There is more than one cult here. [LWN.net]

There is more than one cult here.

Posted Aug 25, 2010 18:52 UTC (Wed) by sepreece (guest, #19270)
In reply to: There is more than one cult here. by dskoll
Parent article: EFF: Apple seeking to patent spyware

Freedom cannot be a cult; worship of freedom can.

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There is more than one cult here.

Posted Aug 25, 2010 21:52 UTC (Wed) by dskoll (subscriber, #1630) [Link] (1 responses)

Are you attempting to discuss an issue, or see who can come up with cuter sound bites? :)

Apple has increasingly become the antithesis of everything FOSS stands for. To call yourself a FOSS advocate while sending money Apple's way is akin to a Vegan subsidizing the local beef marketing board.

There is more than one cult here.

Posted Aug 25, 2010 22:37 UTC (Wed) by sepreece (guest, #19270) [Link]

Sorry, my line was meant to be a nice line, but it really was in response to yours.

There is only a disconnect if one views FOSS, or veganism, as a philosophy or ethic. I have a friend who is a vegan and has been for years, but it's not a philosophical choice - he just prefers it. He doesn't feel guilty if he sometimes accidentally eats meat, he just prefers not to.

I support FOSS as a "Good Thing" and contribute money to some FOSS-related activities; I run a FOSS OS on one of my laptops. I think it's a good way to develop software. It is not, however, so central to me that I guide my life by its principles or feel guilty when I don't observe them. I have no moral/ethical objection to proprietary software or hardware, though there are some applications where I would insist on going FOSS.

So, I consider myself an advocate of FOSS while conceding that there are others who are much more fervent about it.