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



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


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