Can software developers form an 'open source' union? (NewsForge) [LWN.net]

NewForge proposes a union for software developers. "There has never been a successful union-style organizing movement among software developers. Ian Lurie, who runs a Seattle Web design firm, believes this is because traditional "industrial" union structures don't serve programmers' needs very well, but that a new, "open source" union structure based on pre-industrial craft guilds might make lives better for people in the job-nomadic IT industry."

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Can software developers form an 'open source' union? (NewsForge)

Posted May 16, 2003 2:45 UTC (Fri) by mmarq (guest, #2332) [Link] (2 responses)

"One form" to fight the real enemys of Open-Source!
Due all the considerations, anyone can agree that the real enemy is not SCO but, perhaps, someone behind it.
Does "conspiracy" sound to be not an issue and an irritant argument to many?...then how about running an outlawed OS?

I'm not a lawyer, and i hope the best, but if SCO wins then is the open door for an endless wave of law suits against Linux... any threat of a commercial competitive Open-Source OS will be over!

So basicly Open-Source should have gone full strengh against the real very well knowed and very "well inspected" in court, and a full FUD WAR engaged declared enemy;... antecipate agressive movements hitting where it wurts the most to the enemy-DESKTOP; not because it has to make things based on hatred, but to avoid been smached.... Is there still time???... i hope the leaders off open-source can really see the way out to win here!!!

Can software developers form an 'open source' union? (NewsForge)

Posted May 16, 2003 8:01 UTC (Fri) by beejaybee (guest, #1581) [Link] (1 responses)

Sorry but your comments are irrelvant in this context.

This is about organizing workers who happen to be self-employed or employed on short-term contractors for improvement (or at least protection) of working conditions. If this "union", when formed, wants to set up a "political" or "legal" fund for fighting actions on hehalf of the OS community, that's a different matter.

Personally I think that the "guild" or "union" would need a hell of a lot of members before it could hope to raise enough money to buy off M$ lawyers.

Can software developers form an 'open source' union? (NewsForge)

Posted May 16, 2003 11:33 UTC (Fri) by mmarq (guest, #2332) [Link]

Yes, in essence you are right.