[Dev] About the Presentation of Parabola GNU/Linux-libre and Blender in Bariloche

[André Silva]

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Hereby we're sending to your attention the details of a conference (with
proofs in video) that was given in the Argentinian city of San Carlos de
Bariloche, for careful analysis by the Free Software Foundation
community and for due appreciation.

On Saturday, 8th of June 2013, was given an 8 hours long presentation
of the FSF-endorsed free GNU/Linux-libre distribution Parabola, and the
3D software Blender, during which the audience could learn how to become
a Parabola hacker, use Blender, and install and use the said distro.

I gave this presentation in the Andin venue of the University of Rio
Negro, at Mitre 630, 2nd floor "A" in San Carlos de Bariloche. This
presentation was open to the public, with free entrance, and entirely
gratis.

Among many proposals that he made to me and my family--involved in all
those developments, Javier Barcenas, who invited me to speak at this
event, insisted on promoting the initiative of "free software video-game
development groups in Bariloche" with (pre-recorded) introductory talks
to this art form using the Blender software.[0]
Another proposal was to use the technology (and free software) to
produce "social goods".

Two days before the event, on Thursday, 6th of June, I (André Silva)
participated along with Javier Barcena in a radio interview where I
introduced the Parabola distro, with the main objective of promoting the
said event.

The essential reason of our distribution, like most free distributions,
is to provide our users via such events, with the most possible
information regarding the genealogy of each of those distributions, and
how to install and manipulate our software so that the end user benefits
from reliable materials that ease their experience.

As you can imagine, in free software, we don't benefit much from
advertising means, nor proper promotion in the media like generally
happens with proprietary software, and for that reasons, such an event
essentially provides an effective mechanism for free software to reach
to a large audience, and make many people aware that they can use a much
better alternative than proprietary software.

Such events, thus, are crucial in this effort to bring awareness to
society as a whole, of the benefits of free software. Behind each free
software, including Parabola, lies as well a great collaborative effort
of many hackers of the community, from many countries, who completely
altruistically (and without any objective of favoritism) are working
hard and synchronously to provide the user with software that respect
their rights and their freedom, and granting those issues top priority.

On the one hand, given the importance of those events, for the quality
of the effort and the scarcity of the opportunities, it's a priority as
well for us to preserve intact and integral the recordings that were
made in the radio and at the university, so as to share them with the
world and expand their reach to the most remote places.

On the other hand, it's also fundamental that our work is recognized,
with due respect, and that is honored the binding commitment to deliver
in a timely manner into our hands, the exact copies of the recordings
that were made, in their integrity, with the same affect and respect
that we put when we record for the University of Bariloche, or the radio
broadcast in that city.

But once this wonderful event at the University of Bariloche was done,
much time passed, during which I had to ask several times copies to
Javier Barcenas, in charge of the event, but I never got proper response
from him, as he was eluding the topic, or not returning calls, with the
argument that he didn't have access to the recordings.

Finally, as it seemed to be impossible to access this recorded material,
we decided to resign ourselves to forget all about it, along with
promises to create hypothetical cooperatives to initiate a small
industry of libre video games, to install clusters with Parabola, etc.,
and so on and so forth.

Time passed and like anything, that remained a dead letter, however, in
the month of September of this year, came the celebration of the 30th
anniversary of the GNU project, that was such a significant event for us
and many, that it catalyzed great enthusiasm among the Parabola hackers,
and all the free software community.

As you know, this marvelous event constituted for all of us (not only in
Parabola) a charismatic and attractive event on the international level,
and so each free software distribution could exhibit with much pride the
fruits of their various trajectories.

Logically, as Parabola is a young distribution, and we do not have
significant videos that actually reflected our collaborative effort, we
decided to call again, almost supplicating, to obtain the video that we
considered our legitimate asset and legacy.

But one more time, Javier Barcenas explained with indifference that he
would not provide the videos for the same reason that he did not have
access to the recorded materials. Following this, the expression of our
impotence generated indignation. Cristina Derazenski, an organizer of
the GNU30 event in Buenos Aires, decided to insist and took on her to
call again, using all means of arguments and an effusive language, that
finally convinced Javier Barcenas to respect our position, although
reluctantly, and send us the recordings on DVD (that we had been asking
for so insistently.) But instead of following the simple instructions of
Cristina, he sent the DVD to the Aeroparque airport without any name nor
address for a recipient, leaving it to total abandon at the airport, and
leaving to the local group in Buenos Aires the burden to organize
themselves at the last minute and pay for the recovery of the package,
thanks to the personal attention of Luis Falcón.

But once we finally obtained this DVD, we could not show it at the event
of the GNU30, as it was adulterated in 14 consecutive chunks [1], some
with problematic scenes, or missing moments of the talk, including one
with only sound, and no video. In the end we discovered with resignation
that *the Blender talk was completely missing, as well as an interview
that I gave at the end of the presentation of Parabola*.

In the last two weeks, we have done a thorough analysis of the
recordings and we determined that those failures were not merely
accidental but everything seems to indicate that they were the result of
some intentional sabotage. In our analysis of those videos, there's
clearly a moment where the camera falls, that could justify subsequent
failures and cuts, nevertheless such failures and cuts also occur before
this incident. For this reason, we're turning to the community to
denounce this fact of serious consequence.

Parabola is a cosmopolitan distribution, made by many enthusiasts and
hackers from distinct nationalities in various parts of the world, so
that our material is not exclusively ours or the FSF's but constitutes a
heritage of the world community.

Following this logic, if the facts described in that story constitute a
crime, such crime is a crime against humanity not for having affected us
physically, but for affecting all of us morally, ethically, and
philosophically, in our own principles. The story we're sharing today
affected us, and others, not only materially but also morally.

For this motive, and for those reasons, we're turning towards you all,
to intimate an ultimate call to obtain our legacy, and bring this form
of toxic behavior to your attention, in order to protect ourselves from
people who cause such damage, and to avoid that such incidents are
repeated, that not only sabotage the work of the Distributions but also
all users and the community in general.

That's it. Counting on your understanding and your support, I salute you,

André Fabian Silva Delgado
Hacker de Parabola GNU/Linux-libre
https://parabolagnulinux.org/hackers/#Emulatorman

[0]
https://archive.org/details/Introductory_presentation_to_the_drawing_for_modeling_in_Blender

[1]
https://archive.org/details/Parabola_GNULinux-libre_Bariloche_Argentina
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