🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <NELSON.92Jan3232312@cheetah.clarkson.edu> nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) writes:
>Some people have objections to the freedom of code licensed using the
>GNU license.  They fall into one of two classes:
>
> 1) They don't want to give away the source or they don't want their
>    code to be freely copyable.
>
> 2) They don't mind their code being used by people who fall into class 1.
>
>The whole point behind all the legalistic jargon and rigamarole of the
>Free Software Foundation is this: to let people modify and share the
>programs they use.  I think that sometimes people who criticize the
>FSF lose sight of that fact.

I do not criticize the FSF -- I think the FSF is doing a wonderful thing and
has every right to mind if their code is used by people who fall into your
class 1.  However, there is sometimes a real need for free code that can be
use by class 1 types and I think that people who provide such code also do
not deserve criticism.

Of course the class 1 types themselves do deserve criticism, but in the
real world we have to live and work with them, alas.

Btw., I also support in principle the FSF's boycott of Apple, but since my
job is supporting an entire community of academic computer end users I
cannot boycott Apple myself, and because I believe that currently the Mac
is simply by far the best platform for the vast majority of my casual users
I even have to recommend it.  (I have made a conscious decission not to
use any GNU code on Macs, though, and once the GNU OS is all there will
recommend it {on clone and cheap workstation platforms} as much as 
possible.)

Keep up the good work FSF!  The world is the better off for it!
-- 
Jurgen Botz                  |   Internet: JBotz@mtholyoke.edu
Academic Systems Consultant  |     Bitnet: JBotz@mhc.bitnet
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