[Gllug] Handing out flyers this Saturday for the Installfest.

[Dermot Moynihan]

At 10:23 14/02/03, you wrote:

>-----Original Message-----
>From: gllug-admin at linux.co.uk [mailto:gllug-admin at linux.co.uk]On Behalf
>Of Peter Childs
>Sent: 14 February 2003 09:55
><snip>
> > I understand there will be about half a million people in hyde park... Not
> > sure how many potential Linux users will be there.
> >
>         Anti War if memory serves correctly. Perhaps we ought to find some
>great item of Open Source software to have come out of Iraq and will not
>be available if we have a war... (I'm still thinking.......) Then we might
>be able to get some of them intrested....
><snip>
>
>Actually I've run into self-confessed anarchists handing out flyers at
>open-source events. Politically, Linux, GNU, and Free software in general,
>have a distinctly left-wing world view (access/equality for all, communal
>reward for individual effort, etc).
>
>More than once RMS has been described as a "long-haired hippie/commie", and
>not without good reason (he has long hair and I doubt he'd be troubled by
>being described as a hippie - commie may be going a bit far though). Linus'
>parents were heavily involved in the Finnish communist party (from flakey
>memeory).

He must have picked up some good ideas from his parents. Not all communism 
is nonsense.

>The "socialist Free software" argument seems so ridiculously self-evident to
>me that anyone who disagrees should have some very strong evidence (not "it
>makes good commercial sense" (misses the point completely); nor "I'm not a
>hippy" (also misses the point - I'm talking abstract politics here)).

Richard,

Having snatched at some ill-tasting bait a while ago I take comfort from 
your words.

But wouldn't "socialist" automatically imply anti capitalist and thus anti-war?

>You could do worse than hand out flyers at an anti-war rally - everyone else
>will be.

I'd have no problem with handing out flyers at an anti-war rally to do with 
our Linux install-fest provided I felt that most of us saw Linux as being 
part of a huge philosophy to change the way the world works.

I won't be reaching for my bag of Linux flyers just yet!

>Richard


-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at linux.co.uk
http://list.ftech.net/mailman/listinfo/gllug