Re: "The Free software Movement is a Scam" -Alfred Szmidt GNU.org

[High Plains Thumper]

"Karen Hill" wrote:
> Bobbie Gill wrote:
>> Karen Hill wrote:
>>> I checked my inbox and look what I found:
>>>
>>> From:     "Alfred M. Szmidt" <ams@gnu.org>
>>> To:       "Karen Hill" <karen_hill22@yahoo.com>
>>> CC:       gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org
>>> Subject:  Re: Linus CHARGING $5,000 to use Linux name!!!!!
>>> Date:     Fri, 19 Aug 2005 18:56:53 +0200
>>>
>>> The free software movement is a scam.
>>>
>>> The Free software movement is about freedom, not price.  Charging
>>> money for a copy of a program is perfectly OK, and has always been.
>>
>> Yeah, sometime when I check my inbox I get invitations to re-input my
>> personal information for my ebay account (never have had an ebay
>> account, but I guess the phishers don't care). I also seem to win
>> quite a few lotteries in the U.K. And I've also been solicited to help
>> some poor chap get his father's millions out of Nigeria.
>>
>> The point I'm trying to make is that there often is quite a bit of
>> B.S. to be found in the typical inbox.
> 
> Except this is the real deal.  I have the headers to prove it (If you
> press me I will post the message with the headers).   He responded to
> me privately by email in response to a usenet post I made about Linus
> charging 5 grand to use the linux name.  Alfred's  point I guess is
> that the source code is important and the freedom to modify it and not
> the price of that source code.  But here is that catch...what good is
> freedom if I can't afford it?  Isn't non-free software that I can use
> MORE important than expensive GPL software like Redhat Linux?
> 
> A box license from MS is a one time purchase for a reasonable price,
> redhat you must pay every year.  MS gives you security updates via
> windows update for free.  Not so with Linux in terms of redhat.  Like I
> said before what good is freedom if I can't afford it?

Whatever you say.  <plink!>

-- 
HPT