The Family Guide to Digital Freedom
Mike Gifford from OpenConcept pointed myself and a few other’s to this resource during a list discussion about the adoption of open source in NGOs. As a non coder who fully appreciates the freedom of expression and community aspects of Open Source and as a person who has worked in small struggling NGOs I found this resource helpful.
I undestand the trepidation of small NGOs and their day to day struggle to stay afloat and how difficult it is to make choices about software, and I also groan at the sometimes evangelical, macho, bordering on fundamentalist and mostly incomprehensible rhetoric stemming from some adherents of open source technologies. Not all, but wholly schmokes it is loaded with landmines on those lists!
I even argued with Richard Stallman once in bar in Dharamsala before I actually knew who he was! And well it was not pretty, I was pummeled on the OpenSource part, but gained some ground on the fact that his argument was based on the notion that all are created equal in the digital world. I did not gain ground with him but did with those who were present. I also should have known to recognize the tell tale signs of silence in a very noisy bar before I started arguing with him! Tubleweeds and the soundtrack for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly comes to mind when reflecting back on the scene! I even gulped back some Godfather beer after that (and I hate beer!)!
The Family Guide I believe is a really nice mediator between the extreme views and by persusing the TOC, it looks like it is a really good reference for novice folks like myself.
Thanks for your appreciation. I have just added a link to this post to the “What People Say” page at Digifreedom.net (see left menu).
I would also really like to know more about how you “gained some ground on the fact that Stallman’s argument was based on the notion that all are created equal in the digital world”, since this remark seems very similar to those I made in the “Free Software Manifesto for All of Us” in the “Opinions” section at Digifreedom.net
I look forward to hear from you!
Best Regards,
Marco F.
Comment by Marco F. — April 8, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
Hey Marco! I’ll think more and respond later! Am in the middle of a big deliverable right now and cannot be diverted. I will read your stuff to!
cheers
t
Comment by Administrator — April 8, 2008 @ 12:34 pm