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Re: Debian for wide-world, yes we can!

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MENGUAL Jean-Philippe <mengualjeanphi@free.fr> writes:

> Hypra developed […] a service to provide a free software based
> computer, as nice as typical PCs, with a better uman support (better
> privacy, including search engine, etc)
> - 200 blind and old people now use Debian GNU/Linux, Libreoffice and
> Firefox thanks to our system and human support.

That is a great service, thank you for maintaining it!

> Three years later, I am afraid with two things. 1. Most free software
> companies drop the desktop. It has consequences on privacy, and usae of
> computers with a low Internet connection.

This is not special to free-software companies. The desktop platforms
are in sharp decline generally, as most software is provided either as
Service as a Software Substitute, which strips autonomy from users
<URL:https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html>,
or mobile apps, where the computing platform is tightly controlled by
the monopolists (Apple, Google, Amazon) instead of the user community.

> Free software has not yet had success due to lack of human support
> with the free software based products.

Yes, free software certainly has gone backward in mind share, because
the desktop platform shrank in importance and we do not yet have a
decent foothold on the mobile and SaaSS platforms. The gains from the
1980s and 1990s need to be won all over again, and this time the
monopolists are more prepared :-/

<URL:https://archive.org/details/EbenMoglen-TheHardwareWarsAndTheFutureOfFreeSoftware>

> 2. Free software has less and less forces for accessibility and
> universal design. Only 5 persons work on the accessibility stac.

Kudos to those who do, and I agree with your implication that more
people need to work on accessibility in free software.

> Thanks in advance to anyone supporting tis initiative.

Thank you for raising attention to this, and viva Hypra!

-- 
 \          “Those who write software only for pay should go hurt some |
  `\                 other field.” —Erik Naggum, in _gnu.misc.discuss_ |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney

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Debian for wide-world, yes we can! MENGUAL Jean-Philippe <mengualjeanphi@free.fr> - 2018-04-20 15:00 +0200
  Re: Debian for wide-world, yes we can! Ben Finney <bignose@debian.org> - 2018-04-22 06:30 +0200

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