Re: [fsfc-discuss] Re-starting the FSFC

[Russell McOrmond]

Note: I'm glad the conversation is continuing, even if extremely slow...

Reid Ellis wrote:
> It sounds like you want two separate entities. One to forward  
> technological pursuits, and another to forward political pursuits.


  An interesting question is whether we need an FSF in Canada, or 
whether there are aspects that are already being taken care of in other 
groups?  Do we unite, or remain divided for those tasks?

  As an example, while we don't have an EFF in Canada we do have Online 
Rights Canada (ORC), and CIPPIC.

  We don't have an FSF or OSI, but we do have CLUEcan.ca  (Note: I am 
the policy coordinator there).   My personal alignment is with the Free 
Software movement (for both practical and political reasons), I believe 
it is useful to work with those who either align themselves with Open 
Source or those who simply don't know or care about the differences.

  When it comes to software, I don't believe replicating the GNU 
project in Canada makes sense.  We do need to have an organization that 
can apply for grants and other such things, and coordinate getting 
appropriate projects onto IRCan (the soon-to-be launched SourceForge for 
the Government of Canada), but it doesn't have to be connected with the 
FSF or the GNU project.  It can in fact be a project of CLUE.

  The missing piece is an advocacy group that specifically advocates 
for the human rights-based approach to FLOSS that is advocated by the 
Free Software part of the larger FLOSS movement.  We need a group 
willing to talk to politicians not just about the engineering 
proficiency,  scientific peer review, and cost reduction advocated by 
the Open Source camp, but those who see the accountability and 
transparency of software that runs on personal computers (the rules that 
govern those computers) from a public policy/human rights perspective.


--
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
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