Information about the Free Software Foundation Europe

[Sinisa "Sigma14" "187.64.230.77" Milicic]

> > Software = A program that can be run by a computer
> > Source Code = The text a programmer has written that can be translated by a
> > compiler so that computers can run it.
> > Free Software = Software that is delivered along with its Source Code and
> > the guarantee that anyone is allowed to run, reproduce, modify, translate
> > etc the Code as long as he keeps the copyright.
> > 
> > Better definitions can be taken from the GPL.
> 
> That's all very well and good for lawyers and for long, detailed
> articles. I was wondering if anyone could come up with something that
> encapsulates the concept libre software for Joe Sixpack. Such a thing
> would be invaluable for evangelising, but it looks like no-one else has
> any etter ideas than me.

OK.. what we should, in other words, do is take a model of J. Random Luser
and figure a way to enlighten his computer-half/whole-illiterate being
into seeing what lies beyond proprietary software.
If we want Andy Capp to USE and UNDERSTAND software libre, we lower the
advanteages of it to his level, we musn't use common sence. We mustn't get
into the situation Cro's only LuG's president got into. He was asked by an
old lady, when sne found out he was into computers, ('96.) wether he uses
Windows 95. He said he almost coredumped when he heard what she had said.
What I think the main problem of Andy Capp, J. Random and Joe Sixpack is
their intellectual capacity. You can't teach them the differences between
GNU/Linux and Linux, Linux and Software Libre (if they've even heard of
Linux, whche they persuambly have, and consider it to be somthing 'like
Windows, only gratis'), et cetera, because they won't follow you from the
word 'Hi!'. People tend to oppose rather then improve. That's how GNU
stared, right? So, what I would like to say, is that our advocacy case
should be based on equally accenting the why-not-to-use-proprietary sw, as
much as the use-free-sw-because-you-can-$foo.

Defeinitions: only rational people care about definitions, and they who do
care about them do not need special enlghtening methods.

Sinisa
--
"Mors EULAe, libertas softwarei!"