From: Thomas Lord <lord@emf.net>
To: rms@gnu.org
Cc: acm@muc.de, ams@gnu.org, hannes@saeurebad.de, emacs-devel@gnu.org
Subject: Re: Release plans
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:04:11 -0700 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <48A740CB.4050404@emf.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <E1KUJCN-000309-FC@fencepost.gnu.org>
Richard M. Stallman wrote:
> How does not providing dynamic loading maximize what users can
> do while remaining free?
>
> It protects against the danger of non-free C-level add-ons to Emacs.
> It's the same principle as the GPL itself.
>
That doesn't answer the question. You said something odd:
that not having a dynamic loading feature helps to maximize
what users can do in freedom. That's false, though. Having
a dynamic loading feature would let users do more, in freedom.
Suppose it were *certain* that non-free (but perfectly legal)
C-level add-ons to GNU Emacs would result from adding a
dynamic loading feature. That isn't a good argument to not
add the feature and here is why:
It is equally certain that GNU Make is used
to build non-free programs. It is equally certain that GCC is
used to compile non-free programs. It is equally certain that
GNU Emacs is used to edit non-free programs. It is historic
fact that one of the biggest areas in which free software projects
have succeeded in creating free software jobs is in maintaining
and extending a GNU/Linux platform for running non-free
programs. It is a historic fact that those free (both senses) tools
have led to the creation of non-free programs that were otherwise
unlikely to be written. The GNU project can not help but
abet the creation of non-free programs, as long as their are people
who want to create non-free programs.
If we accept that the consequence of non-free programs is
reason enough to reject a feature, we ought not write any software
at all!
On the other hand, it is *plausible* that a well designed dynamic
loading feature would lead to tiny "boom" in new free software
programs. Third parties could release C-level, free software
extensions to GNU Emacs without any need for additional
coordination with the GNU Emacs maintainers. There would be
opportunity for people to experiment more freely with C-level
extensions -- more chances to find new uses. There would be a
new marketplace of technical ideas in which people are enriched
by exercising their software freedoms.
When people have cause to *exercise* their software freedoms
they come to understand those freedoms better. They are more
likely to come to regard those freedoms as simply "natural" --
as a basic right. If more people are busy exercising their software
freedoms, more people will be prepared to defend those freedoms.
Since it is plausible that a dynamic loading feature can lead to more
people exercising their software freedoms, and since a dynamic loader
makes decent sense technically and at an architectural level, there
are strong arguments *for* adding a dynamic loader.
An analogous analysis applies to tree print and read in GCC.
Certainty that non-free uses will result hardly changes much of
anything and is not a strong argument against the feature.
Plausibility that the feature will lead to more free software
uses of GCC is a strong argument for the feature.
If you want to think about what software to NOT write in order
to save work, think about software architecture and maintainability
and stuff like that. Maybe it is wise to NOT write program X because
writing Y instead is simpler.
But thinking about what NOT to write as some kind of tactic for
discouraging new non-free programs is ineffective unless we write
no programs at all!
It is better to think about what programs TO WRITE and to think
in terms of "combinatorics". A good GNU system will contain
a maximal number of opportunities to write new programs, new
modules, new add-ons, etc. The more that people *actually do*
with their software freedom, the more they will come to understand
and value their software freedom.
-t
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2008-08-16 21:04 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 338+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2008-08-12 14:34 Release plans A Soare
2008-08-12 14:52 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 17:14 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-13 6:26 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-13 9:20 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-14 5:19 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-14 8:38 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-14 9:33 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 9:49 ` Alfred M. Szmidt
2008-08-14 10:04 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 10:30 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-14 11:07 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 11:44 ` Tassilo Horn
2008-08-14 12:27 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-15 12:45 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-14 12:39 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-14 13:15 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 13:28 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-14 13:41 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 17:08 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-14 14:30 ` Gilaras Drakeson
2008-08-14 18:00 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-15 12:45 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 14:18 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-15 17:54 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-15 12:45 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 16:29 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-16 10:40 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-14 10:37 ` Alfred M. Szmidt
2008-08-14 11:24 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 12:54 ` Alfred M. Szmidt
2008-08-14 13:31 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 14:02 ` Alfred M. Szmidt
2008-08-14 16:55 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-15 12:45 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-16 1:41 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-17 7:16 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 3:41 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 4:04 ` Sean O'Rourke
2008-08-15 20:12 ` Michael Ekstrand
2008-08-15 5:08 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-16 0:08 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-16 5:14 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-15 17:20 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-16 10:39 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-16 12:05 ` joakim
2008-08-17 7:16 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-17 9:32 ` joakim
2008-08-18 6:14 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-18 7:19 ` Tassilo Horn
2008-08-18 8:03 ` Stefan Monnier
2008-08-18 8:26 ` joakim
2008-08-19 12:21 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-19 13:02 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-20 3:47 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-20 5:20 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-19 13:42 ` Tassilo Horn
