[wilhelmtux-discussion] Re: World Summit on the Information Society and Free Software

[Claude Almansi]

Alex Schroeder wrote:


    Certainly the meme "Open Source" is very strong -- when I said
    something, I never said "Open Source", I always said "Free Software",
    but people always responded using the term "Open Source".

Richard Stallman answered

When this happens, I suggest you ask them "Why did you say 'open
source'?  I'm talking about free software."  That will naturally lead
to a chance to explain the difference.

----

I have a hunch that in Switzerland,  people in favor of "non proprietary"
software prefer using "open Source" because Swiss decision-makers get their
knickers in a twist when they hear the word "free". I got this hunch from
the intersessional documents for WSIS (1). Rumor had it that the authors had
scrapped all mentions of "free software", but actually "Open Source"
software has a relevant place in them. So using the words "Open Source"
might just be a way to get the principle through to our powers that be, who
are rather ICT-illiterate.

As Declan McCullagh entitled a round table last summer in New York, during
the H2O2 meeting: "Trying to teach legislators about tech is about as useful
as teaching a pig how to write: all you get is a very angry pig... but there
are other way to influence them" (quoted from memory). It also applies to
other organs in public administration. This playing on words might be one of
them.


(1) See
http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/listing.asp?lang=en&c_event=pci|1&c_type=t
d| The URL happens to work today, though it didn't a few days ago. If it
doesn't again: http://www.itu.int/wsis/ and click on "Working documents for
the Draft Declaration of Principles and Draft Action Plan as of 21 March
2003 "

;-)

Claude

Claude Almansi
Coordinatrice In/formazione
www.adisi.ch