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Re: [LI] Message from RMS.



On Sun, Dec 05, 1999 at 12:01:36PM -0600, Manoj Srivastava wrote:
> >>"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).

Have you thought about what percentage of them do it because of
convenience and what percentage because use it because they want
to `build a community' ?

>  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.
>  

It conditionally stays in my pocket. If the difference in needs crosses
a threshold, I'll give it away - as an act of philanthropy. There is no 
contradiction. 

>  >> 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.

Let me put it this way - I don't believe in the movement and I believe 
that a large number of people who use it don't either. 

> 
>  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.
> 

*BSDs have their own brand of free software - one that is less selfish
than GNU software.

>         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 ...

Squander ? Opportunity ? I'm sorry, I see no such thing. 

> 
>  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. 

You asked me for my opinion on why you spend 25 hours a week on Debian.
I gave you my opinion. I don't see indoctrination as an insult. I'm
indoctrinated by M.K.Gandhi on some matters. In particular, indoctrination
is not equivalent to thoughtless acceptance of a concept. That's 
what I learn from http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

If however you insist that my language was inappropriate, I can probably
change that to "Perhaps you got influenced with all the GNU politics 
from RMS" while conveying the same meaning.

>         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.

This is exactly the core of the argument. GPL users prevent certain
uses of their software so that people ideologically opposed to GPL
can't benefit from it.

<snip>

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

*BSD is about no strings attached donation. You can take my *BSD code,
add a few lines to it and GPL it. No problems.

	-Arun