Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!samsung!uunet!visix!news From: amanda@visix.com (Amanda Walker) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer Subject: Re: Gnu C Compiler for MPW Unchained! Message-ID: Date: 5 Dec 90 16:52:00 GMT References: <46962@apple.Apple.COM> Sender: news@visix.com Reply-To: amanda@visix.com (Amanda Walker) Organization: Visix Software Inc., Reston, VA Lines: 30 In article , brianj@witsend.cs.umd.edu (Brian Johnson) writes: > It bothers me to see FSF software on apple.com. It's like beating Ghandi with > his own stick because you can. It's more like arguing with Ghandi. Providing free access to GNU software is not exactly beating GNU with a stick, now, is it? Whether or not GNU is pleased is a separate issue. The fact that GNU software can be ported by anyone to any hardware is *not* an accident. It's part and parcel of the GNU approach to software. The GNU boycott (as I have heard it explained) is a request for people not to encourage or support the use GNU software on Apple hardware. This is certainly their prerogative. However, it is also Apple's prerogative to not boycott themselves, and to provide the support and encouragement that the GNU project will not. There's no such thing as a free lunch--if you give something to everyone, that means you may give it to people you disagree with. That's life... They way I see it, everybody wins. The GNU project can continue to refuse to touch the Macintosh, and more people can use GNU software. Whether any given person uses MPW GCC depends on which of these things they think is more important. Seems fair enough to me. If you're going to promote universal access, you must accept the downside of it as well as the benefits. Amanda Walker Visix Software Inc.