Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wucs1!wucfua!jlc
From: jlc@wucfua.wustl.edu (Roving UIUC CS Grad Student)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: Advertising on comp.emacs
Message-ID: <412@wucfua.wustl.edu>
Date: 12 Dec 88 16:49:06 GMT
References: <8812091624.AA14077@wheat-chex.ai.mit.edu> <200@serene.UUCP>
Reply-To: jlc@wucfua.UUCP (Roving UIUC CS Grad Student)
Organization: Great Cthulu's Starry Wisdom Band
Lines: 30

In article <200@serene.UUCP> rfarris@serene.cts.com (Rick Farris) writes:
>In article <8812091624.AA14077@wheat-chex.ai.mit.edu> tower@WHEATIES.AI.MIT.EDU (Leonard H. Tower Jr.) writes:
>~Please note that if you have to buy tapes from someone, buying them from
>~FSF helps create more GNU software.  All the surplus from tape sales
>~goes to pay FSF programmers and technical writers.
>
>And if you buy emacs from Unipress, the surplus goes to paying
>Unipress programmers and technical writers.  What's the point?

The point is that the FSF has a "higher purpose" than just making a profit.
FSF is out to provide a free UN*X-compatible system for everyone --- full
source, no proprietary kernal code, etc. They (and I) feel that, if this
is successful, it will mean Good Things for all of us in the computer
field in the long run.

So what's the point? Well, if you want your money to go towards making
Unipress a profit (and/or if their emacs is exactly what you want), then
send it out! If, on the other hand, you like the goals of the FSF, and
their software is useful, then you can help support the creation of free
software by buying tapes from them. Your money goes to a good purpose,
and you get useful software. Alternatively, you can write something useful
yourself and copyleft it --- that's another good way to support the FSF.

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| John L. Coolidge   Internet:jlc@wucfua.wustl.edu    UUCP:jlc@wucfua.uucp |
| "My other account is in Illinois"        I just read news here...        |
| Except material included, all above opinions mine. All e-mail answered   |
| (even flames, at least once). Copyright (c) 1988 John L. Coolidge.       |
| Copying allowed if and only if attributed. All other rights reserved.    |
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