Sv: [ELPA] New package: repology.el

[arthur miller]

"Researching nonfree software is usually a bad thing to do, because
people generally do it so as to use or develop nonfree software.  On
the other hand, if it is to help replace those nonfree programs, that
is a good thing."

Knifes are bad thing because they are used to hurt people. But if they

are used to slice bread and potatoes, that is a good thing.

A tool has no moral value in itself. Not even an action The moral value

is in the eye of beholder. (I think it was D. Hume first).

Sounds it would be very difficult for any GNU developer to replace

a feature in or entire non-free appliction if they are not allowed to

even mention that application or use it etc.

I think there is an instrinsical value in using Free software. I don't

think people need prohibitions to achieve transition toward

openess. I see general tendency toward openess in the society.

However, I believe human psychology must be taken into consi-

deration for success of any project of life-style matter, which I

perceive GNU is. I believe that refusal to not even mention by name

or a reference to non-free software will sound rather extreme to

many people, and might even turn away some. It is also practially

less useful than to be able to refer to something in order to at

least condemn it or study it.

I believe that it is a much better strategy to offer people a better

choice.

---

Från: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
Skickat: den 9 januari 2021 07:37
Till: Alfred M. Szmidt <ams@gnu.org>
Kopia: dgutov@yandex.ru <dgutov@yandex.ru>; eliz@gnu.org <eliz@gnu.org>; bugs@gnu.support <bugs@gnu.support>; arthur.miller@live.com <arthur.miller@live.com>; ulm@gentoo.org <ulm@gentoo.org>; emacs-tangents@gnu.org <emacs-tangents@gnu.org>
Ämne: Re: [ELPA] New package: repology.el

 

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

  >    > You are exagerating.  Nobody is saying don't do research, I'm quite
  >    > sure you are capable of finding that information on your own.  But it
  >    > is a different thing for GNU do provide that information for you.

  >    But GNU software shouldn't help me in research?

  > In the research of non-free software, obviously no.

I think that oversimplifies the situation.

You can use GNU software to do anything.  You can use IceCat to read
about nonfree programs on the web, look at their repos on GitHub, look
at info about them in repology.org -- anything at all.  You can use GCC
to compile them, too.

Researching nonfree software is usually a bad thing to do, because
people generally do it so as to use or develop nonfree software.  On
the other hand, if it is to help replace those nonfree programs, that
is a good thing.

GNU programs don't try to judge the morality of whatever you are
doing.  They do what you command.

The issue about repology.org is not about that.  It is whether we
should tell the public about its existence, for instance by including
in Emacs a program specifically aimed at that site.



--
Dr Richard Stallman
Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org)
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)