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Today in the FSFE chat room we started talking about giving speeches/lectures to students about Free Software. Maffulli suggested we work on a FAQ for this purpose. Here are some initial ideas. Please add sections, and help revise material and give comments :)
1) How can I give a speech to students about Free Software?
A: Know your audience! If you are talking about Free Software, talk about it in a way that will genuinely engage the target audience. Taylor your delivery to suit the people, and that way you will get a positive result. If you are speaking to media students, don't go into details regarding engineering methodology. If you are speaking to computer science students, don't do a statistical analysis to show a good TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).
2) What important aspects of Free Software should I highlight?
A: There are many things you can talk about to show the benefits of Free Software. The four freedoms (free use, free modification, free sharing, free improving) are important, but are not the only things you can bring into a speech. If you are talking to political students, you might want to highlight the empowerment aspects of Free Software for developing nations. If you are talking to computer science students, you might want to highlight the advantages of an open development and testing model in engineering terms.
3) What about questions regarding the legality of Free Software?
A: You can point out that Free Software has attracted virtually no lawsuits. In the case of SCO the lawsuit is falling apart because SCO actually have no evidence. Free Software is not illegal.
4) What about questions regarding quality control in Free Software?
A: You can point out that the openness of the Free Software development model means that more people can help to find bugs. If a project is well run, it should have a very high standard of quality.
5) What about questions regarding sabotage of Free Software?
A: I came across this question when talking about encryption technology. You can point out that Free Software fosters open development. Someone may try to introduce something bad, but the open review process means this damage will be spotted and removed. It is far more likely that a hostile force could slip something into a closed system.
6) What about questions about the difference between Open Source and Free Software?
A: "The fundamental difference between the two movements is in their values, their ways of looking at the world. For the Open Source movement, the issue of whether software should be open source is a practical question, not an ethical one. As one person put it, "Open source is a development methodology; free software is a social movement." For the Open Source movement, non-free software is a suboptimal solution. For the Free Software movement, non-free software is a social problem and free software is the solution." (From http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html)
You can discuss this is several ways. If you want to be philosophical, you can talk about the freedoms as a solution to larger human problems like social empowerment. If you want to be result orientated, you can talk about how Free Software allows sustainable technology freedom that enables companies to save huge amounts on R&D, while improving the market as a whole by giving everyone access to non-differentiating technologies.
7) How should I characterise software companies like Microsoft?
A: This is very much a matter of personal preference. One suggestion is that being too hostile might alienate your audience. Point out the flaws and inherent unfairness in the business models adopted by companies like Microsoft, and suggest that Free Software simply offers a better model both for business and for society.
8) What should I say if people suggest Free Software is for tree-hugging hippies?
A: Point out that IBM is not a tree-hugging hippy camp, and that IBM and Novell back Free Software for economic and engineering reasons. Free Software is not about abstract thought, it is about better development, distribution and evolutionary models. These models benefit companies, consumers and society as a whole.
9) Where should I point people to find out more?
A: The Free Software Foundation Europe website (www.fsfeurope.org), the Free Software Foundation North America website (www.fsf.org). Perhaps you could point people to Mozilla, Openoffice.org, Ubuntu, Groklaw, OSNews...
These are my suggestions for the FAQ so far. Please join in!
Regards
Shane
- -- Shane Martin Coughlan e: shane@shaneland.co.uk m: +447773180107 w: www.shaneland.co.uk - --- Projects: http://mobility.opendawn.com http://gem.opendawn.com http://enigmail.mozdev.org http://www.winpt.org - --- Organisations: http://www.fsfeurope.org http://www.fsf.org http://www.labour.org.uk http://www.opensourceacademy.gov.uk - --- OpenPGP: http://www.shaneland.co.uk/personalpages/shane/files/publickey.asc
On Wed, 2006-04-12 at 12:12 +0100, Shane M. Coughlan wrote:
Today in the FSFE chat room we started talking about giving speeches/lectures to students about Free Software. Maffulli suggested we work on a FAQ for this purpose. Here are some initial ideas. Please add sections, and help revise material and give comments :)
Thanks Shane, this is a very important task.
- How can I give a speech to students about Free Software?
A: Know your audience! If you are talking about Free Software, talk about it in a way that will genuinely engage the target audience. Taylor your delivery to suit the people, and that way you will get a positive result. If you are speaking to media students, don't go into details regarding engineering methodology. If you are speaking to computer science students, don't do a statistical analysis to show a good TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).
