[Cmi-Brasilia] [Fwd: [Imc-communication] UCIMC: Concern about advertisements for Giga-$ non-free software companies]

[toya em riseup.net]

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[to: UC IMC; cc: imc-communication]

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SUMMARY:
i'm rather concerned about your announcement about jobs at UCIMC:
(0) Evidence: http://www.ucimc.org/mod/info/display/jobs/index.php
(1) you have de facto advertisements for non-free Giga-$ software companies
(2) you *require* indymedia paid workers to be able to use non-free software
(3) you seem to be supporting the use of non-free software companies
on a long-term basis.
(4) There are plenty of free software packages for financial management
GnuCash: http://gnucash.org/
SQL-ledger: http://www.sql-ledger.org/
http://cbbrowne.com/info/financefreesoft.html
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Dear ucimc,

i'm a volunteer in imc poland, in the local collective in Toruñ:
http://pl.indymedia.org
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcTorun
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-pl-torun

i'm also a volunteer in the new-imc working group, where we try to
explain to new groups why things like free software are an important
part of our struggle to create free media. Making tactical compromises
is understandable.  However, for an experienced imc to make an
advertisement for multi-billion dollar companies making non-free
software, and, moreover, to start legal, financial relations with
"employees" who are expected to support these multi-billion dollar
companies making non-free software, seems rather incompatible with
indymedia principles. We do not totally exclude compromises with the
monetary system, but the political costs should be balanced with the
advantages.

If one of the oldest imc's seems unable to use free software, this
could make it hard to convince new groups of the necessity of becoming
independent from multi-billion dollar corporations.



(0) Evidence: Quotes from your job advertisement:
http://www.ucimc.org/mod/info/display/jobs/index.php

> IMC Treasurer - Job Description
> ... manage the bookkeeping of the organization using Quickbooks.

> IMC Bookkeeper
> Manages and records all IMC financial transactions using Quickbooks,
> including bills, invoices, rent, donations, disbursements, etc.

> IMC Membership Coordinator
> Recieves and enters membership form data using Excel



(1) you have de facto advertisements for non-free Giga-$ software companies

These ads for Quickbooks and Excel amount to advertisements for:

- the $2 billion for-profit company Intuit
   Inc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intuit,_Inc.

- one of the world's major sponsors of state terrorism (through
   sponsorship of the Republicrat Party in the USA), the multi-billion
   dollar corporation Microsoft:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel


(2) you *require* indymedia paid workers to be able to use non-free software

People who want the UCIMC positions are necessarily going to have to
learn to use the software - since it's a requirement presented in the
advertisement. They presumably, once employed, will be in a weak position
to insist on switching to free software, since political decisions should
surely be made by the collective of volunteers rather than by paid
employeees.


(3) you seem to be supporting the use of non-free software companies
on a long-term basis.


Since UCIMC is one of the oldest IMCs, it's hard to believe that you
have never heard of the arguments in favour of free software, or that
you do not know how to use google to find free software equivalents.

If you really have difficulty finding good free software, you could
always write to the imc-tech mailing list:
  http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-tech

for help in finding free software equivalents. Or even ask informally
in many places in the indymedia network.



(4) There are plenty of free software packages for financial management

The most obvious alternatives to quickbooks being:

GnuCash: http://gnucash.org/
SQL-ledger: http://www.sql-ledger.org/

You'll find a long list here:
http://cbbrowne.com/info/financefreesoft.html


As for "Excel", i suggest:

gnumeric (standard in any GNU/linux distribution)



In case UCIMC has somehow misunderstood the commitment of most indymedia
collectives to the use of free software or doesn't understand its role
in social change movements, here is a quote from the Principles of Unity:

http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/PrinciplesOfUnity

9. All IMC's shall be committed to the use of free source code,
    whenever possible, in order to develop the digital infrastructure,
    and to increase the independence of the network by not relying on
    proprietary software.


i would suggest that you start reading at:

http://www.gnu.org


Digital independence is not an issue to be taken lightly.

Apart from the political aspect of the question of whether or not to
support billion-dollar non-free corporations, this is also an issue of
security for activists - holding their financial and personal
information (full names, addresses, bank account numbers? etc.) on a
computer running micro$oft is a security risk and unnecessarily makes
that information available to state security forces (who can
relatively easily crack any micro$oft computer, which by definition is
insecure).


solidarity
boud (speaking as an individual)


PS: My own suggestion if any indymedia collectives wishes to start having
employees would be to experiment with the participatory economics model:
  http://www.parecon.org
It does not reject money, but it is a serious attempt at proposing an
alternative economic model._______________________________________________
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