[WSIS CS-Plenary] PCT and WGIG

[Beatriz Busaniche]

El dom, 16-01-2005 a las 02:00 -0500, Taran Rampersad escribió:

> 'Gender equality' is actually an issue in and of itself which does have
> fluctuating meanings in different cultures as well as in different
> geopolitical arenas. 

This doesn't invalidate the point. Rather, it reinforces it: 'gender
equality' has an easy ring to it, and is an issue many people might feel
they understand, yet it is complex enough that people who haven't
studied the field in depth can do serious damage with the best of
intentions if they try to impose their views on the issue upon the
label.

> I disagree on one part of this. Free Software itself is not complex.
> Free Software itself is quite simple. It's the present regime of
> non-traditional software (proprietary) that is complex, and is growing
> increasingly complex due to the nature of the legalities associated with
> it. The standardization of these legalities through political and
> corporate weight is really what is complex.

I guess it's my turn to disagree on one part. While it is true that it's
the proprietary world and the increasingly complex legal framework
behind it that is next to impossible to understand, this complexity has
the unfortunate effect of spoiling free software's simplicity. The truth
is, to understand and explain free software (which ought to be simple)
you also have to understand and explain proprietary because, due to
overexposure to WIPOspeak, people tend to have a huge blind spot in that
area.

I wish your appreciation that "free software is simple" were
unqualifiedly true. If it were so, we wouldn't see so many people, even
people who ought to be knowledgeable about it, misunderstand key
concepts of free software. Unfortunately, evidence shows that it isn't
as simple as that.