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Insgesamt 39396997

Freitag, 29.03.2024
eGovernment Forschung seit 2001 | eGovernment Research since 2001
Two weeks ago, the main organizer of the eGovOS (open source in e-government) conference begged me to speak at the conference. It was not the first time. I refused, and I would like to explain why. The free software movement's idealism, starting in 1984, built our community. In 1998, the open source movement was started as a reaction against our idealism; it looks at the same issues in non-idealistic business terms. Both movements now operate in our community.

You would never guess this from what eGovOS says. Nearly all of the eGovOS plans and description, starting with the name, recognize only the open source movement and deny the existence of the free software movement. The one exception is the "European" track. As a result, most of our leaders have declined to participate--the one exception being the president of FSF Europe.

It's not that free software activists as individuals are unwelcome at eGovOS; on the contrary, the organizers invite us, sometimes even implore us, to speak there. But it would be a mistake for us to accept these invitations given the present conference framework, which labels us as supporters of "open source" and denies our movement's existence. This background would alter the meaning of our speeches; the audience would either take us for open source advocates, or see the free software movement as a mere footnote on the open source movement. eGovOS announcements speak only of "open source". We must also be concerned that the presence of our names in the program and publicity would lead people to identify us as open source advocates (a widespread mistake that is a major problem).

Every time the eGovOS organizers invite us, we respond that they must first acknowledge the free software movement equally. But there is something else eGovOS needs to change. eGovOS invites self-declared opponents of our community to make presentations.

Many speakers participate in eGovOS because they think of the conference as a place for advocacy for open source and free software, and the organizers encourage this in private. But when they offer the podium to Microsoft, they claim that as an academic event they must be neutral. (Many university events are neutral, but they are not obliged to be so.) eGovOS must follow through on its promises of advocacy; it must take a stand on our community's side. If an opponent of our community is invited to speak, it should be in the form of an explicit debate which labels the adversary as such.

For eGovOS to win the full support of the free software and open source community, it must take a clear stand for our community. It should acknowledge the free software movement as a part of our community, and acknowledge Microsoft as its adversary.

Quelle: Newsforge

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