[Fsf-india] FEATURE: Open source, free software ... in the Third World (long)

[Gopal.V]

Please check out http://forum.gnu.org.in for a discussion on the 
Cost aspects of Free Software (Khuzaima). Let's take it there and
cover it without wasting bandwidth of poor onlookers here.

If memory serves me right, Rajkumar S. wrote:
> But he was reporting on the reasons why real people are choosing Free
> Software. How ever important is the Freedom of Free software, price is
> the *most* important factor in choosing Free software for people and
> governments in developing countries.

I agree that free software is getting branded as "gratis" everywhere.
But getting adopted for <some_reason> is not our aim. The user does not
enjoy freedom unless he knows about it. We have to tell him that this 
is "Free Software" and not "Freeware" !.

Proprietary companies are giving away lots of software "free" (as in free 
lunch) to gain market share. Obvious examples will be Microsoft's IE ,
MS .NET SDK , SUN JDK etc... Such a *cost* argument from our side gets
toppled all too easily by such "free" programs. 

I've already been told by an Open Source developer that MS .NET SDK is 
"Free" as far as he is concerned (on a development mailing list !).

> But that do not mean that we stop talking about Freedom, only that we
> should not get mad when some one reports reality.

Thanks raj for that point -- as the mail showed an inherent flaw in 
the popularity of free software. It is getting adopted only for saving
money. 

So condensing my point to two lines. 

"Cost and the attached licensing is one of the factors limiting 
freedom to copy/redistribute" -- and giving users freedom is our aim.

Gopal.V
-- 
 The difference between insanity and genius is only measured by success
 //===<=>===\\
|| GNU RULEZ ||
 \\===<=>===//