[dundee] Open source debate

[Rick Moynihan]

This sounds like an interesting idea and a great opportunity to engage
with the public.  I should point out that though I'd love to be
involved, I can't commit to anything right now; as it's quite likely I
won't be primarily in Dundee come October.

Donna, you mentioned a Digital Dundee Debate... what are your thoughts
(broadly) on what should be included there.  If you start with your
ideas, maybe others can chip in and follow your lead.

On 19 July 2010 12:57, Holford-Lovell, Donna
<d.holford-lovell at abertay.ac.uk> wrote:
> What would be an ideal debate? What do the public need to know in order to make more informed decisions?

Presumably this is in reference to the open source debate?  In my mind
the main principle underlying this (whichever way you want to cut it)
is one I've spoken about before: Freedom & Control.  This talk was
intended to be a catalyst to discussion on such issues (with a punchy
emotional bias towards Free/Open).  On the two occaisions I have given
this talk, it did prompt reasonable discussion and debate of the
issues (though it was slightly one sided - given the LUG's audience).

I would suggest one format, would be a brief presentation outlining
the forms of freedom and control... the intertwined yin/yang
relationship between them both and that freedom itself can be control,
and control can be freedom... then how too much freedom can become its
opposite (oppression)) etc...

On this basis, you can discuss open source vs free software... or open
vs proprietary... drm etc...

I'd love to offer my original presentation as a starter for 10 - but I
likely wont be able to give it on the day.  Though others on this list
have seen it, and I'm sure would be able to fork it for the same or
similar purpose; and deliver it on the day as a means of posing the
questions to a panel and audience.

I suspect the presentation might require some rejigging, and it would
be improved by updating with more current examples.  In the spirit of
FLOSS; I will post the full text of the speech, and slides online
under a creative commons share alike with attribution license;
allowing it to be modified for any purpose.

(When I get home I'll post the text of the speech to this thread so
you can all see what you think)

R.