Re: Stallman's world domination tour

On Mon, 10 Jun 2002, Anthony Taylor wrote:

> Just out of curiosity: what does Stallman want with world domination, 
> and how does the GPL give him domination?  (The GPL copyrights belong 
> not to RMS or the FSF, but to the individual authors, and so RMS has no 
> legal control over the software.  The FSF does suggest you sign over the 
> copyright to the FSF for legal reasons, but does not require nor request 
> this.)

Actually, I believe the FSF does require copyright assignment for "core" 
GNU code.  Certainly, they'll take it whenever they can get it.

> We see what Microsoft gets out of WD: the ability to control commerce 
> and communication, ensuring perpetual, unhindered income, as well as 
> disproportionate political control  What does RMS get?

Isn't it obvious?  Stallman gets a world where all software conforms to HIS 
personal moral code.  He refuses to use "proprietary" software (although 
I've just realized that GPL code is just as proprietary as Microsoft's), 
because he considers it "immoral" not to give your buddy a copy of anything 
he asks for.  Since this moral code conflicts with the legal code, the only 
way to avoid the moral dilemma (break the law or refuse your friend) is not 
to use any software which legally denies the right to give away copies.

That's why the GPL contains the "free beer" aspects to it, and Stallman has 
successfully convinced the world that all free software MUST have this same 
"free beer" nature, despite all his protestations of "free speech, not free 
beer!"  That's why the Debian and Open Source definitions demand this right 
of free redistribution, as if it's sacrosanct.  In reality, it's there just 
because Stallman had a moral objection to withholding software just because 
that's what the author wanted.

If and when the GPL takes over the world, Stallman gets his way -- everyone 
conforms to his moral code and he gets to live in his personal utopia, or 
so he evidently believes.  Somehow I doubt it will work well in practice, 
but that's the problem with most utopian schemes.

Gates is motivated by greed, Stallman by altruism or idealism.  Both are 
trying to take over the world and take choices AWAY from the rest of us.

It's truly ironic that Stallman speaks so much of freedom while trying to 
take freedom away from other programmers in pursuit of his utopian reality.

Deven