SIAM packages

[Christopher Dimech]

> Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2022 at 5:17 AM
> From: "Boris Veytsman" <borisv at lk.net>
> To: "Christopher Dimech" <dimech at gmx.com>
> Cc: tex-live at tug.org
> Subject: Re: SIAM packages
>
> CD> From: Christopher Dimech <dimech at gmx.com>
> CD> Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2022 09:15:28 +0100
> 
> 
> CD> That said, I disapprove with much of the ideas and work of the TeX User Groups
> CD> Committee Members, particularly those in the UK. 
> 
> CD> Whilst they ask us for discussions, assistance and help, their invitations
> CD> are most commonly dishonest as they are not really interested in what we say
> CD> but only in propagating their point of view and way of doing things.
> 
> Christopher, as the President of TeX Users Group I am very sorry to
> hear this.  I do not remeber an input from you, but if I missed it
> somehow, I apologize.  I am sure all Board members are very receptive
> to the voice of the community, and would be glad to hear any ideas,
> criticism and suggestions.
> 
> Please let me know what can I do to convince you in our good faith and
> sincerety.  

Felicitations Boris,

I understand that, at the present time, there are a large number of people who are
living in the expanding boundary of free software use and redistribution that we 
have all been talking about.  Our movement is not the only one suffering from anger
at the moment.  But some of my dear friends have come to the conclusion that we're
on a jihad for free software.

Thusly, I have to draw some factual conclusions to your attention 

Firstly, that what matters is the industrial use of free software.  What both sides
of our communities of software makers have to understand, is that scale is what matters.

Secondly, when multinational information technology companies first began coming to free
software, we did not criticise them for not being non-profit virtuous enough.  We did not
say "we are suspicious of you," let alone threaten them to sue them out of existence.  
Everything else that we wanted to do would have become impossible immediately.

We act on behalf of the great projects that we all love, and welcome everybody with 
open arms and make clear that the commercial use of the software is our hope not our
fear.  Otherwise, we will achieve absolutely nothing that really matters about freedom.

What is left is thanks.  Thanks for TeX Live Maintainers agreeing on the general
principles of Free Software, for all software to meet the requirements of the
Free Software Foundation's definition of free software.  And that in cases of 
conflict, you follow the FSF recommendations. 

An important topic that emerged from this year's GNU Hackers' Meeting, is 
the need for communication between different groups.  Because many projects
function within isolated and restricted environments. I have experienced 
such environment, for instance, within the GCC development community.  There
also had been talk not to do the GHM in Turkey but we did that anyway.  And 
whilst others have decided to suspend a significant part of their operations
in Russia (in light of the ongoing military aggression against Ukraine and 
the changed political and economic environment), I continue to assist people
in Kamchatka where there is limited access to technology and where things 
might be a little too high-tech for them - all this notwithstanding community
consternation about doing so.

The organisational difficulties encountered in practice require effort and determination. 
There's no kind of gratitude like the gratitude of knowing you got a partner who's got 
your back.  I thus relay a positive message for substantive and conscious approaches in
our executions.  

Would you entertain the idea of engaging together purposively to the point where 
everyone engaged in leading the task of making free software moves forward long-term?

Besides, it will be some time before you exhaust your entitlement to free help from me.  

Incidentally, I have recently beheld the capability of implementing a number of 
Epidemiological Models (including network based preferential model), as free software.  
If this could possibly excite you, possibilities can be entertained between us.

Thank you so very much
Christopher