re: re: freedom

[Gangolf Jobb <jobb at athene dot stat dot uni-muenchen dot de>]

On Mon, 31 Mar 2003, Gangolf Jobb wrote:

>So my first question for you is: have you already made up your mind
>about GSL and other Free software and are you now venting your
>frustration, or is there a reasonable argument -- any argument at all
>-- that could convince you otherwise?  If you've already formed a firm
>belief, that's fine with me, but then there's no point in having a
>conversation about it, and I'm certainly not up for a flame war.

i am indeed frustrated about how the gpl is misusing the term "free". 
it is not "free" because it does not give everybody the right to do 
with the code whatever he or she wants to. this would be essential,
because a main motivation for many programmers IS financial 
independence. moreover, it is preventing contributions from many 
people who are very skillful and motivated programmers, contributions 
that simpliy can not be made on a voluntary basis. of course, i agree 
that "free" software needs some mechanisms to protect its freedom. the 
"lesser gpl" might very well serve that purpose - except that i would 
use the term "free" differently and threw out the penetrance with that 
it is trying to convince
its readers from its strange view. 

i am not up for a flame war, i am rather looking for a free 
numerical library that i can link into my own software without having 
to give away my property rights, as one can do with almost all other 
scientific information. fsf is against software patents, but the gpl 
is nothing better.

i know others who dislike the gpl terms and i am wondering if there 
are enough of them who would contribute to an alternative free 
library that is really free, and not only "gnu-free". 

i would - anybody else? it should be not unlike the gsl so that 
one could still use the gsl-manual ....

>> i do not support intolerance against those who are producing
>> proprietary software

>Nor do I.  "Those who are producing proprietary software" on Mondays
>might be writing Free software on Tuesdays, and drawing the line
>around individual coders or organizations would be wrong anyway.

sorry, but intolerance and envyousness is exactly what i am reading 
in the gpl an in stallman's writings.

>If you don't like Richard Stallman's
>version of this idea, you could also quote the German writer Thomas
>Mann: "It is a misunderstanding of freedom to allow freedom to the
>enemies of freedom."

>- martin

thank's for these words - and let us liberate free software from 
"gnu-freedom"!!!

peace,
gangolf