Activists protest Microsoft deal | Egypt Independent

The main contention with the deal, the activists say, is that Microsoft products bought by the government are imported, expensive and their code source is usually closed and protected by rigid copyright rules which do not allow for knowledge sharing and generation. Meanwhile, an alternative lies with locally conceived, less expensive software, whose open code source enables copying, sharing and building more software.

I spent a good deal of my time off trying to generate some enthusiasm and appreciation for Windows 8 - surely there had to be wisdom of some kind behind its radical, schizoid redesign. That’s right, I party hard. Unfortunately all I encounter in my attempts is the death rattle of a hegemony in harsh and rapid decline - a harsh decline being pushed along by an influx of those who see the power and profitability of open source development - from the boardroom to the protestor on the street. Read more: http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/activists-protest-microsoft-deal