This is important. I would also add: make the presentation fun and remember when you were a student, dragged by your teachers to some boring event. Don't look like a teacher, but more like a student: don't stay behind a desk, walk around and involve them asking questions.
- What important aspects of Free Software should I highlight?
A: There are many things you can talk about to show the benefits of Free Software. The four freedoms (free use, free modification, free sharing, free improving) are important, but are not the only things you can bring into a speech. If you are talking to political students, you might want to highlight the empowerment aspects of Free Software for developing nations. If you are talking to computer science students, you might want to highlight the advantages of an open development and testing model in engineering terms.
This is fine, we might also provide links to existing presentations given by FSFE members over time to different audience, so that interested people can use them directly or draw inspiration.
- What about questions regarding the legality of Free Software?
A: You can point out that Free Software has attracted virtually no lawsuits. In the case of SCO the lawsuit is falling apart because SCO actually have no evidence. Free Software is not illegal.
There are also two important law cases to point out: The GNU GPL went to court two times, one in Germany and more recently in USA. The license was considered valid in both cases. More info on http://www.fsf.org/news/wallace-vs-fsf and [check if there is a better link http://www.netfilter.org/news/2004-04-15-sitecom-gpl.html]
- What about questions regarding quality control in Free Software?
A: You can point out that the openness of the Free Software development model means that more people can help to find bugs. If a project is well run, it should have a very high standard of quality.
This is very controversial and should be specified better. Probably a better answer that is also short enough can go along the lines of:
A: quality of software depends on many factors, including peer review. If a project is well managed, it should have a very high standard of quality. This is true for both free and non-free software. But for sure, if you have two well managed software development processes, one produces free software, the other is non-free software, the non-free process is missing the possibility of peer-review. Draw your conclusions :)
- What about questions regarding sabotage of Free Software?
A: I came across this question when talking about encryption technology. You can point out that Free Software fosters open development. Someone may try to introduce something bad, but the open review process means this damage will be spotted and removed. It is far more likely that a hostile force could slip something into a closed system.
And give examples like the backdoors discovered in firebird when the sources where released the first time; or the tentative to include backdoors in Linux kernel that didn't last more than a few hours.
- What about questions about the difference between Open Source and
Free Software?
This is tricky :) I would make a difference here: when speaking to non-English-speaking people there is really no need to talk about two 'movements'. This is surely true for my experience in Italian and other countries where I spoke: the terms free software (software libero) and open source are used interchangeably most of the times (except at IBM or HP or Sun venues). So for non-English I would simply suggest to very carefully point out that Open Source is a term that was coined because the term free in English is ambiguous: in your language you don't need to look for strange words. Also, during time, OS became the word that IBM and others use to push their marketing agenda: use free software layer to sell their own non-free software. Basically, using the term OS you do gratis advertising for IBM's agenda and the community loses.
In English the first argument is not available, so you have to use only the second one. There are better explanations, but I leave this for others to suggest.
[...]
- How should I characterise software companies like Microsoft?
A: This is very much a matter of personal preference. One suggestion is that being too hostile might alienate your audience. Point out the flaws and inherent unfairness in the business models adopted by companies like Microsoft, and suggest that Free Software simply offers a better model both for business and for society.
Always think that Microsoft people are in the audience and can stand up any time to correct you and make you look like a fool if you don't stick to the truth all the times :) You should ignore non-free software companies but only mention them in general (avoid making names, and if you have to name some, use Adobe or Autodesk) as bad examples of how they treat their customers, forcing upgrades or taking away their data in unknown formats.
- What should I say if people suggest Free Software is for tree-hugging
hippies?
A: Point out that IBM is not a tree-hugging hippy camp, and that IBM and Novell back Free Software for economic and engineering reasons. Free Software is not about abstract thought, it is about better development, distribution and evolutionary models. These models benefit companies, consumers and society as a whole.
IBM backs GNU/Linux not free software. Better be specific here.
- Where should I point people to find out more?
A: The Free Software Foundation Europe website (www.fsfeurope.org), the Free Software Foundation North America website (www.fsf.org). Perhaps you could point people to Mozilla, Openoffice.org, Ubuntu, Groklaw, OSNews...
Call the FSF simply FSF, without the North America (why is everybody forgetting about Canada? :) ) Also FSF Latin America and FSF India and more... we can prepare a long list, with lwn.net too.
