[Scale-planning] Free Software Representation at SCaLE

[Mark Holmquist]

> In my mind, Free Software is a strict subset of Open Source software,
> so we do try to limit ourselves to only Open Source software. I have no
> problem with Free Software and I would like to see more of it as well.

Well, pretty significantly, the two are separate communities, though the
software classified under them might overlap. See
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html

And I have met many Open Source advocates who, when presented with a
Free Software-only agenda, were angered to the point of flaming. I have
also met the equivalent on the Free Software side (though it admittedly
seems more dense there, perhaps in retaliation or frustration).
Certainly there are very few considerations of the FSF at the
conference, from what I've seen--official Twitter channel? iPhone apps?
No GNU in the name? Flash videos for the streams (unverified)? Once
again, start encouraging agnostic terms (Free/Libre/Open Source, for
example), then maybe work into compromises that service everyone's
needs. Maybe one day, this conference can truly represent digital
freedom, but today, I'd settle for making everyone comfortable.

It's entirely possible that I'm making a general complaint that should
rightly be personal, but regardless of its nature, it is a discrepancy
between the mission and another part of the mission (see my previous
message). That, at least, needs to be addressed. Does the conference
truly wish to serve all people, or is it only people who feel
comfortable with Open Source Software ideals? Does the conference really
mean to focus only on Open Source, or do they really mean to incorporate
other classifications as well?

Also, I want to re-iterate that I didn't "[stay] home because [I] did
not think there was enough FS material[,]" though I think it might be a
valid reason to someone. It would have been enough for me, and for
everyone at the conference (I believe), to have represented all of the
relevant communities at the conference: Open Source, Free Software,
Creative Commons, Public Domain, Free Culture, Open Access....better to
find a term that doesn't exclude any one (Free Culture, for example, is
insanely inclusive, though maybe too broad for a software conference).

Does anyone have a good idea for an inclusive term? This is actually a
major difficulty for the community, I think, in the face of the Open
Source community, represented by a weaker term (see fsf article above),
and the Free Software community, which is often perceived as too harsh
or judgmental (e.g., RMS' comments on Steve Jobs), so if we can come up
with a good term, it would have effects that extended past this
conference (though the conference would undoubtedly reap the benefits of
being a leader in this respect).

-- 
Mark Holmquist
Student, Computer Science
University of Redlands
MarkTraceur at gmail.com