Not sure if Brin's idea would be the best way to go, but no doubt Earth had plenty of neat ideas. When I found Slashdot I immediately wondered if the moderation system was inspired by Earth.
Yeah, this is topic-drift in action...moderate as you see fit.
For NVidia, although, this support didn't come easily. Several days after XFree86 4.0.1's release, reports of problems all over starting springing up-and all fingers were pointed at NVidia. It seemed that NVidia's 0.9-3 drivers were not up to par with the new XFree release and caused much commotion between NVidia users all over. A week and two patches later, NVidia support is finally up and going and a new series of drivers, 0.9-4 have been released, although not publicly on NVidia's website.
The 0.93 drivers not being up to par is an understatement. If you have a TNT2 card you can expect the X server to segfault on startup. After installing the 0.94 drivers it started right up for my but I still occasionally get some corruption on the desktop--other than that they seem to work nicely.
Anyway, if you are looking for the mysterious 0.94 drivers for the NVidia chipset, I found them on the bot on irc.openprojects.net #nvidia. Supposedly they're on fileplanet also, but I couldn't locate them there. Just figured I'd save the TNT2 users the hassle of waiting for NVidia to put them up on their site.
That's pretty much the way I looked at it when I made the G27 Project GPL. If someone wants to modify it and use the derived code on their own website, that's perfectly fine. However, if they want to distribute the derived works to anyone else they'll have to also make the Perl/PHP/SQL code available to the public upon request.
I don't think I'd want to force users of the code to have to maintain a source distribution just so they can run their modified code on their own website. If they're cool they'll submit fixes/changes back to the project anyway, but are not required to do so.
No one (read much less people) will enter a field where the prospects of earning a decent living are substantially lower than in other fields.
I think you're overestimating musicians' prospects of earning a decent living as it is. Most musicians I know (all that I know personally) work full-time jobs to pay their bills. The money they make actually creating and playing music doesn't nearly cover the costs. For them the opportunity to create and play music for other people is the incentive in itself. The possibility of making money is just a side effect. In fact they seem more worried that getting a contract with a big label will be detrimental to their music than they are about not making money.
They truly love creating and performing more than anything.
A. The issue isn't whether or not it will work, the issue is whether or not you can legally use the watch with the aforementioned OSi B. Their software was created for a particular platform (or two...). You changed platforms. Timex never guaranteed that their watch would work with any platform you had.
...which is the reason I labeled my post as "Topic Drift" and posted it without a +1 bonus.
Hmm. The Datalink watch is made by Timex. The PIM software was copyrighted by Microsoft. The Timex has kept on ticking (figuratively,) but the software has not. If I were clever I'm sure I could come up with some sort of joke about that:)
NT and 2k are supported now, but only if you buy a special hardware attachment. So basically my Datalink watch has become useless to me other than for looking at the time. I don't understand why it should be this way since it would work on my existing hardware if I still had Win 3.1 or 95 on my machine (I have the original Datalink model which I bought in '94 IIRC.) The software basically draws lines on a black background which the electric eye on watch interperets as data. This is the only part of the Datalink software that doesn't work in NT and 2k. The rest of the app works fine, but it's pretty useless if I can't transfer the data to my watch any longer.
This also reminded me of the "No Logos" discussion yesterday. One logo that I forgot I was wearing is the old Microsoft logo--and I've been wearing it every day for about 6 years now. Yuck!
You'd want to use an encrypted IP connection. If you're using Linux this functionality is already part of the kernel. I'm sure this is available for other operating systems as well.
An effective campaign has to focus on the likes of newspaper letter pages, radio/tv call-ins as well as internet news agencies and forums. [...] And the internet isn't just in the US. We've seen them implementing laws like the UCITA or DMCA which, while being US laws, end up having a kickback effect to the international community because often, the rest of the world looks to the US first.
