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From: r...@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Richard Stallman)
Subject: FSF actions vs purposes
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Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 11:48:03 GMT
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From time to time, people accuse the FSF of being dishonest or
hypocritical. These people generally misunderstand what the FSF is
doing or its aims or reasons; what they criticize doesn't match the
FSF.
We try hard to tell people what we are doing and why. We published
the GNU Manfesto at the very beginning, and we include it with every
copy of Emacs. We explain our aims in the GNU's Bulletin, which we
publish on paper and on the net twice a year.
But many users seem to find out about GNU software without reading
these things, and they formulate an inaccurate idea of what we stand
for.
Eventually they discover facts that don't jibe with this idea, and
they may then conclude that we are false to "our own" principles. Of
course, our real principles are something else, but they don't realize
that. Sometimes inaccurate facts come into the process as well.
It is a shame if people have misunderstandings about what GNU stands
for--even if the result is that they think they agree. To help
prevent this, I plan to write a few messages addressing philosophical
issues, and have them posted from time to time.
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From: mathew <mat...@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: FSF actions vs purposes
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Date: Fri, 8 Jan 93 13:15:34 GMT
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r...@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Richard Stallman) writes:
> But many users seem to find out about GNU software without reading
> these things, and they formulate an inaccurate idea of what we stand
> for.
>
> Eventually they discover facts that don't jibe with this idea, and
> they may then conclude that we are false to "our own" principles. Of
> course, our real principles are something else, but they don't realize
> that.
It seems to me that you're admitting that the term "Free Software" as used by
GNU misleads people.
> It is a shame if people have misunderstandings about what GNU stands
> for--even if the result is that they think they agree. To help
> prevent this, I plan to write a few messages addressing philosophical
> issues, and have them posted from time to time.
To help prevent it, why don't you give the FSF an honest name which people
can't be misled by?
mathew
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From: hai...@ma2s2.uucp (Bruno Haible)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: FSF actions vs purposes
Date: 3 Feb 1993 02:13:43 GMT
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Keywords: free software, open
> It seems to me that you're admitting that the term "Free Software" as used by
> GNU misleads people.
Why is "Free Software" not called "Open Software"? The german philosopher
Karl Popper wishes the society organized in such a way that mistakes
("bugs" in our domain) are are corrected, not hidden, when they are perceived.
He uses the term "open" to denote such an attitude towards mistakes.
Bruno Haible
hai...@ma2s2.mathematik.uni-karlsruhe.de
Disclaimer:
I'm not Karl Popper. Citing a philosopher always mutilates his theory.