From owner-freebsd-chat Sun Nov 21 10:21:28 1999 Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from lariat.lariat.org (lariat.lariat.org [206.100.185.2]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 25F5314C88 for ; Sun, 21 Nov 1999 10:21:23 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from brett@lariat.org) Received: from mustang (IDENT:ppp0.lariat.org@lariat.lariat.org [206.100.185.2]) by lariat.lariat.org (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA24848; Sun, 21 Nov 1999 11:21:15 -0700 (MST) Message-Id: <4.2.0.58.19991121105858.0479a450@localhost> X-Sender: brett@localhost X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.2.0.58 Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 11:21:03 -0700 To: greyheart@fnmail.com, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG From: Brett Glass Subject: Open Source isolated at COMDEX (Was: About: FreeBSD at COMDEX) In-Reply-To: <199911211802.SAA08306@mx1.xcelcom.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org At 06:02 PM 11/21/1999 +0000, greyheart@fnmail.com wrote: Reading this article really pissed me off. The solutions are >so obvious that I can't see why you're complaining about not having >enough attention. Pray tell, please explain what "the solutions" are, and what problems you believe that they solve. >You asked for it! When you're leaving GNU aside, >you're putting yourself aside. Not at all. The GPL -- and most especially Stallman's "Free" Software Foundation (a misnomer because it actually "captures" software rather than making it freely available) -- have very badly hurt the open source community. (Note: Technically, GPLed software is not open source, because the GPL does not meet the criteria for an open source license enumerated at www.opensource.org. The GPL discriminates against a field of endeavor -- the creation of commercial and proprietary software -- and thus fails the test.) The GPL is an attempt to turn open source, which is a good thing, into a weapon against legitimate businesses and against programmers' livelihoods. It enforces Richard Stallman's 20+ year grudge against anyone who would like to turn knowledge gleaned from academic research into useful products. This agenda is not lost on businesspeople who are considering the use of open source software. In fact, many do not realize that there are open source solutions (such as FreeBSD) which are NOT licensed under the GPL's "poison pill" license, and so reject open source altogether. Perhaps this is why COMDEX segregated those "Linux loonies" in a separate hall at COMDEX, under an entirely different trade show name. (I am told that they WOULD NOT let open source vendors onto the main show floor.) COMDEX saw Linux -- and alas, by association, all open source -- as a movement that was antagonistic to business, as expressly stated in Stallman's writings. So, they removed it from the sphere of those who wanted to make money from their efforts. It's a shame that FreeBSD was lumped in with it, as FreeBSD does not embrace Stallman's spiteful agenda. > Gnu people get to this stage not without efforts, with >advocacy, with time, with money, with _love_ for computer. So they are >where they are, with all the attention going for them. They already >are conquering the world, though lot of people say something >different. It sounds as if you've embraced Stallman's rhetoric, lock stock, and barrel. Think critically, man! The entire "GNU" agenda is nothing but spite against those who want to make money from what they do. Can't you see that? > And there it is FreeBSD, a better, faster, and more stable OS, >but with an attitude problem. While some of the people involved with FreeBSD do have attitude problems (there are definitely some elitists in the bunch who should come down off of their high horses), the same problems are rampant in the GPL camp. >Why don't you just forget all the hate >against the GPL (looks more of a colective communism hate for me), and >take advantage of what GNU won. It is the GPL that embodies hate: an irrational hatred of business, and especially of anyone who does well and reaps a reward for his or her efforts. The GPL is designed to "monkey wrench" their legitimate and earnest efforts, and to deprive them of their livelihoods. The BSD license does not do that, which is why I advocate it. > Why don't you realize that the hate and prejudice is what's >putting you aside? As mentioned above, it is the GPL that institutionalizes hatred, and therefore should be banished from the world of open source software. >Now is the time for FreeBSD to start thinking >of change, because the world is changing. All the pieces are in the >right place RIGHT NOW, for you to become widely known. Use them, or >die. The open threat in the above paragraph -- not exactly the "love and flowers" attitude you claimed earlier in your message -- betrays the true attitude behind the GPL and the FSF. --Brett Glass To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message