On 4/18/05, kwhiskers <kwhiskers@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > I am glad to hear that the GPL can act as a kind of safeguard for keeping > Linux free. I am definitely sold on the idea of free software, free books, > free art, free music, etc, to permit everyone access to electronic media > without disenfranchisement based on income or lack of financial resources. While I'm very pleased at your enthusiasm, I'll must point out that this misses the point of what Free software is all about. While disenfranchisement for financial reasons is a very small part of the picture, developer freedom is the "main event." You may find this treatise by Richard M. Stallman an interesting read: Why Software Should Be Free: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/shouldbefree.html The point of the Freedom is the Freedom to create, adapt, and innovate software. In fact, by GNU's philosophy, one is encouraged to find ways to make money using Free software. The Free Software Foundation does just that: Order from the Free Software Foundation (FSF): https://agia.fsf.org/order/ And as you can see, the prices aren't really feasable for the average end user. They're selling the software and documentation, and providing a convenient means for folks to donate to their cause. -- Chris () ASCII Ribbon Campaign! /\ Say NO to HTML in Mail and News!
