[FSUG-Bangalore] abhas talk - feed back from Magesh and engineer with a leading propritery software company in blr

[Senthil Sundaram (sensunda)]

Free Software Talk by Abhas - 7 June 2008
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The talk was presented by Abhas Abhinav, CEO, Deeproot Linux, a free
software based
Company in Bangalore. 
 
For a person who is new to free software movement, the talk may seem
philosophical
for sometime. However, the very presenter being a successful
entrepreneur already 
in free software business, that held the interest levels intact. The
initial slides 
talk about the background of free software, why free software and what
free software
is all about. Even though one of the listeners wanted to jump to knowing
about business
ideas using free software, Abhas's commitment to educate on principles
of free software
business was appreciable.
 
My idea on attending this talk too was about knowing at least handful of
business 
ideas using free software. But as the presentation goes by one could
realize that 
the session's objective was to educate on the model of doing free
software business
and not about discussing business ideas as such. May be it was only my
expectation
that was wrong. The session helps us realize how we are restricting our
freedom and 
hence our knowledge in this proprietary software business model. 
 
Abhas was candid about making us realize how much $$$ he may lose if
someone
adopts his idea and sells an improved product next door. But this is
what a free
software principle is all about.  To be a successful entrepreneur in
this, he
emphasizes the importance of 'Value' that you attach to your product
which wins. 
He says the value that you give in terms of support and services that
stands a
differentiator between you and your competitors. 
 
It may be true that proprietary software business can make you more rich
than your
FSB counterpart. But the knowledge you spread around by distributing
your source
and helping the community to build upon that is a greater achievement.
This liberation 
of mind is what is essential to be a committed free software follower
and a FSB 
Entrepreneur as well. Hence they say, "Free software is not about price
but about 
freedom. Think 'Free' as in free speech and not free beer".
 
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