From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Richard M. Stallman" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Release plans Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:45:37 -0400 Message-ID: References: <10697146.3630221218551689983.JavaMail.www@wwinf4615> <20080812171404.GB7999@muc.de> <20080813092057.GA3010@muc.de> <20080814083817.GA2593@muc.de> <877iak7xfp.fsf@skyscraper.fehenstaub.lan> <873al79akr.fsf@skyscraper.fehenstaub.lan> <87tzdn7sar.fsf@skyscraper.fehenstaub.lan> <87ej4r7mft.fsf@skyscraper.fehenstaub.lan> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15 X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1218804530 14227 80.91.229.12 (15 Aug 2008 12:48:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:48:50 +0000 (UTC) Cc: acm@muc.de, ams@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Johannes Weiner Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Aug 15 14:49:41 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 1KTykP-0001YA-Ik for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:49:41 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:45212 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KTyjT-0006dY-Ak for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:48:43 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KTyhp-0005ql-Mc for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:47:01 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KTyhg-0005kQ-0N for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:46:55 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=34863 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KTyhf-0005k3-SE for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:46:51 -0400 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([140.186.70.10]:45395) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1KTyhf-0002vu-5o for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:46:51 -0400 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.67) (envelope-from ) id 1KTygT-0004QF-BH; Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:45:37 -0400 In-reply-to: <87ej4r7mft.fsf@skyscraper.fehenstaub.lan> (message from Johannes Weiner on Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:31:18 +0200) 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:102485 Archived-At: Your basic assumption is that if someone writes non-free software, the user would be totally helpless and enslaved by the author. This is not true! The person would be in a position she chose to be in BY FREE WILL. Whether free will exists is a difficult philosophical question which we have no need to tackle. We can agree that making choices does exist. I think you are saying that these users would run the non-free software by choice. That may or may not be true. Since the example is imaginary and only vaguely specified, there is no basis to be sure what it would or would not imply. It is clearer to look at a real example about which we really can know something. Millions of people use Windows. Why? Partly because that's what came on the machine, partly because they don't care, and partly by choice. And when they do it by choice, why did they make that choice? Partly due to network effect, partly because that's what possible or real employers use, partly because that's what the school taught them. Perhaps some people actually like it. Maybe they don't mind the malicious features, or maybe they don't know about them, or maybe they choose not to think about them. But all those things are beside the point. Windows subjugates the user, and that's wrong even if people choose to be subjugated.