week or two.

There's a saying isn't there. "Nobody ever got fired for choosing microsoft". Perhaps they should have been....

Isn't the premise that money spent by the tax-payer to stimulate the economy should provide a return on investment to the tax-payer. So tax-payer pays for software development, software developer spends money and stimulates economy, software developer gives resultant software, not just the compiled, but the source, free to use in whatever way possible.

This seems far more reasonable than the tax-payer pays for software to be developed, gets nothing, or possibly some single version of some software.. Then a few years down the line the tax-payer needs to pay for the sofware they paid to be written yet again for version 2...

Citations? Since when was slashdot wikipedia? Slashdot has never been known for verifiable facts, whereas wikipedia.... oh... wait..

Actually, you'll have to buy it twice because, desktop + laptop equals 2 computers, otherwise you're pirating windows, and I'm sure no-one on slashdot would do that.