[ Date Index ] [ Thread Index ] [ <= Previous by date / thread ] [ Next by date / thread => ]
On 25/03/07, Tom Brough <tombrough@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Having followed this thread carefully, I think I would like to make > several observations. > > 1. This debate is getting unhealthy. I was in a computer shop the other > day picking up some wireless network cards (which I will come back to in > a moment), and I was trying to encorage another customer to install > MythTV as he was buying a new mother board to potentially install > Windows Media Centre. I suggested that this group was friendly and that > a few people on the group had installed MythTV and would be willing to > help. I left the shop, and left him to make his own mind up as to > whether or not he wanted to join the group. > > Frankly if this sort of thread is going to continue, I will not > recommend joining DCGLUG to anyone, its not giving us a good name, these > emails are archived and they are browsable on the web. I dont mind > debate but we are crossing lines here. Any newbie with an ounce of sense > to do what is recommended (browse the archives to get a feel for things) > is going to run back to his windows box and hide behind his/her screen > never to be seen again. Totally agree - there is no need for zealotry here. I co-founded this lug and I still use some proprietary software, for a variety of reasons - sometimes there isn't a free alternative, sometime the free alternative is unfit for the job (i.e. it doesn't work for me). I have limited time, and already have 20 open source projects of my own to maintain, so I am only prepared to submit a handful of bug reports or patches, and only if I grok the language the application is written in - if I can't understand the code, don't expect much help. That means I won't be able to make the unfit software fit any time soon, and I have a living to make (that incidentally uses 99% fl/oss, as well as generating and providing patches and fixes for more fl/oss). > 4. ON THE OTHER HAND, I would personally hang out with Richard Stallman > any day of the week. Not because I agree with every word that comes from > his mouth ( I don't and probably never will do ) , but because WITHOUT > his foresight and vision we would not be using the tools we are using > today right now while you are reading this email and previously while I > was writing it. He is the counterweight against a global inertia and > trend towards digital enslavement enshrined in such legislation as DRM > etc..... . To do his job, to fight OUR corner (which he does well IMO) > he does not have to be 100% right, agreeable or diplomatic, he needs to > be Richard Stallman warts and all. And while some of the things he says > make me bristle, I would not wish him to change one bit. Spot on. I've met him and seen him talk, he comes accross as less rabid, he only preaches where it's welcome or appropriate, and tends to lead by example rather than rhetoric. > 5. We should all be comfortable with our own levels / mixes and usage of > free / proprietary software. If we are unhappy with our OWN mixes then > we should adjust them as necessary. Its nice to strive for that 100% of > freedom, but its our own individual choice at the end of the day. By > all means, try to persuade others to follow a more empowering path to > freedom, but please dont use harasment, bullying or ethical zealotry to > enforce your own particular brand of freedom, utimately it will fail > unless people are really ready to change. The only person who is going > to change me is ME, the only peson who is going to change you is YOU. Definately. I think the thing to remember here is that most of the world uses very little or no open source software - trying to push 100% Free software to new and existing users won't encourage anybody to make the move from 5% to 10% let alone 100%. Let's make this simple - if somebody moves from windows to ubuntu and uses every commercial package available in their repo - they are still using far far far open and free software than before. Almost all proprietary software on linux encourages people to use the operating system , and therefore the tons of free software included and available for it - if somebody needs crossover office and a windows application to get their job done, then it is great and beneficial that it's available and that should be encouraged - that's one more person who can do their job using more free software than before. So - I'm an advocate of free software, but I'm glad when I can use stuff that isn't without zealots making it harder, I don't want to have to track down extra mp3 codecs because they weren't included (because of silly yank patents that aren't relevent in the UK), and I don't want to have to go to the adobe website to download flash and install it, when it could be easily bundled. A. -- http://www.aarontrevena.co.uk LAMP System Integration, Development and Hosting -- 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