[OT] Re: Python training time (was)

[David K. Trudgett]

Hi Martijn,

On Tuesday 2003-02-25 at 01:14:32 +0000, Martijn Faassen wrote:

> And he said saying "free software" gives bad connotations as
> managers somehow associate it with "communism". 

Of course, most people in the US (and Australia, where I'm from) don't
know what communism is, except for that totalitarian system practiced
by the former Soviet Union. How "freedom" and "totalitarianism" come
to be thus confused is a tribute to the bizarre irrationality of the
socialisation process.

On the specific point of ESR's, that the term "free software" gives a
bad impression to business people, and that the term "open source" is
better used instead, I have to disagree. Business people are now
well-acquainted with the open source movement (with thanks also to ESR
and all the other open source advocates), and will make business
decisions based on business needs regardless of the labels used to
identify software. I have no qualms about going to senior management
and promoting the use of a particular piece of Free Software, and
explaining what the word "Free" means in context. This is not least
because it is the particular software that is being promoted, and not
"Free Software" in general. However, along the way, management becomes
familiar with the philosophy and benefits of freedom, which is
something not difficult to appreciate by businesses who are feeling
the painful effects of vendor lock-in. I have to agree with RMS that
the principle of freedom is the crux, even for business.

I wonder if ESR would prefer the term "free love" to "open monogamy".
Which is more important? Openness or freedom? :-)



> While communism is likely considered a distinctly bad idea to most
> managers in Europe it doesn't mean people are instantly repelled and
> fearful either.

I would hazard that that is mostly because a lot more people in Europe
are exposed to, and know about, the various flavours of communism and
how they are supposed to work in theory. To an outsider, it appears to
me that to many Europeans, communism is more something to be wary of
than fearful of, and that's mainly because a number of evils can be
hidden within one label (authoritarian and totalitarian control being
one of them). "Capitalism" has the same problem, by the way: you only
need to see the current state of fascism in the US to realise that.


> Oh, and of course ESR also holds peculiar views not shared by lots of
> others in the US -- then again, his set of peculiar views could've only
> arisen in the US. :)

Not wishing to comment one way or the other on ESR's well-known views,
I can only ask the rhetorical question: "How many geniuses didn't have
'peculiar' views?" :-) That's not to say that peculiar views are any
indicator of genius! :-))

Peculiarly yours,
David