I have read this statement several times, usually when I need a chuckle. There are glaring contradictions that I find to be extremely funny. They make a point to differentiate between power and freedom:
"This oft-overlooked distinction is crucial. Freedom is being able to make decisions that affect mainly you. Power is being able to make decisions that affect others more than you. If we confuse power with freedom, we will fail to uphold real freedom." They go on to explain how fredom is good and power is bad. But the whole purpose statement points toward RMS making the decisions that effect all users of software. That would be power. That would be bad. That would make RMS bad.... Now, I give RMS credit. He is a great programmer, and he has come up with some great and very usefull software. However, he is also an egomaniac (boardering on meglomaniac) right up there with Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Scott McNealy, et al. Gates and company do it for money and power. RMS does it for fame and power. He doesn't need the money. All of his work is paid for by grants. He has layed claim to any software that uses a GNU tool in any way. If gcc was used to compile it, it should be called GNU/whatever. So, by the same token, any program that used a Microsoft compiler should be called Microsoft/whatever. Or Borland/whatever. RMS claims that he wants recognition for what he has done. However, with all of the self-promotion and pontificating that he does, it is apparent that he wants glory. C-Ya, Kenny > I have generally considered Richard M. Stallman to be somewhat > over-zealous but generally okay. That started to change when he started > trying to lay claim to various projects, like the "GNU C library" and the > "GNU/Linux system", but I was willing to grant someone who has done so much > for the community (like RMS) some leeway. > > That just changed. Check out: > > http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/freedom-or-power.html > > There, RMS and company state: > > "However, one so-called freedom that we do not advocate is the 'freedom to > choose any license you want for software you write'." > > In response, I say, "Your right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my > nose." > > In the past, I have jokingly said that the FSF reminds me of Henry Ford. > Mr. Ford said, "You can have any color car you want, as long as it is > black." It sometimes appeared the FSF was saying "You should use Free > Software, as long as it is GNU Free Software." It appears it was not a joke > after all. > > I am disappointed. RMS's Freedom is not as Free as he has led us to > believe. It apparently really means the Freedom for GNU to slap their name > on a project. It apparently means Freedom for GNU to take control and > dictate what we do. It apparently means some of us are more Free than > others. > > I am very disappointed. -- --------------------------------------------------- Kenneth E. Lussier Geek by nature, Linux by choice PGP KeyID C0D2BA57 Public key http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0xC0D2BA57 ***************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'unsubscribe gnhlug' in the message body. *****************************************************************
