Difference between revisions of "ESP Wiki:About"
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(→We don't evaluate corporate strategies: * ''ON'' TOPIC: Microsoft is monopolising their file formats so they can charge extraordinarily high prices) |
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===We don't evaluate corporate strategies=== | ===We don't evaluate corporate strategies=== | ||
| − | When documenting litigation between companies, we should ignore the media's estimations of the profitability or emotions and focus on what problems this litigation highlights. | + | When documenting litigation between companies, we should (with exceptions described below) ignore the media's estimations of the profitability or emotions and focus on what problems this litigation highlights. |
For example, when Oracle sued Google over Java patents: | For example, when Oracle sued Google over Java patents: | ||
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* OFF TOPIC: Oracle is sick of owning Java and being the only company that's not profiting from it | * OFF TOPIC: Oracle is sick of owning Java and being the only company that's not profiting from it | ||
| − | Meanwhile: | + | This sort of gossip doesn't change whether software patents are good or bad. |
| − | * ''ON'' TOPIC: Oracle is creating | + | |
| + | Meanwhile, it's useful to note the effects that the population will experience: | ||
| + | * ''ON'' TOPIC: Oracle is creating uncertainty for individuals and companies with projects based on Java | ||
| + | * ''ON'' TOPIC: Microsoft is monopolising their file formats so they can charge extraordinarily high prices | ||
===Hardware patents are not our problem=== | ===Hardware patents are not our problem=== | ||
Revision as of 08:16, 12 October 2010
Two key points to remember about ESP Wiki:
- You can edit it. Please do! No account is necessary, and it uses the same wiki system as Wikipedia.
- The pages are not statements from any person or organisation. We gather facts and studies, and we also gather questions, rumours and theories - with the goal of opening these to examination so that, eventually, they can be proven or disproven. If you spot an error, please remember point #1.
Contents
Stay on topic
We don't evaluate corporate strategies
When documenting litigation between companies, we should (with exceptions described below) ignore the media's estimations of the profitability or emotions and focus on what problems this litigation highlights.
For example, when Oracle sued Google over Java patents:
- OFF TOPIC: Oracle wants to recuperate some of the costs of the purchase of Sun
- OFF TOPIC: Oracle is sick of owning Java and being the only company that's not profiting from it
This sort of gossip doesn't change whether software patents are good or bad.
Meanwhile, it's useful to note the effects that the population will experience:
- ON TOPIC: Oracle is creating uncertainty for individuals and companies with projects based on Java
- ON TOPIC: Microsoft is monopolising their file formats so they can charge extraordinarily high prices
Hardware patents are not our problem
Hardware patents are not problems for software developers. Hardware patents are only restrictions on the manufacturing and distribution of hardware.
Hardware patents might be bad economic policy. Maybe they are, maybe they're not. Same for patents on manufacturing pharmaceuticals or cars, but they're all off topic. ESP Wiki is focussed on documenting the social and economic problems which patents cause to developers and distributors of software.
How to be efficient: Document things as you work
The hope is that while activists work on anti-software-patent campaigns, they will note things on ESP Wiki. By doing this, we consolidate our work while we do it, reducing the problem of information loss when people leave campaigns.
Wiki pages are not official ESP statements
This is a forum where community members collect information. Anyone and everyone can edit these pages.
Members of the End Software Patents (ESP) campaign are the principal contributors, and often work seven days a week to monitor quality, but they are not the only contributors, and no permission is needed to edit the pages.
Silly or incorrect statements are sometimes let stay. It's better to find proof that they're incorrect, and add that, than to immediately remove statements just because we think they're incorrect.
Related pages on ESP Wiki
