Linus Torvalds and free software

[Pete Ryland]

On Wed, Apr 13, 2005 at 04:56:14AM -0500, J.B. Nicholson-Owens wrote:
> Pete Ryland wrote:
> >Do you really believe that Linus Torvalds has no interest in free
> >software?
> 
> As the FSF puts it in http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#helplinus:

You state things like it's an "us and them" situation.  "With us or against
us".  "Do as we say or you're our enemy".  To say that the author of the
most well-known free software project has *no* interest in free software is
just silly.  He might be interested in it for different reasons than you,
and that is fine.  I'm guessing, as I don't have time to research this, but
I'd say that he is not by any means *against* free software.

I'm sure the decision to use BitKeeper was a very difficult one for him to
make, but its use has advanced kernel development greatly, a boon for free
software IMO, despite my disagreement with its use.  I'm sure he wouldn't
have used it if there was a lock-in element to it.  As it stands, BitKeeper
allows the full repository (with change history) to be exported to a
replacement tool, so the situation is not as dire as people make out.

BTW, I'm a free software advocate myself and my use of non-free software is
very limited.  But I also believe that others deserve certain freedoms too,
like the freedom to have their own point of view, and I shouldn't go ramming
my views about software freedom down others' throats.  To be frank, I've got
better things to do anyway.

Pete