Re: [tlug] Free versus open: a rant

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

>>>>> "Botond" == Botond Botyanszki <tlug@example.com> writes:

    Botond> Let's not argue, I use gnomemeeting to talk to my family
    Botond> (they use netmeeting) without the use of the patented
    Botond> algorithm and the quicknet card.

*sigh* You could have said that in the first place, you know.

    Botond> Because and additional patented codec is available if you
    Botond> pay money (for the hardware or the impl), this doesn't
    Botond> make it any worse IMHO.

    >> Good for you!  However, rms, the FSF, and _the GNU Project_
    >> _do_ think that makes it worse.  rms has compared purchasing
    >> proprietary software to selling yourself into slavery![1]

    Botond> Let's not start the RMS discussion.

Too late---that's the whole motivation!  The point is that GNOME is
the GNU Network Object Model Environment.  GNU is a social movement
dedicated to advancing the cause of free software, including
eliminating proprietary software entirely, if possible, as soon as
possible.  GNOME itself was deliberately created to avoid a dependency
on a non-free library, and I was genuinely surprised at posts saying
that you need patented hardware for a major GnomeMeeting feature.

Furthermore, rms regularly blocks changes to GNU software on the
grounds that they encourage use of proprietary software (he delayed
support for editing remote files in Emacs until OpenSSH stabilized,
and still refuses to allow DLLs in Emacs, for example).  The VoIP to
POTS feature of GnomeMeeting strikes me as analogous, and I'm quite
surprised that they don't offer an unencumbered alternative at
degraded quality, at least in principle.

    Botond> Since gnomemeeting is under the GPL, you (or RMS) can make
    Botond> your own version and rip out the advertisement.

Why would I want to do that?  It happens once on installation, no?


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