I'm a developer of ASPSeek - GPLed search engine that implements Google's page rank. So far Google is ignorant about ASPSeek, although some people (from JabberSearch.org) call ASPSeek "google-in-a-box".
My wife actually supported my idea of writing only free software, because I do tell her a lot about what is free software, who is RMS, ESR, Linus and such. She believed in me...
But my boss is smart and told me much about the topic. He told me that most of free software programmers is working or was worked on a proprietary software, and that probably the only person who will not accept that is RMS. Linus is doing Transmeta's microcode, for example, which is closed source.
By reading this forum I realized that he is right. But I still feeling a but unhappy. My dream has proven to be just a dream, without much real ground.
I'm a developer of ASPSeek search engine, which is available under GNU GPL, but recently my bosses decided that I'd better work on their half-free half-nonfree solution. I do appreciate the idea of free software, believe that software should be free, and don't want to work on non-free software. But the problem is I should support my family (wife and tho children) and bosses strongly offer me to switch to that project that should be profitable more than ASPSeek, partly because of its closeness. So I wrote to RMS asking what does he thinks about that. Here's his answer:
Subject: Re: please give me advice about free software
Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 12:58:53 -0600 (MDT)
From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
To: kir@asplinux.ru
I personally don't work
implementing non-free software as long as I can do it without
sacrificing living conditions for me and my family (wife and
two children), and I told that to my bosses. I decided to
work on only free parts, but it seems that is not quite possible,
they can't guarantee it.
There is a strange assumption underlying what you have said. Why do
you need them to "guarantee" that you won't work on non-free software?
They can't force you. Ultimately it is your decision. The question
is whether you have the strength to say no.
People respect strength and often have contempt for weakness. If they
know that you won't work on non-free software, if they know that
trying to make you do so means making you leave, chances are they will
try hard to avoid that, and have you keep working on free software as
long as they can. But if they know that, at the final moment, you
will accept a non-free software job, they will have no strong reason
to hesitate to tell you to work on one.
If you do take a stand, be sure to tell people. Then it will
do more good.
So, this is what he wrote. Sorry to say, guys, I agreed to work on non-free software, but I did this without excitement. Probably I just don't strong enough.:(
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I'm a developer of ASPSeek - GPLed search engine that implements Google's page rank. So far Google is ignorant about ASPSeek, although some people (from JabberSearch.org) call ASPSeek "google-in-a-box".
But my boss is smart and told me much about the topic. He told me that most of free software programmers is working or was worked on a proprietary software, and that probably the only person who will not accept that is RMS. Linus is doing Transmeta's microcode, for example, which is closed source.
By reading this forum I realized that he is right. But I still feeling a but unhappy. My dream has proven to be just a dream, without much real ground.
Subject: Re: please give me advice about free software
Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 12:58:53 -0600 (MDT)
From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
To: kir@asplinux.ru
I personally don't work
implementing non-free software as long as I can do it without
sacrificing living conditions for me and my family (wife and
two children), and I told that to my bosses. I decided to
work on only free parts, but it seems that is not quite possible,
they can't guarantee it.
There is a strange assumption underlying what you have said. Why do
you need them to "guarantee" that you won't work on non-free software?
They can't force you. Ultimately it is your decision. The question
is whether you have the strength to say no.
People respect strength and often have contempt for weakness. If they
know that you won't work on non-free software, if they know that
trying to make you do so means making you leave, chances are they will
try hard to avoid that, and have you keep working on free software as
long as they can. But if they know that, at the final moment, you
will accept a non-free software job, they will have no strong reason
to hesitate to tell you to work on one.
If you do take a stand, be sure to tell people. Then it will
do more good.
So, this is what he wrote. Sorry to say, guys, I agreed to work on non-free software, but I did this without excitement. Probably I just don't strong enough. :(