Thoughts on OSS ZW

Tue Apr 7 11:54:01 BST 2009

I like your gmail email: Luminary! Yes indeed. You have seen the light.
Remember the words i intend to include in our discourse with the powers
that be in ICT - We have seen the light and we want to show it to
others. Period. What's in it for us - noone who is really free can
answer the question why do you want others to be free. Its imperative
that if you have enjoyed freedom you want others to enjoy it too!!
So yes, freedom toaster here we come or is it, "here comes the freedom
toaster!"

-----Original Message-----
From: Kalpesh Thaker <luminary06 at gmail.com>
To: ubuntu-zw <ubuntu-zw at lists.ubuntu.com>
Cc: team at ubuntu.org.zw <team at ubuntu.org.zw>
Subject: Thoughts on OSS ZW
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2009 12:25:30 +0200

Hey guys,

just some thoughts.... i had a huge discussion with the one guy here at
the office about why ubuntu
cannot be compared to windows.. and of why ubuntu wins hands down even
before the discussion has started.
purely because ubuntu is free, and the developers working on it, do it
as an open source project, rather than
as a marketing tool...

90% of the other persons argument came down to the availability of
windows and its
programs and of how easy it is to use in general. And of how much better
it looks...

so,,, i asked the same dude, how much he paid for windows, he said he
got it for free...and that he downloaded it
off the internet.

piracy!!!! WTF!!!!!!!??? how can you argue of how windows is better than
ubuntu, if you pirated it!!!!

hahaha! im sorry but i just find it very ridiculous....that someone can
argue so "passionately" over something that 
he legally could be jailed for!! hahaha..i completely freaked out...i
just cant stand to talk to such people....

 Seriously though, windows guys will never win this argument.. over
which is better.
considering you can run an ubuntu machine at nearly 100% of windows type
average usability....
and never have to pay for software....  ..as far as im concerned, there
is no argument.

the second argument, and i can call it an ARGUMENT (yes, some swear
words did show themselves), is of how he shot down the 
freedom toaster idea...as being a waste of time.

see, this is where i lost it...... 

i gave him three problems, and wanted him to answer them, being a
microsoft stooge...

this is a scenario of around 80% of our fellow zimbabweans, a situation
which is real on the ground in our present time.

1 - the average user will never afford to buy a computer.
2 - the average user will have to rely on other parties to provide them
with the "IT education" they will need for a job.
3 - the average user will never afford to buy broadband or even a dialup
connection, in any case dial up is limited for software
procurement.

so....what were his answers?????? unsurprisingly, a dumb ass look on his
face.....

okes, the sad reality is that we are in this open source fight by
ourselves in this country... our OSS visions are held by only us.
and as such, we will have to uphold this vision as a "loco team" as well
as an "open source community". Its very clear
after the chat with this fool, that no one really cares about the fellow
on the street. Guys like this are very oblivious to anything 
else out there, because they can get everything for free, whether its
legal or not. They just dont care....its time like this,
that makes me realise just how much BSA could gain from coming to a
country like this, and believe me, they will 
come. Just a matter of time.. thats all.

He said he had used ubuntu for 2 months, and called it quits thereafter.
so i asked him how long he's been using windows, 
and he said most of his life. 

This is the problem, you cant use ubuntu for 2 months, and then expect
to know and understand how it works... unless this dude
used ubuntu for 5 years, and windows for also 5 years, i would value and
respect his opinion. 
Believe me, i know everything there is to know about windows, i've used
it also for a long time in my life, purely, because
i didnt know there was a worthy alternative. BUT, there is an
alternative.. and people need to know about it.

unfortunately,  this is what we will experience in our quest to bring
open source out into this country.

my answers to the above questions, were as follows:

1 - remove the cost of the OS (microsoft) then deal with bare metal
hardware prices. it is sad, that the price of a computer
can be driven up to 70% more than the basic hardware cost, because of
software licensing. Microsoft are very clever, in that they
have made alliances with brand computers, whereby MS OS's come bundled
with the machine, whether you like it or not,
and remember, office suites and antivirus are sold seperately! 

2 - If the relevant person can have his own computer, he will be able to
invest as much time into learning IT as they want,
without paying anyone or anything (besides zesa of course). Like most of
us, they may discover a hidden talent within the 
IT underworld, and that could lead them to a job, and an income. With
room for individual expansion... 

i.e you can be a sadza chef who knows how to setup exim, you will then
get a hungry customer walk in, talking about how shitty
microsoft exchange can be, you could suggest using exim to him, give him
a few pointers on how to implement it,
before you know it, you're an IT manager at that same company, driving a
mazda bt50 double cab. 

3 -  the answer to this???? OUR BELOVED TOASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! end of
story.

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