On occasion, we are called on to defend Perl, or some other Open Source package, against the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) generated by a commercial vendor's Marketing folks. When you're in this position, it helps to have ammunition. Here is some fine ammunition.

The Peruvian government is considering a bill that would mandate the use of Open Source software for all public projects. Microsoft countered with some classic FUD (the sky will fall, the economy will collapse, etc.) The FUD was then taken apart, piece by piece, in a letter from Peruvian Congressman David Villanueva Nuņez.

I recommend that you read this letter. It's a fine piece of writing and political/economic reasoning, and it demolishes the FUD that was thrown up against the legislation. Many of the points raised can be reused if you are called on to defend the choice of Perl (or Apache, or whatever).

It is a pleasure to see such clear thinking and reasoning out of politician.

Link Credit: BoingBoing, though I'm told it's already been /.-d.

In reply to A Peruvian Congressman counters MS FUD by dws

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