I think both of your points are good. It does need to be bigger than just online, but I think online is the best place to start. If it builds enough momentum it will start to carry over to the mainstream media. Of course, that doesn't mean that people shouldn't also write to the papers and do the other things you've mentioned.
for those who wish to directly improve wages and working conditions for some third world workers ASAP, focusing on a rich high profile company is the right thing to do.
I was under the impression that people were upset that they have children working 14 hour days and that's what really pissed people off. I could be wrong.
It annoys me to no end that it's hard to find clothing I like without logo's all over them. It certainly qualifies as one of my pet peeves. Even so I still end up wearing logos. There's a small Chaps/Ralph Lauren logo on my pants and another on my Timberlands. You wouldn't notice them unless you were really looking though.
It's not logos per se that bother me. It's the fact that if I'm going to wear something with a logo it should be my choice. But when I go clothes shopping (as rarely as possible) almost all of the nicer clothing has prominent logos on it.
OTOH I don't mind wearing things with a logo of my choosing. For example the T-shirt NORML sent me, or my OS/2 2.1 "Fast pane relief for Windows" T-shirt. The logos you wear become part of your identity when people first meet you. I most definately am not about TH, DKNY, or A&F and I don't pretend to be. Of course I'm not about OS/2 either, but I find the OS/2 T-shirt to be somewhat humorous.
I think part of the problem is that so few people even know what's going on with UCITA and DMCA and all these other things. Looking back to the CDA, it seems that the blue ribbon campaign and the web page blackout did a lot to generate attention and get people involved--and there were A LOT less people on the Net back then.
This is just an idea off the top of my head so please adjust your flamethrowers accordingly:
1) Set up a website informing people about the issues surrounding UCITA and/or DMCA. This site should probably be backed by someone with a good reputation, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
2) Start contacting high-traffic sites that would be sympathetic to the cause. Not just nerd sites, but gaming sites, fan sites, any sites that get a lot of eyes. Get them put banners or ribbons or whatever on their sites to generate attention for the anti-UCITA/DMCA site. Encourage everyone else to do the same on their personal sites.
3) Free software is free software, but would it be wrong to request a donation from those using it? A donation wouldn't be a requirement, but if people like and use your software it may give them the extra incentive to make a donation to your cause. The donations probably should be made to EFF and let them decide how it's best spent in the battle.
4) Add more steps--this is obviously an incomplete plan. These are basically the steps I've thought of to generate attention and funding. I know it will require a lot more than that.
numb
Re:Ask not for whom the bell tolls...
on
Copyrant
·
· Score: 2
I heard it from IBM when they went MicroChannel with the PS/2 (a technical advance, in many ways, but with a "lock-in the consumer" mentality)
Intel did manage to make the Slot 1 socket on motherboards proprietary so that no one else could make a processor to fit in the slot. Then they went to work pressuring motherboard manufactures not to make non-Slot 1 motherboards. This was to place hurdles in the path of other manufacturers, AMD mostly and their Athlon processor. And Intel's Pentiums are still selling like crazy.
I'm not saying this invalidates your points though. Just thought I'd point and a contrasting scenario. In fact, I have some hope that you are right about the Death Knell.
I said it's losing ground compared to other operating systems. I didn't say that it has ceased to make make them money; I indicated that it will cease to make to make them money.
At present Windows is losing ground compared to other operating systems. It seems to me that it just wasn't designed to go much further than it has.
My bet is that Microsoft keeps appealing this until Windows loses enough ground that it ceases to make them any money. At that point they can surrender and allow Windows to be split off into a seperate company. They won't even have to support it anymore. How convenient that would be.
Of course, that's just what I'd do if I were an evil software mogul. I would have repeatedly and intentionally pissed off the DOJ until they had no choice but to split it up.
Hmm, and posting an idea I think is important with +1 is abuse in what way? For instance, when I initially suggested this it was moderated to a 4. Posting something that I think people would moderate up anyway at a lower score would be karma whoring and it would be wasting moderator points.
