Loving Ubuntu Linux

[David Gerard]

On 26 February 2011 14:33, donn <donn.ingle at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 26/02/2011 16:23, Michael Haney wrote:

>> In this case, the ridiculous antics and actions of the FOSS Movement
>> is having a harmful effect

> Just imagine if they had never spoken up. Where would Ubuntu be now, if
> at all?

>> Nothing good has ever come from Religion, just read your history
>> books if you want proof.

> I would agree with you here (aside from some art, maybe) but I don't think
> the FOSS purists are wrong to want to keep freedom, well, free. If they
> stop, pack it in and say "meh" then within a few years there will be no
> freedom in source code.
> I think it's proprietary code that's like a religion: all about power and
> rights and mysterious powers and how you should just STFU and trust them to
> know best.


Yes. Open source is science; proprietary is alchemy at best, unfounded
religion at worst. Free software has basically won, on the sheer
engineering advantages of open source; the rest is mop-up.

Speaking as a sysadmin, I have a visceral loathing of proprietary
software in our production chain. This is not from religion, but from
sheer practical considerations of having had proprietary software bite
me in the arse enough times. Open source or in-house are the only way
to do things in business; proprietary software is for suckers, and
learning to root out the little proprietary bits vendors keep trying
to slip into your production chain is absolutely necessary defensive
work.

A wafer-thin piece of sewage in a barrel of fine wine equals a barrel of sewage.


- d.