Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on April 26, 2005 12:27 AM
What is wrong with someone trying to save you from your own actions?
The audacity of this statement and many of RMS' statements is what gets me. I don't need saving, thank you.
The fact is, the major problem I have with Stallman's assessment of things is: two people of different ideologies trying to force their will each upon the other causes more friction and harm than good.
If you are of a certain ideology (closed source software is unethical, for instance), you can harp and harp all you want at people who are of a different ideology (closed source software is not inherently unethical, for instance) and all you do is stir up animosity.
And that's no way to win converts. You end up being viewed the same way many view the Jehovah's Witness neighborhood canvasers: annoying and to be avoided if at all possible.
They're just trying to save us from ourselves, aren't they? Yet many people hold a fundamentally different view on things and their insistence on continuing to knock on people's doors and "share the good news" with them, in the long run, does more harm than good.
Which is why even though I generally agree with Mr. Stallman and am thankful for his contributions to the world in general and my freedom of choice in software, sometimes I wish he'd just hold his tongue.
In this particular case, it seemed the parties involved were Linus Torvalds, Larry McVoy, and Andrew Tridgell. I would have preferred it if Richard would've stayed out of it and just kept his mouth shut.
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Re:In other words,
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on April 26, 2005 12:27 AMThe audacity of this statement and many of RMS' statements is what gets me. I don't need saving, thank you.
The fact is, the major problem I have with Stallman's assessment of things is: two people of different ideologies trying to force their will each upon the other causes more friction and harm than good.
If you are of a certain ideology (closed source software is unethical, for instance), you can harp and harp all you want at people who are of a different ideology (closed source software is not inherently unethical, for instance) and all you do is stir up animosity.
And that's no way to win converts. You end up being viewed the same way many view the Jehovah's Witness neighborhood canvasers: annoying and to be avoided if at all possible.
They're just trying to save us from ourselves, aren't they? Yet many people hold a fundamentally different view on things and their insistence on continuing to knock on people's doors and "share the good news" with them, in the long run, does more harm than good.
Which is why even though I generally agree with Mr. Stallman and am thankful for his contributions to the world in general and my freedom of choice in software, sometimes I wish he'd just hold his tongue.
In this particular case, it seemed the parties involved were Linus Torvalds, Larry McVoy, and Andrew Tridgell. I would have preferred it if Richard would've stayed out of it and just kept his mouth shut.
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