Why do so many assume FOSS needs an enemy?
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tbuskey Nov 17, 2005 1:29 PM EDT |
People write/use FOSS because it works the way they want better then something else. Why do people use a paper clip to reset thier Palm instead of buying a pen that has it built in? Not because they hate the pen company. Why do some people make mix CD for the car instead of just copies of whole CDs? Maybe they just want the songs they like on the CD and they can't buy a CD with just those songs. Why do some people duct tape things together instead of buying a replacement part? Maybe the duct taped part is now stronger? Yes, I didn't use software as an example, but the principles are the same. No one can anticipate everything a piece of software will be used for. For example I can use Cygwin in Windows to delete every file with an e as the 3rd letter in the name. I can't do that with anything Microsoft has provided. I'm using Cygwin because it does the job. |
| r_a_trip Nov 17, 2005 4:05 PM EDT |
Why do so many assume FOSS needs an enemy? FOSS doesn't need an enemy. The sad situation is that FOSS got a formidable enemy, when MS saw there was successful FOSS technology, with the potential power to render their for profit wares obsolete. FOSS didn't pick this particular enemy, the enemy particularly picked us. |
| helios Nov 17, 2005 5:34 PM EDT |
the enemy particularly picked us.... Bingo. You think I or any other Linux Advocate wants to spend our time "fighting"? There may be an insignificant few that have the psychological need for battle, but as far as the majority of us...the answer is no. Most of us have friends, family or others that must share our time with "the fight". Only because some of us believe it is worth it. Millions upon millions of people are being victimized by a monolith that cares little for their well-being. They are being charged exorbitant prices for inferior and insecure software and have no clue they have a choice. Don't even try to argue the point, it has come to light that Microsoft KNEW about the Sony rootkit months before we did. We came in peace...They fired the first major volley with "Get The Facts". A slick, Park Avenue lie aimed at the middle of America. Case closed...now lock and load or kindly step out of the line of fire. please. helios |
| plattypus1 Nov 18, 2005 10:35 AM EDT |
When RMS started the GNU project, Microsoft had just released DOS 2.0. Nobody could have possibly forseen the current situation in the technology market. He did it in response to proprietary software as a concept, rather than in response to the Microsoft Juggernaut. Hell, when Linus started Linux it was less in response to Windows and more in response to Minix and proprietary UNIXes. And let us not forget the BSD's, they were free software before GNU ever existed. The point is that free software is a philosophy, a community, and a cause, not an army. There will always be coders who wish to write good code for the sake of good code itself, and there will always be users who wish to use that kind of code. |
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