[FSF India] RH, SuSE etc

[Radhakrishnan CV]

On Mon, 12 Nov 2001 at 10:41, Pappu wrote:

   Mohit Agarwal writes:
    >
    > Take a look at http://sources.redhat.com/ [*] and you'll find who
    > maintains (or helps in a big way to maintain) projects like glibc,
    > gcc, gdb just to name a few.

   A company helping in maintanence of free software is not an
   excuse for using non-free software.  The problem I found with
   most distributions is that they mix together free and non-free
   software together. On the other hand, while installing debian,
   I am clearly asked whether I want to use non-free software.
   This makes things easier.  I don't know any thing about the
   motivation behind other distributions not doing so. But as
   Khuzaima pointed out, it looks like >>taking a free ride<<.

One should appreciate the business compulsions of companies relating
to survival in a chaotic economic scenario. We need to fathom deep
into the real reasons behind the closing of free software companies
instead of bullying them with emotions. Every company has an
economic basis for their activities and economic obligations too, at
least to their staffers that they cant simply ignore.

At the same time, if any of the distribution companies insist for
using their non-free stuff along with GNU/Linux system that they
distribute or restrict the download of GNU/Linux software from their
sites we can avoid them. I dont think Red Hat or SuSe put any
conditions like the above. If they add oracle server to their
distribution and come up with a price tag and restrictions,
obviously, it is not targetted at the user population that we
discuss about and none of the users is bothered also.

I believe that none of the GNU/Linux users here will be carried away
by the marketing tricks or gimmicks of the distribution companies.
If they're a vulnerable lot, they would have fallen a prey to
Microsoft and would have never become a GNU/Linux user. As such,
they are intelligent enough to judge for themselves what they need
to use or what they should avoid. They dont need the goading of any
of the self styled GNU gurus around who seem to have suspicious
intellectual honesty or integrity and their advice/judgement reminds
me of taking back to the ages, temporament and obstinacy of the
medieval clergy.

   Aren't we mixing too many things in this discussion and taking
   away focus from issues that concern freedom? I feel that we
   should stop the distributions/ethics thread and discuss about

Please dont request people not to talk, people listened to you, let
them speak what they feel about what you've told. If the thread
deserves no attention, it will die of its own, we need not kill it.

   the idea proposed by Khuzaima at the begining of this thread.

Sure, we should not loose it.

-- 
Radhakrishnan