---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: Response to the e-mail to the Editor. Vivaravicharam Date: Friday 29 Aug 2003 4:33 pm From: Anil Kumar K V eiidp@md3.vsnl.net.in To: rms@gnu.org Cc: fsf-wg@cc4.tifr.res.in, fsf-india@gnu.org.in, fsug-calicut@freelists.org, fsug-kochi-discuss@symonds.net, linux-india-general@lists.sourceforge.net
Dear Richard,
I happened read your e-mail to the editor of 'Vivaravicharam'. Here I express my thoughts on your opinion.
I really wondered why you have used the term “Swadesh” that too while mentioning about Gandhiji's principle ! “Swadesh” is a word of Sanskrit origin and its literal meaning is “My own nation”. It is a propaganda term of the fascist group named “RSS” to spread their fanatic agenda of Hindu nationalism. This same RSS was behind the assassination of Gandhiji in 1948, who has actively campaigned for Hindu-Muslim unity and secular culture among the people which had blocked Hindu fanatics from moving their agenda. Now after around half a century they came to power in India through false propaganda and carrying on Gujarat like homicides. “Swadesh” is effectively used by them for these purposes. What Gandhiji promoted was “Gram Swaraj” which literally means “Self sustainable villages”. I am not sure whether you actually mean to use “Gram Swaraj” or “Taddesh”. It would have been better if you have used the term “Taddesh” which literally means “Their own native”.
So let me re-read your sentence “Free software is software swadesh--not just for India, but for the whole world.” as “Free software is taddesh software for the whole world”.
Suggestion for using “application of copyrights” instead of “protection of intellectual property rights" in the case of publishing industry is acceptable as it conveys better.
I fully agree with the philosophy of freedom, which is propagated by FSF team. However imposition of the terms such as "GNU" and "Free Software" is not justifiable as these word contains only manufactured messages to convey. It is not advisable to urge others to use a term whose message is a manufactured one. Advocates of these terms may have some emotional satisfication in using these terms and need not be the case with all who campaigns for the freedom.
Usually a movement or philosophy is called after its originator. However a product is referred by its shortest name for convenience. It is true that major portion of the Linux OS is developed by GNU. So it can be named as "GNU/Linux". Since there is no Linux OS other than GNU/Linux, the usage of "Linux" is justified by ease of use.
There are spatial variations in the meaning of certain words. The word "Free" for us is actually more linked with 'free of cost' than to "freedom". However it is understood that there is concerted effort by FSF team to use "Free" for freedom whenever it is linked with software. In other sectors, it is advocates of imperialist globalisation is usually using the term "Free" for freedom where freedom is a psuedo-freedom. And I consider "Free" as propaganda term by advocates of imperialist globalisation in other fields. It is found that nowadays even members of FSF teams are using the acronym "FLOSS" to avoid these confusion created by the term "Free".
I have some other doubts which I think you might have some answer.
It is said that "free software" movement is a campaign for freedom. It is understood that its activity is confined to “ethics of the social arrangements of using software”. Whether campaign for freedom can be restricted to “ethics of the social arrangements of using software” alone? What should be its counterpart in other walks of the society life ?
How can a full time activist of a "free software" movement earn their livings. Or whether only part-time activist are expected to work for this movement, and find their earnings from a proprietary environment? Is it a good idea to promote local co-operative movements to overcome this crisis ? This has much relevance for software workers in a third world scenario where software development is considered as a source of employment.
Regards,
Anil Appropriate Technology Promotion Society. Keralam.
<-- On 28 Aug 2003 Richard Stallman wrote --------------------> Traditional proprietary software development (which created most of the programs we use daily) adheres to the principle of strict protection of intellectual property rights found in the publishing industry.</P>
"Intellectual property rights" is a propaganda term, and it spreads confusion my lumping together copyrights, patents, trademarks, and other laws, all of which are completely different.
In any given situation, when you think of saying "intellectual property rights", you really mean just one of those. For instance, here you mean specifically "copyright". The article would be clearer if you said just "copyright", instead of "intellectual property rights" It would also avoid a form of prejudice.
The term "protection" is also a propaganda term. Replacing it with "application" would avoid the propaganda, and make the article more precisely correct as well.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html for more explanation.
Free /open</SPAN> software is not a technology, but rather a different way of thinking about and organizing the software development process.
