Brave New World

[cswiger <cswiger@widomaker.com>]

  At 12:59 AM 11/15/97 -0500, you wrote:
  >** Reply to note from cswiger@widomaker.com Fri, 14 Nov 1997 16:02:52
  -0500 (EST)
  >
  >
  >Does that also mention that Gates came away with a contract
  >with South Africa to set up computer technology centers in
  >South Africa -- that will run Microsoft software, and teach the
  >Microsoft Way to students?  Let's here it all, not just a small
  >part.
  
  That's a very legit concern of privitization of standards. Perhaps
  the now 17 yr. old mantra of "Get Govt. off our backs!" has run it's
  course and the National Inst. of Standards and Technology should be
  tasked w/ creating/monitoring/enforcing an OS API standard, like POSIX
  or something. Of course this is in a country still on the English
  system of weights and measures, along with Burma and one other country.
  
  To widen that idea a bit, someone once pointed out - in reguard to
  the NEA funding of offensive art - that, in effect' "He who pays 
  the piper calls the tune" (or is that "he who calls the tune pays
  the piper"?).  Basically meaning that any entity who funds a project
  expects to exert some control over the content, whether it's a
  dictionary entry or what. I'd hardly expect to find an article in
  one of Rupert Murdoch's newspapers stating that "MURDOCH USES 
  NONCOMPETITIVE TACTICS IN ACQUIRING NEW YORK NEWSPAPERS", or expect
  to find Phillip Morris funding an artist who paints pictures of
  lung cancer.
  
  While we could hardly expect a donation w/ strings attached to
  obtain OS/2 systems, I guess your right, a real humanitarian
  would ask that it be used to buy food/clothing/shelter or just
  math textsbooks to avoid any appearence of conflict of interest.
  
  Thanks for a most enlightening discussion.
  
  Chuck
  cswiger@widomaker.com