RMS, Free software and the Ubuntu CDs

[Michael T. Richter]

On Sun, 2006-02-07 at 01:46 +0100, deanlinkous wrote:

> RMS as snide and snarky and jealous and all that....I dont think so. I
> have never seen him as any of that. 


What was that about the Han Solo Award and the Rebel Alliance again?...

That was 100% pure snark.  And the fact that he got noticeably annoyed
after people laughed only to get very strident and insistent on the fact
that it's really GNU with its Linux sidekick in the subsequent speech
tells me that he wasn't really joking.

And not once in that speech did he credit Xorg.  It was all GNU this and
GNU that and only a little bit of Linux this other thing.


> He may be upset about something and
> be a little haughty IF others are being so but even that is rare. 


Let's just say your impression of him and mine are different and leave
it at that.  I've read and/or watched a lot of interviews with him.  He
came across as strident, combative and whiny in almost every one.


> GNU/Linux.... Well would you
> mind if I took a bunch of your work, added it to my work and then just
> used my name?


That would depend on my motivation for it.  Were I expecting to profit
from my work?  Damn skippy I'd be upset!  Upset to the point of court.
Were I doing it for "freedom"?  Not so damn skippy.  Further, I've never
actually seen Linus Torvalds (or anybody else, for that matter) claim
credit for the GNU components.  Indeed I don't think I'd have to look
for long to find a counter-example of this.  RMS is just too hung up on
specific wording to notice that nobody is taking away credit for his
contribution!  And then, hypocritically, he's not giving credit to
several other major contributors who made free software what it is
today, most noticeably the Xorg crowd.

--
Michael T. Richter
Email: ttmrichter at gmail.com, mtr1966 at hotpop.com
MSN: ttmrichter at hotmail.com, mtr1966 at hotmail.com; YIM:
michael_richter_1966; AIM: YanJiahua1966; ICQ: 241960658; Jabber:
mtr1966 at jabber.cn

"I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the
institution of slavery in the States where it exists." --Abraham Lincoln
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