It may be true that open source is a different way of thinking about and organizing the software development process. However, that's not what free software is. Free software is a different way of thinking about the ethics of the social arrangements of using software.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html for more explanation of the difference between the free software philosophy and the open source philosophy. They are not synonymous.
<P LANG="en-GB" CLASS="western" ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Free / open software is growing its market share
For open source, it makes sense to speak of "market share". The open source advocates try to appeal above all to business, saying theirs is a practically superior alternative.
However, the free software movement is a social movement, a campaign for freedom. It is more like Gandhi than like Eddison. It would have been misleading to describe the success of the Indian National Congress in terms of "market share" because that would imply it was merely a matter of business competition. Gandhi did not seek to compete with British rule for the support of a larger fraction of India; he sought to replace British rule entirely. Likewise, in the free software movement we do not seek to compete with non-free software. Our goal is to replace it entirely. Free software is software swadesh--not just for India, but for the whole world.
The resemblance between non-free software and British rule in India extends much further. Non-free software is a form of electronic colonization.
Because no one is excluded from the development process, potentially hundreds of people can contribute to a project, providing a diverse group of talents and techniques.
This is the collaborative development model which the open source movement champions.
However. free software does not imply any particular development model. The collaborative model is fine, but what we really care about is not how the software is developed, but whether we have the appropriate freedom in using it. <-- ------------------------------- -------------------->
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On Fri, Aug 29, 2003 at 10:15:19PM -0400, Anil Kumar K V wrote:
I fully agree with the philosophy of freedom, which is propagated by FSF team. However imposition of the terms such as "GNU" and "Free Software" is not justifiable as these word contains only manufactured messages to convey. It is not advisable to urge others to use a term whose message is a manufactured one. Advocates of these terms may have some emotional satisfication in using these terms and need not be the case with all who campaigns for the freedom.
Oh. I had good values for OSS. Now I think I was having false impressions about your company.
Usually a movement or philosophy is called after its originator. However a product is referred by its shortest name for convenience. It is true that major portion of the Linux OS is developed by GNU. So it can be named as "GNU/Linux". Since there is no Linux OS other than GNU/Linux, the usage of "Linux" is justified by ease of use.
By calling the OS GNU/Linux, in a way we are giving credit to that Great Movement which created a Nice OS. Caling it just Linux you are simply neglecting the efforts of several other programmers who wrote various other programs.
There are spatial variations in the meaning of certain words. The word "Free" for us is actually more linked with 'free of cost' than to "freedom". However
You contradict your views by the below para. Thats why FSF people say Freedom(as in Free Speech) is more important. We never say Free software is Free Lunch.
How can a full time activist of a "free software" movement earn their livings. Or whether only part-time activist are expected to work for this movement, and find their earnings from a proprietary environment? Is it a good idea to promote local co-operative movements to overcome this crisis ? This has much relevance for software workers in a third world scenario where software development is considered as a source of employment.
Regards
Hello Anil.,
mentioning about Gandhiji's principle ! “Swadesh†is
a word
of Sanskrit origin and its literal meaning is “My own nationâ€. It
is a
propaganda term of the fascist group named “RSS†to spread their fanatic
agend
a of Hindu nationalism.
Well.. the word 'swadesh' by itself dosent have any significance in history. The term originally was not coined by the RSS. the RSS derived it from what Gandhiji started calling the 'Swadeshi movement'. That movement is to boycott all foriegn goods, which were brought into the Indian market at that time. This he did inorder to protect the livelihood of the 'Villages'. So the movement's call was to boycott foriegn goods and to use only Indian goods. It is not a propaganda term as you've mentioned. The RSS and other Hindu fanatics have derived their current terminology from the original one.
Usually a movement or philosophy is called after its originator. However a
only cults are named after their originator.
product is referred by its shortest name for convenience. It is true that major portion of the Linux OS is developed by GNU. So it can be named as "GNU/Linux". Since there is no Linux OS other than GNU/Linux, the usage of "Linux" is justified by ease of use.
Linux is the kernel. And GNU is the rest of the stuff on it. Referring them together as *Linux* sounds immature and lame. Why not call *Chicken Biriyani* as simply *chicken* or simply *biriyani*. *Chicken* means something else and *Biriyani* is just too general., so there is a compulsion for the sake of understanding to refer to *Chicken Biriyani* as *Chicken Biriyani* and not seperately though the product would sound better with a smaller name.. I pray you get the point.
Cheers, Joe
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Anil Kumar K V -
Dileep M. Kumar -
Joe Steeve