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As a long(ish) time user of various distros of GNU/Linux and someone who likes to advocate and discuss endlessly (to the point of obsession) the merits of free software I have mixed freeling (yes its a deliberate typo) about some of the comments made recently about freedom vs comfort. On the one side I have great empathy with Neil's argument ... when we dilute free software with proprietary software, even at a very low level (some might say especially at the low level) we run into dangers, some of which have been better describe by Neil both recently and in the past, and many more that would just take a whole lifetime to enumerate and diliberate. On the other hand, I don't want GNU/Linux to be dismissed (as it is in my "non-technical" circles) as just a "geek" thing, because we all agree that free software can bring many riches (not necessary in the literal sense) to peoples lives. Since most people want an "easy life" its tempting to slip into using proprietary fixes on an otherwise free platform. For the most part, when considering software applications, there is for the most part a good choice of both free and proprietary applications, so in essence there is little need to use proprietary software UNLESS it supports a "must have" feature (and this is purely the choice of the individual user) that is not supported in free software. Even so it is preferable that the user seeks assistance from the developer community through honest dialog, to get the "must have" feature put on the wish list for future revisions of the free software alternative. Proprietary hardware drivers are even more of a challenge for free software developers. This is mostly down to the fact that hardware drivers obscure the truth in ways that are not visable to the user. One distro may work with hardware while another does not ..... is this because of the inclusion of a free driver the other distro does not have ? Or is it because its included a non-free driver ? Or is it a configuration issue ? Or is it a free driver that has proprietary firmware ? Is that firmware their to restrict the freedoms of users or is it there for a good reason (eg FCC regulations on appropriate frequency / signal strengths for WIFI devices) etc .... etc ...... And so while it is fairly transparent to the end user when they are using Word as opposed to Open Office (for example) it is not so transparent when he/she is using their favourite USB gizmo whether or not they are using a totally free driver. If we follow "Neil's" path (appologies to Neil if he thinks I am picking on him, its not intentional), and only foster thoes users who are prepared to use 100% free software and understand the freedom issues inside out, then quite frankly (and remember I have gone on record to say that I have great empathy with Neil's views) I would NOT be a GNU/Linux user today. The GNU/Linux user community can not grow from a "puritain" user base alone, IMO the growth would be too slow and too painful. On the other hand a rapid acceleration of users using GNU/Linux "mixed" with proprietary solutions, may not understand that some of the software they are using is at odds with the FSF movement and its aims and purpose. And worse still foster a belief in the proprietary hardware vendor camps that they can "get away with it" So my agenda ? I want people to be comfortable with using free software. Ideally I would like them to be comfortable with a totally free platform, but I don't want to hold them back simply because they should not be using proprietary software. BUT (and its a big one) I want to ensure that when people do use proprietary software in conjunction with free software platforms, that they are aware of the issues and consequences of such use, and that they should be seeking / demanding a free and transparent alternative from the suppliers of such items. And commiting themselves as much as humanly possible to the process of migrating to a free alternative as the first opportunity available. I think this is the way to minimise the growing pains and shorten the long road ahead without compromising the values, aims and purposes of the FSF. Tom. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html