Petition to Microsoft

[Plasma]

We'll never get the source code (legally), and you can bet Microsoft won't be too keen on making anything "public domain." I think just getting them to release it as freeware would be good enough. (Similar to what Borland did with their "Museum".) Maybe we could get Microsoft feeling nostalgic...after all, BASIC was how Gates got his start.

[na_th_an]

Good point. But I doubt that Bill himself reads the petition :lol: Bleh, let's do it, nothing to luz.

[Zack]

I wonder. How much do you think it would be, for the rights? I mean, they couldn't place more then 10 thou for an obselete, 20-year-old piece of junk, could they?

[barok]

dammit aetherfox! get the petition up RIGHT NOW! we're all signing. and if microsoft ain't agreeing to our terms, we'll storm microsoft, hold Bill Gates hostage until he agrees to make qb freeware! EVERYONE WITH ME! FREE QB! FREE QB!!

everyone? arm yourselves. (picks up pitchfork, and 12 gauge shotgun.)

btw, when i say free qb, i mean free it, not make it free.

[TheBigBasicQ]

SC, are you crazy? The minimum they would want is 500 million bucks

Nath, are you crazy as well? If m$ cannot stop the piracy of their OSs and all other products then how the hell are they going to check the distribution of a-20-year-old-obsolete-of-no-commercial-value-that-runs-on-a-deprecated-operating-system-software?

[na_th_an]

Nath, are you crazy as well? If m$ cannot stop the piracy of their OSs and all other products then how the hell are they going to check the distribution of a-20-year-old-obsolete-of-no-commercial-value-that-runs-on-a-deprecated-operating-system-software?

Uh? I didn't get you. Am I saying that they should check something?

[aetherfox]

Right, I'll rephrase it and stick a final draft here with all the suggestions made.

I need a favour.

Every single contact you have anywhere, in magazines, websites, newspapers, whatever, squeeze them to put a link to this petition. Get it on all the major QBasic websites, magazines etc. If somebody can stick it on a small newspaper, college paper or whatever, if someone can get it into a magazine, etc.

Whats in it for Microsoft?
They are supporting the community. I tried to use some emotive language there...

Heres the final draft:

This petition to Microsoft is hereby established for the specific purpose of requesting Microsoft to release its older Basic line of products (QBasic 4.5, QuickBasic 7.1 and Visual Basic for DOS) as a freeware/abandon ware product.

Signers of this petition are active Basic language developers, and have expressed full support is this request to Microsoft. By exempting these products from the Microsoft license and copyright policy, Microsoft will be encouraging more developers, and feeding the online Basic programming community with a new, but dying hope. The support for the community by Microsoft will be appreciated by the signers of this petition, and we ask Microsoft to acknowledge the desire of many hobbyist programmers, and even beginner programmers, who use older compilers like QBasic for fun and a challenge or as a stepping stone to further language. QBasic is known in the community to be a great stepping stone to other Microsoft products such as the Visual Basic line of products. The fact that it is 17 years old and runs on a platform that has lost support a long time ago doesn't stop these programmers from using it.

Signers of this petition would also like to thank Microsoft for other great products like Visual Basic, Visual C++, and computer games, such as Age Of Mythology. We hope that you will fulfil our request.

I was wondering whether I should make a mention of Borland's Museum products for an example like "make it freeware, like Borland has done with their older range of products."

What you think?

[Zack]

That draft looks good, but I think we need more flattery. Try mentioning how we all love Windows XP...And how we are outraged at the disgrace of those among us that peeked at the Windows 2000 source code. :wink: :wink: :wink:

[Plasma]

Looks pretty good, but I would change a few things:

• All instances of "Basic" should really be "BASIC" (also, should read "QuickBASIC 4.5", not "QBasic 4.5")
  
• I would change the list to include all Microsoft BASIC interpreters and compilers for DOS, not just 4.5/7.1/VBDOS.
  
• Abandonware (it's one word) should be left out. Abandonware are programs that the developing company no longer sells or supports. So QB is already abandonware. We want to make it freeware.
  
• We shouldn't ask Microsoft to give up their copyrights to QB. It can be freeware and still be copyrighted.
  
• Split up the middle paragraph to make it more readable
  
• I would mention Borland somewhere in there, and maybe throw in something about Gates and the Altair.

If we could get this on Slashdot somehow, we'd have no trouble getting signers...

[Zack]

I opened Microsoft Word, typed in "QuickBASIC", and it suggested I use "QuickBasic" instead. So, if Microsoft's spell checker says that, use it.