In the case of the post that was moderated down as flamebait it's already been moderated back up a Interesting. That's a moderator point that could have been used on someone who couldn't post at 2 to begin with.
If you're going to moderate a post at least read past the title next time. How could encouraging people to destroy the integrity of web-tracking databases be considered flamebait on Slashdot? sheesh
This is really wierd--notice the amount of time between first post and second post. BTW, here's a link to the Neal Stephenson article that disappeared:
What's up with the disappearing article--Like the Stephenson one. And articles just sitting there but not showing up on the page. I could've been first thru tenth post as long as this one's been sitting here.
I'm also getting other wierd errors like "Connection reset by peer" and "invalid formkey". Odd.
I'm pretty happy simply because I've been hoping for a Goldwave port to Linux. I contacted the author a couple weeks ago and he said that the Linux port was largely dependent on the Kylix project. Goldwave is a lightweight.wav editor with a bunch of nice features--something I think Linux could really use.
Hopefully this will lead to a lot more Linux ports by other authors. Kylix is good for Linux.
I do think there is some validity to the notion that the moral decline in our country is very much due to the mindsets of people who have abandoned any Code, who forsake all religion, just because the primary religion observed in our country (Christianity, but you knew that) for such a long period of time was realized to be tainted with holes, contradictions, and hypocrisy. This strikes me as throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
I've been thinking the same thing for some time. A code to live by is important. Spirituality is also important. I know religion is not for everyone, but there is also a lot to be learned from non-religious philosophies (eg: Taoism) that help people put things in perspective. Good role models also help.
My view of religion is that it seeks to give us an explanation for the things that we are incapable of understanding. This is not a bad thing. It also gets a lot of people in touch with their spiritual side which is a great thing. The bad thing about religion is that people tend to subvert it and use it to control other people.
It's the lack of understanding that we are part of something bigger that is leading us down "the path to destruction." I don't mean just understanding it, but really grokking it. People just don't feel like they're part of the big picture. They feel like their actions are irrelevant. This just isn't true.
Don't look to material things for happiness. They're nice, but they aren't going to make you as happy as you think they are. Of course, this is what the people that are selling you these things don't want you to know. If you can't be happy without them, then you probably won't be happy just because you have them.
Take a look at someone else's [source] code before you try to come up with your own--a code for living is no minor task to design on your own. I found the Tao Te Ching to be very insightful even though it was written ~500 BC. I particularly liked the fact that it doesn't pass judgement or shove things down your throat. Besides that it's pretty short and isn't seem unecessarily complicated.
Say Joe Sixpack CAN understand it. Does he have TIME to go over all of that information? For EVERY issue? Does anybody EXCEPT a full-time politician, with a staff of economic advisers, bean-counters, and researchers? This is what we pay them for. Even the politicians who actuall VOTE on issues aren't fully informed about most of them. It's a big fuckin job. That's the whole point of a representative government, as opposed to a truly democratic government.
Yes, Joe Sixpack can do it because Joe Sixpack is bigger than all the politicians and their advisors put together. For each and every advisor there will be several Joe Sixpacks interested in answers.
You see, I am Joe Sixpack. No, I won't pay a whole lot of attention to the issues that I don't feel strongly about. But my parents, children, brothers, sisters, and extended family will cover the rest--we've got a pretty big family.
Having a many-to-many conversation will make it so we can get answers about our issues instead of us being provided a one-size-fits-all outlook on issues from the politicians.
And how very true that statement is, because most people (I would say 75%) respond to emotion - that is how they judge and perceive things. If someone is emotional about something, it must mean it is something important.. or so goes the train of thought. This can often lead to people charging into the sea like lemmings because a charismatic individual led them. How do you "fix" that?
I agree, but I do think it's fixable...or at least possible to change that 75% to something a little more reasonable. I think people will end up better informed if the politicians can be dragged into a forum where they have to answer for themselves--or be deemed to be hiding something.
