Re: Changing "Linux" with "GNU/Linux" or "GNU"

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Mon, 2006-07-31 at 21:18 +0100, Joachim Noreiko wrote:
> I used the expression light-heartedly, and I meant our
> own recruitment drives in that document too. 
> 
> I would suggest adding to 'A.4. Joining the
> GNOME Project' a new paragraph after the first two,
> briefly explaining the benefits of free software to
> the average user. I'm sure I've read articles and
> blogs about this, but basically freedom to alter code
> yourself -- not very useful to end-user -- freedom
> from format lock-in and forced upgrades -- more
> interesting. that sort of thing :)

This is important.  Those of us who are programmers can
get very hung up on the very specific freedom of being
able to modify the software yourself.  But free software
is so much more.  It also means you can use the software
how you want, and share it with others.

And that's just the core freedoms.  From those freedoms
we get a lot of other (specific) freedoms.  And these
are the freedoms that start really meaning something to
most people.  For example, free software, by its nature,
is not going to lock you into proprietary file formats
or data-exchange protocols.  You just can't keep a file
format a secret when you show everybody the source code
for handling it.

That means you can actually stop using my software if
it sucks, and you don't have to leave behind all your
data if you do.  (And it is *YOUR* data, not mine.)

Eben Moglen gave a very inspiring speech at the Red Hat
Summit.  He talked about free software in a way that I
think a lot of people can really relate to.  Watch it:

http://www.redhat.com/promo/summit/videos/

Go ahead, I'll wait.  He talks about freedom and free
software without coming across as a programmer.  Because,
you know, he's not a programmer.  He talks about freedom
from a perspective that non-programmers relate to.

So when we talk about freedom in our documentation, that's
the kind of talk we want.  Because sometimes you just have
to remind people why freedom is so important.

--
Shaun