On 3/19/06, M. Fioretti <mfioretti@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > On Sun, Mar 19, 2006 02:42:59 AM -0600, Christofer C. Bell > (christofer.c.bell@xxxxxxxxx) wrote: > > > On 3/18/06, M. Fioretti <mfioretti@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > > Greetings, > > > > > > here is an article I wrote on this subject: > > > > [...] > > >F/OSS software is more than just Linux and the OpenDocument format > >has nothing to do with Linux at all. Your article (while very well > >written) serves only to highlight the selfish whines of a few > >ignorant (in terms of uneducated) people > > Thanks for appreciating the article. As far as your comment goes, I > surely agree (even if I would replace "selfish" with "more uninformed > that they can afford"). That's why I wrote: Yes, that's a better choice of words, "uninformed." That's what happens when you toss off a reply at 3am. ;-) > >Disabled users fail to perceive that they have the same needs and > >rights of everybody else. > > However, I think and hope that the article highlights more than that, > that is also the fact that too much of the FOSS community has an > elithist attitude and shortsightedness that it can't afford > anymore. Not towards disabled users, towards all the other 99.99% of > people who wouldn't touch source code if they were tortured, but are > no less valuable because of this. That's certainly the impression I get from reading various IRC channels and some posts on the mailing lists, but I'm not sure if the community "leadership" per se shares that view. I do find it ironic that a lot of the "rank and file" of the F/OSS community is, in general, very anxious to "spread the gospel" as it were, and yet seem to hold the very people they're evangalizing in distain (those people being the "unwashed masses" of Windows users). > That's why I also wrote, more or less, "the reaction of disabled users > has nothing special. It is simply the *same* that almost *everybody* > has towards the GNU manifesto. Blind people only have legal hooks to > defend themselves, but this is nevertheless the way almost the whole > world sees the FOSS movement. Let's acknowledge that, too". I'm not sure that F/OSS is being viewed negatively in this context (of your article) more "change" is being viewed negatively. The fact of the matter is that this change really has no real impact on anyone's everyday life (this adoption of OpenDocument format). How often does one send a word processed document to the government? While it's true that this can and does happen, most of the "paperwork" that people submit to the government are pre-printed forms that are filled out, signed (perhaps notarized), and handed in. Applications for benefits, taxes, vehicle registration, etc, etc, they're all pre-printed forms. What this does have more of an impact on are internal documents. Policies and procedures, financial statements in spreadsheets, etc. I feel that resistance to this change is unwarranted (it's something that needs to happen for all the reasons given) but like you said, folks aren't informed. > Practically speaking, what I hope most is that this article leads to > as many direct talks as possible between FOSS fans and disabled > users. Organize meetings in your area with representatives of both > communities, write to local disabled associations...this kind of > things. Please let me know of any initiative of this kind. Well, the audience here is wide and perhaps your article will spark just that kind of discussion somewhere. :-) -- Chris "I trust the Democrats to take away my money, which I can afford. I trust the Republicans to take away my freedom, which I cannot."