It's not that emotion will cease to play a role--we're (mostly) human, and that's just the way we work. It's just that people will have more to go on--more information to balance out the emotions that are being played on. This could also lead to a backlash when politicians try playing on peoples' emotions. Their more informed supporters will be offended. It will be a lot harder for politicians to speak out of both sides of their mouths when they'll have to answer for both things in the same forum.
Another thing is that there will be a lot of obvious FUD from supporters. But in my experience FUD doesn't stand up well in an open discussion. FUD will be something that people in the forum will grow better at recognizing if they can't recognize it already. It's a lot harder to recognize FUD when you never get a chance to here rebuttals backed up with facts.
This is definately a worthy project. And I think it just might work if we can get some politicians to the table.
As to whether he has hurt of helped commercial open source, well, let's face it, that's not his bag:) he's not interested in furthering commercial open source, he is interested in guaranteeing the existance and life of free software. And that is what I applaud him for, not for his business saavy or darned friendly personality;)
Well said. There are plenty of people forwarding the cause of commercial OSS. I just posted in the last article that I don't use Debian, but I'm glad there is a distro that is remaining "pure." It's also a good thing that Debian and the commercial distro's are able to co-exist. There's a sort of parallel between free software and open source software as well. I'm glad there are both.
Whether RMS is a purist, extremist, zealot, or all of the above, I feel that it's a good thing that he's around. He continually draws our attention towards an ideal--the people that whine about him should be learning from him though not necessarily agreeing with him. As history has already shown, it's people like RMS that lead people away from the ruts we get into.
In the meantime, I'm still learning from RMS and ESR while not being in complete agreement with either.
One other question for the crowd: Why is it that people obessed with making money are never called zealots?
Slashdot Mirror
Not sure if Brin's idea would be the best way to go, but no doubt Earth had plenty of neat ideas. When I found Slashdot I immediately wondered if the moderation system was inspired by Earth.
Yeah, this is topic-drift in action...moderate as you see fit.
numb
For NVidia, although, this support didn't come easily. Several days after XFree86 4.0.1's release, reports of problems all over starting springing up-and all fingers were pointed at NVidia. It seemed that NVidia's 0.9-3 drivers were not up to par with the new XFree release and caused much commotion between NVidia users all over. A week and two patches later, NVidia support is finally up and going and a new series of drivers, 0.9-4 have been released, although not publicly on NVidia's website.
The 0.93 drivers not being up to par is an understatement. If you have a TNT2 card you can expect the X server to segfault on startup. After installing the 0.94 drivers it started right up for my but I still occasionally get some corruption on the desktop--other than that they seem to work nicely.
Anyway, if you are looking for the mysterious 0.94 drivers for the NVidia chipset, I found them on the bot on irc.openprojects.net #nvidia. Supposedly they're on fileplanet also, but I couldn't locate them there. Just figured I'd save the TNT2 users the hassle of waiting for NVidia to put them up on their site.
numb
That's pretty much the way I looked at it when I made the G27 Project GPL. If someone wants to modify it and use the derived code on their own website, that's perfectly fine. However, if they want to distribute the derived works to anyone else they'll have to also make the Perl/PHP/SQL code available to the public upon request.
I don't think I'd want to force users of the code to have to maintain a source distribution just so they can run their modified code on their own website. If they're cool they'll submit fixes/changes back to the project anyway, but are not required to do so.
numb
No one (read much less people) will enter a field where the prospects of earning a decent living are substantially lower than in other fields.
I think you're overestimating musicians' prospects of earning a decent living as it is. Most musicians I know (all that I know personally) work full-time jobs to pay their bills. The money they make actually creating and playing music doesn't nearly cover the costs. For them the opportunity to create and play music for other people is the incentive in itself. The possibility of making money is just a side effect. In fact they seem more worried that getting a contract with a big label will be detrimental to their music than they are about not making money.
