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Re: GNU and Communism--Labeling for the Dumb and the Dumber

__/ [7] on Sunday 15 January 2006 18:45 \__

> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> 
>> Excellent article:
>> 
>> http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2006011400526OPCYLL
>> 
>> (Labelling as a weapon to discriminate against OSS)
> 
> 
> Micoshaft is infiltrated full of commies trying to bring
> down new american businesses trying to innovate and
> bring out new open source products. Hats off to
> Novel and RHAT to getting stock market valuations
> higher and higher on open souce.

Good point is made here with regards to Linux proving market value. Contrary
to another company, there is freedom of choice too, not a monopoly. Money
(or a living) can /still/ be made.

More on the topic:

http://blog.freesoftwaremagazine.com/users/d.sugar/2006/01/06/what_software_freedom_means_to_me

 "Some seem to view software as a closed sphere; meaning that one person or
 group?s success must come at the expense of another?s. For those that have
 this rather selfish and narrow view of a closed world of zero sum games, I
 guess it makes sense to be able to take software and ideas that others have
 created, and offer them back with some modifications as proprietary
 solutions under the exclusive control of one individual or group."

http://www.thejemreport.com/mambo/content/view/208/1

 "(Fallacy:)Free software is Communism. Free software promotes a gift economy
 and is anti-capitalist. Free software will kill the software industry and
 hurt the economy. First let's examine free software. Basically it is
 software that you are allowed to use, sell, distribute and modify in any way
 you see fit. Compare that with proprietary software, which most often only
 allows you to use the software on a limited basis ? no redistribution, sale,
 or modification of the software is allowed. Actually it goes further than
 that; criminal and civil penalties can be imposed on you for doing any of
 those things. It would be more accurate to say that proprietary software is
 fascist rather than suggest that free software is communist.

 The "free" in free software does not mean "free of charge" it means "free of
 restriction." That?s free as in rights, not price. This is a point often
 misunderstood or misrepresented by proprietary software CEOs and others who 
 have a proprietary software agenda to push.

 That being said, free software is often also free of charge."

Stallman had something to say on the issue as well, in response to Bill Gates
using the communism FUD when referring to Open Source software:

http://news.com.com/Bill+Gates+and+other+communists/2010-1071_3-5576230.html?part=rss&tag=5575731&subj=news.1071.20

  "...Thanks to Mr. Gates, we now know that an open Internet with protocols   
  anyone can implement is communism...
 
  ...Mr. Gates? secret is out now?he too was a "communist;" he, too,
  recognized that software patents were harmful?until Microsoft became one of
  these giants..."


Interesting reads, even if you snippets are all you go by...

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