Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!stiatl!meo
From: meo@stiatl.UUCP (Miles O'Neal)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: Copyleftability
Message-ID: <8283@stiatl.UUCP>
Date: 19 Dec 89 22:44:43 GMT
Organization: Sales Technologies Inc., "The Little Shop of Horrors..."
Lines: 43

First off, let me make one thing perfectly clear, since it has
gotten VERY muddy.

I do NOT have anything personal against Richard Stallman or the
Free Software Foundation. In fact, MOST of what he & they do and say
seems right on. BUT reading other quotes attributed to Mr. Stallman,
and for which I never see any denial, I have gotten the strong sense
that he looks down on anyone who doesn't give their software away.

Now, we go on to Randall's writings, in which he says what I have
been trying to say, but haven't said NEARLY as well.

In article <4304@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> shane@underdog.crd.ge.com (Randall H. Shane) writes:
|	So??  If people wish to pay an unlimited amount of money for
|his program, why shouldn't he take it??  (Of course, he also has the
|right to not make a cent, or lose his shirt if he's not careful.)
|Right now (Apple's lawsuits notwithstanding, and I hope they LOSE LOSE
|LOSE), RMS, Gnu, and company have the right to distribute copylefted
|software under their terms.  That's fine -- if I don't like their
|terms, I don't have to use their software.  Similarly, if I don't like
|Miles' terms, I don't have to use Miles' software.  (Note : I don't
|even know if Miles HAS any software...).  Stallman's stated goal in
|the GNU manifesto is to make Miles' (implied) terms illegal.  I don't
|want to make Miles's, or Stallman's terms illegal, and I would assume
|that neither does Miles.  Gnu tries to claim the moral high ground by
|stating that software is the common property of mankind, and that
|software should be shared, regardless of creatorship or ownership (the
|latter he denies can exist at all).  I have no problem with shared
|software -- what I have a problem with is when Gnu & company demand
|the right to share MY software.  Terms like 'software hoarders' don't
|make me feel any better disposed towards them either.  If someone
|doesn't want to buy Miles' software, let them duplicate it.  ('Look and
|Feel' lawsuits are for the birds.)
|
|-- Randall Shane [shane@disney.crd.ge.com]
|"My daughter is being taught that there is no man greater than
|Lenin.  I brought her here so that she could see a man greater than Lenin."   	
|	-- Russian woman at a memorial service for Andrei Sakharov


On every count, "I wet my pants in vehement agreement" (from news.groups).

-Miles