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Interview: Ask Richard Stallman What You Will
Richard Stallman (RMS) founded the GNU Project in 1984, the Free Software Foundation in 1985, and remains one of the most important and outspoken advocates for software freedom. He now spends much of his time fighting excessive extension of copyright laws, digital restrictions management, and software patents. RMS has agreed to answer your questions about GNU/Linux, how GNU relates to Linux the kernel, free software, why he disagrees with the idea of open source, and other issues of public concern. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.
Please share your vision for where you would like to see GNU/Hurd, and GNU software over the next 25 years, and what people would be doing with it.
Uh, Linux geek since 1999.
So how would a 100% GPL developer operate in a small business settings?
The same way most other people in the world do: get paid for your time.
Plumbers don't spend months installing pipework in the hope that someone might pay them at the end of it. They also don't lock the valves away and hold the key to ransom in an attempt to force such payment. They also don't meter your usage of the pipes they installed and cut you off if you don't pay (water utilities charge you for *fresh* water, but they don't charge you for recirculating the same stuff through your pipes).
Why should software developers think any differently?
PS: I get paid for writing Free Software, I have done at several companies. It's not difficult.
His opinions on those things are a lot more insightful and a lot less emotion-driven than most people's half-baked, freedom-hating opinions.
Thank you Dave Raggett