Re: Video Neelie Kroes

[Sense Hofstede <qense ubuntu com>]

Good work on the press release! I'm happy you managed to convey the
message of Neelie Kroes and give a clear overview of what she said.
I'm still seeing a rise in the number of views of the video, so the
word is still spreading.

I didn't send any translations because I didn't intend those to be
attached to the press release. The Dutch translation is my own work
and the Spanish translation is the work of a GNOME community member.
Both, therefore, are not authorised and we cannot be sure (especially
of the Spanish) whether they correctly purport the message Neelie
Kroes wanted to share with the GNOME community. By attaching them to
the translations journalists from Spanish and Dutch speaking countries
could go for the translations and cite it, possibly citing wrongly.

It would be better if they would use the English transscript since
that would allow them to translate the text themselves, giving them
more control over the meaning and putting the responsibility of
possibly wrong translations with them, not with us.

I also saw that you attached the English subtitles rather than the
transsscript. This is inconsistent with the Spanish attachment, which
is more a transscript, and not pleasant to read. I'm attaching the
transscript, feel free to add paragraphs and rename the file, as I
left out blank lines to get YouTube to time the subtitles correctly.

Kind regards,
Sense Hofstede

On 15 July 2010 11:41, William from Texas <williamfromtexas gmail com> wrote:
> Ok! I posted it like this:
> ps -  Sense, the 'Dutch' subtitles you sent me were also in English! Also,
> can you add a link to the homepage under the video to the announcement?
> Something like: " Read the video's release annoucement here:
> http://www.guadec.org/index.php/guadec/index/announcement/view/15 "
>
> ---
>
> GNOME conference draws Open Source support from EU Commissioner
> Thursday, July 15
>
> European Union (EU) Commissioner for Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes has
> released a <a href="/">video statement</a> emphasising the importance of
> Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) in Europe and the need to foster a
> growing open source community. The video came in response to an invitation
> by the GNOME Users and Developers European Conference (GUADEC). While
> Commissioner Kroes was unable to attend, she instead recorded a statement
> strongly supporting FLOSS and its work across European sectors.
>
> Commissioner Kroes explained that FLOSS was in everyone's best interests.
> Fear of copyright infringement and perceived lack of support, said Kroes,
> "discouraged [government] officials from selecting software on merit." Many
> governments, such as in France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK,
> are already using or testing FLOSS, and the benefits are "not only good
> value for money ... but also more choice."
>
> Aside from member states, EU-level commitment and preparedness for FLOSS has
> sent promising signals, showing that in Europe the work of shaping the
> digital future is a responsibility shared by government, communities, and
> people alike.
>
> In her statement Kroes cites several EU-supported public FLOSS tools,
> including: <a href="http://www.osor.eu/";>the Open Software Observatory and
> Repository (OSOR)</a> database, a platform to develop, collaborate and share
> software and best practices between public administrations; the <a
> href="http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/eupl";>European Union Public License
> (EUPL)</a>, a "copy left"-style software license; and the <a
> href="http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/3473";>European Interoperability
> Framework</a>, a policy instrument that aims at interoperability in and
> between public administrations.
>
> Commissioner Kroes is a well-known advocate for digital rights. Coordinated
> with the GUADEC conference, her message is meant to help raise awareness and
> support of community participation in FLOSS development. The GUADEC
> conference, in its eleventh year, brings users and developers together in
> various European locations and hosts a number of speaking sessions, training
> activities and special pre-conferences. A key pre-event this year is the
> GNOME Open Desktop Day, a panel of government officials, FLOSS project
> managers and advocates who will discuss FLOSS's role in public government
> and education sectors.
>
> GNOME, the default graphical environment in many major Linux and Unix
> systems, has millions of users around the world and the support of large
> enterprises and small business. Holding its main tenets as freedom,
> accessability and usability, GNOME is well positioned to play a key role in
> future FLOSS projects.
>
> As Commissioner Kroes says, government "can bring people together and help
> get rid of obstacles."
>
> "But," she continues, "the real difference is made by people and
> communities, like the open source movement."
>
> The full video is on the GUADEC 2010 homepage:
> <a href="http://www.guadec.org/";>www.guadec.org</a>
>
> The video can also be found on Youtube:
> <a
> href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok100U4Fo3Y";>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok100U4Fo3Y</a>
>
> More information about GNOME can be found at:
> <a href="http://www.gnome.org/";>www.gnome.org</a>
>
> Attached video transcripts:
> <a href="http://www.guadec.org/docs/NKroes(English).sbv">English</a>
> <a href="http://www.guadec.org/docs/NKroes(Espanol).txt">Spanish</a>
>
> ---
>
> On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 10:56 PM, Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier <jzb zonker net>
> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 11:27 AM, William from Texas
>> <williamfromtexas gmail com> wrote:
>> > Sorry for being a bit late with this. This is a version I really like,
>> > actually, I changed quite a bit. Give it a read if you can, I will post
>> > with
>> > either good reviews from y'all or later tonight. ;-)
>>
>> I still think the headline is confusing.
>>
>> Also this: "Commissioner Kroes is a well-known digital advocate."
>>
>> Not sure what this means, but it makes it sound like Kroes is digital.
>> :-) Maybe "advocate of digital rights"?
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Zonker
>> --
>> Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier <jzb zonker net>
>> About: http://www.dissociatedpress.net/about/
>
>

