www/philosophy philosophy.html social-inertia.html

[Yavor Doganov]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Yavor Doganov <yavor>   07/11/04 09:04:09

Modified files:
        philosophy     : philosophy.html 
Added files:
        philosophy     : social-inertia.html 

Log message:
        * social-inertia.html: New great article by RMS.
        * philosophy.html (Upholding): Link to it.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/philosophy.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.255&r2=1.256
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/social-inertia.html?cvsroot=www&rev=1.1

Patches:
Index: philosophy.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/philosophy.html,v
retrieving revision 1.255
retrieving revision 1.256
diff -u -b -r1.255 -r1.256
--- philosophy.html     23 Oct 2007 14:53:47 -0000      1.255
+++ philosophy.html     4 Nov 2007 09:03:53 -0000       1.256
@@ -349,6 +349,8 @@
   <li><a href="/philosophy/use-free-software.html">The Free Software Community 
After 20 Years</a>,
        With great but incomplete success, what now?</li>
   <li><a href="/philosophy/mcvoy.html">Thank You, Larry McVoy</a> by Richard 
M. Stallman</li>
+  <li><a href="/philosophy/social-inertia.html">Overcoming Social
+  Inertia</a>, by Richard M. Stallman</li>
 </ul>
 
 
@@ -973,7 +975,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2007/10/23 14:53:47 $
+$Date: 2007/11/04 09:03:53 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: social-inertia.html
===================================================================
RCS file: social-inertia.html
diff -N social-inertia.html
--- /dev/null   1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ social-inertia.html 4 Nov 2007 09:03:53 -0000       1.1
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
+<title>Overcoming Social Inertia - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation 
(FSF)</title>
+<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
+<h2>Overcoming Social Inertia</h2>
+
+<p>by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/";><strong>Richard
+Stallman</strong></a></p>
+
+<p>
+15 years have passed since the combination of GNU and Linux first made
+it possible to use a PC in freedom.  During that time, we have come a
+long way.  You can even buy a laptop with GNU/Linux preinstalled from
+more than one hardware vendor, although the systems they ship are not
+entirely free software.  So what holds us back from total success?</p>
+
+<p>
+The main obstacle to the triumph of software freedom is social
+inertia.  You have surely seen its many forms.  Many commercial web
+sites are only accesible with Windows.  The BBC's iPlayer handcuffware
+runs only on Windows.  If you value short-term convenience instead of
+freedom, you might consider these reasons to use Windows.  Most
+companies currently use Windows, so students who think short-term want
+to learn Windows, and ask schools to teach Windows, which they do,
+thus leading many other students to use Windows.  Microsoft actively
+nurtures this inertia: it encourages schools to inculcate dependency
+on Windows, and contracts to set up web sites, which then turn out to
+work only with Internet Explorer.</p>
+
+<p>
+A few years ago, Microsoft ads argued that Windows was cheaper to run
+than GNU/Linux.  Their comparisons were debunked, but it is worth
+noting the deeper flaw that their arguments reduce to social inertia:
+&ldquo;Currently, more technical people know Windows than
+GNU/Linux.&rdquo;  People that value their freedom would not give it up
+to save money, but many business executives believe ideologically that
+everything they possess, even their freedom, should be for sale.</p>
+
+<p>
+Social inertia consists of people giving in to social inertia.  When
+you give in to social inertia, you become part of it; when you resist
+it, you reduce it.  We conquer inertia by identifying it, and
+resolving not to be part of it.</p>
+
+<p>
+Here is where the philosophical weakness of most of our community
+holds us back.  Most GNU/Linux users have never even heard the ideas
+of freedom that motivated the development of GNU, so they still judge
+matters based on short-term convenience rather than on their freedom.
+This makes them vulnerable to being led by the nose, through social
+inertia.</p>
+
+<p>
+To change this, we need to talk about free software and freedom
+&mdash; not merely practical benefits such as cited by open source.
+Thus we can build our community's strength and resolve to overcome
+social inertia.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
+<div id="footer">
+
+<p>
+Please send FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to 
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
+There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> 
+the FSF.
+<br />
+Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Please see the 
+<a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
+README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting
+translations of this article.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Copyright &copy; 2007 Richard Stallman
+</p>
+<p>Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are
+permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this
+notice is preserved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Updated:
+<!-- timestamp start -->
+$Date: 2007/11/04 09:03:53 $
+<!-- timestamp end -->
+</p>
+</div>
+
+<div id="translations">
+<h4>Translations of this page</h4>
+
+<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical. -->
+<!-- Comment what the language is for each type, i.e. de is German. -->
+<!-- Write the language name in its own language (Deutsch) in the text. -->
+<!-- If you add a new language here, please -->
+<!-- advise address@hidden and add it to -->
+<!--  - /home/www/bin/nightly-vars either TAGSLANG or WEBLANG -->
+<!--  - /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html -->
+<!--  - one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" -->
+<!--  - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias -->
+<!--  to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases -->
+<!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right, cf. -->
+<!-- <URL:http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm> -->
+<!-- Please use W3C normative character entities. -->
+
+<ul class="translations-list">
+<!-- English -->
+<li><a href="/philosophy/social-inertia.html">English</a>&nbsp;[en]</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+</div>
+</body>
+</html>