Re: Reaching out to Amazon for credit?

[Alberto Ruiz <aruiz gnome org>]

Richard, I would appreciate if you didn't try to use every single
opportunity that you had to speak negatively about other projects,
specially projects that actually help to get free software to a wider
audience, even if it's not in your puristic view.

I understand that you have concerns about the newest additions to
Unity in terms of purchases, but Ubuntu is a wide free software
project with different "flavors" (most of which do not include Unity)
and with a wide variety of contributors, some work for Canonical, some
don't, there's a lot of people within the Ubuntu community that may
even agree with you on this. But it is unfair to diminish every single
Ubuntu contributor and every positive aspect of the distro just
because you don't like a particular decision or aspect, which happens
to be optional by the way. But it's not your opinion about Ubuntu what
concerns me.

I disagree with the way the FSF and yourself as a public figure
promote its values  and goals (mostly through negative anti-something
campaigns), and quite frankly I see it more focused on asking people
to remove Windows and Mac OS X than giving them reasons to install
free software on its own merits. It gives people the notion that we
(free software advocates) are a bunch of grumpy people who all they
are trying to do is discredit Microsoft and Apple and convince people
that saying just Linux and not GNU/Linux is wrong instead of focusing
on positive campaigns and encourage developers to turn the free
software ecosystem into a competitive option for users. Something, by
the way, projects such as GNOME or Ubuntu are managing to do, and yet
I don't see you putting any energy into praising and thanking the
efforts of those who push towards that goal, I find that unfair, and
counterproductive for you, the FSF and free software in general.

And even though I think these things I don't go around FSF's and GNU's
mailing list constantly asking people to quit the project because in
my subjective opinion the project is "pretty bad" and I certainly
don't go around trying to convince people to leave. You know why?
Because even if I disagree with some things, you also do a bunch of
good things and for good reasons. Life is not black and white.

Richard, please, with all due respect and admiration, try to find the
appropriate forums and discussions to spread awareness of your (on the
other hand legitimate) concerns.

Disclaimer: I work for Canonical, however all of my opinions and views
expressed in this email are solely my own and they do not represent
the official position of my employer.

2013/1/6 Richard Stallman <rms gnu org>:
>     I wouldn't discard rackspace, they have been quite keen to sponsor Ubuntu
>     in many ways.
>
> Ubuntu is pretty bad (see
> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ubuntu-spyware.html)
> but we should not hold that against Rackspace.
>
> --
> Dr Richard Stallman
> President, Free Software Foundation
> 51 Franklin St
> Boston MA 02110
> USA
> www.fsf.org  www.gnu.org
> Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
>   Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call
>



-- 
Cheers,
Alberto Ruiz