Re: [LI] Message from RMS.

[Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@xxxxxxx>]

>>"Arun" == Arun Sharma <adsharma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

 Arun> My statements still hold good. Free OSes make up a miniscule
 Arun> percentage of the OSes in use. Even in the wettest dreams of
 Arun> Linus Torvalds and Bob Young, they're not gunning for more than
 Arun> 15% of the market.

        You wish. ``World Domination'' is not that far off. (Tell me
 again the percentage of web servers that happen to be DFSG free).

 Arun> That's analogous to the amount of money I earn and the amount I donate.

 Arun> If I have Rs 5 in my pocket, I'll keep it there so that it is
 Arun> accessible only to me, as opposed to making it freely available
 Arun> to someone who is needier than me, to whom the value of Rs 5 is
 Arun> more than it is to me. Effectively an example of Raj's
 Arun> "increasing the wealth" argument.
 >> 
 Arun> However, when the difference in needs crosses a threshold,
 Arun> philanthropy kicks in and sidelines selfishness. Lots of people
 Arun> contributed to the Orissa disaster fund for example.
 >> 
 >> I think there is a subtle contradiction here. 
 >> 

 Arun> Which is ?

        Either the money stays in your pocket, or it does not. In the
 first paragraph you aver it stays with you, and then you waffle and
 offer riders in the second.
 
 >> I think the free software movement has proved this thesis incorrect.
 >> 

 Arun> What "movement" ? I repeat a quote from an earlier posting on this list

        Don' split hairs. It is a movement, and is represented as such
 by a large fraction of the practitioners and the manstream press.

 Arun> Here is an interesting thought from a FreeBSD Vs Linux thread
 Arun> on the net:

        All that says is that rather than joining the fee software
 movement, the *BSD's distance them selves and offer themselves as a
 viable alternative to the commercial OS's.

        Pardon me, but yet again the *BSD's have squandered their
 opportunity, and are seeking a ``grapes are sour'' akternative. For
 some very bright people, they seem to always put their foot in their
 mouths ...

 Arun> Perhaps you got indoctrinated with all the GNU politics from
 Arun> RMS.

        That, sir, is an insult. I do not ever claim that your views
 are because of intellectual bankruptcy, or an inability to think for
 yourself, and I would thank you not to resort to ad hominems in this
 forum. 

 Arun> I use free software because it is convenient and does what I
 Arun> want.  It may not be the best thing around - but it's cheap, I
 Arun> can learn from it and I can modify it to suit my needs.

        Fine. I know that there are a large number of people who are
 merely using the work I put in, and not contributing anything
 back to the community. I also know that my work is being used
 by people who couldn't care two hoots about the my ideals and
 principles.

        That, indeed, is the strongest argument that can be presented
 for the GPL. I want to write for people in my community, not for
 companies and individuals who want to leech off my work. The GPL
 discourages such (hmm, low life is not an appropriate term),
 umm. opportunistic individual from ripping off work that was designed
 to benefit and strngthen a community.

        As I said, the GPL is about building a community.

        manoj
-- 
 "Not Hercules could have knock'd out his brains, for he had none."
 Shakespeare
Manoj Srivastava   <srivasta@xxxxxxxxxx>  <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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