The Free Software Foundation has sent 499 letters to the top Fortune 500 companies (with Microsoft being the exception), trying to persuade the decision makers in the companies not to use Microsoft software, according to an article by Techspot. The FSF has made a list of claims against Microsoft, aiming to get big corporations to look at alternative software in order to reduce their dependency on Microsoft.
The letter they sent is titled "Re: Important notice regarding impending lack of privacy, freedom and security from Microsoft Corporation," and can be found on the website they set up, Windows7sins.org. The FSF accuse Microsoft of the following: poisoning education, invading privacy, monopoly behavior, lock-in (in regards to removing support for older versions), abusing standards, enforcing DRM and threatening user security.
The site encourages users and organisations to look away from Microsoft for their software, and instead look at free software alternatives such as Linux and OpenOffice. Why Apple was not mentioned (seeing as they create proprietary software too) remains a mystery, but it appears that the FSF are targeting Windows 7 specifically while it launches.
The group intends to send even more letters as they receive more donations, with a $25 donation paying for 50 more letters, and a $100 donation paying for 200 letters to organisations and companies suggested by the community. How successful they will be remains to be seen, but you can have a look at the site yourself over here, where you can find the letter and the list of companies that have received the memo.
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