Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Call for testing: Qumble: Open-Source Software distribution for Windows

[Robert Martinez]

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Alexander nails it. It is good - but could do much better in terms of advocating free software.
In my eyes it starts with the prominent OPEN SOURCE (tm) logo.
Since you posted here on libreplanet you're kind of asking for this link:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom

Based on that view there are some changes to the site and its text to make it officially awesome :)

Best wishes,
Robert




On 31/01/13 12:10, Alexander Berntsen wrote:
> On 30/01/13 12:10, Alexey Eromenko wrote:
> > The Qumble projects intends to teach Windows users the advantages
> > of Free and Open-Source software
> The goals in terms of advantages of open source and free software are
> radically different. Open source promises «better quality, higher
> reliability, more flexibility, lower cost [...]»[0], whilst free
> software promises to «respects users' freedom»[1].
>
> Furthermore, the former frequently fails to deliver on these advantages
> -- the latter doesn't. Free software is always free.
>
> > by providing collection of such software on a single disc, plus
> > providing video (such as the Revolution O.S. trailer, in WebM
> > format) and open-source books (The cathedral and the bazaar and
> > others).
> How does any of this promote free software? It promotes a bunch of
> programs, films and books -- but how does any of this teach the user
> that they need to value their freedom?
>
> > release of source allows external observers to inspect the true
> > functioning of the program, which means that you can be confident
> > that the program treats your private data with respect.
> Can you, really[2]? While it is indeed easier to uncover privacy
> violations in a program that respects freedom 1 than a proprietary
> program, it is still entirely possible for a program that is distributed
> with its source code available to violate user privacy.
>
> > [...] entirely free software such as Linux, LibreOffice, and
> > Mozilla FireFox. These are then available free of charge to schools
> > or anyone else who may not have a large budget available for
> > software. So, you can see that the freedom of software is important
> > for everyone, not just software developers.
> Price is not the biggest problem of proprietary software -- it is merely
> a symptom that some proprietary software shows. It is not a symptom of
> free software, because it has freedom 2.
>
> > the highest quality OSS for Windows
> Why not distribute a live CD or USB, that allows users to run in a much
> more free environment? Even if it has blobs to make sure wifis etc.
> work out of the box, it would be a significant improvement over
> Windows. If it were a live CD or USB, you could even include a list of
> well known GNU+Linux or free BSD distributions, and maybe a quiz or
> something that could help people decide which one they should try for
> themselves.
>
> Lastly, your site does a fair job at explaining that freeware and
> shareware is not good enough, but it does *not* do a good job at
> explaining free software. In fact, using terminology such as "free of
> charge" immediately following "free software" is detrimental. You should
> use "gratis" instead -- or at least make the distinction "free speech,
> not free beer" more clear.
>
> I hope and think that your project does more good than bad for free
> software, but I wish it were a bit more sagacious.
>
>
> [0] http://opensource.org/about
> [1] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
> [2] https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do
>
>

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