🚀 go-pugleaf

jb3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jon Allen Boone) writes:
>thomas@duteca4.et.tudelft.nl (Thomas Okken) writes:
>>  - the Mac is no hacker's machine, so you won't antagonize too many hackers
>>    with this boycott, and you need those hackers to contribute their efforts
>>    to the FSF
>
>     This is an unsubstantiated speculation - it's a nice rhetorical
>point, but there's no meat there.  You've no way to _prove_ and I've
>no way to _disprove_ that boycotting a company which produces a
>"hacker's machine" would result in fewer efforts from users/owners of
>those machines . . . .

One thing that is NOT being considered (apparently) by the FSF and/or
LPF is the effect that their particular posturings have on the way they
are perceived in the professional community.

FSF and/or LPF (the two could be synonymous for all the difference it
makes) have a strong following in certain segments of the professional
computing community, while in other segments they are a laughing stock.

There is no good way to figure out the "true opinion" of the
professional computing community because there is no single organization
or magazine that provides universal coverage.

It CAN be noted that the folks who read the gnu.* newsgroups are going
to be (generally) supportive of the GNU philosopy, and hence, supportive
of FSF and/or LPF.

I am amused to note that LPF/FSF make an assumption that anyone who
supports ANY of their positions will support all of their positions
(with the converse belief that anyone who opposes any one of their
positions is an enemy of their philosophy!)    This particular
monochromatic view of the world is much more damaging to their effort
than all the high-sounding words that Dr Stallman can ever speak can to
to promote that cause.

This is, of course, my opinion.
-- 
Gregory G. Woodbury @ The Wolves Den UNIX, Durham NC
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[The line eater is a boojum snark! ]           <standard disclaimers apply>