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Free Software Reaches out to Social Activists

Sun, 2006-09-03 11:15 — Matthew Davidson

In the wake of their very successful Defective By Design campaign, the Free Software foundation will soon be launching a new campaign to "deliver its message about ethical software to social activists outside the technical communities".

I've met a lot of people in political, community, and even church (!) groups who are quite openly proud of their ability to deploy cracks and warez for their organisation, and are strongly opposed to having to learn how to use the GIMP rather than using a cracked version of Photoshop. Given that these people are prepared to devote an enormous amount of time and effort volunteering for the causes they believe in, this attitude doesn't seem to stem from a lack of concern for ethical issues, but a lack of awareness of the ethical issues surrounding software.

Comments

Mon, 2006-09-04 08:31 — danieljames

That's it. That's the point.

Thankyou so much, Matthew, for connecting me with this information.  I have been working for the last two years on this exact platform of issues.  It is great that this campain is underway because the ideas and resources that come from it will help so many groups. This is my work and love, and this is where I see my contribution to the Free Software movement being.  I am no coder but here I read that the FSF has been working on the same social message.  It is nice to learn that the Foundation values and can help generate ideas for the type of contribution I have been pursuing.
Sun, 2006-09-10 19:25 — Charlene

ethical software

I found this useful paper related to the use of ethical software in community and social organisations http://danny.oz.au/freedom/ip/aidfs.html
through a link on the fairtrade website http://www.fairtrade.asn.au/fairtrade/links.htm

Tue, 2006-09-12 15:27 — danieljames

i'm not a pirate

Many people have tried to push to me some arguments on this that are totally rapped up in misunderstandings and myth.  I have taken umberance with claims that i only use free software because I want to pirate everything and don't want to pay Microsoft for the technology it owns.  This could not be further from the truth.

If I had no problem with piracy I would still be using windows.  I got sick of repeatedly paying for the same version of windows and the difficulty I had operating legally under a licence agreement that kept changing, when the company assumed the right to alter the contract even as I spoke with them over the phone.  Proprietry software turns me into a criminal when I have ethical and consumer right to use the product.  I use free software because it is an option that can fulfil all of my needs without leaving me in dubious legal positions.  I do not wish to steal that which people do not wish to share with me and, equally, I don't want to be thought of as theif if I benefit from code that people do want to share with me.

It is totally ridulous to think of Microsoft as being the rightful owners of computer technology.  They didn't invent it or the idea of the operating system.  They have generated a solution for people interfacing with this technology, while there are many, and they do not deserve the credit or rights to computer culture.