Re: [Ghm-discuss] Main Topic for 2012

[Rick C. Hodgin]

"By the way,`open source' is a different movement than free software; they 
might share our licenses but not our goals." 

That's why I used the term "open source" there. Read carefully.

Such a distinction has been the entire thrust of my argument, not only the 
differences between free software and open source,  but in the case of Linux 
two separate points:

#1 that their allowance of non-free contributions is reason enough for us to 
not support them (despite us having libre-linux, we are continually, 
SIGNIFICANTLY harmed, as are ALL people, because non-free software is allowed 
in Linux--and that reality leads to THE single underlying /root reason for all 
of the hardward battles we'll face, such as SecureBoot), and

#2 that their use of the weak and vulnerable GPLv2, and the reasons they're 
sticking with v2 and rejecting v3, is reason enough for us to not support them.

We can do better. We owe it to people to do better.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

-------- Original Message --------
 From: address@hidden
 Sent: Thu, Jun 7, 2012 06:49 PM
 To: Rick C. Hodgin <address@hidden>
 CC: address@hidden; address@hidden
 Subject: Re: [Ghm-discuss] Main Topic for 2012

>   Once something's in the GPL it's free software. It can't be taken back. 
> Future releases under the same license can be halted, however. 
>
>I am not sure what you mean with `halted'; you can't take back a
>license like the GPL or any other free software license.
>
>   And those copyright holders may not contribute new open source
>   material to the new non-GPL version / release of Linux, but there's
>   money to be made for them staying by with Linux even after a shift
>   to a non-GPL form (and probably especially after a shift to non-GPL
>   actually).
>
>As long as they stay with free software then that is good.  By the
>way, `open source' is a different movement than free software; they
>might share our licenses but not our goals.  See
>http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html for
>more information.