[Chugalug] Richard Stallman and open source

[Stephen Kraus]

Richard Stallman is, apparently, now a Bond Villain
On Dec 11, 2012 1:13 PM, "Chad Smith" <chad78 at gmail.com> wrote:

> My issue is with *him* as a person.
>
> I don't like him.  I don't like his personality, I don't like his
> arrogance, I don't like his self-promotion.  So, yes, I don't like his tone.
>
> He is a megalomanic, a narcissist, an idiot (when it comes to dealing with
> human beings), and a jerk.
>
> He believes everyone should do things the way HE thinks that they should
> be done.  That all software should be his definition of "Free Software®™©".
>  That's not freedom - that's the opposite of freedom.  If programmers don't
> have the choice to NOT give away their software - to NOT share their code
> ... then they are not free.  The software may be free - but the programmer
> is not.
>
> I like open source software.  I use open source software.  I have promoted
> and supported open source software - with my time, my voice, and my
> dollars.  I believe that there are good things about open source software.
>
> I am one of those people who promote the pragmatic side of it.  Many hands
> make light work, many eyes make bugs small (and few)....  I also understand
> the pitfalls of having data locked in some proprietary format that you
> don't have control over and could potentially lose access.  Anyone who has
> ever had to design anything in Publisher and doesn't always have access to
> a Windows machine knows that fear.
>
> It especially pisses me off when he attacks people who are actively
> developing, promoting, and encouraging open source software because they
> are not "Free Enough".  These people are on your side, idiot.  Stop
> shooting your allies.
>
> But it's not an all-or-nothing thing.  It's not even an "us vs. them".
>  It's not just that open source isn't the enemy of "Free Software®™©"
> and proprietary software is. Why does there have to be an "enemy" at all?
>
> Just do your thing and let other people do theirs.  If you want to explain
> the benefits of your way of doing things, fine - but don't claim that doing
> things any other way is evil.
>
> If you want to promote Free Software as the best way - fine. Do not claim
> it is the only way.  Because it's not.
>
> *- Chad W. Smith*
>
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