[ILUG] Irish Times Article Attacking GPL

[John P. Looney]

On Fri, Mar 22, 2002 at 09:49:31AM +0000, Caolan McNamara mentioned:
> On Fri, Mar 22, 2002 at 04:39:36 +0000, John McCormac wrote:
> > Fucking M$ Propaganda
> > http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/finance/2002/0322/1822381072BWPOYNDER.html
> It reminded me of the little fluff piece this morning about computer
> security on Morning Ireland which expounded on the horrors that the lack
> of "e-security" holds for you, and tried to tell me that credit card
> theft is 12 times more likely online, which I'm not convinced about in
> the least.

 Er, didn't VISA release their information last year, which showed that
you were over ten times less likely to get ripped off on the net, than
down at your local cinema etc. ? They could have found this article, and
just confused the numbers.

 No point in ascribing to malice that which can be explained by stupidity.

> You have to wonder if they'd be so placid if the area was one they were
> more familiar with, if it was an announcement by taxi drivers saying
> that the deregulation of their industry spells disaster etc etc. Hmm, we
> believed that one didn't we.

 Well, do be fair, they did report that too.

> Anyhow its just lazy journalism, deadline bearing down, phone a few
> people that are good for quotes. Wrap some text around it, make it
> panicky and breathless, cover bottom by balancing story equally ala
> Referendum Commision, sideeffect is that actual content of article is
> nill and no actual judgement can be made based on it, email into
> newspaper. Get some hits on the article, advertisers are happy,
> newspaper is happy, journalist contract is extended. Everyone is happy.

 Indeed. Except those in the know already, that don't need to be informed.
 
Kate

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John Looney             Chief Scientist
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