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re: re: freedom
- From: Gangolf Jobb <jobb at athene dot stat dot uni-muenchen dot de>
- To: gsl-discuss at sources dot redhat dot com
- Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 15:06:52 +0200 (MEST)
- Subject: re: re: freedom
- Reply-to: Gangolf Jobb <jobb at athene dot stat dot uni-muenchen dot de>
On Mon, 31 Mar 2003, Gangolf Jobb wrote:
>So my first question for you is: have you already made up your mind
>about GSL and other Free software and are you now venting your
>frustration, or is there a reasonable argument -- any argument at all
>-- that could convince you otherwise? If you've already formed a firm
>belief, that's fine with me, but then there's no point in having a
>conversation about it, and I'm certainly not up for a flame war.
i am indeed frustrated about how the gpl is misusing the term "free".
it is not "free" because it does not give everybody the right to do
with the code whatever he or she wants to. this would be essential,
because a main motivation for many programmers IS financial
independence. moreover, it is preventing contributions from many
people who are very skillful and motivated programmers, contributions
that simpliy can not be made on a voluntary basis. of course, i agree
that "free" software needs some mechanisms to protect its freedom. the
"lesser gpl" might very well serve that purpose - except that i would
use the term "free" differently and threw out the penetrance with that
it is trying to convince
its readers from its strange view.
i am not up for a flame war, i am rather looking for a free
numerical library that i can link into my own software without having
to give away my property rights, as one can do with almost all other
scientific information. fsf is against software patents, but the gpl
is nothing better.
i know others who dislike the gpl terms and i am wondering if there
are enough of them who would contribute to an alternative free
library that is really free, and not only "gnu-free".
i would - anybody else? it should be not unlike the gsl so that
one could still use the gsl-manual ....
>> i do not support intolerance against those who are producing
>> proprietary software
>Nor do I. "Those who are producing proprietary software" on Mondays
>might be writing Free software on Tuesdays, and drawing the line
>around individual coders or organizations would be wrong anyway.
sorry, but intolerance and envyousness is exactly what i am reading
in the gpl an in stallman's writings.
>If you don't like Richard Stallman's
>version of this idea, you could also quote the German writer Thomas
>Mann: "It is a misunderstanding of freedom to allow freedom to the
>enemies of freedom."
>- martin
thank's for these words - and let us liberate free software from
"gnu-freedom"!!!
peace,
gangolf