Is it acceptable to use proprietary software (platforms) to promote software freedom?

[Mat Witts]

Hi Bastien.

Great logic... but I qualified this tactic by restricting it to the aim
of converting people to FS, nothing else where it could (and probably
is) contradictory to the FSFE aims of course.

My writing is semantically loose in that polemic... but by 'Free
Software' I meant only in terms of the FSFE campaign to CONVERT, which
is a hyponym of the Free Software movement which is much more than that,
so I was using it within the restricted context of converting Facebook
users.

If you don't think joining Facebook is an effective strategy to persuade
people to leave FB then that's your choice, but I am not saying
'Facebook is fine', I am saying something like 'using facebook is fine
for the sole purpose of converting people from non-free to free software
or encouraging them to support FSFE' - and that is a political point not
a logical one.

The division is not in the community, or in the aims of the movement,
but in the strategy (or tactic) of facebook use, which I understand is
an important part of exposing Facebook users to FS.

I say this on the basis that it's hard to maintain a dialogue with
people if you do not meet them half way, and by using Facebook
individuals can weigh the pros and cons for themselves.

I personally do not use FB for my own reasons, but to suggest the FSFE
should maintain a policy of disengagement with FB, and encourage others
to disengage also is quite a different thing - I say it's
counter-productive.

I happen to think talking to people about FS is always a good thing...
and by extension of your logic you also have to take it to it's logical
conclusion - which is a proposal to ignore anyone that happens also to
be running Windows 10 or iOS!

I think you are going to have a very hard time convincing anyone about
anything?

best regards   

/ m