Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!yunexus!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!fub!tmpmbx!utopia!sunrise!hotte
From: hotte@sunrise.in-berlin.de (Horst Laumer)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: rms says...
Message-ID: <6KVN7R@sunrise.in-berlin.de>
Date: 5 Feb 91 02:28:50 GMT
References: <21327@yunexus.YorkU.CA> <4607@lib.tmc.edu> <1991Jan29.172245.628@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Organization: HL EDV-Beratung
Lines: 51

gl8f@astsun7.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) writes:

>In article <4607@lib.tmc.edu> jmaynard@thesis1.hsch.utexas.edu (Jay Maynard) writes:

>>This still means that I cannot afford to have any GPV-protected code on my
>>computer, since I cannot risk having the source of some of my income tainted
>>by association with GPV code; whether or not it's infected by the GPV, I
>>can't afford the legal representation I'd need to defend my rights in my
>>programming.

>It's a shame that you're so paranoid. Be sure to not buy a computer
>from NeXT or DG or Convex -- they're out to taint your work by
>shipping GPV-protected source code with their operating system.

Well, according to my opinion, both are right *AND* both are wrong.
As Jay states correctly, part of his income may be affected by the
thing called COPYLEFT. It truly is a good idea by FSF to inhibit the,
let's call them feeders, from taking away anything of the sources
provided by FSF. It's also a good idea to have all the experience
flow back to the developer to have it revised and add it to a future
release. So far, so good.
How does this look in practise (at least for me on the other side of
the globe) ? I get a version, however new it may be (measured with my
local environment) and try to install it. I get it running on my OS,
and I'm happy. Few weeks later the updates flow through the net (see
also the .gnu group) and I am rather forced to check them out, thus
not getting more familiar with the tools I installed. But, software
development is not only my hobby, IT'S MY JOB !
Now look at the other side of the medal, the use of such software.
So if I design let's say a News reader, using GNU Emacs in a
version tailored for my needs as editor (which surely means some
hours of work !), I'm restricted by copyleft ! I think, that's the
fact Jay stated, the FSF software may be as good as can be.

No, Greg, you are not completely right with what you say. True is,
NeXT and others are shipped with FSF software, BUT
- that's a snapshot of the ever approving (really ?) FSF software
- NeXT, DG and others take warranty for what they shipped !

That's my favorit style : I get something, including source, that
is tested to work as it is shipped, but I am free to tailor it to
suit my needs, thus loosing warranty on what I produced. And if I
get nothing to work and threw away the originals......
Well, I think only idiots do that more than once!

sincerely horst
-- 
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