Re: [OT] Re: realplay.el interface with Real Player v. 1879

[Galen Boyer]

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007, address@hidden wrote:

> Our message is that non-free software is unjust and illegitimate.  

Hi Richard,

I'm an Oracle professional.  I don't see any free software close to as
good as their database software.  Its a fairly easy argument to make
that if all software were free, Oracle wouldn't be in business,
therefore nobody would be able to use a database as good as Oracle's is
today.

Isn't it a bit of an illegitimate charter to try and get people to not
use the best software available just because it does not have the
"freedoms" GNU expouses?  If GNU got it way, all the world, in some
cases, would have to be subjected to substandard software just because
all of software had to be free.  In some cases, the world would have to
go without their software needs being fulfilled because there were no
free software to support those needs, at all.

My argument for free software has always been how great the software is
that is free.  For example, I can't praise Emacs enough amongst my
colleagues.  But, at the same time, I've never argued that all software
should be free.  That seems unfair to those using commercial software
that is better than the free alternatives.

-- 
Galen Boyer