The Corporation for Public Software/Natianal Endowment for the Bits

[Mark Hinds <zoro@blarg.net>]

  I've been thinking of how to get Uncle Sam to create something like PBS
  (CPB) for Software. It would be very helpful if most of the groups
  developing the various bits and pieces (GNU tools, Linux kernel, Xfree,
  Apache, Samba, etc.) could get grants or some such so that they could
  actually work on these projects full time.
  
  The only way we'll ever get free of these greedy corporate schmucks is
  to have public domain version of most everything they offer to the
  consumers.  GNU has been trying to do this for years and gets some money
  
  from NSF. I'd like to see this greatly expanded.
  
  Anyone else think this is the greatest thing idea they've ever heard?
  If so, perhaps one of the more verbally inclined among us could
  draft something to pursuade congress that this is a great idea. Note,
  I'm talking Linux here folks, I've got nothing against users of the
  various comercially available OS's, but there are a couple of things
  I've learned over the years:
  
  1. Never trust software.
  2. If you must trust software, only trust software for which you
     have the source.