RMS, Free software and the Ubuntu CDs

[ubuntu at rio.vg]

Daniel Carrera wrote:
> 
> I should add that Linus is known to be a bit of a jerk some times too,
> and ESR, and others. People just put up with it. Of the three, I think
> RMS is by far the most polite. He's difficult to talk to in other ways,
> but is *is* very respectful. My experience with him has been positive.

RMS is a bit of a nut.  To him, FSF is a religion.  Heck, I remember at
one point he was wearing robes with an old hard drive platter on his
head as a halo.  In person, RMS is just like he is on-line.

Honestly, I've never seen Linus Torvalds be a jerk.  When you ask him,
he'll give you an honest opinion, and the reasons why he thinks so.
Sometimes, people don't like that, but I find it very refreshing.  In
person, he is just a normal guy.  He doesn't claim any moral authority.
 Likewise, he won't limit himself.  As he says, he's an engineer, he has
his software project, and he's done pretty well for himself, but demands
nothing of others.  He might very well post that he thinks the current
path Gnome path of removing advanced options from the GUI entirely is a
bad idea, but if you read it, it's an analysis, his opinion, and he
isn't demanding it be changed.  He'll demand things within the Linux
kernel, but that's his project and his right.

RMS, on the other hand, demands that anything that doesn't conform to
his religious view be changed, even outside the GNU project.  No one
could mistake RMS for just another guy.  You could miss Torvalds in a
crowd, but RMS stands out.  He is a true believer, and every movement
needs its true believers.

RMS would rather have pure software than working software.
Torvalds would rather have working software than pure software.

Maybe I'm biased because my thought process is much closer to Torvald's
than RMS's.  Both, I think, are necessary for the open source movement.

Frankly, I don't think anyone's goal should be getting your project
blessed by RMS.  Making your project the best it can be should be the goal.