At 4:36 PM -0500 2/19/04, Mark Bucciarelli wrote: <snip>
If you just focus on pragmatism, then the concepts of freedom will get lost and people will not understand why it is important to fight things like software patents. These battles need many many enthusiastic volunteers because it is a big money fight. The U.S. government is very aggressively working to export these intellectual product restrictions to other counties via trade negotiations. In Tuesday's RMS talk, he said this was the best way for people to contribute to free software.
<snip>But you have to find a way in the door, before you can begin to explain to people why this is important. There are several places in the primer where we talk about the importance of access to source code, and what kinds of benefit that has for an organization and the sector as a whole in comparison to proprietary alternatives.
Yes, I totally agree that these battles need many enthusiastic volunteers, and I consider myself one of them. But you have to understand that most of the people I deal with are in their own pitched battles that take all of their energy. Battling around software patents and intellectual property just isn't something they are going to do. If I can help them feed a few more people, help a few more women, or better lobby the Mass. legislature so they don't pass a stupid constitutional amendment using F/OSS, and they don't really want to hear the details, I will. I agree that's focused on pragmatism. Is that what I'd like given a perfect world? Absolutely not.
-- .Michelle -------------------------- Michelle Murrain mmurrain at dbdes dot com 413-253-2874 ph 413-222-6350 cell 413-825-0288 fax AIM:pearlbear0 ICQ:129250575 SMS: 4132226350 at messaging dot sprintpcs dot com"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching." - Satchel Paige