[Fsfe-uk] Re: Just a Minute

[Martin Coxall]

[Offlist discussion taken onlist again]

> > What I mean is, the notion of "advancing free software" is a fairly
> > meaningless one. I have posted a couple of onlist messages regarding
> > a
> > dinner I had with RMS a few weeks ago which may explain where I am
> > coming from regarding the AFFS's aims.

> I understand your aim; I think you misunderstand perhaps what I'm
> saying :-). As an organisation, we plan to have campaigns and
> activities. For that we need money. For people to give us money, we 
> need
> to explain why we need it. Our yardstick is "to promote Free 
> Software".
> It's actually a precise notion that allows us a lot of room to react 
> to
> problems.
> Free Software is defined by the FSF's Four Freedoms. To promote, means
> to improve the environment somehow 

Ah, by that definition of "promote", we are in agreement. By opposing
threats to freedom, we are improving the environment of free software.
Thus according to freedom 1, it is the duty of the AFFS to support
freedom where the environment for free software is under threat.

So, it now all boils down to how people choose to interpret "promote"
and the relative strengths of the differing definitions within that.

Martin