Insufficiently free? [LWN.net]

Insufficiently free?

Posted Dec 19, 2007 17:46 UTC (Wed) by copsewood (subscriber, #199)
Parent article: Insufficiently free?

RMS wrote to someone very close to me who authors a significant Java-based free software
project a few years ago criticising his choice of programming language because Java code then
needed non-free software in order to compile and run. But I think the reason for choosing to
make the project free software in the first place had little to do with the author's ethical
or political position; it was driven by engineering and business logic.  Considering the good
work RMS has done and continues to do it's probably best just to kindly humour him when he
acts in this classic Aspergers manner.

It is just possible that RMS might have made developing a free Java a higher priority partly
on account of this conversation, and that competition from free Java projects may have
encouraged Sun eventually to commit to freeing Java.

(Log in to post comments)

To fade away

Posted Dec 19, 2007 19:45 UTC (Wed) by ncm (subscriber, #165) [Link]

A fight against fundamentally ill-conceived software would be a different fight.
Historically, such software has vanished once its commercial support withered.  When Sun
finally recognizes that Java yields no commercial value, it will fade quietly.

Insufficiently free?

Posted Dec 21, 2007 16:43 UTC (Fri) by giraffedata (subscriber, #1954) [Link]

But I think the reason for choosing to make the project free software in the first place had little to do with the author's ethical or political position; it was driven by engineering and business logic.

As you told the story, this doesn't condemn RMS's actions at all. It sounds like RMS was criticizing your friend for not incorporating ethics and politics in his choice of Java.

it's probably best just to kindly humour him when he acts in this classic Aspergers manner.

I don't know why you'd need to humor him; just ignore him as you would anyone who fails to convince you he's right.