Hi all,
I recently came across this discussion about lobbying free software: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2011-08/msg00299.html
Here's a brief summary of the case: a public portuguese institution[1] has organized a composition competition[2] where the music submitted must be typeset either by Finale or Sibelius (both proprietary software). It seems that there's no particular reason behind this requirement. The organizers haven't explained why other programs are not allowed. Probably, they will publish the score of the winner and they want to be sure that the source is made by the software used by the big publishing companies. It's just a guess, as the source file is not required by the competition rules.
The developer who started the discussion said later on: "I think that it is worth it for a community of users of any free software (where I mean free in every sense of the term) to be active in contacting organizations whose rules are hostile to the free usage of software. It helps organizations learn about free software (both the software itself and the mentality of freedom behind the software), thereby encouraging these organizations to adopt policies that are conducive to this type of free-ness / free-dom."[3]
I think that a user-based action is a good thing, but I'm afraid that without some kind of guidance this kind of action won't be very effective. So I wonder if FSFE could be interested in organizing a campaign similar to the PDFreaders campaign (which I really appreciated). What I'm thinking of is a campaign which is neither too narrow nor too wide in its scope. For example, lobbying in all the competitions:
a) run by public institutions b) where free software is discriminated
What do you think? Too much hassle? What did you learn from the PDFreaders campaign?
Cheers, Federico
[1] http://mmp.cm-cascais.pt/museumusica/mmp/museu/ [2] http://mmp.cm-cascais.pt/NR/rdonlyres/5BBEE22D-3C21-4996-AEFE-A2C0B2FAF9C9/1... [3] http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2011-08/msg00312.html
On 22 August 2011 14:23, Federico Bruni bruni@fsfe.org wrote:
Here's a brief summary of the case: a public portuguese institution[1] has organized a composition competition[2] where the music submitted must be typeset either by Finale or Sibelius (both proprietary software).
I think it's well worth the effort. MuseScore is fully up to the job, according to several musicians and composers I know (even ones using it on Windows). They even use it as a composition tool, because it plays back MIDI!
Send them some MuseScore output (which is actually Lilypond output, which is the best music typesetting that exists) and see what their problem with it is?
- d.
On Monday 22 August 2011 14:23:31 Federico Bruni wrote:
a public portuguese institution[1] has organized a composition competition[2] where the music submitted must be typeset either by Finale or Sibelius (both proprietary software).
The organizers haven't explained why other programs are not allowed.
...the source file is not required by the competition rules.
Thanks for sharing this. If you feel like it, two suggestions:
1. Write a brief open letter to the competition organisers, send it to editors@fsfeurope.org and get it published on fsfe.org 2. Write a brief summary similar to the one in your email and post it on FSDaily.
Thanks,
Sam.
Federico Bruni bruni@fsfe.org writes:
It seems that there's no particular reason behind this requirement. The organizers haven't explained why other programs are not allowed. Probably, they will publish the score of the winner and they want to be sure that the source is made by the software used by the big publishing companies.
My guess is that they only know these two programs well. But again, you better ask. You might get better answers if you attach a screencast that illustrates how you can do the task with your free software program :-)
On 22/08/2011 15:23, Federico Bruni wrote:
a) run by public institutions b) where free software is discriminated
Hi all,
Sorry if I disturb the discussion, and for my bad english, but for me, free softwares will always be discriminated in a competition between artists; even if a public institution rules it.
As an artist I hate the spirit of competition. It disturbs me. I can't understand. So, maybe there's a lot who feel the same. See this team I folllow since the begining as visualizer : http://www.ixi-audio.net/content/software.html. They are doing research. Do you think that they will answer to a public proposition to compare their art with other musicians? They don't care. I also know a lot of visualizers who need to create their software, and sometime their hardware.. as the art needs to be discovered by artists for themselves before... for the others, we only have to perform. In such a way, it is a pleasure to meet other artists (and also developpers). It's a good thing to create together. So I would rather criticize public institutions to introduce competition between artists, than ask them to participate. As Noam Chomsky said "capitalism doesn't exist without States", they can't do it for free softwares.
my 2ç, M.