2009/1/1 V. Sasi Kumar sasi.fsf@gmail.com:
On Thu, 2009-01-01 at 13:04 +0530, sandeep sr wrote:
If opportunists start controlling the Free Software movement, it is very likely that it is the ideals of FS that is going to be modified more than any software under it. They can't be blamed for it, since it is quite habitual for them to reverse their announced policies as part of trying to catch up with the present, just as they did in the case of World Bank and ADB loans(to name just two).
I don't think the CPIM would do a somersault so soon. Remember, the party and the government got a lot of good publicity worldwide through the policy to support Free Software. The party did help in our fight against software patents too. And the fact that they are holding FS meetings shows that they are still interested in FS. Maybe they find that supporting the FS movement is good for them.
Madhyamam, a local daily today has a report by P.K Prakash that Mr. Joseph Mathew, was removed from his post as IT Advisor to the Kerala CM, as he resisted the efforts of a group from taking over FSF India.
The official reason given is something very different and I hope that is the truth.
Why the hell is FSF-I bothered about the internal functioning of a democratically elected State government?
From the reply of the Board of Directors, FSF-I is not even a democratic entity.
The attempts to organize a local FSF chapter in TN without the consent of the Board Members, the Kochi conference, and the latest reports ... may be the 'hijack' theory was not entirely baseless.
I don't think it is easy to hijack the FS movement. The move to start an FSF chapter in Chennai was probably the act of some misguided supporters of the party. Even the Kochi conference was a good effort, except that some of the people involved were probably not quite familiar with the FS ethos. So let us not start speculations. Instead, let us concentrate on our work -- building good software and promoting the ideal of freedom.
And we arrive at the hijack theory being repeated once again and by no less an individual than an FSF-I Board Director.
From the above statements, should the Indian Free Software Movement
understand that since the Left were the only ones to support us in *all* our campaigns - that they are condemned to be bashed up on the FSF-friends and friends mailing lists? What about the communal parties who are claiming use of freedom software? What is their stand w.r.t. free software? Why don't the anti-Left proponents on this mailing list take up a campaign to get them to support us?
Sasi Sir, Can you please explain to us how any entity can "hijack" a peoples' movement because if you do not give us a convincing answer then we are going to bring about a motion on this very list to pressure the FSF-I Board to impeach/sack you or whatever for your irresposible comments.