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Re: [LUG] Happy Software Freedom Day

 

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Neil Williams wrote:
> Tom Brough wrote:
>> As we haven't done anything as a group to mark software Freedom day 
>> (16/09/2006), I just thought I would wish you all a happy software 
>> freedom day 2006.
>>
> 
> Well, no, we haven't done anything "as a group" but individually lots
> (all?) of DCGLUG members are contributing to free software and software
> freedom in one way or another.
> 
> Which is more important - contributing to the goal or contributing to a
> banner that promotes the goal?
> 
> I've never quite grasped what SFD was trying to achieve. Hundreds of
> charities and organisations declare certain days/weeks as "Save foo
> week" or "Foo awareness week" but these events are all just one sided
> promotional gimmicks. Anyone can declare a day/week as whatever they
> feel like but unless others accept it as such, it's pointless and
> meaningless. I get dozens of notifications like that at work - a week
> for asthma, or diabetes, whatever. Those involved do what they can and
> the rest of the globe just "moves on by".
> 
> Even when an event does catch the wider public mood, the moment is gone
> all too soon - nothing attracts less coverage than "old news".
> 
> SFD is a good idea and worth supporting when it coincides with other
> events or issues but on it's own, it isn't effective.
> 
> The goal is more important than the day - the easiest things to promote
> are those that "Just Do The Right Thing". Fixing the bugs in free
> software will, in the end, give everyone a system that promotes itself.
> 
> The only reasons commercial entities need to advertise are:
> 1. The product is genuinely ground-breaking.
> 2. The product is struggling and/or the company is desperate for cash.
> 
> That's it.
> :-)
> 
> Case 1 doesn't happen often (and doesn't need to last beyond the initial
> announcements if the product is any good - the global media circus will
> take care of the rest).
> 
> The most successful "products" are those that don't need to be
> advertised, they promote themselves just by doing TheRightThing.
> 
> 

On a related node... http://yarr.org.uk/

- --
Neil Stone

Systems Administrator
FlashTek UK

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