Re: [Savannah-hackers] Aspell and Savannah

[Loic Dachary]

Kevin Atkinson writes:
 > 
 > When I registered my project I elected not be part of the GNU Project
 > because I didn't want to deal with all the red tape associated with
 > doing so.  In particular I prefer using the term Open Source instead
 > of Free Software because I thing the former is clearer and I really do
 > not fell like having to write GNU/Linux instead of just Linux every
 > time I refer to that operating system.  I agree with 90% of the FSF
 > views but do not want to have to promote the other 10% I do not agree
 > with.

        Hi,

        I'd be interested to know more about this, if you don't mind.
It turns out that all people I know who disagree with using Free
Software and GNU/Linux also disagree with 90% of the Free Software
movement views (as expressed by the FSF but not only by the FSF) and
agree with 10%.  Therefore, your view of the situation is quite new to
me (since you agree with 90% and disagree with 10% ;-) and I'd like to
learn more about it.

        Could you briefly tell me what are the 90% you agree with and
the 10% you disagree with ? I guess Free Software and GNU/Linux are part
of them but probably not all of them. 

        If this is a too vague question, I'd like to know why you disagree
with the fact that GNU/Linux reminds people of the freedom ideals linked
with Free Software ? I mention this because this is the main reason why
the Free Software movement (and the FSF in particular) insists on calling
the operating system GNU/Linux.

        To me this follows a very simple reasoning that can be seen in
the press almost every day. When people fail to call the operating
system GNU/Linux they usually see it as "a brillant software created
by a finish guy, mainly for fun, in the early 90'". And that's all. A
brillant software.  When people do call the operating system GNU/Linux
they usually see it as "a idealistic movement to free the individuals,
started in the mid 80's and now offering us freedom with
software". This is a very natural reaction since the roots of the GNU
project and the roots of the Linux kernel reflect exactly this different
states of mind.

        The question I originaly asked to myself, as an individual and
as a developer, is wether it's more important to work for freedom or
to work for technical excellence ? Being a very modest developer one
could say I had no choice ;-) Anyway, I chose to work first for
freedom and for technical excellence in second place, only if it does
not compromise my freedom and the freedom of other people.  I see
people talking about freedom and ideals when talking about GNU/Linux.
Unfortunately it turns out that they only talk about technical matters
when stripping the GNU/ prefix.

        Please tell me if this makes sense to you. And if yes, how and
why you disagree. 

        Thanks in advance,

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