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BBC interview with RMS

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the stuff-to-read dept.

An anonymous reader submitted an interview with RMS running over at the BBC. Doesn't really say much of anything that you haven't heard before but it's a nice little interview, and its not like much else is happening today :)

3 of 273 comments (clear)

  1. Dubious quote... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 2, Flamebait

    From the article, excerpted by the BBC themselves:

    "Today free software has a general reputation to be powerful and reliable."

    S'funny, I would have said the single biggest criticism of free software was that it doesn't usually measure up to commercial alternatives in terms of power. Most of it is either "good but not great" or "it'll be finished one of these years..."

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  2. What a pathetic interview! by Mr.+Neutron · · Score: 2, Flamebait

    Did RMS just give them a list of questions he wanted to answer, so he can easily voice his dogma? What about the glaringly obvious question:

    "If software can be freely distributed, how can developers be assured of making money from their software?"

    Also, RMS's assertion that "inertia" is the reason everyone isn't using free software ignores the fact that the bulk of free systems and software packages have lousy usability. But it goes unchallanged in the interview.

    Oh well. RMS continues to live in his little fantasy world, while the real world shrugs its collective shoulders and ignores the true benefits of free software.

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    1. Re:What a pathetic interview! by Mr.+Neutron · · Score: 2, Flamebait
      >Oh well. RMS continues to live in his little fantasy world, while the real world shrugs its collective shoulders...

      Now youve just hit one of my biggest peeves. What the fuck are you talking about?

      Fantasy belief number one: People would love using command-line, UNIX-like environments if they didn't constantly have Microsoft shoving GUIs down their throat.

      Fantasy belief number two: Users prefer technical superiority over usability.

      Fantasy belief number three: Slap a buggy, bloated GUI desktop on top of UNIX, and end users will flock to it in droves.

      Fantasy belief number four: users will struggle through hours upon hours of painful software configuration in order to thwart the Evil Software Empire.

      Fantasy belief number five: Developers will give away their time and expertise to develop free software, solely to Make The World A Better Place.

      Fantasy belief number six: Ug. Me Stallman. Proprietary Bad. Ug. Open Good!

      I could go on for days.....

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      dinner: it's what's for beer