Re: Non-free software and GNOME

[Sander Vesik <Sander Vesik Sun COM>]

On Mon, 29 Oct 2001, Wolfgang Sourdeau wrote:

> La plume légère, à Sat, Oct 20, 2001 at 02:03:10AM +0100, heure d'inspiration,
> Mike Newman écrivait en ces mots:
> > Sadly, we don't live in an easily isolated and compartmentalized world.
> > As mentioned elsewhere recently, StarOffice is part of the migration
> > path from Microsoft products to free products. In this sense, mentioning
> > it in relation to GNOME is acceptible and laudible.
> 
> The fact we are not ready for adoption on the desktop is not a good
> argument to promote the use of non-free software. People tend to keep
> the environment they are living in, they don't want to waste time
> at each upgrade. Let's keep out of the software market until we are
> ready for it. Free software is not a matter of convenience, it is a
> matter of freedom. If we prostitute this idea it will just weaken our
> political goal.
> 

Well... Not everubody has a political (or even "political") goal when it
comes to free software. In fact, even saying "blah blah blah, does not
serve xxx political goal" is the worst form of prostitution I can think
of. Politics is just *WRONG*, in any shape or form it takes.

> > Mention them all, let people make a choice. I have views about free
> > software you might not share, and vice versa. Expecting people to
> > migrate is one thing, expecting them to swallow an entire belief system
> > whole is an entirely other thing.
> 
> GNOME is part of the GNU project. Therefore it has to comply with certain
> rules. If we follow your logic, GNOME should not even have started as
> a GNU project.
> 
> > > And RMS's people skills are known to be a weakness...
> > > it would be good if people are considerate of this and
> > > work around it...
> > 
> > I can't 100% agree with this - I admire RMS a great deal, but I make no
> > allowances for intolerance and petulance.
> 
> This is a very teenage-like comment. If you tell me to respect certain rules
> in order to go into your house I will have to comply. It would be unjust
> from me to say "that is unfair, you are a dictator" and start making
> it my way. The same thing applies to GNU projects.
> Being a GNU project should not be a marketing argument.
> 

At least IMVHO, being a GNU project should not be a set of thumbscrews
used on people working on it to make them jump through arbitrary hoops.

> 
> Wolfgang
> 
> 

	Sander

"I don't think there is intelligent life within our solar system"
	-- Brian Behlendorf