On 1/21/08, Noah Slater <address@hidden> wrote:
> There's something funny about "free software ... buyer beware"
You're mincing my words. I said "free software on a mac, buyer
beware", there is a big difference and you know it.
I did not mean your meaning explicitely ... I simply meant that it's quite funny to say "free ... buyer beware!" (ie the juxtaposition of no cost with the idea of purchasing). Apparently I should have wrapped the sentence and smiley with <aside type="observation that entertained me" target="not aimed at anyone"/>.
> In that case, thank goodness my OS (Darwin) is built with free software!
I wasn't going to reply to your email, but then I saw this line.
You're kidding your self if you think that you're running a free
operating system. Statements like this confuse people and damage the
message of freedom I, and others like me, work so hard to spread.
It's like shooting fish in a barrel. Seriously. Let's assume (a) everyone on this list has a damned good idea of what FLOSS is, (b) working with computers we have all developed a sense of humour.
More seriously, I'm well aware that OS X is not completely free. It just happens to be better than some and worse than others, and to hit a pragmatic sweet spot I am happy with.
I would love to throw my hands up and say "I'm not even going to list
all the things wrong with that statement" but I fear it will result in
even more boring flames being sent to the list. Instead I will
enumerate a few things off the top of my head:
1) Where is the Darwin source code? No, I mean all of it. [1]
2) Where is the Aqua source code?
Not the OS?
3) Where is the Finder source code?
Not the OS?
4) Where is iTunes source code?
Not the OS?
5) Why is dtrace on OS X crippled so it can't probe iTunes?
A very good question.
Dave: I'd argue with your statement "
Not running a free software OS means one doesn't value freedom very
much personally." I value freedom very much personally (and I do get annoyed with people that think it's a binary equation).
I pick and choose where and when to fight the battles. For example, I can't fight any battles if I don't have a job to pay me. I can't do my job with a solely free computing environment (which sucks). However, my job _does_ allow me to educate people on the benefits of FLOSS (which rocks). Sometimes compromise is useful, n'est pas?
A.