Re: what DOES the GPL really say?

[Chris Morgan <mihalis@ix.netcom.com>]

Ronald Cole wrote:

> You may actually be surprised at what Stallman's ideals actually are!


No, I don't think so, I think it is you who has the misunderstanding.


> I thought as you did, and pressed Richard about the altruism he
> describes in his GNU Manifesto.  He told me that "[I was] interpreting
> what [he] wrote in a way that is not [his] interpretation."


You have to understand that when it comes to high-minded principles,
Richard has already "been there, done that". For the GNU project to
succeed, there has to be some pragmatism. If that includes some actions
that don't square with your interpretation of the manifesto, well so be
it. At MIT he tried the "free software for all, no restrictions, let's
just all get along" idea. It just doesn't work, so now this is something
different. The best explanation of this is given in Hackers by Steven
Levy - in fact RMS sometimes just refers to the book rather than try to
explain _again_.


  I then
> asked him to explain just exactly how he got from "if I like a program
> I must share it with other people who like it" to "each person should
> be free to decide who not to give a copy to".  He never bothered to
> reply.  


Have you considered the possibility that he doesn't owe an explanation
to anyone, especially not to people who after all this time question his
motives. He makes mistakes just like all of us, and the GPL is
necessarily imperfect, but your particular pronouncements are hardly
conducive to constructive debate on the matter.

In light of this statement from the Manifesto "the desire to
> be rewarded for one's creativity does not justify depriving the world
> in general of all or part of that creativity," I think he sold out on
> his principles.

Well you're just flat out wrong.

> 
> Don't trust anybody over thirty...  ;)
> 
> --
> Forte International, P.O. Box 1412, Ridgecrest, CA  93556-1412
> Ronald Cole <ronald@ridgenet.net>        Phone: (760) 499-9142
> President, CEO                             Fax: (760) 499-9152
> My PGP fingerprint: E9 A8 E3 68 61 88 EF 43  56 2B CE 3E E9 8F 3F 2B

Ok, I can play that game. Never trust anyone who has to put their status
in their sigs.

Oh yeah, ;^), that fixes everything.

Chris

-- 
Chris Morgan <mihalis @ ix.netcom.com>