They truly love creating and performing more than anything.
numb
A. The issue isn't whether or not it will work, the issue is whether or not you can legally use the watch with the aforementioned OSi
:)
B. Their software was created for a particular platform (or two...). You changed platforms. Timex never guaranteed that their watch would work with any platform you had.
...which is the reason I labeled my post as "Topic Drift" and posted it without a +1 bonus.
Hmm. The Datalink watch is made by Timex. The PIM software was copyrighted by Microsoft. The Timex has kept on ticking (figuratively,) but the software has not. If I were clever I'm sure I could come up with some sort of joke about that
numb
NT and 2k are supported now, but only if you buy a special hardware attachment. So basically my Datalink watch has become useless to me other than for looking at the time. I don't understand why it should be this way since it would work on my existing hardware if I still had Win 3.1 or 95 on my machine (I have the original Datalink model which I bought in '94 IIRC.) The software basically draws lines on a black background which the electric eye on watch interperets as data. This is the only part of the Datalink software that doesn't work in NT and 2k. The rest of the app works fine, but it's pretty useless if I can't transfer the data to my watch any longer.
This also reminded me of the "No Logos" discussion yesterday. One logo that I forgot I was wearing is the old Microsoft logo--and I've been wearing it every day for about 6 years now. Yuck!
numb
You'd want to use an encrypted IP connection. If you're using Linux this functionality is already part of the kernel. I'm sure this is available for other operating systems as well.
numb
An effective campaign has to focus on the likes of newspaper letter pages, radio/tv call-ins as well as internet news agencies and forums. [...] And the internet isn't just in the US. We've seen them implementing laws like the UCITA or DMCA which, while being US laws, end up having a kickback effect to the international community because often, the rest of the world looks to the US first.
I think both of your points are good. It does need to be bigger than just online, but I think online is the best place to start. If it builds enough momentum it will start to carry over to the mainstream media. Of course, that doesn't mean that people shouldn't also write to the papers and do the other things you've mentioned.
numb
for those who wish to directly improve wages and working conditions for some third world workers ASAP, focusing on a rich high profile company is the right thing to do.
I was under the impression that people were upset that they have children working 14 hour days and that's what really pissed people off. I could be wrong.
numb
It annoys me to no end that it's hard to find clothing I like without logo's all over them. It certainly qualifies as one of my pet peeves. Even so I still end up wearing logos. There's a small Chaps/Ralph Lauren logo on my pants and another on my Timberlands. You wouldn't notice them unless you were really looking though.
It's not logos per se that bother me. It's the fact that if I'm going to wear something with a logo it should be my choice. But when I go clothes shopping (as rarely as possible) almost all of the nicer clothing has prominent logos on it.
OTOH I don't mind wearing things with a logo of my choosing. For example the T-shirt NORML sent me, or my OS/2 2.1 "Fast pane relief for Windows" T-shirt. The logos you wear become part of your identity when people first meet you. I most definately am not about TH, DKNY, or A&F and I don't pretend to be. Of course I'm not about OS/2 either, but I find the OS/2 T-shirt to be somewhat humorous.
numb
I think part of the problem is that so few people even know what's going on with UCITA and DMCA and all these other things. Looking back to the CDA, it seems that the blue ribbon campaign and the web page blackout did a lot to generate attention and get people involved--and there were A LOT less people on the Net back then.
This is just an idea off the top of my head so please adjust your flamethrowers accordingly:
1) Set up a website informing people about the issues surrounding UCITA and/or DMCA. This site should probably be backed by someone with a good reputation, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
2) Start contacting high-traffic sites that would be sympathetic to the cause. Not just nerd sites, but gaming sites, fan sites, any sites that get a lot of eyes. Get them put banners or ribbons or whatever on their sites to generate attention for the anti-UCITA/DMCA site. Encourage everyone else to do the same on their personal sites.
