[vox] software freedom day is today

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Brian E. Lavender (brian at brie.com):

> It's today.
> http://softwarefreedomday.org/

tl;dr:  _My_ answer to LUGs getting involved with MS-Windows software
has always been 'Nope.  Have fun.'

Quoting what I recently said on a different mailing list:


---<begin>---

Other people's experience may differ, but, in my neck of the woods,
Software Freedom Day -- when I checked into it, several years in a row
-- turned out to overwhelmingly (to exclusion of almost everything else)
about an unpaid PR effort for open source applications Win32-compiiled
for MS-Windows users.

At the time, much of the activity centered around publicity for a CDR
image called OpenCD, comprising _entirely_ binary MS-Windows desktop
applications.  No source code, and nothing for anyone but Windows users.

OpenCD has been unmaintained since a schism in 2007 and problems
involving sponsor Canonical, Ltd.:
http://web.archive.org/web/20150403213028/http://www.chrisgray.me/2007/09/mutiny-aboard-the-good-ship-theopencd/
(Successor project OpenDisc is likewise limited to Win32 desktop
software.)

Obviously, views differ widely on this, but I personally have better
things to do with my time than helping MS-Windows users use MS-Windows.
Of course, it's entirely possible that the focus and activities of
Software Freedom Day differs between years and between locations -- but
I thought I'd mention the issue.

---<end>---


Of course, it's whatever you make of it (you could certainly do a SFD
event tailored for open source OSes, if you wish) - but that brings us
back to the fact that the 'Software Freedom Day' people are actually
_providing nothing_.  It's a 'Hey, you Internet people should stage
local events, create everything, and do all the work yourself' idea.

Basically, yet another meme in search of hosts.

And, if you didn't start doing the planning and scutwork for such a
I-have-an-idea-you-do-everything event several months ago, you'll need
a TARDIS to do one today.