Does anybody have more suggestions for topics to cover? Or improvements to the ones provided? I think we can start also putting this online on fsfe.org somewhere ... See you online later,
thanks stef
Stefano wrote
On Wed, 2006-04-12 at 12:12 +0100, Shane M. Coughlan wrote: This is fine, we might also provide links to existing presentations given by FSFE members over time to different audience, so that interested people can use them directly or draw inspiration.
I maintain a list of the presentations that I remember doing: http://ciaran.compsoc.com/#roadshow
There are some recordings there, slides, transcripts, or whatever other materials I have.
Public speaking is not one of my strong points, and I currently make loads of mistakes each time I give a talk, but I always wish that others would put recordings of their presentations online so that I could get ideas, so I put mine online for others to get ideas.
A: quality of software depends on many factors, including peer review.
I think it's important to say at the start that free software is not always higher quality. Some is high quality, some is not, but everyone has the right to see the quality, and make improvements if desired.
Proprietary software is a black box that you use with one hand tied behind your back and you have to trust the marketing campaign that told you the box is full of magic dust.
- How should I characterise software companies like Microsoft?
Microsoft is a natural product of a wrong approach. They are the worst freedom-restricter, but that's only because they've been the most successful. Others are trying very hard to restrict the freedom of as many people as MS currently does.
We need to fix the general approach.
- What should I say if people suggest Free Software is for tree-hugging
hippies?
Point out that your handouts were unnecessarily printed on dead trees when you could have just posted them online :)
I don't like pointing at large company support as a proof that our cause is a reasonable one.
I prefer to say that we are trying to ensure that all software users have a certain standard of rights. Much like the free labour movement did when bonded labour existed. Much like the movement for mandatory food labelling did when it was not required that food sold publicly display the list of ingredients.
Software development and usage is stilla a new activity, and it's history and philosophical thinking is still relatively shallow. People using software don't have many rights and those people are being exploited.
You can point out that when mandatory labelling of ingredients was suggested, the food companies were fiercly against it, but today we see it as a basic right that you should be able to read the ingredients of food which is sold publicly.
We hope one day these rights will be as standard as food labelling, but today we can have those rights for ourselves by choosing free software. So it's not about avoiding MS, it's about setting a standard for how you should be treated.
If you're talking to a business audience, you can describe this as a procurement policy. Procurement policies usually spell out minimum requirements and we hope companies (and people) will start setting the requirements:
"Software providers must not prevent the company from seeing what the software does"
"Software providers must not prevent the company from making improvements, customising, fixing bugs - or commissioning others to do these things for the company"
"Software providers will not prevent the publication of any improvements which the collective users of the software make or commission."
- What about questions about the difference between Open Source and
Free Software?
They're the same thing. There are a small number of cases where software is free software but not open source, and there are a small number of cases where software is open source but not free software, but these are almost insignificant. GNU/Linux, OpenOffice, Firefox, GNOME, KDE, Emacs, Vim are all free software and open source software.
The term "free software" is ambiguous, it has to be explained.
The term "open source" also has to be explained, but people think they understand it: software that is open (which would include MS's Shared Source, etc.). So not only does it have to be explained, but it also misleads.
It's also good to point out that "open source" is a term created to "relabel" (in the words of ESR) free software, and the the Open Source Iniative was set up as "a marketing program for free software", and that "free software" has been used since 1983, which "open source" only appeared in 1998.
- Where should I point people to find out more?
For information:
www.fsfeurope.org www.gnu.org
To participate:
www.fsfe.org and this mailing list.
Stefano Maffulli stef@zoomata.com
[...] So for non-English I would simply suggest to very carefully point out that Open Source is a term that was coined because the term free in English is ambiguous: in your language you don't need to look for strange words. Also, during time, OS became the word that IBM and others use to push their marketing agenda: use free software layer to sell their own non-free software. Basically, using the term OS you do gratis advertising for IBM's agenda and the community loses.
Surely the ambiguity of "free" wasn't the original motivation? According to the failed Open Source Initiative[1], it was created 'to dump the confrontational attitude that has been associated with "free software" in the past and sell the idea strictly on the same pragmatic, business-case grounds that motivated Netscape.' -- http://www.opensource.org/docs/history.php
Unfortunately, the word "open" is ambiguous and the word "source" is ambiguous with the end result that "Open Source" software is too ambiguous to use. http://mjr.towers.org.uk/writing/ambigopen
Endnote: [1] - the Initiative was to get a US trademark on a term less generic than "free software" but that trademark is DEAD, so I say it failed.
