Re: Is it a goal of the "Free" software movement to destroy easy sources of income?

[Rui Miguel Silva Seabra]

On Wed, Jan 16, 2008 at 03:05:04PM -0800, mike3 wrote:
> QUOTE:
> "Stallman does not care about
> business.  But others do.  "Open Source" has been one way to sell
> corporations their own downfall in a veiled manner.  It has taken a
> brutal but effective toll on stock market and the corporations.  Free
> Software is nothing that you can easily profit from.  But it is
> something that will prevail. "
> 
> Does this mean that one of the goals of Free software is to destroy
> software as a source of money, hence requiring people to resort to
> other forms of business to obtain money that might be much more
> difficult to start up? (hence limiting them to only people _born_ into
> wealth?!)
> 
> Or am I just too paranoid or way off base in my interpretations here?

Both. Firstly he doesn't speak for the FSF or Stallman, secondly,
Stallman has been found to say "charge as much as you can for Free
Software services" (this is not a direct quote, but the meaning is
there).

What Stallman advocates is to do business whilst respecting your
customers by not restricting their freedom.

There some extremist views of capitalism which defend that you should
extort as much money as you can, by any means deemed necessary, from
your clients. This includes restrincting user's freedom, false
advertisement, FUD, etc...

Stallman recommends you not to do dis but instead respect your
customers: give them their full rights. Attract your customers with
honey, rather than binding them in chains.

This seems to me like a very sound and honest business method, and
nothing at all like something against business.

Rui

-- 
Hail Eris!
Today is Boomtime, the 17th day of Chaos in the YOLD 3174
+ No matter how much you do, you never do enough -- unknown
+ Whatever you do will be insignificant,
| but it is very important that you do it -- Gandhi
+ So let's do it...?