Re: foundation-list Digest, Vol 68, Issue 13

[Rui Miguel Silva Seabra <rms 1407 org>]

Em 13-12-2009 12:44, Philip Van Hoof escreveu:
> Richard's claim that proprietary is illegitimate is enforcement. He's
> making a philosophic mistake that contradicts his own ideology of free
> choice.

Choice of the master is not free choice for a slave. It only looks like 
"free choice" to other masters uninvolved in the choice.

> Free choice isn't enforceable. You can only convince people of it.
>
>> I think Richard has correctly highlighted the fact that the GNOME
>> Planet could better promote free software.
>
> That's not his only request, though. He's requesting GNOME to claim
> that proprietary software is illegitimate. Let's focus on that.

The coin of software freedom has two sides to conving people to buy it:
 0) promotion of Free Software
 1) critic of proprietary software

Just like you can't educate a child just by teaching him the good 
examples, you have to critic the bad examples in front of the child: 
there's no law against being unpolite, it's perfectly legal, but 
shouldn't one repress unpolite behaviours when a child exhibits them?

GNOME, both as a community and as a foundation, should teach the good 
examples and critic the bad ones.

As such, I don't think this is enough:

> We already do this:
>
> http://www.gnome.org/about/

Stopping here is quite insufficient. To me, proprietary software is 
illegitimate. Not in the legal sense, as the law allows that, but in the 
human sense. It teaches that sharing is evil. It tries to hold you as a 
slave to it's proprietary formats, and lock you in as a defenseless 
customer.

But to me it's no wonder you should think it is, specially since you 
seem pretty adamant against critic of proprietary software.

It seems to me you're one of those people who think the freedom of 
speech of others is a shotgun pointed at your head forcing you to do 
stuff in a certain way they prefer.

Ever heard of filters? If Richard Stallman get's so much into your 
nerves, just make a filter to delete his emails automatically.

Don't create more pointless flame wars or appeal to loose-loose schisms 
as that's what you're doing.

Rui