[CLUG] RMS rants and raves

[Donncha O Caoimh]

Paul J Collins wrote:
> 
> >>>>> "DOC" == Donncha O Caoimh <donncha.ocaoimh at tradesignals.com> writes:
> 
>     DOC> I still have to admire the guy for sticking to his guns this
>     DOC> whole time, even though his extreme views cause him no end of
>     DOC> grief and trouble.
> 
> Indeed.  As a friend of mine said while we were discussing the
> article, predictable == consistent.

Have to agree with you there. What's more, he learns from his experience
and adds it to his consistent point of view, ie. Napster.

> 
> And he only sounds extreme because the world in so entrenched in a
> proprietary way of life.

You have it in one, "way of life" is the key phrase here. I agree with
what he says in principal, free software and open source software have
been of a higher quality and better made than a lot of propreitary
software (the opposite is true too of course), but I don't agree with
the idea of using a piece of software simply because it's Free (FSF
style) if a much better propreitary product is there (my boss would be
amazed to hear me say that, not much s/ware here that isn't open source
at least ;)

To put it another way, his views on the world collide with the views
held by a large majority of the population. Because the majority think
and act a certain way, that's the accepted way, a social more.
When a population thinks that way anyone who thinks differently is bound
to cause friction. Saying the world is "entrenched in a proprietary way
of life" is a strong critique of social norms which many people won't
accept, any more than people will accept "deviant" behaviour from any
other sections of society. 

There is room in society for both extremes: free and propreitary
software, let's hope they strike a balance sooner rather than later.

Donncha.