Understanding that some people are having a hard time swallowing my argument, please consider this....
I am willing to grant that there are particular exceptions to this rule, which may be relatively harmless, however, let us posit the opposite, that freedom and openness are _not_ crucial to understanding. Think of the implications. When people are compelled to learn, they do no receive the intended message. It is not understood correctly or completely. When crucial facts are withheld from the people you are trying to teach, they become paranoid possibly unteachable. Freedom and openness are clearly the best approach to understanding. This is not a metaphor for the pursuit of science, but a fact. We are learning from nature, and it is ultimately required that our tools be demonstrably and penetratingly understood, or else we will receive incorrect lessons from nature. Clearly this applies to free and open source software that is used in science. Regards, Michael L. Love Ph.D Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry School of Medicine Johns Hopkins University 725 N. Wolfe Street Room 608B WBSB Baltimore MD 21205-2185 Interoffice Mail: 608B WBSB, SoM office: 410-614-2267 lab: 410-614-3179 fax: 410-502-6910 cell: 443-824-3451 http://www.gnu-darwin.org/ On 13 Jun, To: Warren DeLano wrote: > > Warren, now that things have settled down abit, I can reply to you. As > you know, here is the summary of my for the considerations of the lists. > > It was important to alert the community that Darwin cannot be > classified as a free or open source operation system as of the Darwin-8 > revision, because AppleACPIPlatform-39 which is required to boot the > system is proprietary. I was successful in communicating this idea I > hope. That is crucially important to the whole Darwin community. > > I also had various technical questions, which I directed appropriately > to various lists, so that I could get some help, and possible spur some > additional development to solve the problems. Obviously, the Darwin > lists are an appropriate place to raise such points. It will be > interesting to see how the situation evolves. > > Finally, as a scientist, it was obvious to me that this situation is > relevant current and ongoing discussion in the scientific community, > and as such, it was also clear that many members of the various lists > would be interested in the current state of FOSS with respect to > Darwin. > > Here is the crucial point. > > Freedom and openness are crucial to understanding, and foundational to > the scientific endeavor, and they should not be compromised. Clearly, > this matter will be a matter of further debate in the appropriate > forums. We should not quell debate because a few people are offended or > complaining. From a scientific perspective that would be entirely > wrong. > > On that last point, I would suggest that Apple get on the right side of > the debate, and they will make tremendous headway. Now is the time. > > Regards, > Michael L. Love Ph.D > Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry > School of Medicine > Johns Hopkins University > 725 N. Wolfe Street > Room 608B WBSB > Baltimore MD 21205-2185 > > Interoffice Mail: 608B WBSB, SoM > > office: 410-614-2267 > lab: 410-614-3179 > fax: 410-502-6910 > cell: 443-824-3451 > http://www.gnu-darwin.org/ > > > > > ------ Forwarded message ------ > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [ccp4bb]: new GNU-Darwinists > Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2006 16:27:44 -0400 (EDT) > To: Warren DeLano <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], Apple Scitech Mailing > List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, ccp4bb <[email protected]> > > > Warren, I love your software, as you know, the free and open source > version. I must now say that someone has copied to my Department Chair, > so I am awaiting a response. I would definitely appreciate hearing > anyone's response to your comments. > > Regards, > Michael L. Love > > > On 10 Jun, Warren DeLano wrote: >> Michael, >> >> Your unrelenting commitment to your vision is to be commended, but I ask >> you and your readers to please keep in mind that there are alternate >> visions for free and open-source software that do not involve blanket >> rejection of proprietary software packages and denial of all the >> benefits they provide. >> >> No question, free and open-source are great, but proprietary software is >> also great. They complement and strengthen each other in countless >> ways, and society is now reaping the benefits of that competitive >> dynamic in everything from Google to Mac OS X. >> >> It is wonderful that GNU-Darwin provides a complete non-proprietary >> environment, but another important freedom is being able to choose to >> run proprietary code too when it does a better job in less time or with >> less hassle. >> >> Thus, I submit that we should promote freedom and opportunity though >> continued development of open-source software capable of out-competing >> proprietary software on purely utilitarian terms, rather than presume to >> tell users what software they should or shouldn't run based on our >> personal ideology. >> >> Cheers, >> Warren >> >> "Don't use our software because it's open source -- use it because it >> works!" >> >> -- >> Warren L. DeLano, Ph.D. >> Principal Scientist >> >> . DeLano Scientific LLC >> . 400 Oyster Point Blvd., Suite 213 >> . South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA >> . Biz:(650)-872-0942 Tech:(650)-872-0834 >> . Fax:(650)-872-0273 Cell:(650)-346-1154 >> . mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On >>> Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 10:34 AM >>> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Apple >>> Scitech Mailing List; ccp4bb >>> Subject: [ccp4bb]: new GNU-Darwinists >>> >>> >>> Having analyzed how the Distribution has grown over the past >>> few weeks, there are a few things that I wish to say. Some >>> of you are new to the group, so you may be hearing these >>> things for the first time. >>> >>> First of all, it is embarrassing but, I want you to have a >>> look at my CV. >>> >>> http://biophysics.med.jhmi.edu/love/thesis/cv6.html >>> >>> In all my years I have never used Microsoft Windows. There >>> are only two exceptions to this statement, where I was >>> helping Windows users to access our servers at Hopkins. >>> Clearly, you can get a few things done without it ;-}. >>> >>> One of the primary reasons for founding GNU-Darwin was to >>> help people to put Microsoft behind them. And it is >>> definitely possible to do it now. You have many resources at >>> your disposal to help you leave Microsoft behind. Look at >>> the link below to see what you can do with free software. >>> Apple, GNU-Darwin, GNU.org, and GNU/Linux will all help, and >>> we are largely all helping together, because we have a shared >>> foundation of free software. >>> >>> http://www.gnu-darwin.org/gdc/ >>> >>> Microsoft is only one example. That is why we are so >>> insistent that Apple keep true to free and open source >>> software principles. We should ultimately try to leave all >>> proprietary software behind us, so that we can participate >>> fully in the freedom and openness of the internet culture and >>> public domain. What more do we need, when we have so many >>> capable people at our sides? >>> >>> Regards, >>> proclus >>> http://www.gnu-darwin.org/ >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Visit proclus realm! http://proclus.tripod.com/ -----BEGIN >>> GEEK CODE BLOCK----- >>> Version: 3.1 >>> GMU/S d+@ s: a+ C++++ UBULI++++$ P+ L+++(++++) E--- W++ N- !o >>> K- w--- !O >>> M++@ V-- PS+++ PE Y+ PGP-- t+++(+) 5+++ X+ R tv-(--)@ b !DI D- G e++++ >>> h--- r+++ y++++ >>> ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------ >>> >>> >>> > -- Visit proclus realm! http://proclus.tripod.com/ -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GMU/S d+@ s: a+ C++++ UBULI++++$ P+ L+++(++++) E--- W++ N- !o K- w--- !O M++@ V-- PS+++ PE Y+ PGP-- t+++(+) 5+++ X+ R tv-(--)@ b !DI D- G e++++ h--- r+++ y++++ ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------
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