Hi, Thanks Bruno and JTD, for humble replies.
You both seem to actuallly understand the plight. Bruno I am obliged by your generosity to come down at this thread and provide a solution. I am a GNU-Linux Users from years and have been preaching FOSS usage. I have been converting ***doze users to GNU/Linux. However before converting, they want to try some apps that they can practice before switching. The point was I tell them how evil proprietary companies are who first provide demo versions and ask people to pay for full version, and since I never used GCompris on Windows, it was a brick-bat blow to me, when my friend commented ... "See this is your Free software... asking for Code to get full version", just imagine my situation at that time. I agree that the code is available for compile and redistribute, etc. But I and my friends are average desktop users (who support applications by using and promoting them). Downloading the source code and compiling it, is still a gigantic job for us. Apparently, people here (in India) are not ready to actively accept the philosophy of FOSS easily, since for them a Free(dom) copy of GIMP application is no different from (cash)Free copy of pirated Photoshop. I have been conducting workshops on GIMP (on windows as well as GNU Linux). Also they are reluctant to partition their drives (I know Virtual Box, etc are solution but not feasible for desktop users). In that case Windows based FOSS apps help transitioning users easily. Imagine what if Firefox, Chrome or other FOSS Browsers disables some features on Windows edition and ask users to pay for it on Windows and get rest free on GNU/Linux, IE would have been ruler always. What if GIMP and others do the same for their Windows counter parts. Please dont feel offended, I am just reciting the reality of (Indian) IT Market, where people just demand a software and dont care about the source code. They just want something that works. Schools here are ideally on Windows, but slowly get converted to linux after using these windows based FOSS tools. For them directly transitioning to Linux involves lots of Internal management politics, resitance from users, etc. So till they fight these things, they practice these windows based FOSS Tools. I am not a philosopher or an advocate, I am just a representative of a day to day average desktop user who spoke from the end user's perspective who just want to use the software and when they like recomend it to friends. This is how Chrome and FireFox have stolen market from IE. Do people really know whether VLC was born on Windows or Linux. They just use it.... Regards -- Pravin Balaji Dhayfule
_______________________________________________ network mailing list [email protected] http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in
