Stallman Unimpressed by Nokia Patent Pledge

Joe Barr writes "NewsForge is running a commentary by Richard Stallman on the recent PR blitz by Nokia concerning their promise not to enforce patent claims against the Linux kernel project. Stallman's take? "In effect, Nokia is lobbying the European Union to give Nokia and many others a new kind of weapon to shoot at software authors and users with--and telling the legislators, 'Don't worry, it's safe to let private armies carry these guns, because we promise that our gunmen won't shoot anyone in that building.'""

Comments

Re:o_O

[bladesjester]

Yes, he's always pissed off and lives in a fantasy land where everything is free.

Can we put him out of our misery yet?

Re:o_O

[bladesjester]

"the kernel Linux, developed by Linus Torvalds and others, which is most prominently used as the kernel of the GNU/Linux operating system. "

I love that quote. He just can't get over his whole "I matter! Really! I do!" kick.

this just in

[Tedium Unleased]

richard simmons unimpressed by stallman's pledge to lose 50 lbs!

The Trivialization Of Physical Assaults

[rumblin'rabbit]

Often I see people equating non-physical "attacks" with actual violence, and it's complete B.S. In some universities, for example, aggressively criticizing someone's point of view is considered an actual attack on that person, creating "harm" and "pain" as real as a physical assault. They say it contributes a "hostile environment", and gives them an excuse to limit freedom of expression to what they find acceptable.

When someone sends you a letter telling you to cease-and-desist from infinging their patent, it's annoying and maybe expensive, but at the end of the day you go home to your family.

A bullet, on the other hand, can put your internal organs through a meat grinder.

See the difference?

A big problem with equating everything to physical assault is that it justifies responding to a legal or verbal attack with actual aggression since, after all, what's the difference?

OT - RMS anti Freedom?

[nurb432]

Sounds like he's against the freedom guaranteed by the 2nd amendment of the US constitution.

So in his mind, a freedom is ok if HE supports it.. But if he doesnt support it then its not a freedom?

Never took the man seriously before, now i know why: Aside from his mindless rants that often border on lunacy, he's also a hyprocrit.

Re:OT - RMS anti Freedom?

[nurb432]

If he's against my freedom that is guaranteed by the 2nd amendment, then nothing, i repeat NOTHING he says has any relevance at all.

He is just a raving lunatic.

Re:o_O

[golgotha007]

I think you missed my point.

Both the Linux kernel and the GNU tools are essential for an operating system.

One without the other is an incomplete operating system.

Frequanaut Unimpressed by Stallman Grandstanding

[Frequanaut]

nothing to see here, move on.