Taking Free Software To the Streets 184
An anonymous reader writes "It's that time of year again; the nights are drawing in, the leaves are beginning to turn, and literally hundreds of teams of dedicated F/OSS enthusiasts from around the world are preparing to hit the streets in celebration of Software Freedom Day 2009. In an effort to increase awareness of free and open source software among the general public, SFD teams will be standing around town centers and shopping malls, holding talks at schools and universities, giving demonstrations and handing out Linux and FOSS collections for Windows on CD. With money being tight and paranoia about malware and viruses at an all-time high, the time is right to help consumers switch to the myriad of quality open source applications available. If you would like to check for an SFD team in your area and consider attending, be it to help out or simply learn more about free software for yourself, there's an interactive map to help you find your way."
Re:"Go away" (Score:5, Funny)
I thought giving away copies of Windows ME was illegal?
TLAPD (Score:5, Funny)
It's purely coincidental that Software Freedom Day happens to also be Talk Like a Pirate Day... Right?
Re:TLAPD (Score:5, Funny)
May the socially ostracized unite!
Re:"Go away" (Score:4, Funny)
For extra points, yell "I DON'T KNOW YOU!" and "GIVE ME BACK MY PURSE!"
Re:"Go away" (Score:3, Funny)
I might start yelling I'm a vegetarian and that I'm better than the guy or girl tho. Works with greenpeace activists.
Re:Keep it wacky, say goodbye to Joe public (Score:3, Funny)
Standing around town centres like homeless winos. That's the problem with FOSS advocates, they keep coming up with these wacky ideas, and each time they put them into action the public sees.... err, a wacky idea, associated with FOSS.
If you want to guarantee that the public forever sees FOSS as a fringe thing unworthy of the consideration of normal people then carry on. If you want to really promote FOSS set up a business based on FOSS and make it work and grow.
Never heard of Red Hat, Novell, Canonical, etc?
Re:I still dont get it (Score:3, Funny)
Almost all code is developed to companies, not individual people. Companies will always need new software, or adapt FOSS to their needs, etc.
Proprietary != Commercial.
Re:Keep it wacky, say goodbye to Joe public (Score:1, Funny)
Standing around town centres like homeless winos.
Buddhists tried to emulate Buddha, Christians tried to emulate Jesus, freetards are trying to emulate RMS. So far they are meeting limited success, but a few more years without bathing and they will reach the holy land where 14 virgin gnus are awaiting each of them.
Too late! (Score:3, Funny)
Software Freedom Day 2009
Great idea telling us today...plenty of time to get the local effort organised!
Software Freedom Day. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Keep it wacky, say goodbye to Joe public (Score:3, Funny)
I noticed that you didn't say the virgins were girls.
Interesting thought (Score:2, Funny)
Car analogy time
We just got back from town, on the trip, a convoy of antique cars went by obviously going to or from some rally. Now, I doubt many of those companies exist, or if they do, still offer "official authorized" factory repair parts, which we will term "patches". That market is now made up of enthusiasts who build their own replacement parts, or small shops that turn them out because they know there is a market..just to keep those old cars running. And the same applies to more modern era "muscle cars".
Why is it that any software, that is granted patents, etc, is treated different? Why is it "legal" to not be able to thoroughly analyze, observe all the bits, and come up with "parts" or aftermarket "patches"? No one gets sued for making old car parts, and it isn't illegal, or anything like that. And it isn't illegal to reverse engineer, disassemble, inspect, or even *improve upon* the original design of this that or the other part.
This has been seriously bogus for a long time, either just copyrights, or treat it like a tangible manufactured product because they are allowed patents, etc, but not both.
And what's the deal with no warranty anyway, why does software get a free skate on that, this "caveat emptor" stance that no other "thing" in the market place has, when all other products, whether outright sold or leased -"licensed to use", must provide, or have automatically applied to them, a minimum warranty as to suitability for purpose and free from glaring and harmful defects and so on?
Software gets double legal protection, something no other "product" gets, while having zero legal requirements for actual functionality and security (free from harmful defects) (most generally speaking), again, something no other product gets.
I'd really like to see this taken all the way so that we got a legal ruling on software either being a work of art, OR a tangible-like product worthy of patent protection, and in that case warranties should apply. Both, plus no warranty required, is just too dang much, especially for bits that have serious folding money attached to the transfer of same, which said bits then get used and put "at risk" of effecting a million times (whatever) more in volume of this serious folding money stuff. And it has and still does have a huge past record of negatively impacting businesses and people who have lost data, money, had ID and CC info swiped and used, etc because of glaring and unpatched code, proving it was not quite up to the task of being suitable for purpose nor free from glaring defects..
Heh, I can even envision the scene in the courtroom to get this analogy across to the judge, the "Boston Legal" method. That younger yuppie lawyer they got, the one with the out of the box thinking brain, forget his name, he comes in with all the old car busted parts, then spanking new ones that have been built, and NOT by Belchfire, while Shatner is floating around wearing old driving duds complete with goggles and the snap brim hat, with his 1919 restored Belchfire Steamer parked out front (if they manage to prevent him driving it right into the courtroom, which he tries to do).