'Open source' is not a dirty word any more. It used to be a dirty word, a scary one.
For example, in e-government applications and public administrations open source was something to be used at home, as a hobby. Nobody would dare to push for an open source solution in a public organisation.
"Who will offer us technical support, and what if we are sued for infringing someone's IP if we use this?"
Those were the sort of issues that discouraged officials from selecting software on merit. We do not yet have a true level playing field, but thankfully attitudes are changing.
One example is the European Commission's OSOR project. This project raises awareness and stimulates reuse of successful open source solutions, across European public administrations.
And another example is EUPL, the EU open source license, which, under an EU legal framework, allows for easy licensing of open source software.
Today many large organisations across Europe, such as the Munich City Council, use solutions like Linux. And the UK government has been pushing open source solutions since 2009, with many government departments now using it as a component.
And from what I hear, such bodies are pleased with the results. The reason is not only good value for money, which is critical in today's financial situation, but also more choice. There is lower dependency on certain vendors, and lower switching costs.
Things are changing, also in the private sector. Now large companies declare, proudly, that they are not only using open source software, but contributing to it. And that means that many important open source projects are in fact backed by businesses who are investing in it. They make good returns. And that is going to continue as a major boost for the open source movement.
According to data from open source providers, like RedHat, the top three countries for open source activity in the EU are France, Spain and Germany. And with such big countries in the lead, the momentum for open source is set to keep on growing.
Indeed, open source is appearing everywhere: in consumer products, in databases, in business software, in games and as a component of services delivered across the internet.
And large initiatives like NOiV, 'de Nederland Open in Verbinding' [the Netherlands Openly in Connection], from my own country, the Netherlands, are helping to make it mainstream also in public administration.
The European Commission has done a lot to encourage this trend. One example is the European Interoperability Framework, which aims at interoperability in and between public administrations.
And now the digital agenda for Europe, is raising the stakes. Here we are aiming at a more strategic approach to interoperability and standards, and emphasising the important link to public procurement.
That can really change the way open source is seen in public administrations and offer a lot of potential to small and medium sized providers.
You have an important role in shaping Europe's digital future. Governments cannot simply announce and deliver the digital future. It must come out of an organic and shared responsibility. And I want to build a broad movement for digital action. At the EU we can bring people together, help get rid of obstacles, and occasionally give funding to help in research and development. But the real difference is made by people and communities, like the open source movement.