Re: [rms@gnu.org...] + Viet Linux-FAQ

Dear Richard,

I don't think, that the wording of the recent conference as "Open Source
Conference" - and I am sure, that the name of this list, ... is not at all
a statement "for" the Open Source Initiative and/or "against" the Free
Software Foundation.

I myself tend to the "Free Software" approach and started a while back a
virtual test balloon with the slogan "Free Software for a Free and
Independent Vietnam".

But, as we saw, when there is neither an understanding of the concept of a
"usage license for SW", nor are any copyright laws enforceable, then the
actual difference between "Free Software" and "Open Source Software"
becomes fairly small. And instead of debating now, which approach is the
one-and-only right one (and the OSS camp has IMHO also some valid
arguments), I prefer to focus our energy on concrete outcome.

For purely practical reasons _in_our_situation_, in order to "sell the
first cakes quickly" (and thus create a customer base to sell later other
stuff to), I tend to prefer to start with the slogan "Open Source" (to
users) and "Open up your sources" to developers.

As written already in my "Follow-up mail" to the Second OSS Conference, we
will have to educate about licenses etc. and will then also look about the
differences. In the cultural/historical situation in Vietnam (getting rid
of foreign occupation by good co-operation) - especially amongst developers
- chances to foster the "Free Software" approach might be quite good.

Since in Vietnam the "you get what you pay for" thinking seems to be quite
strong (it seems to me to be much stronger than in Germany for example), we
still might brand the SW as "Open Source" when it comes to business users.

Best Regards ....
... shifting into holiday gear now.

Happy New Year!

Stefan

PS: For those interested to know: I will go to my brother in-law, drink
Ruou Can, while watching the fire to steam/cook the Banh Chung...

At 00:04 29.01.2003 +0000, you wrote:
-------------------------
>Stefan subscribed me so I could respond to messages in the recent
>thread, which seems to be dying down now. In general I put my effort
>into activities that carry the banner of "free software" rather than
>those that carry the banner of "open source".
>
>I have never been a supporter of "open source"; nowadays my work is
>mainly a matter of telling people why I disagree with the open source
>movement. That movement was founded in 1998 to discard the most
>fundamental principles of the free software movement. Telling people
>about these principles--in effect, telling people what the open source
>movement does not say--is the focus of my work.
>
>I also inform people that much of the work labeled as "open source"
>was done by the free software movement before the open source movement
>was started, and asking them not to label our work as "open source".
>See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html for
>more information.
>
>I don't want to keep saying this repeatedly on your list, so I will
>say it once now, and then probably unsubscribe rather than keep
>repeating it here.

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