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

[Karen Hill]

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?