Re: Re: [LI] (long,slightly oft) Richard Stallmans lecture , clippings

["N.A. Prakash" <prakash@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 24 Feb 2000, Arun Sharma wrote:
> 
> But the transition from one system to the other is not easy. And each
> system has its merits. One has to just find the right balance.
> 

I went to that talk too, and you know, RMS was talking about precisely
this, but from the opposite side I think. He said the open source movement
was trying to promote use of open source software for reasons of
convenience of doing a certain task, practicality and so on, but in doing
so was allowing use of nonfree software in some distributions and thus
losing sight of the ideal of the free software movement - the end was
supreme, not the means, according to him. So he seemed to be saying that
the balance, if that's what the 'open source followers' (I'm still
confused about the distinction RMS made between open source movement and
free software movement) were trying to achieve, was taking us away from
the true goal of free software. He even saw this as a threat to the free
software movement. RMS never used the word 'balance' by the way.

On the other hand, perhaps one can say that RMS seems willing to sacrifice
the spread of GNU/Linux for the sake of the true goal? Maybe my conjecture
is not justified. 

Comments?

prakash
N. A. Prakash