[Trisquel-users] Re : Stallman on the Linux Action Show

[magicbanana]

Again, you should really pay attention to what rms says because, although you  
complain that he keeps on repeating the same things over and over, almost  
none of what you write about rms's views is correct:

Stallman has no issue whatsoever in "selling software for a living". He is  
against "proprietary software". You can sell free software. He states, in  
this interview, that most software developers are employed by the single user  
of the software ("custom software"). This way to make a living does not raise  
any ethical issue (there is no distribution of the software). Stallman does  
not make any money on the donations to the FSF (including those raised during  
his talks). He makes a living from the talks he gives.
He does not pretend *you* are "unethical for playing an Xbox 360 game". He  
says that the developers of this proprietary game are unethical and that you  
would not use the game if you would value your freedom. Notice also that rms  
does not want to apply the same rules for software and art although both  
should be freely sharable (he says, in this interview, that "sharing is  
good"). Watch or listen any recording of his conference "Copyright vs.  
community" to know his views about the differences between productions that  
aim at achieving a work (software, cooking recipes, textbooks, documentation,  
etc.), those that aim at making an impression on the public (music, movies,  
pictures, etc.) and those that directly involve the authors' opinions  
(thesis, manifesto, political speech, etc.). He details what would be the  
freedoms the public should be granted for these different categories (for  
instance, rms does not regard as essential the ability to modify artistic  
works as soon as they are released; this can happen after 10 years... but not  
70 years after the death of all authors like today!)
Video games are made of software. Stallman believes that the user deserves  
the four freedoms. Consider the freedom to use the software as you wish: many  
video games have DRMs (to force the player to be connected to Internet, to  
remotely remove the game, etc.) and rms considers this unethical. Consider  
the freedom to study the software: a video game may spy on the user or open a  
backdoor and again rms considers this unethical. Consider the freedom to  
modify the game: this is necessary to remove the aforementioned malware or  
simply to correct a bug. Finally, to exercise these freedoms in a community  
(nobody is able to inspect all her applications, especially if she is not a  
programmer!), rms believes the fourth freedom is necessary as well. As for  
the artistic parts of the games (the images, the sounds, the story, etc.), I  
believe rms would not see ant threat to his freedoms if those would be  
licensed in a restricted way (see the previous point).
Stallman does not blame "right-wing politics for ruining software", he blames  
them for working for interests of the large companies and not of the people.  
He never says that "he does not care if people are unemployed". He only  
states that earning money should not be a justification for unethical  
behaviors (in this interview, he says that this argument would justify  
stealing as well). He says, in this interview, that somebody who cannot  
figure out how to make an ethical living by writing software could simply  
work in another domain. Nevertheless, he points out, in this interview, that  
most developers are working for one single client and would not be affected  
in any way by an hypothetical end of proprietary software. Stallman would not  
object that "innovation with a unique product" is good... as long as this  
product is ethical towards its users. He believes, and details it in this  
interview, that it is not the case of proprietary software (a negative  
contribution to society hence as worse as it is attractive). Finally Stallman  
is not communist: would you say that promoting a free market by enabling any  
company to support any software (something that only free software allows) is  
communist?! Stallman defends freedom, whereas every attempt of a communist  
state so far has ended up as a police state.