Re: [libreplanet-discuss] The GNU ethical repository criteria will only harm free software.

[arthur_torrey]

While I respect and admire Richard's 'purity' - I also want to be able to deal 
with the real world, so my computer does have non-free software installed on it 
where I don't think the free alternatives are as good...  

Having a list / ranking / score system has a benefit - if for whatever reason 
one doesn't want to use the '100% perfect' repo, isn't it better to use one 
that is say '75% pure' vs one that is '0.0% pure'??  If so, how does one tell 
the 'not-quite, but almost acceptable' from the 'downright evil' repos????

It's the same problem I have with the RYF label - because you don't allow the 
label to be used on a product that also has a 'Works with <proprietary>' system 
label, you cut your own throats - like it or not that is a big set of users, 
and a manufacturer would be foolish to ignore a potential market segment.  If I 
made a hardware product that ran on both, I wouldn't even think of applying for 
an RYF label because of that restriction.  As a hardware consumer I am HURT, 
because in most cases I can't look at a product box and see a 'Runs on 
GNU/Linux' label next to the 'Runs on <other system>' label.  The Free Software 
world is HURT because the proprietary system user never gets to see that he can 
use his hardware under GNU/Linux as well as the proprietary system....


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Arthur Torrey - <arthur_torrey@comcast.net>
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