Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 15:41:37 -0800 From: "Jeremiah Gowdy" <data@irev.net> To: "Kenneth P. Stox" <stox@imagescape.com> Cc: <freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.org> Subject: Re: ONTOPIC - FreeBSD vs Linux, Solaris, and NT - Not a bunch of Message-ID: <000b01c07903$6141f830$aa240018@cx443070b> References: <XFMail.010107145424.stox@imagescape.com>
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> > Those sure seem to be compulsions. They are small and simple, but they are > > compulsions. So even BSD licenced software is not truly "free software" by > > your foolish definitions. > > Yes, I guess I am a fool for actually being capable of using a dictionary. From > the numerous mispellings in your postings, it does seem that you are incapable > of doing so. My "foolish" definitions are the same used by Richard Stallman and > Eric S. Raymond. Your definition is consistent with the the one used by MSN, > $400 free when you agree to spend $24.95/month for three years. I can't help it > if your understanding of the language is defined by Madison Avenue. Failing to respond to the fact that your definition of "free software" does not apply to BSD licenced software, I must assume you are conceeding that point, and therefore acknowledging the fact that "free software" is far too ambiguous to use in a comparison of software available in Windows or FreeBSD. Do you even know what this is about ? This is about someone stating that "there is not as much free software for Windows as there is for FreeBSD or Linux." Even if WE all understood and agreed to this definition as a community, which I'm not really prepared to do so but for the sake of argument, this is still a TERRIBLY ambiguous statement to be passing out to people who are not part of the FreeBSD/Linux/GNU community. From a Windows user point of view, there is PLENTY of free software available for Windows, so your statement is going to come across to that person as foolish or deceiving. Since the idea of this paper IS advocacy, being deceptive or making people think you are lying, even if from your point of view you're not, is not a proper way to approach people. Don't you think it would be better to say something along the lines of what you've been saying about the "freeness" of BSD and/or GPL software over freeware and shareware ? Wouldn't that be less ambiguous and more constructive ? If we get back to the subject at hand, rather than simply a stupid debate about the definition of terms, I think we can come to an agreement. As for the spelling, I ran a spell checker this time so you wouldn't have to degrade yourself to making personal attacks based on spelling mistakes. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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