Re: [Libreplanet-us-wa] Ideas For The Next Meeting

[Benj. Mako Hill]

<quote who="Blibbet" date="Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 03:35:14PM -0700">
> >>It appears that the organizers of Software Freedom Day will again be
> >>distributing proprietary software and spyware in the form of Ubuntu.
> >>It seems an ironic thing to do on Software Freedom Day.
> >>
> >>If an install party happens I recommend that we only use GNU+Linux
> >>distros endorsed by the FSF: https://gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html
> >>
> >>Thoughts? Ideas? Anything else?
> >+1 with the caveat that we should still recommend proprietary stuff when
> >there's nothing else available and not having it would make the computer
> >extremely hard to use, e.g. wireless chip firmware for which there's no
> >free alternative.
> 
> Personally, I think it's good to let a Windows or MacOSX user get
> started with their first Linux distribution that is as easy as
> possible, especially when it comes to non-free hardware blobs, and
> perhaps larger community to help with peer support. Their second and
> subsequent distributions can become more free, with reduced hardware
> support, documentation, and peer support. :-)

My personal opinion.

I think it's important to remember that there can be a difference
between what we want to advertise, support, and publicly encourage and
what we are willing to help people with as they make their own first
steps toward freedom.

I've been at SFD events where the OpenCD (free software that runs on
Windows) was used very effectively as an outreach tool. It can be
tricky to walk a line where we don't encourage or condone proprietary
software but also help people take their own steps *toward* (but not
into) freedom. I think it's worth trying.

If we tell people that the price of admissions to our club is that
they stop using their WiFi, we will have very few members.  My
estimate is that the large majority of free software supporters use
non-free wireless or graphics firmware on their laptops. That's a big
problem for freedom and our for our movement. But advocacy that
doesn't at least take that this into account is likely to be
ineffective.

Later,
Mako

-- 
Benjamin Mako Hill
address@hidden
http://mako.cc/

Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far
as society is free to use the results. --GNU Manifesto

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