[Discuss] Why use Linux?

[rlk at alum.mit.edu (Robert Krawitz)]

On Tue, 11 Feb 2014 19:38:39 -0500, Richard Pieri wrote:
> John Abreau wrote:
>> Developers are themselves users. Saying that freedom is "only" for users
>> is the same as saying freedom is restricted "only" to everybody.  The
>
> The issue isn't the use of the word "only". It's the use of the words "free" and "freedom". Like I wrote before, the FSF's definitions of "free" and "freedom" are weighted towards end users (as in "users like me who are not themselves developers") and against developers (as in "users like Tivo and Google who are primarily developers"). The GPL has always favored end users over developers. The onus of supporting software freedom according the FSF's definition has always rested on developers with end users getting a free ride should they choose to take it.

Actually, I'd say that if anything the GPL is weighted toward
users-as-developers -- ensuring that users can be developers
themselves.

I disagree that the GPL is weighted against developers.  It's weighted
against *proprietary* developers, sure.  But proprietary development
is only one development model -- and not the only possible way to make
money doing it, either.

-- 
Robert Krawitz                                     <rlk at alum.mit.edu>

MIT VI-3 1987 - Congrats MIT Engineers 5 straight men's hoops tourney
Tall Clubs International  --  http://www.tall.org/ or 1-888-IM-TALL-2
Member of the League for Programming Freedom  --  http://ProgFree.org
Project lead for Gutenprint   --    http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net

"Linux doesn't dictate how I work, I dictate how Linux works."
--Eric Crampton