3) Free software is free software, but would it be wrong to request a donation from those using it? A donation wouldn't be a requirement, but if people like and use your software it may give them the extra incentive to make a donation to your cause. The donations probably should be made to EFF and let them decide how it's best spent in the battle.
4) Add more steps--this is obviously an incomplete plan. These are basically the steps I've thought of to generate attention and funding. I know it will require a lot more than that.
numb
I heard it from IBM when they went MicroChannel with the PS/2 (a technical advance, in many ways, but with a "lock-in the consumer" mentality)
Intel did manage to make the Slot 1 socket on motherboards proprietary so that no one else could make a processor to fit in the slot. Then they went to work pressuring motherboard manufactures not to make non-Slot 1 motherboards. This was to place hurdles in the path of other manufacturers, AMD mostly and their Athlon processor. And Intel's Pentiums are still selling like crazy.
I'm not saying this invalidates your points though. Just thought I'd point and a contrasting scenario. In fact, I have some hope that you are right about the Death Knell.
numb
I said it's losing ground compared to other operating systems. I didn't say that it has ceased to make make them money; I indicated that it will cease to make to make them money.
numb
At present Windows is losing ground compared to other operating systems. It seems to me that it just wasn't designed to go much further than it has.
My bet is that Microsoft keeps appealing this until Windows loses enough ground that it ceases to make them any money. At that point they can surrender and allow Windows to be split off into a seperate company. They won't even have to support it anymore. How convenient that would be.
Of course, that's just what I'd do if I were an evil software mogul. I would have repeatedly and intentionally pissed off the DOJ until they had no choice but to split it up.
numb
Hmm, and posting an idea I think is important with +1 is abuse in what way? For instance, when I initially suggested this it was moderated to a 4. Posting something that I think people would moderate up anyway at a lower score would be karma whoring and it would be wasting moderator points.
In the case of the post that was moderated down as flamebait it's already been moderated back up a Interesting. That's a moderator point that could have been used on someone who couldn't post at 2 to begin with.
numb
If you're going to moderate a post at least read past the title next time. How could encouraging people to destroy the integrity of web-tracking databases be considered flamebait on Slashdot? sheesh
numb
Also check out these missing artciles:
Solar Flare vs. Plasmasphere
Apache 2.0 alpha 4 released
Linux Directory Services
I think at least one doesn't even have a first post yet.
numb
This is really wierd--notice the amount of time between first post and second post. BTW, here's a link to the Neal Stephenson article that disappeared:
/article.pl?sid=00/06/07/1518238&mode=thread
http://slashdot.org
numb
If only C-net is allowed to do it, then that's only one database for us to flood with false tracking information ;)
numb
What's up with the disappearing article--Like the Stephenson one. And articles just sitting there but not showing up on the page. I could've been first thru tenth post as long as this one's been sitting here.
I'm also getting other wierd errors like "Connection reset by peer" and "invalid formkey". Odd.
numb
I'm pretty happy simply because I've been hoping for a Goldwave port to Linux. I contacted the author a couple weeks ago and he said that the Linux port was largely dependent on the Kylix project. Goldwave is a lightweight
Hopefully this will lead to a lot more Linux ports by other authors. Kylix is good for Linux.
numb
I do think there is some validity to the notion that the moral decline in our country is very much due to the mindsets of people who have abandoned any Code, who forsake all religion, just because the primary religion observed in our country (Christianity, but you knew that) for such a long period of time was realized to be tainted with holes, contradictions, and hypocrisy. This strikes me as throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
I've been thinking the same thing for some time. A code to live by is important. Spirituality is also important. I know religion is not for everyone, but there is also a lot to be learned from non-religious philosophies (eg: Taoism) that help people put things in perspective. Good role models also help.
My view of religion is that it seeks to give us an explanation for the things that we are incapable of understanding. This is not a bad thing. It also gets a lot of people in touch with their spiritual side which is a great thing. The bad thing about religion is that people tend to subvert it and use it to control other people.
