[free-sklyarov] Boycott Adobe: Call for Proposals

[Bob La Quey]

At 10:16 PM 9/15/01 -0700, you wrote:
>On Sat, 15 Sep 2001, Bob La Quey wrote:
>
>> I would like to hear more voices. 
>
>Although I would like to see a continued boycott of Adobe, this means
>little for me, since as a FreeBSD and GNU/Linux user the only Adobe
>software I use is occasionally their $-free but encumbered Acrobat Reader.
>
>I think that, especially in this time of destruction, we should constantly
>be searching for (often literally) constructive solutions. Helping improve
>xpdf, ghostscript, and ghostview, and all free software in general, and
>improving and creating free formats (such as Ogg Vorbis) seem to be the
>best actions.
>
>Note that this is a far less visible and immediate solution but
>potentially much more fruitful long-term. A boycott may force changes but,
>when ceased, leave Adobe alone. Competitive tools, once created, will
>continue to exist and take power from Adobe and back to both the creators
>and the enjoyers of books, music, images, movies, and web pages.
>
>Peace,
>Martin

Thank you Martin, 

I agree and have suggested that the key element in a boycott is
the provision of alternatives. We must use the forces implicit in
Dmitry's situation to energize programmers in the Free and Open Source
world to replace Adobe products. This will help to get the word out
to a larger community about Dmitry's plight and about the unconstitutional 
aspects of the DMCA. 

By focusing on Adobe and Dmitry we make the abstract real. Thus 
we can use anecdotal communications to reach a larger public, 
which we must do. Free speech is far too important to leave to
the programming community.  

Similarly the individuals amongst us who have skills in marketing 
and public relations could use those skills to push these alternatives.
This is not now, and has never been, a movement solely of programmers. 
This is a movement of people who believe deeply in individual freedom. 

A boycott must not be a passive rejection of Adobe products. A boycott
must be an agressive campaign that offers alternatives. Best if those
alternatives, e.g. GhostScript http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/ are better
known as a result of the Boycott Adobe efforts.

Perhaps a better name is Replace Adobe.  

Onward,


Bob La Quey