2008-08-20 3:48 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-18 14:20 ` Gilaras Drakeson
2008-08-18 17:13 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-18 17:42 ` Paul R
2008-08-19 12:21 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-20 0:01 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-21 23:09 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-22 0:34 ` whither GNU Thomas Lord
2008-08-22 0:17 ` Juanma Barranquero
2008-08-22 3:40 ` David Robinow
2008-08-22 7:36 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-23 5:09 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-22 10:21 ` Juanma Barranquero
2008-08-22 21:31 ` Thomas Lord
[not found] ` <858wuoad0u.fsf@lola.goethe.zz>
2008-08-23 4:56 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-16 16:29 ` Release plans Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-16 21:04 ` Thomas Lord [this message]
2008-08-16 21:35 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-16 22:43 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-17 7:31 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-18 0:01 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-18 10:18 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-18 17:58 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-18 20:20 ` Dynamic loading (was: Release plans) Stefan Monnier
2008-08-18 22:18 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-20 16:15 ` Dynamic loading Stefan Monnier
2008-08-20 16:57 ` joakim
2008-08-25 13:09 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-26 16:37 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-18 21:09 ` Release plans Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-18 23:27 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-19 10:23 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-19 11:56 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-19 9:46 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-19 12:36 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-20 5:55 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-20 17:48 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-25 1:34 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-25 10:47 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-25 13:13 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-25 15:19 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-25 17:11 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-26 4:10 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-26 10:59 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-27 5:00 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-27 11:37 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-28 5:42 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-28 10:17 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-26 16:37 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-26 18:14 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-27 18:54 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-27 20:33 ` Paul R
2008-08-29 2:41 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-29 5:34 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-29 11:39 ` Bruce Stephens
2008-08-29 13:11 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-29 19:23 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-29 20:03 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-08-29 20:20 ` Stefan Monnier
2008-08-29 20:53 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-29 23:24 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-29 22:56 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-30 19:51 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-08-30 23:07 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-31 9:09 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-08-29 22:53 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-31 9:27 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-08-29 19:13 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-29 23:48 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-09-01 6:11 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-09-01 18:25 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-27 22:32 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-27 21:57 ` Alfred M. Szmidt
2008-08-28 0:10 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-29 2:40 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-29 5:30 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-27 22:09 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-28 1:10 ` Thomas Lord
2008-09-01 6:11 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-09-01 18:09 ` Thomas Lord
2008-09-02 1:09 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-09-02 2:18 ` Thomas Lord
2008-09-02 14:13 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-09-02 20:48 ` Thomas Lord
2008-09-01 18:20 ` Stefan Monnier
2008-09-01 20:17 ` Thomas Lord
2008-09-01 19:53 ` Stefan Monnier
2008-09-01 21:23 ` Thomas Lord
2008-09-02 3:26 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-09-02 20:43 ` Thomas Lord
2008-09-03 5:08 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-27 23:09 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-28 0:22 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-28 1:01 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-26 21:25 ` joakim
2008-08-29 2:41 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-19 15:52 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-25 14:39 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-25 22:01 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-25 22:19 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-26 4:54 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-26 7:16 ` ["agree"] " Thomas Lord
2008-08-27 5:10 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-27 16:00 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-26 10:02 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-27 5:38 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-27 21:06 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-27 21:12 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-28 20:01 ` Sean Sieger
2008-08-28 6:07 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-27 15:57 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-08-27 18:33 ` tomas
2008-08-28 6:09 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-28 8:14 ` tomas
2008-08-28 7:25 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-28 8:23 ` tomas
2008-08-28 6:26 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-19 16:31 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-20 3:47 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-20 6:14 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-19 12:21 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-19 13:04 ` Paul R
2008-08-20 3:48 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-17 2:37 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-17 8:01 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-17 17:42 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-17 21:07 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-17 21:24 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-17 21:33 ` Alfred M. Szmidt
