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FSFLA: Linux kernel is "open core"FSFLA: Linux kernel is "open core"Posted Nov 9, 2010 12:35 UTC (Tue) by dion (subscriber, #2764)Parent article: FSFLA: Linux kernel is "open core"
How is a blob of firmware in the kernel tree much different from a blob of firmware in a FLASH PROM on a board?
The answer is: One takes up space on your hard disk in stead of making the device more expensive.
Maybe the FSF should concentrate on showing the world how Free software beats everything else by keeping gcc relevant in stead of alienating and confusing users and developers the biggest GPLed piece of code...
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FSFLA: Linux kernel is "open core" Posted Nov 9, 2010 13:39 UTC (Tue) by anselm (subscriber, #2796) [Link] Maybe the FSF should concentrate on showing the world how Free software beats everything else by keeping gcc relevant in stead of alienating and confusing users and developers the biggest GPLed piece of code... It is probably just as well to remember that the FSFLA (the people behind the current PR stunt) and the FSF (the people in charge of GCC) have nothing to do with each other, officially. As far as I can see the FSFLA, unlike the FSF, does not seem to release free software that (a) is of general interest, and (b) they have written themselves.
FSFLA: Linux kernel is "open core" Posted Nov 9, 2010 18:46 UTC (Tue) by jebba (✭ supporter ✭, #4439) [Link]
Uh, search for Alexandre Oliva:
http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Contributors.html
There's points like:
A few seem to be dissing him/FSFLA without really knowing anything (surprise...).
FSFLA: Linux kernel is "open core" Posted Nov 9, 2010 18:16 UTC (Tue) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]
I think you'l find Alexandre's doing that too (and has been for many years). But that's not done wearing his FSFLA hat, as far as I know.
Isn't he allowed to do more than one thing at once? (Even if one of them *is* quixotic bordering on useless?)
FSFLA: Linux kernel is "open core" Posted Nov 10, 2010 2:50 UTC (Wed) by lxoliva (subscriber, #40702) [Link]
Indeed, the FSFs are political organizations, so they tend to get into software development only when there's a political reason to do so. That was the case when the FSF was started, with the initial (now broader) purpose of raising funds for the GNU project, and this is the case for FSFLA when we undertake say freeing Linux or the income tax program that Brazilian citizens are required to use to prepare their tax returns. Other than that, these organizations support other priority Free Software projects (the FSF has a list of these), but developing software is not where the focus is in defending software users' and developers' rights and freedoms any more.
Professionally, I still devote a significant amount of time to developing GNU software, which I'm happy to be paid by my employer to do. Personally, I volunteered time to maintain various GNU and non-GNU Free Software projects for some 15 years before I got involved with FSFLA, but now most of my spare time is devoted to political activism for software freedom. I consider that fighting for freedom and training the next generations to care for it is far more important and more valuable, in the long term, than most software development tasks I'd be qualified to undertake.
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