Xref: utzoo gnu.misc.discuss:672 alt.religion.computers:1248
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen
From: davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.COM (Wm E Davidsen Jr)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,alt.religion.computers
Subject: Re: Making $$$ from software - GNU vs the world
Message-ID: <1962@crdos1.crd.ge.COM>
Date: 27 Dec 89 14:35:50 GMT
References: <8322@stiatl.UUCP> <1989Dec22.052935.5136@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Followup-To: gnu.misc.discuss
Organization: GE Corp R&D Center, Schenectady NY
Lines: 32
Reply-exos:@crdgw1:To: davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.com (bill davidsen)

In article <1989Dec22.052935.5136@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> gl8f@bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) writes:
| In article <8322@stiatl.UUCP> meo@stiatl.UUCP (Miles O'Neal) writes:
| 
| > This whole discussion began around Richard Stallman's (apparent)
| > belief that selling software is immoral, not around whether I should
| > use GNU or what I should get from/give to GNU/anyone else. 

  To start with, you are misrepresenting RMS' beliefs, which makes it
easier to disagree. He is *not* against selling software. He does not
prohibit it. You (yes you) can sell GNU software for any price you want.
The catch is (a) you must provide or make available the source, and (b)
you can't prohibit further redistribution.

| Well, if I may summarize, this 'discussion' has had lots of subparts.
| 
| 1. RMS is out to make it illegal to sell software, therefore we must
|    oppose him at every turn or the world will end.

  See above.

  Now I don't believe in either the policy or the methods, nor am I a
personal friend of his. Somewhat the opposite, in fact, based on some
rather personal remarks he made during a debate I had with him at a SF
convention (some Boskone back in the Copley, if you care). I would,
however, suggest that you understand his position to avoid wasting
effort fighting strawmen.

-- 
bill davidsen	(davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM -or- uunet!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen)
"The world is filled with fools. They blindly follow their so-called
'reason' in the face of the church and common sense. Any fool can see
that the world is flat!" - anon