SiliconValley.com part of San Jose Mercury News – Support grows for Ellison's national ID card proposal: Silicon Valley software mogul Larry Ellison's proposal to create a national ID card has gained substantial ground — and the interest of top Bush administration officials — in a signal that the controversial idea may be closer to reality than ever.
Ellison said that if he does donate the software, maintenance and upgrades won't be free.
“I don't think the government has any trouble paying for the labor associated with the software,'' he said. “I made this offer not because the government can't afford to pay for the software, but because I shut up the critics who were saying, `Gee, Larry Ellison wants to build a national database because he wants to sell more databases,' which is pretty cynical and bizarre. What's in it for me is the same thing that's in it for you: a safer America.''
It hasn't shut me up. After all Ellison gives up one initial payment for a steady stream of payments that will go on for ever. If he is really not trying to make money off this situation why doesn't he also drop the maintenance fees? After all, maintenance fees are the real cash cows of the software industry. [Privacy Digest]