Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Free software: community vs. brand

2018-04-24 Thread Tom
Does anyone know of any GPL weather tracking software similar to WSV3 
which is a non-free software.



On 04/14/2018 08:12 AM, Jim Garrett wrote:

A few broad thoughts have been coalescing in my mind since LibrePlanet
2018, and I'd like to offer them for whatever use they might have for
anyone.  I'm not asking for information or necessarily any response.

I have three main thoughts:

  1. The existence of a community compassionately interested in the role
 of information and computers in society is a more compelling
 argument for Free Software than our software itself.  (That's not a
 comment on the quality of our software.)
  2. The percentage of humanity who has even thought of software as
 something that /could/ involve freedom, as we understand it, is
 approximately 0%.
  3. When I tell people about Free Software, I think they view it within
 the framework of a brand choice, which is the wrong frame with which
 to start a discussion.

Consequently, I'm going to change my elevator talk to "It's a community
of people interested in the role of information and computing in
society."  And if that piques their interest, I'll talk about the four
freedoms and taking control of our computers.

Some observations that have led me to these:

   * I didn't truly understand the larger issues around software freedom
 before attending LibrePlanet.  Seeing the community together and
 hearing the discussion occurring within it opened my eyes.  I was
 expecting a technical conference instead.  This year, for the first
 time, my wife joined me at LibrePlanet.  I think it made an
 impression on her, as it had me.
   * I proudly wear my GNU hat, and occasionally people ask me what "GNU"
 is.  I say something like "It's the project for software freedom,"
 to which I get a puzzled look.  Then I say, "It's the basis of the
 operating system that uses the Linux kernel," and they nod and feel
 satisfied.  I sense that they perceive that I've made an operating
 system choice for whatever utilitarian reasons they think people
 make such choices, because /they can't yet imagine other reasons/
 for choosing software.
   o The fact that I work in Cambridge, MA, USA, not far from where
 LibrePlanet occurs, and where Free Software began, and that the
 person I'm talking to is often with a well-informed PhD
 scientist, only underscores how little the message of software
 freedom has penetrated mainstream consciousness.  (If in fact
 PhD scientists are better informed than anyone else, typically.
 But no worse-informed, I'd imagine.)

Jim Garrett

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[libreplanet-discuss] Free software: community vs. brand

2018-04-14 Thread Jim Garrett
A few broad thoughts have been coalescing in my mind since LibrePlanet
2018, and I'd like to offer them for whatever use they might have for
anyone.  I'm not asking for information or necessarily any response.

I have three main thoughts:

 1. The existence of a community compassionately interested in the role
of information and computers in society is a more compelling
argument for Free Software than our software itself.  (That's not a
comment on the quality of our software.)
 2. The percentage of humanity who has even thought of software as
something that /could/ involve freedom, as we understand it, is
approximately 0%.
 3. When I tell people about Free Software, I think they view it within
the framework of a brand choice, which is the wrong frame with which
to start a discussion.

Consequently, I'm going to change my elevator talk to "It's a community
of people interested in the role of information and computing in
society."  And if that piques their interest, I'll talk about the four
freedoms and taking control of our computers.

Some observations that have led me to these:

  * I didn't truly understand the larger issues around software freedom
before attending LibrePlanet.  Seeing the community together and
hearing the discussion occurring within it opened my eyes.  I was
expecting a technical conference instead.  This year, for the first
time, my wife joined me at LibrePlanet.  I think it made an
impression on her, as it had me.
  * I proudly wear my GNU hat, and occasionally people ask me what "GNU"
is.  I say something like "It's the project for software freedom,"
to which I get a puzzled look.  Then I say, "It's the basis of the
operating system that uses the Linux kernel," and they nod and feel
satisfied.  I sense that they perceive that I've made an operating
system choice for whatever utilitarian reasons they think people
make such choices, because /they can't yet imagine other reasons/
for choosing software.
  o The fact that I work in Cambridge, MA, USA, not far from where
LibrePlanet occurs, and where Free Software began, and that the
person I'm talking to is often with a well-informed PhD
scientist, only underscores how little the message of software
freedom has penetrated mainstream consciousness.  (If in fact
PhD scientists are better informed than anyone else, typically. 
But no worse-informed, I'd imagine.)

Jim Garrett

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