Re: very specific project proposal Re: What does Elon Musk say about free software?

[Jean Louis]

* Thomas Lord <lord@basiscraft.com> [2022-05-12 21:34]:
> 
> Jean,
> 
> > Thomas, you again spread Fears, Uncertainties and Doubts - FUD. I
> > cannot take your statements seriously.
> 
> That's fine.

How is that fine?

Promote freedom, not FUD on this mailing list.

> I am curious if you think that the ~40 year old Free Software
> Movement is doing an effective job of spreading the actual practice
> of software freedom, and even the awareness of the option and what
> it means for human freedom?

It should be obvious that today we have largest number of free
software users ever and that number of free software packages today is
at its maximum and just becoming bigger and bigger.

It seems that your question wish to introduce new doubts. But what
information is it based on?

If you have such doubts, I can't help much, that may mean you are not
following it in the same way how I see it or follow the development. I
am following the movement since more than 20 years, and have studied
its past from writings and mailing lists.

And do you maybe wish to imply that some other movement rather than
free software movement is to do better job to spread the message about
freedom in computing? 

Or you got some logical problem there maybe?

> And if I want to point busy city officials or others who could
> benefit from changing their practices to some web page that will
> help them help themselves with that, smoothly and efficiently, what
> page would you suggest?  What educational materials will help
> someone like that?

I am sorry, but I cannot see the truth in your questions. 

Yes, there is a lot of materials on Internet that may help people
raise awareness.

Though your question is meant to undermine that simple fact that
information about free software is widely available.

Example:
https://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software

> How will potential users find those materials if I say simply
> "check out fsf.org"?

By reading?

> What steps has FSF taken in recent decades that have helped
> with this kind of problem?  Is the "free software ladder"
> concept meant to do this (that isn't my understanding of it
> so far)?

Ehm, what is the problem exactly? 

Is the problem single one, just in your mind and subjective, or is it
more something objective, please tell us that we can understand it.

> Similarly, say, a college student not in computer science or
> anything close to that? 

I am not a native English speaker, I can't understand what you mean
there. Am I now supposed to find the verb for the above sentence or to
"say" "a college student" -- I get confused with it. 

>  or a professor who may be tempted to require students to use unfree
> software -- where can they quickly and easily check for a better
> option?

Sorry, I do not get the above sentence as well.

If you are asking how to give to somebody idea what is free software,
and I meet a college student, then I may tell how I do it, so I would
explain him in simple words about software freedoms. Same for college
professor. 

I have no problems in explaining what is free software to just
anybody.

Practically in my life I explain to people of all types about free
software. This I do all the time at any kind of conversation with
people when it comes to computer or software.

I have explained it yesterday to Lillian in Kampala, Uganda (high
school), I have explained it before yesterday to Ms. Nagasha L. (in
few days to graduate internation business) and have given her
instructions how to install free software on her mobile phone. Nagasha
is next day on the research project using free software tools. We
discussed how my XMPP network is decentralized and its expense paid by
myself, and she quickly got the point. I said, why should we use
software like Whatsapp where we do not know what this software does to
our data, our contacts, on our phone -- when there is free software
which we can inspect, modify and install on own server, there was no
problem talking about it and understanding it, with somebody who did
not study computers, but rather business.

I have explained about free software just to everybody I got in touch
with. Those people have shown understanding. 

Many of my friends quickly switched to free software, this was in
Germany. They got well aware of the license and freedom. I have been
supporting my friends with tips, settings, configurations, that is how
I know it. We visited each other. 

Here is one list that may show how OS based on Linux kernel spreads in
the world:

List of Linux adopters - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_adopters

The more there are users (larger number) of any OS based on GPL
license, the more awareness of free software will be spread (this will
be smaller number).

Free software licenses as developed by RMS and friends were the key to
spreading of free software. 


Jean

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