[Fsf-friends] Sensitivity to language

[Ramanraj K]

Ragavan Srinivasan wrote:
 > While I would have loved to engage in a pedantic debate on the right
 > terminology and talk about the nuances of the english language, I
 > believe it to be more constructive to work toward understanding and
 > defining a process to foster the spirit of free/open source software
 > in India. I have seen many debates degenerate into name calling and
 > finger-pointing, and finally ending up missing the end goal (and
 > indirectly contributing to the FUD mongers).


Nuances of the English language, or any language for that matter, are of
deep interest to software developers in particular.     Many programming
languages, lexical parsers, tools and standards center around use of
language, and fine sensitivity to language is an important pre-requisite
for any kind of understanding.  Using "Open Source" terminology to refer
to Free Software in the principal support list of the FSF-I may be
excusable, but for heaven sake, please use only "Free Software" 
terminology in legislation or other documents that qualify as records 
for posterity. To avoid needless confusion and errors, it is important 
to use the right terminology, but if this is such an unimportant and 
trivial issue for you, could you not gracefully accept the requests made 
to use "Free Software" terminology, and proceed with your "constructive" 
work?

 > That said, I just joined this mailing list and do realize the list is
 > for free software advocates, and if the majority are religious about
 > the necessity to restrict the discussions/debates to conform to the
 > strictest definitions of free, then I will refrain from posting here
 > on issues that may not lend themselves well to that definition.

Should the word "free" itself be chained and locked up?  Respecting the 
purposes, goals and objectives of this list is easy and not onerous.

 > Further, I have a simple goal in mind -- to educate, advocate, inform
 > and hopefully influence the decision making authorities in the Indian
 > educational and government sectors on the benefits and virtues of
 > considering and using free and open source software. I would like to
 > find like minded people to do this, and if this is not the forum to do
 > so, please let me know.

We are a bunch of volunteers sharing ideas, hoping for positive changes
around us.  You may get lucky in finding like minded people here, just
as the rest us who belive and practise the philosophy of love and
sharing behind Free Software have already found.