I'm not sure if the big issue is whether the US military (or any other terrorists) are using the code or not. Its the fact that the response of the linux community to the the unjust, outrageous media driven sham that is the occupation of Iraq has been such a disappointment. I certainly would have expected more.
The sort of issues I've seen the slashdot community getting excited about is whether particular armoured batallions use Linux or Solaris in their tanks. When someone like Clay responds to the bigger picture he is accused of supporting terrorists.
I'm reminded of earlier times when hawks in your administration (eg. Dick Cheney) argued for the continued detention of "terrorists" in South Africa, thus prolonging the struggle for freedom here at considerable cost in terms of South African lives. At least we in South Africa know that when these people talk of freedom and democracy they are for the most part hypocrites and liars. As do the majority of Iraqis.
And what has it all to do with linux? Well I for one retain the belief that there must be some sane, good and patriotic people in the US. That country does at least have a proud, if distant, tradition of commitment to the ideals of freedom and liberty. The linux community is one of the loudest advocates of freedom. It was reasonable to expect to find such good people within that community. Seems I was wrong.
Well done Clay for taking such a strong and principled stand. The fact that the slashdot response has been so negative is perhaps the strongest justification for the position you have taken.
There are many of us outside the US who believe the US (plus Brits and others) role in Iraq has been shameful and indefensible. That the US troops will eventually withdraw in shame and failure is inevitable and it is a blight upon your leaders that so many US and Iraqi people (innocent and otherwise) will have to die first. The sad thing is that in the land of the "free", your media has mostly been reduced to a cheerleading role, perpetuating the lies, half-truths and spin perpetuated by your military. I have always been convinced that good, freedom-loving, patriotic Americans who are against the illegal occupation of Iraq do exist, but their voices are seldom heard. Your action confirms this. Well done.
Here in South Africa (as well as elsewhere in Africa and other parts of the developing world) we DO see linux as being different to proprietary software, and not just in terms of more efficient software development and distribution models. linux, freebsd and other forms of free and/or open source software offer serious tools for changing the rules of engagement in the arena of global intellectual property governance. We are obliged of neccesity to take a more all-encompassing, developmental and emancipatory view of freedom than is perhaps typical of the US linux geek.
So whereas I would not (and could not) try to stop the US military from using linux, I can certainly sympathise with someone who is the chair of an organisation whose membership has such an apparently blinkered world view. Probably this phenomenum is more difficult to stomach in the linux/GPL community than the FreeBSD one, for the simple reason that linux through its lugs are driven by so much passion. It is natural to expect much more of passionate people.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not sure if the big issue is whether the US military (or any other terrorists) are using the code or not. Its the fact that the response of the linux community to the the unjust, outrageous media driven sham that is the occupation of Iraq has been such a disappointment. I certainly would have expected more. The sort of issues I've seen the slashdot community getting excited about is whether particular armoured batallions use Linux or Solaris in their tanks. When someone like Clay responds to the bigger picture he is accused of supporting terrorists. I'm reminded of earlier times when hawks in your administration (eg. Dick Cheney) argued for the continued detention of "terrorists" in South Africa, thus prolonging the struggle for freedom here at considerable cost in terms of South African lives. At least we in South Africa know that when these people talk of freedom and democracy they are for the most part hypocrites and liars. As do the majority of Iraqis. And what has it all to do with linux? Well I for one retain the belief that there must be some sane, good and patriotic people in the US. That country does at least have a proud, if distant, tradition of commitment to the ideals of freedom and liberty. The linux community is one of the loudest advocates of freedom. It was reasonable to expect to find such good people within that community. Seems I was wrong.
Well done Clay for taking such a strong and principled stand. The fact that the slashdot response has been so negative is perhaps the strongest justification for the position you have taken.
There are many of us outside the US who believe the US (plus Brits and others) role in Iraq has been shameful and indefensible. That the US troops will eventually withdraw in shame and failure is inevitable and it is a blight upon your leaders that so many US and Iraqi people (innocent and otherwise) will have to die first. The sad thing is that in the land of the "free", your media has mostly been reduced to a cheerleading role, perpetuating the lies, half-truths and spin perpetuated by your military. I have always been convinced that good, freedom-loving, patriotic Americans who are against the illegal occupation of Iraq do exist, but their voices are seldom heard. Your action confirms this. Well done.
Here in South Africa (as well as elsewhere in Africa and other parts of the developing world) we DO see linux as being different to proprietary software, and not just in terms of more efficient software development and distribution models. linux, freebsd and other forms of free and/or open source software offer serious tools for changing the rules of engagement in the arena of global intellectual property governance. We are obliged of neccesity to take a more all-encompassing, developmental and emancipatory view of freedom than is perhaps typical of the US linux geek.
So whereas I would not (and could not) try to stop the US military from using linux, I can certainly sympathise with someone who is the chair of an organisation whose membership has such an apparently blinkered world view. Probably this phenomenum is more difficult to stomach in the linux/GPL community than the FreeBSD one, for the simple reason that linux through its lugs are driven by so much passion. It is natural to expect much more of passionate people.