[Fsf-india] Time to start another flame

[Khuzaima A. Lakdawala]

On Tue, 12 Mar 2002 09:50:13 +0530, CK Raju <ckraju@zyberway.com> wrote:

> Friends,
> I think this would be an apt time to start off another flame on proprietary 
> licenses.
> 
> To set it going I have articulated my views on budget and IT in The Hindu, 
> available at http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002031200791004.htm .
> The President's address to Parliament, Union Budget and most of the declared 
> State Budgets contain references to the figures from Software Exports, but no 
> mention on the imported Software License costs (as if there is no 
> alternative).

That's not surprising at all. We can't expect otherwise from elitist
governments that have sold out to big interests. These are governments
which build massive costly dams ("as if there is no alternative"),
import expensive palm oil while local coconut farmers starve, build 56
over-bridges in one city to cater to swanky foreign cars while the
masses travel in local trains packed like sardines... of course I am
blabbering but you get the point. And mind you, issues like the ones
above affect *far* more people in a much more disastrous manner as
compared to our pet issue of software freedom.

For all you know, there might even be a World Bank / IMF fiat issued
to the GOI stating "if you bring up the issue of exorbitant
proprietary software license costs, our corporate friends here in the
west will be very displeased and we can't have that, can we; you dare
not disturb the status quo or we might have to bring out the whip!"

I have come to the rather belated conclusion that it would be
downright stupid of us to expect our big-business-friendly governments
to support people-friendly issues like Free Software. Like banging
ones head against the wall, or worse.

We have to mould ourselves into a grass-roots movement and work our
way from below without expecting any "policy support" from our
wonderful governments. Trying to engage the governments on this issue
would be a waste of our limited energies and resources which would be
better utilised in directly approaching the *PEOPLE* . We have to talk
about Free Software to youngsters in schools and colleges, not to
babus in government offices.

> 
> RMS's presence not being covered in the Press can be taken up while 
> responding to it. Would the response been the same, had it been Bill Gates ? 

Again, not surprising at all. There was painfully little coverage in
our so-called mainstream press about the strong Indian presence at the
World Social Forum in Porto Allegro either. And these are people whose
work is *far* more important and relevant to India than RMS'. Can't
expect otherwise from a big-business and advertiser friendly
press. Some time back I thought we could rope in the so-called free
press on our side but I guess I was stupid and naive to think so.

Gates would get wonderful coverage because such coverage would be
linked to large and lucrative proprietary software advertising
accounts. Covering RMS has no such benefit. It's obvious.

The only way we can hopefully enlist the services of the mainstream
press is to actually give a *paid advertisement* about Free Software
with the footer "issued in the public interest!"


-- 
Khuzaima A. Lakdawala