-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Fsf-friends] Continuation....of Basics...... Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 18:14:53 +0530 From: Joe Steeve joe_steeve@gmx.net To: Sriharsha Vedurmudi sriharsha.v@redpinesignals.com CC: fsf-friends@mm.gnu.org.in References: 4152CE02.1040805@redpinesignals.com 26026.1095965308@www1.gmx.net 4153C2C7.60309@redpinesignals.com

Sriharsha Vedurmudi sriharsha.v@redpinesignals.com writes:

Looks like I am facing fury, I did not intend to offend anyone. All I said was there is a fairly good chance of computer-illiterate people getting cheated by malicious people.

Hmm.. I'm sorry if it sounded harsh. But i wanted to make a point clear that these Free Software developers are usually researchers who are good in their respective areas. There is no way that people will get cheated. Even if a malicious programmer puts malicious code hidden in his program other community programmers will see this and warn the community. This is not a thing to be worried about with Free Software.

Coming to the concept of Digital Signatures, I have not seen for myself nor seen my administrators bother anything about digital certificates/signatures.

Well, it is a sad issue. Coz, every administrator is supposed to know about Digital signatures. Its such a common thing today. See, my mail has a Digital signature attached to it which authenticates that this mail was indeed sent by me.

"Find a link, download, install and use...." is a very common concept among the vast majority of non-software companies who are interested in using a popular software, if it is free. Now, dont you think that cheating such a company is easy? Honestly, one can mutate a program (atleast the C source code is in plain ASCII?) and then take the CD to that company saying he/she has

In this case, no matter whether the software is a Free Software or a proprietary one, they will still suffer. I can take a proprietary program and modify it binarily and then give it to you. Again the criteria is that your company is believing me. In that scenario, you have no other go.. so, no matter whether you are using Free Software or Proprietary software, under these conditions you are doomed.

computer literate) are not cheated by such people, therby creating a false notion about free software (which in-turn reduces the support for the struggle)

The Free Software people can warn about imposters. But they cannot stop them. I know of a company in my locality which tried creating a LUG to pull students into their training programme. The LUG creation was simply a joke to advertise to the students. The funny thing is people go for it. They need awareness. This awareness can be brought about only by making changes in the granule levels. I know how much has changed in my college after I stepped in. I'm not boasting. I want to tell that my choice has helped a lot of people around me. So will your choice.

gcc toolchain (after an initial port of it to one of our companies custom processor architecture) and it truely represents the Spirit of

If your company is going to release the processor in some product., please release the ported GCC. That would help a lot of people. :)

Cheers, Joe

PS: I'm not sure whether this mail will reach FSF-Friends. My mailserver is being blocked by the TIFR mailservers :( So, if it does not make it to the mailing list., please repost it on my behalf.