It's the lack of understanding that we are part of something bigger that is leading us down "the path to destruction." I don't mean just understanding it, but really grokking it. People just don't feel like they're part of the big picture. They feel like their actions are irrelevant. This just isn't true.
Don't look to material things for happiness. They're nice, but they aren't going to make you as happy as you think they are. Of course, this is what the people that are selling you these things don't want you to know. If you can't be happy without them, then you probably won't be happy just because you have them.
Take a look at someone else's [source] code before you try to come up with your own--a code for living is no minor task to design on your own. I found the Tao Te Ching to be very insightful even though it was written ~500 BC. I particularly liked the fact that it doesn't pass judgement or shove things down your throat. Besides that it's pretty short and isn't seem unecessarily complicated.
numb
Say Joe Sixpack CAN understand it. Does he have TIME to go over all of that information? For EVERY issue? Does anybody EXCEPT a full-time politician, with a staff of economic advisers, bean-counters, and researchers? This is what we pay them for. Even the politicians who actuall VOTE on issues aren't fully informed about most of them. It's a big fuckin job. That's the whole point of a representative government, as opposed to a truly democratic government.
Yes, Joe Sixpack can do it because Joe Sixpack is bigger than all the politicians and their advisors put together. For each and every advisor there will be several Joe Sixpacks interested in answers.
You see, I am Joe Sixpack. No, I won't pay a whole lot of attention to the issues that I don't feel strongly about. But my parents, children, brothers, sisters, and extended family will cover the rest--we've got a pretty big family.
Having a many-to-many conversation will make it so we can get answers about our issues instead of us being provided a one-size-fits-all outlook on issues from the politicians.
numb
And how very true that statement is, because most people (I would say 75%) respond to emotion - that is how they judge and perceive things. If someone is emotional about something, it must mean it is something important.. or so goes the train of thought. This can often lead to people charging into the sea like lemmings because a charismatic individual led them. How do you "fix" that?
I agree, but I do think it's fixable...or at least possible to change that 75% to something a little more reasonable. I think people will end up better informed if the politicians can be dragged into a forum where they have to answer for themselves--or be deemed to be hiding something.
It's not that emotion will cease to play a role--we're (mostly) human, and that's just the way we work. It's just that people will have more to go on--more information to balance out the emotions that are being played on. This could also lead to a backlash when politicians try playing on peoples' emotions. Their more informed supporters will be offended. It will be a lot harder for politicians to speak out of both sides of their mouths when they'll have to answer for both things in the same forum.
Another thing is that there will be a lot of obvious FUD from supporters. But in my experience FUD doesn't stand up well in an open discussion. FUD will be something that people in the forum will grow better at recognizing if they can't recognize it already. It's a lot harder to recognize FUD when you never get a chance to here rebuttals backed up with facts.
This is definately a worthy project. And I think it just might work if we can get some politicians to the table.
numb
As to whether he has hurt of helped commercial open source, well, let's face it, that's not his bag :) he's not interested in furthering commercial open source, he is interested in guaranteeing the existance and life of free software. And that is what I applaud him for, not for his business saavy or darned friendly personality ;)
Well said. There are plenty of people forwarding the cause of commercial OSS. I just posted in the last article that I don't use Debian, but I'm glad there is a distro that is remaining "pure." It's also a good thing that Debian and the commercial distro's are able to co-exist. There's a sort of parallel between free software and open source software as well. I'm glad there are both.
Whether RMS is a purist, extremist, zealot, or all of the above, I feel that it's a good thing that he's around. He continually draws our attention towards an ideal--the people that whine about him should be learning from him though not necessarily agreeing with him. As history has already shown, it's people like RMS that lead people away from the ruts we get into.
In the meantime, I'm still learning from RMS and ESR while not being in complete agreement with either.
One other question for the crowd: Why is it that people obessed with making money are never called zealots?
numb