[Fsf-india] IT Policy Govt of Kerala

Khuzaima A. Lakdawala klak@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in
09 Dec 2001 08:21:38 +0530


Raju Mathur <raju@linux-delhi.org> writes:

> What's wrong with a technically better solution?  As far as I know
> most users (govt depts, companies, home users, etc) don't give a d*mn
> about freedom or other such abstract concepts -- they want software
> which works, which continues working, which is cheaper and which is
> supported.  You can definitely go around trying to educate people
> about how important freedom is; if you want to ensure that no one uses
> free software until they fully understand and agree with the concept
> of software freedom, I think you have a really long road ahead of you.

Yes, indeed, it's a long road but I truly believe that it's the right
way. People *will* give a d*mn about freedom when they are made aware
of it! Unlike some of us who were fortunate enough to discover these
software freedoms, most end-users are not even *aware* of the
existence of these freedoms and it should be our foremost goal to
spread awareness of these freedoms. Once that happens, the switch to
free software will logically follow without us having to indulge in
complex jugglery of cost-benefit and technical-merit facts.

OTOH, trying to "sell" free software simply on the basis of
technological and cost benefits will, at best, only yield short-term
dividends and is not a sustainable approach to propagating free
software. Talking about freedom *afterwards* -- after we've run into
road-blocks on the other fronts -- will either sound dubious or mean
that we need to start all over again!

Regards,
Khuzaima

-- 
Khuzaima A. Lakdawala