[Fsf-friends] Re: Forming FSUGs in the country
Suraj Kumar
suraj@symonds.net
Fri, 11 Apr 2003 09:53:10 +0530
Richard Stallman writes:
> Right now the LUGs teach people to think of the system as "Linux"
> and teach them to think its sole purpose is its own success. (For
> example, ILUG-Delhu voted to endorse the non-free program
> KalCulate.) LUGs capture the energy that comes from enthusiasm for
similar to ILUG-Delhi, ILUG-Chennai has been running on a high
"enthusiasm-fever" and has been supporting users to run non-free
software like Oracle and Opera under "Linux" and has also been
supporting other non-free Unices like Solaris and such. The main
misconception being, most think anything UNIX is "cool" and anything
non-UNIX is non-cool (and, free Vs non-free does not sell much in
there).
In a recent debate ILUG-Chennai has openly agreed that it would
support _any_ software that runs under "Linux" hence making it a
"software user group" and _not_ a free software user group. When I had
been a sinning[*] webmaster of this group ILUGC-Chennai made a
decision that it would claim that it supports free software that runs
under GNU/Linux and other free operating systems. While this claim
can still be seen on its website, the group does not do what it
says. Nor does it say what it does. and people who come out looking
for free software (not necessarily only free as in freedom but also
free as in gratis) get confused by the endless enthusiasm about
"Linux" that they see in this list.
-Suraj
[*] Oh prophet, this was before your lotus feet touched Chennai soil
and made the "other MIT"[**] a holy-shrine (yes, really... i tell
students "look, thats the hall where rms spoke"). Having been the
webmaster of a 'software users group' that does not care about the
importance of free software, I understand I _am_ a sinner by large,
now. and I hope the prophet's grace would shower and wash my sins
away... and oh prophet, what is my penance? I'm already not using vi!
[**] RMS refers to Madras Institute of Technology as the "other MIT"
in his speech.
--
+--------------------------------------------<suraj@symonds.net>---+
| Momentary hardships of benign rich,of righteous |
| means, is like a drought in seasonal rains |
| (futile (dormant) wealth - 10), Thirukkural |
+---<http://symonds.net/~suraj/>-----------------------------------+