🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4163@laura.UUCP> heitkoet@lusty.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Joerg Heitkoetter) writes:
>
>				"The only act of revolution left in a
>				 collective world, is thinking for yourself..."
>				-- Bob Geldof
>
>Dear GNUs,
>
>I think this discussion reached the point, where *everyone* gets ready
>to jump into asbestos, and start flaming.
>Simply: it won't help anything.
>
[VERY much deleted]
>
>Simply: Use the USENET!
>
>	-joke
>
>--
>Joerg Heitkoetter
>Systems Analysis Group
>University of Dortmund, Germany
>(heitkoet@ls11.informatik.uni-dortmund.de).

Thank you for the voice of sanity.

Well I am an American who *chooses* to live in Europe---have for
seven years now, Holland, Italy and the UK. I am still totally
baffled by the battles across the pond; as you aptly put it "it
won't [doesn't] help anything" and it sure isn't moving us to
where we want to go technically, philosophically or
intellectually as a race.  Pardon if this sound like a sermon, it
is not meant as one, I simply want to point out that what most
(all??) of us REALLY want on the network is to make a difference
in our world.  I think we just forget that now and then in the
heat of being right.

As for GNU/FSF I also support what it is all about except the
politics.  Yes it is important to express ones views, but when it
goes to the extent of polarizing the community it causes more
damage then benefit.  I would urge those who put on the shiny
steel suit and take up the lance in the name of justice and
humanity to pause for a moment to see if they are actually not
crystallizing the status quo.  Maybe it is better to find ways in
which we all win.

The FSF has the right to put whatever licensing restriction they
please on their software, just as IBM, HP, MicroSoft etc, etc,
etc, have to put on theirs.  I just wonder if the GPL is really
doing what Richard et.al.  really intend, which I think is to get
as many end users as possible benefiting from their
contributions.  I for one walk the fine line of having my heart
in the FSF camp but having to pay my mortgage and support my
family.  I would love to *give* my customers FSF as part of my
software, but get tied up with how far can I go without violating
the GPL. In the end it is my customers who lose by having lesser
facilities.

All in all I remain committed to the process and hope that the
majority of hackers do not not get fed up with the polemics
before we can make the difference we seek.

Cheers,
joel

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