🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <F7LVVB14w165w@mantis.co.uk> mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> writes:

>GNU has a history of locking people (both developers (GPL, Apple boycotts,
>etc.) and users) to a closed universe.
>
>But of course, that's *completely* different, because it's a universe *you*
>like.  Right?

The GNU universe can follow me about wherever I go in the unix world.
Parts of it can follow me about the MS-DOS, VMS, and even Macintosh
world.  That's a closed universe?  The Apple universe stays right where
Apple can control it best.  Any bits and pieces that manage to get away
from Apple's clutches are hunted down and killed by Apple's lawyers.

The Apple boycott is quite voluntary, there is nothing that the FSF can
do to anyone (except possibly "fire" volunteers, which they haven't
done) who doesn't boycott Apple.  Is being forced to use gcc because
it's the only decent compiler on some platforms the FSF's fault?  The
FSF doesn't prohibit use of gcc by anyone.  The use of the GPL is
voluntary, only code that developers which to be part of GNU need have
the GPL.  Code not part of GNU does quite well on it's own.  Has the
FSF put anyone out of business?  Would the FSF sue any company beyond
code copyright?  Suits are in any case not in the FSF's best interest,
it does not have much resources and would probably lose.  Suits are in
Apple's best interest as it has much resources and often wins.  Apple
only loses against similarly large, powerful companies.

The issue just isn't proprietary vs open, litigious vs coopertive, it's
also the corporate monolith vs the little guy.
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<-:(= Anthony Stieber	anthony@csd4.csd.uwm.edu   uwm!uwmcsd4!anthony