[wplug-board] Letter to P-G re BSA

[Patrick Wagstrom]

Vance Kochenderfer wrote:
> Hi all-
> 
> I'm considering sending this letter to the editor of the Post-
> Gazette, but I'd like your opinion on whether it's a good idea
> and/or what can be done to improve it.
> 
> The article: <http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07129/784374-96.stm>
> 
> The letter:
> 
> The article "Software industry group warns businesses on piracy"
> (May 9) announces the Business Software Alliance's plans to crack
> down on copyright infringement in the local area.  As an
> alternative to paying expensive licensing fees or making illegal
> copies, businesses should be aware of another option -- Free and
> Open Source Software.
> 
> To get a taste, download and try the Firefox web browser or
> OpenOffice.org office suite.  Go ahead and make as many copies as
> you like and distribute them within your company or to friends.
> The creators of these programs won't mind and won't send BSA
> lawyers to your door -- that's what software freedom is all about.

This should be the last paragraph of the letter.   As it brings a nice 
wrap up to the opening paragraph.  The middle paragraph, which was your 
third paragraph should be the meaty middle.  I'm a little leery about 
ending with "software freedom" because it hasn't been previously 
referenced, but maybe that's the academic in me coming out again.


> Free and Open Source Software powers Google and over three
> quarters of the world's top 500 supercomputers.  There's a good
> chance it powers the wireless router sitting in your den.  It can
> power your business, too.  To learn more, come out to one of the
> Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group's (www.wplug.org) monthly
> events.  We'd love to talk to local businesses about how they can
> put Free and Open Source Software to work for them.

The wireless routers in the den is getting a bet too esoteric and tends 
to muddy the issue a little bit -- embedded space gets confusing for 
most people, they may perceive it as being too weak then.

Hope this helps,

--Patrick