SFLC will love the 7th Circuit

[Tzeng, Nigel H.]

Chris has been supportive of NASA WorldWind...an Open Source project that competes with Google Earth.  We were in the 2006 SoC but alas didn't make the cut this year.  Though to be honest I don't think our submissions were all that strong this year.
 
So no shame on Chris at all.  
 
Not too thrilled with some "free" software supporters messing with the NASA WW wikipedia entry about how you can't use the word "free" (as in beer) in a normal english sentence because it touches the word software but must use "gratis" instead...it would have been nice if RMS/FSF had chosen to support WW as an open alternative to GE rather than dis NOSA as "unfree". 
 
As far as imagery goes...well...Microsoft has kindly allowed folks to use their Virtual Earth imagery for non-commercial uses.  Like in World Wind with a plug-in or in OpenLayers (BSD licensed Google Maps like javascript package).  I think that OSGeo has been in SoC too but I don't follow their projects too closely.
 
Nigel

________________________________

From: Alexander Terekhov [mailto:alexander.terekhov at gmail.com]
Sent: Mon 10/15/2007 9:05 AM
To: chris at dibona.com
Cc: dlw; license-discuss at opensource.org
Subject: Re: SFLC will love the 7th Circuit

On 10/14/07, Chris DiBona <cdibona at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ah, I get it now. this is me not feeding the trolls anymore....
>
> Chris

[...]

> Open Source Programs Manager, Google Inc.

http://fsfe.org/en/fellows/ciaran/ciaran_s_free_software_notes/transcript_richard_stallman_honary_degree_speech_pavia_2007

"Google designs software specifically to restrict the user. That's the
nature of the Google Earth client: it is made the way it is
specifically to restrict the people who use it. Obviously, it's not
Free Software, because Free Software develops under the democratic
control of its users."

Shame on you, Chris.

regards,
alexander.

--
"To show the falsity of 'PJ''s claims, in most cases I need look no further
than Groklaw itself. 'PJ' wants more journalists to use the site as a
resource, so I'll do just that. Below are excerpts from my story that 'PJ'
says are incorrect, followed by 'PJ''s characterization of them, and my
response -- at times taken directly from Groklaw."

                                        -- http://tinyurl.com/2mn3jc


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