Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Fwd: The FSF Allows No Derivatives

[Aaron Wolf]

On 05/15/2015 02:27 PM, Yoni Rabkin wrote:
> Aaron Wolf <wolftune@riseup.net> writes:
> 
>> Why the incredible desire to use existing source code? Why not use the
>> wasted time and efforts spent arguing about this reverse engineering
>> your software and just be done with it. …
> 
> Because works of personal opinion are different than useful software.
> 

Not different enough so that the same completely useless statement from
Terry couldn't be applied identically. If you want to push this
distinction, you are being intellectually dishonest if you don't allow
the very same logic and arguments to be applied. If the distinction is
real, then there *must* be cases where you can take the same logic and
show that it applies in one case and not the other.

The example you are replying to is not that. The "you're wasting time,
do it yourself" argument works for both unless you get into discussing
whether someone like RMS spending lots of time and talent writing
clearly is somehow different from software engineers doing the same with
code.

It's put simply in Nina's http://blog.ninapaley.com/2011/07/04/rantifesto/

She points out that in the argument from RMS / FSF about "works of
opinion" the language changes.

'notice how users are now called “recipients,” and their Freedoms are
now called “permissions”'

If you can't make your point about the distinction by applying the
*identical* arguments and yet come to a different conclusion, then the
issues between the different media are *not* distinct in this regard.

And complaining about the arguing is just a complete cop-out.

-- 
Aaron Wolf
co-founder, Snowdrift.coop
music teacher, wolftune.com