If you take just one thing away from #FOSDEM this is it.
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“If we lose our democracies, Open Source is irrelevant and goes away”
or putting it another way:
If we don’t apply, enforce, adopt and embrace Open Source in our public and government institutions we risk to lose our democracies.
#OpenSource #SaveDemocracy
Boost if you agree!
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@amirbkhan 1/2
#freesoftware and #opensource will continue, regardless IMHO. They exist in dictatorships, socialist and other regimes. They are sturdier because they chase an ideal of democracy.
We tend to say #democracy is under threat, and to a large extent this is true - the very nature of the ideal.
But when people use it, they sometimes confuse the ideal with the varied implementations which were already broken by design when compared with the ideal.
@amirbkhan 2/2
Both implementations of democracy and the ideal are constantly under threat. Now more than any time in my lifetime.
The nature of #freesoftware and #opensource is to be against closed, proprietary systems. Tools for individuals. It has ALWAYS been a resistance to closed, proprietary systems.
In that regard, it echoes more #volunteerism than #democracy. That it is a tool democracy can and should use should not be conflated, imho.
Very important insights and distinctions, thank you!
Amir Khan
Taran Rampersad
Violet Madder