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Re: [LUG] getgnulinux.org

 

Neil,

Very well spoken (or written).

Jon

On 25/03/07, Neil Williams <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 16:04:11 +0100
> "Ben Goodger" <goodgerster@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > On 3/25/07, Matt Lee <mattl@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >
> > > Ben Goodger wrote:
> > >
> > > > How about freedom of choice?
> > >
> > > To speak of the freedom to take away the freedoms of others is
> > > absurd.
> >
> >
> > Ubuntu provides users the freedom to more
> > easily limit their own freedom as they see fit.
>
> Ben, you're talking about freedom as it relates to you, today.
>
> Matt is talking about the implications for tomorrow.
>
> If free software is not provided to replace all proprietary code, the
> free software users of tomorrow do not have the freedom to choose free
> software - take that one stage further and if proprietary code usurps
> free software today, it REMOVES freedom from tomorrow's users - they
> won't have access to the free alternative because it ended up with bit
> rot from too little usage. Proprietary code that is promoted over and
> above a free software alternative takes freedom away from those who
> want to use the free alternative in the future because the free
> alternative might not develop fully.
>
> Please, Ben, think of tomorrow's users as well as the needs of today.
> What suits you today could come back to haunt you tomorrow.
>
> It is better to use a LESS functional free software alternative TODAY
> in the hope of improving it, than to use a proprietary version today
> and pay lip service to the needs of others in the future.
>
> You cannot realistically hope to improve the free software alternative
> if you don't even use it and using a proprietary version only
> encourages the propagation of that proprietary version.
>
> A little sacrifice today is not a lot to ask.
>
> > Yes, and in doing so provide their users with more freedom of choice.
> > I don't agree with promoting opera, because it's crap, but if a user
> > wants it then it should be provided as neatly as possible.
>
> Now that there are very strong free software alternatives, Opera is
> less of a problem but, in general, promoting the proprietary is bad
> news for the free alternative.
>
> --
>
>
> Neil Williams
> =============
> http://www.data-freedom.org/
> http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/
> http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/
>
>
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