Hi Shane,
Shane M. Coughlan shane@shaneland.co.uk wrote:
- What important aspects of Free Software should I highlight?
A: There are many things you can talk about to show the benefits of Free Software. The four freedoms (free use, free modification, free sharing, free improving) are important, but are not the only things you can bring into a speech. If you are talking to political students, you might want to highlight the empowerment aspects of Free Software for developing nations. If you are talking to computer science students, you might want to highlight the advantages of an open development and testing model in engineering terms.
I wouldn't talk to much about the development model. Free Software is in the first place a way to license software and not a development model. Depending on the needs there could be good arguments for a community driven development model or an in-house development model and both can result in Free Software.
- What about questions about the difference between Open Source and
Free Software?
A: "The fundamental difference between the two movements is in their values, their ways of looking at the world. For the Open Source movement, the issue of whether software should be open source is a practical question, not an ethical one. As one person put it, "Open source is a development methodology; free software is a social movement." For the Open Source movement, non-free software is a suboptimal solution. For the Free Software movement, non-free software is a social problem and free software is the solution." (From http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html)
I think the question about the difference between Free Software and Open Source is important. And should be answered at the beginning so that the audience know why you use the term Free Software and not Open Source.
But your answer can lead to a question like: "Do you really think that all software should be free? Is this really possible? What about software depending on development costs which could be split on many customers"
- How should I characterise software companies like Microsoft?
A: This is very much a matter of personal preference. One suggestion is that being too hostile might alienate your audience. Point out the flaws and inherent unfairness in the business models adopted by companies like Microsoft, and suggest that Free Software simply offers a better model both for business and for society.
I agree with Stefano, i wouldn't talk about Microsoft at all. If someone asks about Microsoft i would mention that Microsoft is nothing special, they just doing the same like many other non-free software companies and continue to talk about proprietary software generally.
- Where should I point people to find out more?
A: The Free Software Foundation Europe website (www.fsfeurope.org), the Free Software Foundation North America website (www.fsf.org). Perhaps you could point people to Mozilla, Openoffice.org, Ubuntu, Groklaw, OSNews...
I think www.gnu.org/philosophy is the first place to get into the Free Software idea.
Regards Bjoern
On Wed, 2006-04-19 at 22:39 +0200, Bjoern Schiessle wrote:
A: The Free Software Foundation Europe website (www.fsfeurope.org), the Free Software Foundation North America website (www.fsf.org). Perhaps you could point people to Mozilla, Openoffice.org, Ubuntu, Groklaw, OSNews...
I think www.gnu.org/philosophy is the first place to get into the Free Software idea.
The philosophy page is pretty overwhelming if you're new to the idea. It's a page full of links, with no real indication about what you should and shouldn't read - it's not really introductory material.
Compare to the likes of http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/getcreative/clicktoplay.html (yes, it's Flash) which is much more accessible to the average joe who's never heard of the idea.
Cheers,
Alex.
Alex Hudson home@alexhudson.com
Compare to the likes of http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/getcreative/clicktoplay.html (yes, it's Flash) which is much more accessible to the average joe who's never heard of the idea.
I can't access Flash (is there a good free software Flash player?) and they haven't provided an accessible html/css version. What does it say/do?
Thanks,
On Fri, 2006-04-21 at 10:43 +0100, MJ Ray wrote:
Alex Hudson home@alexhudson.com
Compare to the likes of http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/getcreative/clicktoplay.html (yes, it's Flash) which is much more accessible to the average joe who's never heard of the idea.
I can't access Flash (is there a good free software Flash player?) and they haven't provided an accessible html/css version. What does it say/do?
It's essentially an animation, in a kind of cleaned-up South Park style, if that makes any sense. I don't think it would translate well to HTML, but I don't know if they have it in any other formats.
It's basically an introduction to the Creative Commons idea, using very clear language and basic ideas. It's very good promotional material, I think.
I think it's a lot simpler than asking someone to read through a number of essays, some of which come in many different versions. The GNU philosophy page is good history, but not a good introduction, I think.
Cheers,
Alex.
Some of you may have seen this: http://wiki.ffii.org/Smirl041025En
raising points on why patents are bad for open source. The frank admission is that patents are an effective protection racket and companies don't want to offer information which could be used in a legal threat against them.
