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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 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 - -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GIT d+(++) s: a-(?) C++++(--) UL++++$ P+ L+++ E- W+++ N+ o+ w--- O M PS+ Y+ PGP++ t+ 5+ X+ R+ tv+ b- DI++ D+++ G e h--- r+++ y++++(**) - -----END GEEK CODE BLOCK----- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFFDB+kz3Av8JKgzxQRAh2MAJ98Tti1sNy4C2g2vYu6EICCqz/ZaACaA+xY MYaORrOnwIHEos5itddt6qk= =8OW4 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html