This seems like an unprecedented story! I wonder if this will turn into a trend.
Ernie Ball goes open source
I've been searching for news that's not, in any way, related to SCO just to try to balance it out. Not just news, of course, but things that are actually discussion-worthy. If you just want the big open source headlines, Linux Weekly News should be your first stop.
This is a piece worth reading, Rockin' on without Microsoft. It's a look at the chain of events that drove Ernie Ball away from Microsoft, and towards open source. Sterling Ball, CEO of the company, isn't an open source zealot -- he just expects to be treated like a customer rather than a criminal.
In 2000, the Business Software Alliance conducted a raid and subsequent audit at the San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based company that turned up a few dozen unlicensed copies of programs. Ball settled for $65,000, plus $35,000 in legal fees. But by then, the BSA, a trade group that helps enforce copyrights and licensing provisions for major business software makers, had put the company on the evening news and featured it in regional ads warning other businesses to monitor their software licenses.
Humiliated by the experience, Ball told his IT department he wanted Microsoft products out of his business within six months. "I said, 'I don't care if we have to buy 10,000 abacuses,'" recalled Ball, who recently addressed the LinuxWorld trade show. "We won't do business with someone who treats us poorly."
It's a really good read. Take the time to read it, and pass it on. [Corante: Open Source]
Keeping a lookout for other such stories...
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