Comments on: Saturday @ Fosdem http://www.jepoirrier.net/blog/2007/02/sunday-fosdem/ A blog about free software, computer science and probably everything else too ... Wed, 18 May 2011 20:26:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: FOSDEM 2009 and Gemvid 0.6c - epot's blog http://www.jepoirrier.net/blog/2007/02/sunday-fosdem/comment-page-1/#comment-27 FOSDEM 2009 and Gemvid 0.6c - epot's blog Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:01:07 +0000 http://www.epot.org/blog/?p=165#comment-27 [...] FOSDEM 2009, the Free and Open Source software developers’ European Meeting. Two years ago, I mentioned the general trend that more women were interested in free/open source software/movement and this [...] [...] FOSDEM 2009, the Free and Open Source software developers’ European Meeting. Two years ago, I mentioned the general trend that more women were interested in free/open source software/movement and this [...]

]]> By: pieter hintjens http://www.jepoirrier.net/blog/2007/02/sunday-fosdem/comment-page-1/#comment-26 pieter hintjens Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:12:58 +0000 http://www.epot.org/blog/?p=165#comment-26 I'm surprised you got the idea I'm somehow not against software patents. The EPLA proposal is the real threat; it promises to legitimise software patents across Europe. Read the epla.ffii.org site if you're unsure. The European Patent Conference, and the Campaign for Ethical Patents are both aimed directly at preventing EPLA, and promoting the sane alternative of a patent system inside Europe that properly protects software from being monopolised by patents. In case there is any doubt whatsoever: I believe software patents are an unmitigated disaster. They make it impossible to develop new standards, new products, and new markets, in safety. I said all this at FOSDEM. Unfortunately, it's not enough to simply "be against software patents". No-one asks our opinion. At some point, words are not enough, and one must act. I’m surprised you got the idea I’m somehow not against software patents. The EPLA proposal is the real threat; it promises to legitimise software patents across Europe. Read the epla.ffii.org site if you’re unsure. The European Patent Conference, and the Campaign for Ethical Patents are both aimed directly at preventing EPLA, and promoting the sane alternative of a patent system inside Europe that properly protects software from being monopolised by patents.

In case there is any doubt whatsoever: I believe software patents are an unmitigated disaster. They make it impossible to develop new standards, new products, and new markets, in safety. I said all this at FOSDEM.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to simply “be against software patents”. No-one asks our opinion. At some point, words are not enough, and one must act.

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