Re: [OFFTOPIC] RMS and reactions to him

Leandro Guimarães Faria Corsetti Dutra
2003-07-20T21:46:38Z

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 14:30:53 -0500, Brian McGroarty wrote:

> On Sun, Jul 20, 2003 at 04:42:00AM +0200, Leandro Guimar?es Faria Corsetti Dutra wrote:
>>
>> He's not deciding, he's requesting. There is a difference, and there
>> must be a reason why so many people get so incensed at such a simple,
>> rational, reasonable request.
>
> The whole blowup over RMS requesting the GNU/Linux tag is that a lot
> of folks think he's talking about the kernel, and not Linux
> distributions.

I doubt if it is so simple... there's the obvious personality
crash, but I feel there's something more than just Larry piggybacking
on free software and people feeling pressured by an ethical instance
which makes their consciences hurt.

Regarding Larry, his position must he hard, though: he knows
he's toast if someone does to BK what Linus did to SysV, especially
given how much he alienated principled GNU believers. Funny thing is
that he was wiser ten years ago, when he proposed to free Solaris so
as to get ahead of the free software game; now he just want to have
his piece of cake and eat it too. Obviously he's entitled to it under
the current system of government-granted private monopolies on
artificial scarcity, AKA copyrights; it is just disconcentingly
incoherent he chooses free software as a showroom...

> Even many folks "in the know" seem to miss this distinction: RMS
> hasn't ever asked that the kernel be called GNU/Linux. He asks that
> "Linux distributions," which are called "Linux" by the public at
> large, carry the extra tag.

I know one shouldn't presume ill faith when incompetence
suffices... but these issues have been hashed to death, and still
people seem to hate RMS even more than they love their own confort.
Kinda like it was said of the Left she would be more effective if she
loved the poors as much as she hated the rich. Just here we're
talking morals, not money.

Asbestos up.

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