Re: [tlug] And they said it was Free?

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

>>>>> "Charles" == Charles Muller <acmuller@example.com> writes:

    Charles> I understand the position of the Free Software purists,
    Charles> and maybe if I came from that kind of background, I'd
    Charles> take [the] position [that you shouldn't have to pay for
    Charles> it, or something more or less like that].

Then you don't understand.  The position of the free software purists
is that you should have access to source if you have a copy of the
executable.  See http://www.linuxandmain.com/essay/sgordon.html for an
essay by a guy who has successfully faced down rms even on the issue
of charging for access to source.  (Thanks to Simon C for bringing it
to my attention.)

I am, and I think most right-thinking hackers[1] are, all for projects
like Mandrake accepting money from people like you who don't care if
you ever see source (but I predict you will), in return for providing
you with goodies that you demand but the hacker community doesn't
emphasize---and the source, to boot.

Like rms and (far more important in my scheme of things) Wiley C, I
prefer to work in an environment containing only software produced by
the community for its own purposes.  (See http://tuxedo.org/~esr/, esp
faq/smart-questions.html and writings/homesteading/ for interesting
descriptions of what those purposes seem to be.)  But I really do want
to see the benefits that open source provides in terms of robustness
and security extended to consumer-oriented software.  And I'm
realistic about the probability (ie, nearly nil) that hackers will
provide consumer-oriented software on their own.

    Charles> As far as Xemacs is concerned, well, uh, feggedaboudit.

Is that FUD I see spotting your collar and cuffs?


Footnotes: 
[1]  OK, there's the "don't hand chainsaws to toddlers" school of
thought, but Windows---a sort of fractional-HP chainsaw---makes that
moot IMHO, eh, Chris?

-- 
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences     http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
              Don't ask how you can "do" free software business;
              ask what your business can "do for" free software.