Re: (renamed) Misc mailing list

[Jean Louis]

* andrew <andrew@andrewyu.org> [2022-04-18 13:53]:
> My problem is that when I say "please contact me by email because I
> don't wanna use WeChat", people go like "nope".  Frustrating.

I have that taking place, but I do not have such problem. 

Today I am managing project in Tanzania on distance by using XMPP
protocol, and all people are aligned and well. It is business
focused. There is interest and purpose, and people listen to
instructions. While they may privately use proprietary Whatsapp -- it
is strictly disallowed in our business.

I tell to people to use XMPP, provide them the XMPP username/password
and they connect to me. 

If they don't, there is no benefit.

Your friends, those who regard you with affection and trust, they will
connect to you over different networks. That is also proof if you got
a good connection, true rapport, true relation to that person or not.

So it is like a game with fish, if you have some benefit, they will
come. I have people on XMPP for years connected.

> People in my grade be like:
> 
>   1. Why do you have a Website?  Why not "just" use Weibo (similar to
>      twitter blah blah)

I find it advanced if you have a website. The simple answer is because
you can do it, they can't.

>   2. Why do you use "ancient" technology such as RFC822 Email, IRC and
>      XMPP, when we have cool "good" stuff that everyone uses like
>      WeChat?

It is not ancient, rather stable and proven technology.

WeChat cannot be compared to those.

As a salesman of ideas, you better make a list of benefits of email,
IRC, XMPP, etc. to be able to counter such talk.

But even better, make a prize, like they can win something like phone
or what? -- provided they sign up and participate. You can make a
course about free software with questions and answers and let people
pass through it and always offer them some next prize, and later make
a physical group of people gathering together.

>   3. What is ".org"?  All Websites I've seen end with ".com" or
>      ".edu.cn".

Today there are hundreds of Top Level Domain extensions, kids can't
know everything.

> 4. Why do you care about "freedom"?  Why do you care about privacy if
>    you have nothing to hide?  Why is freedom more important than
>    convenience?

Nothing to Hide - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
https://www.scu.edu/ethics/privacy/nothing-to-hide/

Use arguments from the above article.

> (There's even a guy in my class who goes like:  Whenever I draw a GNU
> head or a OpenBSD Puffy in art homework or something, he puts Windows 10
> logos all the place and talks about why free software is bad.  He's the
> exception (other people are genuinely asking questions) and is probably
> a troll, causes a lot of damage to what I do.)

That is common, I find it funny. Use ricing and demonstrate all the
good desktop features of GNU/Linux systems, like 3D compositors,
something flashy. Then make special category on website to show it
off. 

Always include those meta tags in websites like Open Graph, Schema.org
as to distribute it better on social networks.

> > I am sure in China there are human rights defined in laws, and one
> > shall find which apply to free software and then put focus on such
> > laws and prevention of human rights abuses by usage of proprietary
> > software.
> 
> Part of what I do :)  I have a bunch of unpublished ones (written in
> Chinese) that I might release in a batch.

Great!

> > For example in some countries one may argue WHY did country allow only
> > specific provider to be accepted and provide free software? 
> 
> I do not undestand how "specific provider"s could be allowed only and
> provide free software, can you elaborate?

In a free country government contracts should be given by tender and
not just approved by single officers as that is related to
corruption. 

Question is why did government choose to use some proprietary provider
and endanger citizen's privacy over some of available free software?

How did it come for such software to be approved? Dig out.


-- 
Jean

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