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ZNet interviews Richard Stallman
ProgressiveCynic writes "ZNet has just published an interview with Richard Stallman. Much of the interview will be review for Slashdot folks, intended to introduce ZNet's audience to the free software movement, but many interesting bits remain including a discussion on the outlawing of free software, patents as applied to literature, and this quote: 'I'm a Liberal, in US terms (not Canadian terms). I'm against fascism.'"
ignore the flamebait mod, i know you weren't out for that. seriously interesting post, but you should have left it finished before the " i just want to say one thing " paragraph....maybe the stuff after that was slightly flamebait (although unintentional)
I think he is a college professor. Meaning that he will have to teach a couple of classes and sign up for grants for whatever whim he has at the time. I have respect for real Professors who feel teaching Higher Education as a passion and enjoys the topic of their choice. But I don't have much for RMS where he just uses his classes to spit out more dribble and get more mindless followers, and teach a little bit of the topic. Then he uses his remaining time thinking how evil every thing is. In real life outside academics we need to work for our money and do things we may not want to do. Sure I would love to release all my software for free so everyone can use it and enjoy it, but I have bills to pay. Many (Many meaning not all, the are exceptions, I don't need you to point them out, I know!) academics like RMS, and including many lower ed. teachers have never left the educational institution and their view of the world is based on this view. I know from experience that life outside education is different from inside. I found real life far more humbling then in education. In education you have defined titles of greatness. Your Grade School Level K-12, then there is Under Grad, Graduate, Doctorate, Adjunct, Asst. Professor, Professor, Chairman, Dean, President. In real life the borders are not that clear, your value is in what you can do not what you think. The rules of real life outside of academics is much more different, here if you are a manager of one company you could just be qualified to do basic work at an other. If the company see that you are not beneficial to the company then chances are you will get fired or laid off in the next round. Risks are a lot higher in Real Life, you may not have a Union who will protect you from your neglect and prevent you to reach your peak. Sure GNU is a good idea, but it doesn't always work and to expect all software to use it is a pipe dream, GNU software is great for the Student and College professors who have some time on their hand because they will get paid anyways, even if the program doesn't work. But in the commercial sector, we don't always have that option, we can release some free software but we need to keep our most unique programs to ourselves so we can make money to pay the bills. I myself write code licensed to my customers. They pay me for the time it takes to write it. Once they have it, and pay me, they can do anything they want with it. They can sell it as a closed source application, they can make it open source for all to see under the GNU or whatever, or they can just use it, modify it or whatever. But the point is that someone has to pay me for my time, if they are not willing to pay me Ill go to someone else who is.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
"'I'm a Liberal"
Yeah, I kind of figured that out from all the anti-Bush stuff on this website.
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
Well, that's reality. Leftists tend to be over-optimistic about the altruism of their fellow men.