[ILUG-Cochin.org] Interview with RMS on Asianet News

[Sameer Mohamed Thahir]

On Thursday 25 December 2008 11:39 PM, കേരളീയന്‍ ഭാരതീയന്‍ wrote:
> On 25/12/2008, Sameer Mohamed Thahir<sameer.thahir at gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>    
>> Can you cite examples of any schools doing this.
>>      
>
> You may please approach, some high school students and ask them about
> what is software and then how free software is different. If they
> could say some thing about software then many of them will surely hint
> the philosophy of free software.
>    
Can you cite me material from any text,  which contains
the concept of free software. I think it is very important
that students read about the concept which does not change
as time progresses.

It is not at all effective when the teachers explain the
concept vaguely because the amount of information
they collect from others and explain to students is
very less. I am talking about the basic educational
setup, free software concepts need to be taught like
any other subject not just for namesake.

I do not think the IT@ School syllabus gives
any focus on the concepts.
( This was agreed upon by one of senior project heads).
Even if it does I do not think It might
include it beyond the introductory notes.

Please Correct me if I am wrong :)

The students are new to the entire concept of Software
and Freedom. its important that they understand both
with equal importance.
> One confusion here is created by free software community itself by
> insisting on use of ambiguous words like 'free'.
Swathanthra is a much better word,
> A better usage might
> have conveyed more philosophy on software freedom to our students. By
> insisting on use certain words, many watch us (the so called free
> software community) as mere preachers and not as practitioners.
I dont believe using words create confusion, unless
the true meaning has not been conveyed.

And when the concepts are explained crystal clear
there remains no confusion, and reemphasizing this fact
all the time(embodying the concept of the Free Software
Community in whatever being taught) is the best way,
rather than running around terms.
>   So
> many of them tries to be keep away from us, even if they agree with
> the philosophy of software  freedom.  Instead of realizing and
> correcting ourself, we are giving wrong feedback about state of free
> software teaching in schools.
>    
We are not perfect, but the Free Software community
has always talked and explained about Free Software
in its true sense, not just as another technology. If you
feel that any individual or group has failed to establish
these concepts in the right manner, it is your duty to
correct them by studying the concepts yourself since
you to are part of the community ( as you already told
above).


>    
>> Yes exactly, but do they really care about this while teaching
>> anything ??
>>      
>
> Yes they care it. I feel such doubt arises mainly from our own ego,
> which makes us to think that  only the so called free software
> community really care about philosophy of freedom, culture of sharing
> and collaborative development.
>    

I do not believe that a term such as ego can be tagged
on a community so big.

Why we all reemphasize the fact that teaching the
concept of Free Software is equally important as
teaching the technology, is that it is very easy for the
concepts to get diluted, eg : When Free Software
gets mixed with Open Source and GNU is just another
animal and Stallman is just another tourist who
keeps visiting India very often.

I believe its the teachers that care about the
concepts even more,
Thats why they have chosen the teaching profession :).

But the teachers themselves must understand the concept
to the root and must take initiative to include it the curicculum
to make sure that students grasp these concepts rather
than just study it as another subject or part of a subject.

And the coming generation of teachers can teach the same,
without swallowing anything and avoid confusion .
> Through out the human history, struggle to achieve freedom, and
> collective actions for social good are increasingly  understood and
> practiced. The scenario in software sector after 1980 are not a break
> out, rather it is a continuation of earlier history.
>    
You said it !!
>    
>> Our meeting for this month is aimed at discussing about this.
>> Hope you can Join us at the meeting. :)
>>      
>
> We can also have it here in this list,
Great
> so that I can ensure my participation.
>    
Definitely.
> - കേരളീയന്‍
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