Promoting FOSS to People Who Don't Care
SW
"Since most people would rather die than write or study software source
code, it is actually counterproductive to promote software 'because you
can modify it yourself and be part of its community'."
NB Liarnut, [F]oamer, et alia
Moshe Goldfarb
For the majority of people this is a true statement.
Ten years ago I would have said that the public at large doesn't give a
hoot about open source software, however the world situation has changed
and is changing, for the worse IMHO.
Our rights and freedoms are slowly being eroded away and it is this trend
that is prompting people to look more closely at open source software.
The problem is that too many fanatics who are take the stance of all or
none are ruining it for the rest of us and in fact making the entire
movement look like some kind of religious cult run by fanatics.
They need to learn to take baby steps, accept what is offered and then
expand upon it in a concise and organized manner.
But they won't because in that world you are either with them or against
them and ultimately they are either going to lose, or extend the time
before open source software is the norm.
SW
> On Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:39:33 -0600, SW wrote:
>
>> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/13/1433254&from=rss
>>
>> "Since most people would rather die than write or study software source
>> code, it is actually counterproductive to promote software 'because you
>> can modify it yourself and be part of its community'."
>>
>>
>> NB Liarnut, [F]oamer, et alia
>
> For the majority of people this is a true statement.
> Ten years ago I would have said that the public at large doesn't give a
> hoot about open source software, however the world situation has changed
> and is changing, for the worse IMHO.
COLA isn't a group for those who love FOSS. It's a group of
anti-Microsoft zealots who *constantly* lie. Take Shazzlewich, please.
> They need to learn to take baby steps, accept what is offered and then
> expand upon it in a concise and organized manner.
We'll see cold fusion done in Slurpee cups before that happens.
Moshe Goldfarb
> Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>> On Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:39:33 -0600, SW wrote:
>>
>>> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/13/1433254&from=rss
>>>
>>> "Since most people would rather die than write or study software source
>>> code, it is actually counterproductive to promote software 'because you
>>> can modify it yourself and be part of its community'."
>>>
>>>
>>> NB Liarnut, [F]oamer, et alia
>>
>> For the majority of people this is a true statement.
>> Ten years ago I would have said that the public at large doesn't give a
>> hoot about open source software, however the world situation has changed
>> and is changing, for the worse IMHO.
>
>
> COLA isn't a group for those who love FOSS. It's a group of
> anti-Microsoft zealots who *constantly* lie. Take Shazzlewich, please.
That's true.
I wasn't really talking about COLA specifically though.
>
>> They need to learn to take baby steps, accept what is offered and then
>> expand upon it in a concise and organized manner.
>
> We'll see cold fusion done in Slurpee cups before that happens.
That is funny :)
7
> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/13/1433254&from=rss
>
> "Since most people would rather die than write or study software source
> code, it is actually counterproductive to promote software 'because you
> can modify it yourself
Totally bogus strawman argument.
> and be part of its community'."
>
>
> NB Liarnut, [F]oamer, et alia
That simply is not the way free software is promoted to joe public!!!
The software is free written by open source developers and the
source code is free so that you or your proxy such as open
source developers can look at it and fix anything that is wrong
with it. Because of that, there is less likely hood of security
issues and malware issues. Thats why joe public is flocking
to open source. Not because the average user is able to
or want to modify the source code. They like the reassurance
that open source gives them because the code is out in the open.
tha...@tux.glaci.delete-this.com
>
> That simply is not the way free software is promoted to joe public!!!
>
> The software is free written by open source developers and the
> source code is free so that you or your proxy such as open
> source developers can look at it and fix anything that is wrong
> with it. Because of that, there is less likely hood of security
> issues and malware issues. Thats why joe public is flocking
> to open source. Not because the average user is able to
> or want to modify the source code. They like the reassurance
> that open source gives them because the code is out in the open.
This goes back to the old 'car with the hood welded shut'
metaphor. You might never service your own car, but you sure
as heck benefit from being able to take it to any independent
mechanic rather than only having service done at the dealer
you bought it from.
I've actually a rather recent example of this with one of my
ISP clients. Access to the source code allowed us to rapidly
debug and fix a problem with one of their production mail
servers that would likely have taken much longer if we were
using a closed source, proprietary software stack.
Cheers,
Thad
--
Yeah, I drank the Open Source cool-aid... Unlike the other brand, it had
all the ingredients on the label.
Linonut
Who are those guys?
By the way, you have a long string of idiotic, near-meaningless posts.
There's no need for that. You can find plenty of jibe-material with
some explicative and propagandistic potential.
--
Never pay a compliment as if expecting a receipt.
SW
> * SW peremptorily fired off this memo:
>
>> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/13/1433254&from=rss
>>
>> "Since most people would rather die than write or study software source
>> code, it is actually counterproductive to promote software 'because you
>> can modify it yourself and be part of its community'."
>>
>> NB Liarnut, [F]oamer, et alia
>
> Who are those guys?
No account liars and idiots, that's who.
>
> By the way, you have a long string of idiotic, near-meaningless posts.
> There's no need for that. You can find plenty of jibe-material with
> some explicative and propagandistic potential.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/011008-torvalds-linux.html
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/12/linus-torvalds.html
"I dislike the frothing-at-the-mouth ideology (to me, ideology should be
something personal, not something you push on other people) and I think
it's much more interesting to see how Open Source actually generates a
better process for doing complex technology, than push the "freedom"
angle and push an ideology."
"...frothing-at-the-mouth ideology..."
Even Linus thinks you suck.
--
Code Ain't Community Son
Linonut
> Linonut wrote:
> >
> > By the way, you have a long string of idiotic, near-meaningless posts.
> > There's no need for that. You can find plenty of jibe-material with
> > some explicative and propagandistic potential.
>
> http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/011008-torvalds-linux.html
> http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/12/linus-torvalds.html
>
> "I dislike the frothing-at-the-mouth ideology (to me, ideology should be
> something personal, not something you push on other people) and I think
> it's much more interesting to see how Open Source actually generates a
> better process for doing complex technology, than push the "freedom"
> angle and push an ideology."
>
> "...frothing-at-the-mouth ideology..."
>
> Even Linus thinks you suck.
He would if I had "...frothing-at-the-mouth ideology...".
The truth is, I don't. Not even here in COLA.
However, you may want to wipe the foam from your
mouth. And get a rabies series, dude.
--
"All God's children are not beautiful. Most of God's children are, in fact,
barely presentable."
-- Fran Lebowitz
chrisv
>The problem is
*plonk*