This example involving commercial organisations may be of use if the topic of patents arises in durin presentations.
Contrast with this recent case of patent-harrassment: http://righttocreate.blogspot.com/2006/04/write-free-software-pay-203000-to....
The kid has been "invited" to submit his prior art to the lawers but he's had a lot of hassle -
Both cases a real demonstration the threat of patents to shutdown innovation instead of promote it. Teh fact that these cases can show that patents are inneffective in their proclaimed aim and also cause harm should reduce the relevance of open source software in the patent discussion.
Sam
Shane M. Coughlan wrote:
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Today in the FSFE chat room we started talking about giving speeches/lectures to students about Free Software. Maffulli suggested we work on a FAQ for this purpose. Here are some initial ideas. Please add sections, and help revise material and give comments :)
- How can I give a speech to students about Free Software?
A: Know your audience! If you are talking about Free Software, talk about it in a way that will genuinely engage the target audience. Taylor your delivery to suit the people, and that way you will get a positive result. If you are speaking to media students, don't go into details regarding engineering methodology. If you are speaking to computer science students, don't do a statistical analysis to show a good TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).
- What important aspects of Free Software should I highlight?
A: There are many things you can talk about to show the benefits of Free Software. The four freedoms (free use, free modification, free sharing, free improving) are important, but are not the only things you can bring into a speech. If you are talking to political students, you might want to highlight the empowerment aspects of Free Software for developing nations. If you are talking to computer science students, you might want to highlight the advantages of an open development and testing model in engineering terms.
- What about questions regarding the legality of Free Software?
A: You can point out that Free Software has attracted virtually no lawsuits. In the case of SCO the lawsuit is falling apart because SCO actually have no evidence. Free Software is not illegal.
- What about questions regarding quality control in Free Software?
A: You can point out that the openness of the Free Software development model means that more people can help to find bugs. If a project is well run, it should have a very high standard of quality.
- What about questions regarding sabotage of Free Software?
A: I came across this question when talking about encryption technology. You can point out that Free Software fosters open development. Someone may try to introduce something bad, but the open review process means this damage will be spotted and removed. It is far more likely that a hostile force could slip something into a closed system.
- What about questions about the difference between Open Source and
Free Software?
A: "The fundamental difference between the two movements is in their values, their ways of looking at the world. For the Open Source movement, the issue of whether software should be open source is a practical question, not an ethical one. As one person put it, "Open source is a development methodology; free software is a social movement." For the Open Source movement, non-free software is a suboptimal solution. For the Free Software movement, non-free software is a social problem and free software is the solution." (From http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html)
You can discuss this is several ways. If you want to be philosophical, you can talk about the freedoms as a solution to larger human problems like social empowerment. If you want to be result orientated, you can talk about how Free Software allows sustainable technology freedom that enables companies to save huge amounts on R&D, while improving the market as a whole by giving everyone access to non-differentiating technologies.
- How should I characterise software companies like Microsoft?
A: This is very much a matter of personal preference. One suggestion is that being too hostile might alienate your audience. Point out the flaws and inherent unfairness in the business models adopted by companies like Microsoft, and suggest that Free Software simply offers a better model both for business and for society.
- What should I say if people suggest Free Software is for tree-hugging
hippies?
A: Point out that IBM is not a tree-hugging hippy camp, and that IBM and Novell back Free Software for economic and engineering reasons. Free Software is not about abstract thought, it is about better development, distribution and evolutionary models. These models benefit companies, consumers and society as a whole.
- Where should I point people to find out more?
A: The Free Software Foundation Europe website (www.fsfeurope.org), the Free Software Foundation North America website (www.fsf.org). Perhaps you could point people to Mozilla, Openoffice.org, Ubuntu, Groklaw, OSNews...
These are my suggestions for the FAQ so far. Please join in!
Regards
Shane
Shane Martin Coughlan e: shane@shaneland.co.uk m: +447773180107 w: www.shaneland.co.uk
Projects: http://mobility.opendawn.com http://gem.opendawn.com http://enigmail.mozdev.org http://www.winpt.org
Organisations: http://www.fsfeurope.org http://www.fsf.org http://www.labour.org.uk http://www.opensourceacademy.gov.uk
OpenPGP: http://www.shaneland.co.uk/personalpages/shane/files/publickey.asc -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.4-svn4102: (MingW32)
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