Re: [Accessibility] Call to Arms

[Eric S. Johansson]

 On 8/1/2010 1:59 PM, Richard Stallman wrote:
>      >  What is so difficult about sticking to our principles?
>
>      I  am sticking to my principles.
>
> I have not asked you to do anything that goes against your principles.
> If your principles are incompatible with working in the GNU Project,
> you don't have to do it.

yes you have richard, you want me to put the need for free software before the 
needs of disabled users. my path leads users to ever freer environments. your 
path rejects them because they are not pure and then expects them to reverse 
course after they have invested heavily in nonfree solutions. the religious 
conversion path only works if you can execute or punish all nonbelievers. the 
slow path is a much bigger win re: linux, gnome, openoffice,...

> You are persistently trying to make the GNU Project abandon its
> principles, and you criticized me for finding it "difficult" to depart
> from them.  That is insulting and hostile.

insulting and hostile?? I am not asking you to abandon you principals, I am 
asking you to look at the bigger picture. accessibility is bigger than free 
software while at the same the code must be free for maximum social benefit. 
your principals are a subset of mine.

I have treated you with respect, irritation, humor, and even kindness. I have 
put up with your unwillingness to see other points of view. I have offered 
compromises and received none in return.

you have driven me, a long term supporter away. I see how the fsf principals 
while beneficial to freeing software are actively harmful to addressing social 
needs. I leave you with a few quotes from the fsf web page and questions they raise.

from the fsf web site:

"""Free software is simply software that respects our freedom — our freedom to 
learn and understand the software we are using. """

does this mean that if you are disabled and prevented from using nonfree 
software in conjunction with free software, that the disabled are denied this 
and other fsf supported rights??

"""Free software is designed to free the user from restrictions put in place by 
proprietary software,"""

does this mean that fsf principals should be used to force disabled people to 
live under the restrictions put in place by proprietary software *and* the fsf?

"""Enter the free software movement: groups of individuals in collaboration over 
the Internet and in local groups, working together for the rights of computer 
users worldwide, creating new software to replace the bad licenses on your 
computer with community built software 
<http://www.fsf.org/working-together/systems/> that removes the restrictions put 
in place and creates new and exciting ways to use *computers for social 
good*.""" (emphasis mine)

except if you are disabled and need a nonfree component to move to a more free 
world?

good night all. feel free to email me directly after this letter hits the list.