[plug] [link] lwn letter - amazing....

[The Thought Assassin]

On Thu, 8 Aug 2002, Craig Ringer wrote:
> >>I'm _so_ fed up with the counter-productive and immature way that some
> >>of the FSF-zealot crowd behave, especially since it gives everybody else
> >>a bad name.
> > Such as? In my experience, the FSF has been easily the most consistently
> > rational, pragmatic proponent of Free Software/Open Source principles,
> > while many of the leaders of the Open Source faction have given us
> > confused, ambiguous, even contradictory messages from time to time, and
> > certainly failed to maintain any consistency or clarity of vision and
> > purpose over time.
> Yeah. I have only minor issues with the FSF

Likewise. I think sometimes they dilute their message unnecessarily to try
to placate the closed-minded - no doubt through fear of being grouped with
the less-desirable extremists should they espouse the extreme consequences
of their philosophy publically - and quite often concentrate on unwinnable
and unimportant battles (GNU/Linux anyone?) at the expense of manpower,
ideaspace and credibility in more important arenas. Of course I don't see
anyone doing a better job than the FSF, so who am I to criticise?

> The kind who make Stallman look consistantly cautious and introverted.

Heh. You will also notice that Stallman has usually ruminated on an issue
for months or years, and developed a coherent, well-reasoned stance before
he goes and spouts incautious extraverted rhetoric on the matter. :)

> the loonies focus on the slogan (which I personally dislike)
> "information wants to be free"

It's not a bad simplification of the principle, but "wants" is too
emotive. How about "information will propogate"? It's stated directly,
rather than anthropomorphically, and implies idea that standing in its way
is futile and wasteful, where the original just implies that it is unkind.

> Noticed any sour comments from people who've just had a collision with
> /. ? I have, and they usually quote these types.

Noticed it all too much.

> See the Baen free library's Prime Palavier for some examples.

Oooh, that looks like some fascinating reading. <Snarf>. Yummy.
A search for Slashdot didn't turn up much, though; can you point me at the
particular installment you're referring to?

-Greg