[Axiom-legal] Re: GCL used commercially?

[Richard Stallman]

    I have no trouble agreeing with Richard (and the FSF) about
    the undesirable nature of closed source software

This seems to be a misunderstanding, because my views are not about
"open source" or "closed source" software.  Those terms were
formulated by people who disagree with me, and are closely linked with
views that disagree with mine.

What we say in the free software movement is that non-free software is
antisocial.

    Philosophically it
    does not make sense to me to use legal means (software licenses)
    to "enforce" freedom.

The GNU GPL uses legal means to protect users freedom from middlemen
who might wish to pass along the software without the freedom.  We've
been doing this for many years and it works well.

    I agree with the FSF that the use of copyright law is *not*
    appropriate for software.

That is not what we say.  We say that software should be free.
Abolishing copyright would not have this effect.  Rather, its
effect would be that contracts would be used to make programs
non-free.