Re: Shut Up With The Open Source Politics, OK?

How'bout putting it *this* way ...

Free Software (or as I call it, "Liberous Software") is
software that is free from proprietary control. Software
with liberty.

Open Source is a rationale designed to explain why it
is in the *interest* of self-centered corporations to
support Free Software, even though they don't care
for the fact that it is right and ethical to do so.

Richard Stallman argues with the Open Source philosophy,
claiming that the Open Source philosophy forgets that
freedom of software is an *ethical* issue. However, I
point out that that's fine, as the Open Source philosophy
was *designed* to get non-ethical entities to *support*
Free Software. In short, the Open Source philosophy
*should* not appeal to ethics, as it is designed to appeal
to entities that don't *care* about ethics.

In other words, the Open Source philosophy is an
articulation of a non-ethical reason for doing an
ethically correct thing.


The Rev. Shamim, D.D., LFHCfS wrote:

[snip]

>
>For instance, I do want my company to use free software for my own
>reasons (quality of code, helping the cause). I don't do this by
>marching in and telling the bosses what I think of their business
>practices; I tell them what they can gain. Save money, shave months
>off schedules, have control over the source -- what's not to like? I
>also convince them that they don't in fact gain anything by keeping
>the source secret; but that's not too hard since the company I work
>for makes hardware and also provides some web services.
>
>Fundamentally, the term "open source" is bullshit. Why should anyone
>care that they can read the code? In the 60's, if you wanted the
>"source code" (assembly or autocode) to something from IBM, they'd
>give it to you. If you didn't have the hardware, the code was useless
>to you. However, "free/libre software" does say something about the
>beliefs behind it. It is unfortunate that in English, the word "free"
>means both "libre" and "gratis."
>
>It is management's job to only concentrate on one thing: money. They
>don't give a shit about freedom, or users, or right and wrong. (Some
>companies draw the line at the illegal, but not all, of course!) It is
>up to you to get them to support your cause.
>
>-s
>
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