[EuroPython] send out press release

[Laura Creighton]

>Nicolas Pettiaux
>
> Le Mercredi 13 F=E9vrier 2002 14:57, Laura Creighton a =E9crit :
> > I tried the formulation 'free and open source software' for a conferen=
ce
> > I organised.  It bombed.  Everybody thought I meant 'free/open source
> > software, that ALSO COST NO MONEY'.  After all, if I did not mean
> > 'COST NO MONEY' then either free, or open source, would be enough.
> >
> > There are no easy answers here.  I have personally moved to using
> > Open Source exclusively, and let the unthinking RMS-acolytes hate me,
> > but that may not be an option for you.
> >
> > Just to warn you that I tried it your way and it failed miserably.
> =

> Thanks for the note. =

> =

> As Stefane noted in an earlier mail, for many open source and free softw=
are =

> is the same (at least for him, and nearly for me)
> =

> I agree that for people not knowing the details, there is a confusion wi=
th =

> the price. I regret this.
> =

> For me the conference is mainly aimed at people who are using python and=
 zope =

> in a commercial environment and take benefit for their openness, but als=
o at =

> students who I want to teach the values of this openness. =

-----------------

You will have no problem attracting students to this as long as =

it does not cost too much, a goal you have attained.  Once they
arrive we can begin to educate them.  But if you use the word
Free in English describing the software at the conference, then
the people who make purchasing decisions will think _this is a
hobby conference_ and not come.  I want to avoid this at all costs,
even if some students whom it would be worth teaching about
open source do not attend.  Fliers that I want to send to major
government purchasing agencies must not talk about free software,
or I will not make any sales and it will be worse than a waste of
time, it will damage my reputation as a commercially successful
open source company.  This  must not happen.

> I agree to use the terms that will be the most appropriate and will lead=
 to =

> less confusion in the context described above. THis is unfortunate but w=
ould =

> need too much explanation.
> =

> Maybe an explanation could once come. I could once write that to put on =
the =

> site.
> =

> Could we / some of us review the wiki to correct this and present a unif=
orm =

> approach ? =

> =

> Just an idea: one approach that was adopted at the European COmmission =

> consists to speak about libre software and explain how this temr relates=
 to =

> free and open-source. Could we use that formulation ?

On the Wiki, yes, great wonderful.

Now, I have a question for you.  Who is organising things with the
Commission.  I have some good contacts, but you are in Belgium, so
you most likely have better ones.  I want to invite the Commission
to the conference.  They have pots of money which they are trying
to spend to foster European cooporation and competitiveness.  We =

should try to get some.  What we are doing is precisely what they
want us to do, so we should try to get paid for it.

I have the idea for a track designed to teach the Commission that
when they want a coorporative European solution to a computer related
problem they should run not walk to the Python community and purchase
one.  We want talks about 'unicode and you: getting your name
spelled correctly for a change' and 'python: the glue -- how to
stick your solution together when half of it was made in European
country A and the rest in European country B' and 'successful
international collaborations using python' and  .... I can brainstorm
a dozen more off the top of my head.

AB Strakt already has the sort of composition that the Commision makes
noises about.  We are in Sweden but have principals in Italy and
the Netherlands.  We think the difficulty in being a start-up
with principals in separate countries is more than offset by how
good you can be if you do not restrict yourself to only the people
who are available in one country.  We could talk about that, if
there is any interest.  We _will_ talk about that informally in any
case.

I know that Logilab has an international collaboration going on
with some other countries.  Who else?

I want to leave the Commission with the idea that the python community
is a great place to spend money.  WHo is in charge of that, and
what can we do to help?

Laura Creighton -- on behalf of all of AB Strakt for this one ---