Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!AI.MIT.EDU!rms
From: rms@AI.MIT.EDU
Newsgroups: gnu.gcc
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Message-ID: <8906061911.AA00320@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu>
Date: 6 Jun 89 19:11:07 GMT
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    >Whether it be Tiananmen Square or Panama City or Pretoria...
    >etc.

    Shheesh...get a grip on reality here. In no way is the issue of
    free software nearly as big a deal this nut makes out. People are
    DYING in Tiananmen Square, you know.

The fight for the freedom to program has not escalated to the level of
killing.  Apple is not trying to shoot programmers who write
compatible software, and we are not trying to shoot the employees of
Apple.

However, they are trying to arrange to send men with guns (police) to
stop us from writing compatible software.  They probably will try to
avoid shooting, but they may well imprison some of us for years if we
refuse to stop.

The difference between this and China is a matter of degree.  The
spirit is the same.