Date: Tue, 05 May 1998 13:25:15 -0600 From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: Gary Kline <kline@tera.tera.com>, dg@root.com Cc: eivind@yes.no, chat@FreeBSD.ORG, advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: InfoWorld brawl esclates Message-ID: <199805051925.NAA24410@lariat.lariat.org> In-Reply-To: <199805051808.LAA20197@athena.tera.com> References: <199805050216.TAA17681@implode.root.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
At 11:08 AM 5/5/98 -0700, Gary Kline wrote: > One reason we humans have survived these score millennia > is because cooperation precedes competition. Individual > effort sometimes yield brilliant results; cooperative, > maximum. Both operating systems would gain if features > from each were shared. > > Both the *BSD and *Linux OS's agree with the free software > paradigm; it's a matter of degree. One would certainly hope so! But tune in to that InfoWorld forum to see what's actually going on. Anyone who critiques the GPL is *immediately* branded a "Linux basher," a "zealot," or worse. Ditto anyone who points out areas in which FreeBSD has advantages over Linux. The rhetoric is *nasty*, guys. One can interpret all of this in different ways, but my take is that it's because Richard Stallman's vision -- which seeks to preclude the development of commercial software wherever possible -- relies on compelling authors to use the GPL. The presence of any alternative to the GPL -- and, especially, publicizing it -- throws a monkey wrench into the works! Hence the fury of those who bash the BSDs and tout the GPL as essential to the collaborative development of software. What can folks do? The key things to say are as follows: 1. The Berkeley-style license is an alternative to the GPL, and it has been shown to be at least equally effective in promoting the development of free software. 2. In addition, the Berkeley-style license promotes the development of commercial software, which is advantageous to all developers and to consumers. 3. FreeBSD, which is published under a Berkeley-style license, is every bit as good as Linux and is superior in many respects. All of these points are PROVABLY correct. Nonetheless, one will often be flamed for making them. I think the correct thing to do is to make them anyway, then walk away from the flames. --Brett Glass To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199805051925.NAA24410>