On Tue, 2004-01-13 at 17:23, Paul Thomas wrote: > On 12/01/2004 10:16 Rui Miguel Seabra wrote: > > [snip] > > than their Free Software counterparts, but remember that non-Free > > software brings a social cost that is very bad: social division between > > those who can and those who can't. > > As does non-free hardware, housing, food, clothing, medical costs, > education. In a world where many millions of people don't have enough food > to survive, your commentary seems to me to be rather childish. Please explain, in paper-like detail, how is something that is replicated at zero cost (digital content, namely software) equal to something that has real replication costs (hardware, housing, food, clothing, medical treatment, education, etc...). When the replication cost is nil and thus the good is technically accessible to the whole population, isn't it evil to create an artificial division? What if instead of the digital world it was food we were talking about... imagine Food Replicators, converting garbage or Fudge into food, would you be in favor of "Recipe Licenses" or the end of hunger? Non-Free software creates social division between those who can and those who can't solely by an *artificial*monopoly* power granted by the government. Remove the artificial monopoly bad effects (ie, using Free Software) and there is no division that is artificially created. Hardware, housing, food, clothing, medical treatment, education, etc... they all have real costs since there are yet no Star Trek replicator machines, the division between those who can and those who can't is very real, and not created by artificial means. Free Software ends the "knowledge hunger" on software. Rui -- + 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...? Please AVOID sending me WORD, EXCEL or POWERPOINT attachments. See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html
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