Re: COSCUP / GNOME.Asia 2010 Call For Papers

[Richard Stallman <rms gnu org>]

I left foundation-list off this message because I think there is no
need to fill the mailboxes of all the GNOME Foundation members.

    Thanks for reminding us about free software in this conference. We are also
    very happy to correct other errors in announcement , please help us.

The first step is to fully understand the difference between free
software and open source.  It is a fundamental difference -- a matter
of different values.

The idea of the free software movement is that software users deserve
freedom.  Software which respects your freedom is free (ziyou).
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html for more details
of what freedom is needed so that users can control the program.

Software which doesn't respect your freedom is proprietary,
user-subjugating software.  This is an injustice, so users should
reject it.

I launched the development of the GNU system so that we could use
computers and have freedom.  See
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html.  We develop better free
software so that users will escape from proprietary software.

GNOME was launched to defend our community from the danger of KDE.
KDE depends on a library, Qt, which at that time (1997) was proprietary.
In response to our efforts, the Qt developers made it free software.
That is why KDE is not a danger today, and we can cooperate with them.

If you contrast this with what open source supporters say, you will
see a tremendous difference.  They never levy an ethical criticism at
proprietary software.  That is an idea they won't say.  See
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html for
more explanation of the difference between free software and open source.

As a result of this deep difference in values, cohosting a free software
event with an open source event is tricky.  But I think we can do it
if you and the other organizers of GNOME.Asia have the will to do it.

To promote the free software movement means doing three things:

* Making the name "free software" and its translations visible in all
the event's publicity and signs.  (See
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/fs-trans.html.)

* Explaining the philosophy of free software at least once.

* Referring back to that philosophy occasionally.

To explain the philosophy of free software you need a speaker who can
do it.  I can find you one.  I might be able to do this personally if
you want, since I have a tentative plan to be in China for the first
half of August, but it does not have to be me.  There are good
speakers in FSF India, for instance.

To make the name "free software" and its translations visible
is something we can work on now for the call for papers.
Shall I propose a changed version?