From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Thomas Lord Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Release plans Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:09:25 -0700 Message-ID: <48A9ACC5.4010508@emf.net> References: <20080814083817.GA2593@muc.de> <877iak7xfp.fsf@skyscraper.fehenstaub.lan> <873al79akr.fsf@skyscraper.fehenstaub.lan> <48A5BAD7.8030302@emf.net> <48A740CB.4050404@emf.net> <20080816213508.GA8530@muc.de> <48A78EE4.50802@emf.net> <20080817080126.GB1294@muc.de> <48A86304.3020301@emf.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1219076583 23413 80.91.229.12 (18 Aug 2008 16:23:03 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:23:03 +0000 (UTC) Cc: acm@muc.de, ams@gnu.org, hannes@saeurebad.de, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: rms@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Aug 18 18:23:54 2008 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1KV7WD-0006bV-9W for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:23:45 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:54233 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KV7VG-0005n5-5l for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:22:46 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KV7SG-0003bQ-GD for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:19:40 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KV7SE-0003ak-Hb for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:19:39 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=45836 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KV7SE-0003aU-AW for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:19:38 -0400 Original-Received: from mail.42inc.com ([205.149.0.25]:56032) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (SSL 3.0:RSA_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA1:24) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1KV7S6-0006NA-6Z; Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:19:30 -0400 X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.5 X-TFF-CGPSA-Filter-42inc: Scanned X-42-Virus-Scanned: by 42 Antivirus -- Found to be clean. Original-Received: from [69.236.75.128] (account lord@emf.net HELO [192.168.1.64]) by mail.42inc.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.0.13) with ESMTPA id 37123505; Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:19:16 -0700 User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.5 (X11/20060808) In-Reply-To: X-detected-kernel: by monty-python.gnu.org: Linux 2.6, seldom 2.4 (older, 4) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:102598 Archived-At: Richard M. Stallman wrote: > If the free and non-free software worlds are regarded as > opposing armies, the GNU army's choice is to either inflict a > loss on both sides (no dynamic loader -- the defeatist strategy) > or afford both sides a possible win (possible free and non-free > add-ons). > > A win for non-free software is ipso facto a loss for our campaign to > eliminate non-free software. When the non-free software in question > is an add-on for a free program, it tends to pervert the liberating > nature and message of that free program; that is another kind of loss > for us. These are the potential kinds of harm that I am concerned to > avert. > > Our community develops lots of free software, but which software it > develops is a matter of what many people are inspired to do. > We cannot count on the community to develop a free equivalent > of a nasty Emacs add-on in a short time, not if it is nontrivial. > > I am willing to assume that if a dynamic loader is added to Emacs that non-free add-ons will follow. I'll allow that, yes, that will diminish the "liberating nature and message" of GNU Emacs regarded as an isolated program. Nevertheless, there is a bigger fish to fry: GNU Emacs is not an isolated program. There are many free software programs and libraries and GNU Emacs exists along side those. If we concentrate on adding features that allow programs to be flexibly combined, the resulting GNU system will be a flexible, powerful environment. Conversely, if we neglect, ban, or poorly execute such interconnection features, the GNU system will be be little more than a set of mutually isolated programs -- either there's a program that does what you need or there isn't -- there's no way easy way to build the program you need because even if the parts exist there's no easy way to fit them together. A modular GNU system with good interconnects -- a set of programs and libraries that can be recombined many ways -- would itself have a "liberating nature and message" and one much more powerful than GNU Emacs taken in isolation. In trying to protect GNU Emacs in isolation, you are giving up on the goal of creating a more profound piece of free software. -t