2008-08-17 22:31 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-18 3:06 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-18 6:14 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-17 21:45 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-08-18 6:14 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-18 17:09 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-19 16:28 ` René Kyllingstad
2008-08-20 3:48 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-17 7:16 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 3:41 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 17:17 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-16 10:40 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-16 7:14 ` Alfred M. Szmidt
2008-08-14 17:24 ` Stefan Monnier
2008-08-15 3:41 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 14:04 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-15 15:10 ` [OT] " Yavor Doganov
2008-08-16 7:05 ` Miles Bader
2008-08-17 7:16 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-15 16:35 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-15 18:07 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-16 10:40 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-16 10:40 ` Richard M. Stallman
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2008-08-14 15:36 Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-14 15:51 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-14 21:00 ` Robert J. Chassell
2008-08-14 22:58 ` Johannes Weiner
[not found] <SRV-ADEXCHyjlMFAVNL0000090e@waccglobal.org>
2008-08-13 14:07 ` Mike Rowse
2008-08-13 1:30 A Soare
2008-08-12 20:51 A Soare
2008-08-12 21:35 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 20:16 christophe
2008-08-12 18:57 A Soare
2008-08-12 18:54 A Soare
2008-08-12 18:58 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 18:41 A Soare
2008-08-12 18:46 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 18:55 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-08-12 18:38 A Soare
2008-08-12 18:36 A Soare
2008-08-12 18:04 A Soare
2008-08-12 18:21 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 18:25 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 15:34 A Soare
2008-08-12 15:59 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 13:51 A Soare
2008-08-12 13:37 A Soare
2008-08-12 13:50 ` martin rudalics
2008-08-12 17:16 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-12 14:02 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 14:54 ` Paul R
2008-08-12 18:37 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-08-12 19:16 ` Óscar Fuentes
2008-08-12 19:41 ` Paul R
2008-08-12 13:11 A Soare
2008-08-12 13:20 ` Juanma Barranquero
2008-08-12 15:54 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-13 6:26 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-13 7:05 ` Johannes Weiner
2008-08-12 13:24 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 12:21 A Soare
2008-08-12 12:33 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 13:42 ` Michael Ekstrand
2008-08-13 6:27 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-13 7:14 ` Alex Ott
2008-08-12 14:45 ` Miles Bader
2008-08-12 14:56 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-12 16:47 ` Drew Adams
2008-08-13 20:20 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-12 18:34 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-08-05 2:53 dhruva
2008-08-05 4:43 ` tomas
2008-08-05 21:48 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-07-31 9:54 dhruva
2008-07-31 22:01 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-07-30 9:58 dhruva
2008-07-31 1:59 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-07-31 9:30 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-07-31 22:01 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-08-01 14:15 ` Frank Schmitt
2008-08-01 14:51 ` Miles Bader
2008-08-02 5:12 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-08-02 7:20 ` Frank Schmitt
2008-08-03 1:33 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-03 11:38 ` Juanma Barranquero
2008-08-03 22:42 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-03 23:16 ` Juanma Barranquero
2008-08-04 15:55 ` Davi Leal
2008-08-05 21:48 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-12 4:48 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-12 7:30 ` Miles Bader
2008-08-12 15:37 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-12 10:32 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-12 16:08 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-13 20:20 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-03 13:48 ` Nic
2008-08-03 22:42 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-01 15:31 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-02 5:12 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-08-02 17:12 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-02 23:46 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-03 1:33 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-03 18:01 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-04 15:33 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-12 4:24 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-12 10:32 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-12 16:12 ` Thomas Lord
2008-08-03 1:33 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-03 17:51 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-04 15:33 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-04 19:08 ` Alan Mackenzie
2008-08-05 8:05 ` Richard M. Stallman
2008-08-01 17:39 ` Davi Leal
2008-08-02 5:12 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-07-14 15:07 Chong Yidong
2008-07-17 0:27 ` Juri Linkov
2008-07-17 6:41 ` David Kastrup
2008-07-21 4:49 ` Chong Yidong
2008-07-21 8:06 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-07-21 13:32 ` Chong Yidong
2008-07-21 14:19 ` Thien-Thi Nguyen
2008-07-23 20:52 ` Michael Albinus
2008-07-23 21:42 ` Chong Yidong
2008-07-26 7:39 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-07-26 21:33 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-07-27 3:22 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-07-27 17:14 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-07-27 19:14 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-07-28 21:46 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-07-29 3:12 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-07-30 3:47 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-07-30 17:33 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-07-28 13:43 ` Juri Linkov
2008-07-28 14:10 ` Chong Yidong
2008-07-28 14:33 ` Juri Linkov
2008-07-29 17:11 ` Chong Yidong
2008-07-29 17:54 ` Stefan Monnier
2008-07-29 15:21 ` Roland Winkler
2008-08-02 17:34 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-08-09 18:29 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-08-09 18:34 ` Juanma Barranquero
2008-08-09 19:06 ` Eli Zaretskii
2008-07-31 2:10 ` Bastien
2008-07-31 2:43 ` Chong Yidong
2008-07-31 8:06 ` Lennart Borgman (gmail)
2008-08-01 2:53 ` Bastien
2008-08-01 19:26 ` Jay Belanger
2008-08-01 19:32 ` Chong Yidong
2008-08-02 16:12 ` Jay Belanger
2008-08-02 4:08 ` Stephen J. Turnbull
2008-08-02 17:30 ` Richard M Stallman
2008-08-05 4:04 ` Bill Wohler
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