[Fsf-friends] [OFFTOPIC] Three views on Free/Libre and Open Source Software...

[V. Sasi Kumar]

On Sat, 2002-11-30 at 08:33, Dileep M. Kumar wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 29, 2002 at 03:59:53PM +0530, Khuzaima A. Lakdawala wrote:
> 
> >>>Actually,  we cannot liken  it to  any particular  licensing scheme
> >>>because there  is no copyright!  The status  of Ayurvedic knowledge
> >>>can best be described as `in the public domain'.
> 
> The current status  of Ayurveda is really in  danger. People are taking
> patents on medicinal plants, which  will prevent any body else to make
> new medicines out of it. I heard that somebody took patent on Turmeric
> which is a commonly used home-medicine.
> 
> Freedom  is important  to all  range of  knowledge. It  should  not be
> limited to the computer/software freedom alone.
> 
> Regards
> -- 
>  .''`.     Dileep M. Kumar <dileep@kumarayil.net>

Actually, I feel the concept of freedom in general would strike a chord
with most people in India, more easily than freedom in using software.
Although our country is supposed to have won freedom from foreign powers
more than half a century back, many people would recognise that our
freedoms are severely curtailed. For instance, the freedom to
information. It is a herculean task in many places to obtain a tiny bit
of information from the government. For many people, even the freedom to
draw water from a nearby well is denied. I remember long back somebody
had written in a local magazine that by enclosing open grounds and
creating stadiums, we are denying young people the freedom to play. I
see this happening now when my son and his friends are forced to play on
the road, while a reasonably large area is enclosed with walls and lying
vacant nearby. Why, in this place, the parents are the main culprits in
denying children the freedom to play, right from the age of five or six
years. They are only supposed to study. God knows what kind of adults
they would grow up to become.

Regards
Sasi