Re: Why is Fedora not a Free GNU/Linux distributions?

On Jul 21, 2008, Les Mikesell <lesmikesell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Alexandre Oliva wrote:
Several times, you end up having to decide between promoting software
freedom and promoting the software that happens to be Free (and OSS).

Yes, the divisive nature of the GPL is unfortunate.

FYI, the GPL (and very many other licenses) satisfy both the Free
Software and the Open Source Software definitions. There's some 5
different licenses that satisfies one of the definitions and not the
others. Please don't get the impression that the issue above has
anything whatsoever to do with licensing choices. It's about
underlying values and goals of the two movements.

Depending on whether you're guided by FS or OSS values, you'll tend to
consistently choose one in detriment of the other.

Yes, that is unfortunate, but you have to live with it to promote FOSS.

This is fundamentally contradictory. If you have to choose between
these two, you're choosing between promoting either FS or OSS. I.e.,
you're promoting one in detriment of the other. How can that be
promoting FOSS?

Or, in a more fundamental level, how would it even make sense to say
"promoting something", where something is defined by means of
conflicting goals?

I guess it's worth giving a concrete example, to save a round-trip
delay.

The FS movement cares about software freedom, so an essential part of
this movement is to not accept, endorse or promote software that
denies users any of the 4 essential freedoms, even if this means
inconvenience for or even a delay in the liberation of some users.

The OSS movement cares about popularity and convenience, so an
esential part of this movement is to accept, endorse and promote the
use of software that denies users their freedoms, when that is
convenient and can lure in more users.

Do you see the conflict in these two positions? Do you see that a
step forward for one amounts to a step backward in the other? How,
then, could it possibly make sense to even talk about "promoting
FOSS"?

--
Alexandre Oliva http://www.lsd.ic.unicamp.br/~oliva/
Free Software Evangelist oliva@{lsd.ic.unicamp.br, gnu.org}
FSFLA Board Member ¡Sé Libre! => http://www.fsfla.org/
Red Hat Compiler Engineer aoliva@{redhat.com, gcc.gnu.org}

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Why is Fedora not a Free GNU/Linux distributions?
    ... you're choosing between promoting either FS or OSS. ... How would you propose dealing with it when your purpose is to promote FOSS and as many choices as possible, ... denies users any of the 4 essential freedoms, ... People always have the freedom to choose and change. ...
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  • Re: Why is Fedora not a Free GNU/Linux distributions?
    ... you're choosing between promoting either FS or OSS. ... The GPL meets both the FS and the OSS definition. ... The GPL can only meet it under very limited circumstances. ... It does not provide the freedom to redistribute covered works improved by adding code under different terms. ...
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  • Re: Why is Fedora not a Free GNU/Linux distributions?
    ... Alexandre Oliva wrote: ... Promoting FOSS hardly makes any sense. ... freedom and promoting the software that happens to be Free. ... Les Mikesell ...
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  • Re: Why is Fedora not a Free GNU/Linux distributions?
    ... On Jul 20, 2008, Matthew Saltzman wrote: ... Promoting FOSS hardly makes any sense. ... Depending on whether you're guided by FS or OSS values, ... Red Hat Compiler Engineer aoliva@ ...
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