diff --git a/Manuals/Tcpi-ug/Preface/overview.docbook b/Manuals/Tcpi-ug/Preface/overview.docbook index b5e6fa2..cb425d6 100755 --- a/Manuals/Tcpi-ug/Preface/overview.docbook +++ b/Manuals/Tcpi-ug/Preface/overview.docbook @@ -3,73 +3,145 @@ Overview - On April 2009, I decided to stop working for Cuban State's - institutions. This decision came itself emerging on me based - on the increasing repression impossed to system administrators - by Cuban State and the lack of an independent way from the - State to express my feelings about computers and sharing - information in freedom. I don't pretend to use this book to - detail the political system I lived on, but I do want to say - that the more I get involved with such political system the - more was the distance I felt between the most pure of myself - and the actions such system wanted me to do. It is motivating - how one can realize about such things, thanks to bright minds - like Mr. Richard Stallman with his vision and actions about - freedom as well as to free communities like &TCP; where those - feelings are made available for anyone to enjoy. + On April 2009, I decided to stop working for cuban State. This + decision emerged itself on me from an increasing feeling of + repression against system administrators by cuban State which + might be acceptable when one chooses to agree with the + limitations and play the game. When you don't agree with them + and try to find an alternative way to express yourself + differently, you'll realize that the cuban political system + lacks of such independent alternatives for anyone to use. I + don't pretend to use this book to detail the political system + I live on, but I do want to say that the more I involve with + the cuban political system the more distance I feel between + the most pure of myself and the actions the system expect from + me to do. However, it is motivating how oneself can realize + about such things thank to bright minds like Mr. Richard + Stallman with his philosophy about freedom and an immense + free software community under constant development which + provides the medium to express the free-software philosophy as + way of living. - + + + In these last years, the cuban State has shown signs to start + using free software distributions with the goal of + reaching a technology independency which is + quiet contradictory to me. What independency we are talking + about here? Independency for whom, and from whom? The only way + I see for the cuban State to reach the independency it looks + for (as long as I understand its political system) is creating + and maintaining an entire infrastructure (e.g., computers, + network devices, operating systems, etc.,) of its own without + any intervention from the outside. Otherwise, the cuban State + will be inevitably attached to someone that may differ from it + and that is something unacceptable because may compromise the + former idea. If you think this is what cuban State needs, I + have to say that it is one of the most nonsense idea one can + ever think of, specially when you consider the the way + international communities of free software and hardware + providers interact one another in the modern world. + + + + The free software emerged from people who know what freedom + is. It is impossible to defend freedom if one don't feel what + it is. The cuban State never talks (at least on the public + media) of introducing free software for freeing the society of + privative software. In fact, if you compare the privative + software and the way cuban State operates the information + area, based on the resolution 149 emitted by the Minister of + Informatics and Telecomunications (MIT), you may find them + very similar. There is a very strict control over all the + information media on the country and they cannot be used to + other purposes different to those defined by the State. For + example, to reach Internet access, cuban people need to be + working for the State somehow and that way comply with the + politics impossed by it about information management. There is + no a legal way for cuban people to contract an Internet + service at home. The most one can do in Cuba to share data is + trying to resolve a fixed telephone line at + home to gain access to the telephone network and then use it + to transmit data using computers. The telephone network most + people have access to, however, there are limitations in the + number of simultaneous connections that can be performed and + finding the Modem devices required. + + Modem devices aren't available on stores. In fact, the few + computation hardware available on stores has prices that + very few people can pay for (making this another + limitation for average poeple). + + + + + + The migration from privative software to free software must be + from people comprehension of what they are doing, not from the + impossition of another inquestionable order to comply with. + So, people need to feel what freedom is and express it in + order to perceive a deep impact in the society. Don't pretend + people will use a free software distribution based on a lie, + that idea won't last much before it fall into pieces. People + need a way of identify themselves apart from any political + system in order for them to decide whether or not to be part + of one. + + It is also fare to mention that freedom has a cost and more if you are living in a political system where most people cannot make use of it to manifest themselves. I didn't find any solution other than isolate myself from that political system - repressing my natural right of expression. Mentioned that way - might sound simple but it is a very difficul decision because - its implications. For example, immediatly after I took that - decision I didn't find a job to do and had to relay on my - family which, in its majority, grew up with the political - system I reject and is attached somehow to it. A terrible - humilation to me, but less humilation than a direct relation - since it wasn't my decision to come into the world nor be - educated in a way I wasn't able to take concience of. This - way, I gave my first step back into the reconstruction of - myself. After two years in this situation, Frank Sueiras (the - housband of my ant Carmen L. Delgado) retires himself from - working to Cuban State's institution and start doing jobs for - third parties. In one of those jobs, the Jesuitas church - contracts him to planificate everything related to hydraulics - on a building under construction. I went with him there and I - have to say that the feeling of community there remembered me - that one experimented inside The CentOS Project. So, I ask him - to talk there in order for me to work on whatever it be needed - (e.g., putting glasses on doors, helping the welder man, - painting, etc.). + repressing my natural freedom of expression. For example, + When I closed my contract, it was very difficult to find a job + as system administrator and had to relay on my family which, + in its majority, grew up with the political system I reject + and is attached somehow to it. A terrible humilation to me, + but less humilation than a direct relation since it wasn't my + decision to come into the world nor be educated in a way I + wasn't able to take concience of. This way, I gave my first + step back into the reconstruction of myself. + + + + The reconstruction of oneself is a painful process where care + should be taken against craziness and high blood pressures. It + is a time of loneliness and waiting one need to face + inevitably at some point of life. In that time you compress + yourself until you are able of seeing what you are, what you + are not, what you are doing, why are you doing it, and what + purpose does everything has for others once your life reaches + its end in this word. How strong you are to take the + responsability of your own existence and fight against anyone + trying to take that from you. In this process, one separates + its body from its mind and makes it to act based on a major + idea of what one has faith in. Your life, and all it brings to + you, is so yours that it is very important that everyone be + aware of that, specially in political systems that insist on + living your life for you. + + + + After two years in this situation, Frank Sueiras (the housband + of my ant Carmen L. Delgado) retires himself from working to + cuban State and started doing jobs for third parties. In one + of those jobs, the Jesuitas church contracts him to + planificate everything related to hydraulics on a building + under construction. I went with him there and the air of + community remembered me that one experimented inside &TCP;. I + saw an opportunity therein and ask him to talk there in order + for me to work on whatever it be needed (e.g., putting glasses + on doors, helping the welder man, painting, etc.). They didn't need a system administrator by then ;-). This way I received a payment for living (which - was almost 4 times more than what a system administrator - legally receives from working for the Cuban State). At nights - I keep myself reading the documentation available inside &TCD; + was almost 4 times more than what I was receiving as system + administrator when worked for the cuban State). At nights I + keep myself reading the documentation available inside &TCD; and writing about &TCAR; with the hope of found an Internet - access to share what I've been doing with &TCC; without that - rare doubt of being doing something - inappropriate. - - - - The reconstruction of oneself is a painful process, as far as - I'm experimenting. It is a time of loneliness and waiting you - need to pass inevitably. In that time you compress yourself - until you be able of seeing what you are, what you are not, - what you are doing, why are you doing it, and what purpose - does everything has for others once your life in this word - reaches its end. How strong you are to take the responsability - of your own life and fight against anyone trying to take that - from you. The life, and all it brings to you, is so yours that - it is very important everyone be aware of that, specially in - political systems that insist on living your life for you. + access to share what I've been doing.