Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 03:21:05 -0700 From: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> To: James Michael DuPont <mdupont777@yahoo.com> Cc: des@ofug.org, s337240@student.uq.edu.au, tedm@toybox.placo.com, freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG, djohnson@acuson.com, stuyman@confusion.net Subject: Re: Stallman stalls again Message-ID: <3D1AE711.50DB6CB0@mindspring.com> References: <20020627093141.48702.qmail@web13302.mail.yahoo.com>
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James Michael DuPont wrote: > >Late '99 I wrote a backend for gcc targeting the java virtual > >machine. > [SNIP] > >I recently asked RMS if he figured it would be worth my while to go > >and ask for the assignment again as I figured that after reaping > >nothing from the code for 18 months they may be more forthcoming. > >This is the response I got. RMS essentially tells me to bury the code= > >in the backyard because it might be "dangerous". > = > I am currently involved in a similar situation. > My introspector project extracts the ASTS out of the compiler into XML,= I think you meant ASTs (Abstract Syntax Tree, plural)? > I am getting hostile mails from the gcc/fsf group. Unless you are quoting a post that you made previously (and you aren't) I don't understand the relevence. I also don't understand why you would get email complaining about the code. However, any code you want to add to GCC is going to have to go through the FSF gatekeepers, so you are probably out of luck. I personally would publicize the issue. But I personally don't see how this is a FreeBSD-advocacy issue; probably you wanted FreeBSD-chat? The FreeBSD-advocacy list is about advocating FreeBSD, not about getting FreeBSD people to advocate things on your behalf. 8-). FWIW, I like the idea of being able to parse a program into a data dictionary, and regenerate the code. THis is how most of the COBOL Y2K conversion software was written, and if it were generalized, it should allow source translation of code, which is always a neat thing. > It seems that there are not any real rules on this, > only FUD and opinions from the side of the people trying to stop all > "Dangerous" patches to the gcc. > = > I will be meeting with rms about this soon and need to know his > arguments from the past. He has sent me almost identical mails as well,= > I think that I will have to fight over this. I've done one or two things that have gotten me email from RMS in the past. I think that the answer is that you need to read the GNU Manifesto to understand where he is coming from. He's not really about free software (whether "free" means "free" or it means "liberated", and you are trying to avoid using the word so you use "free" instead), he's about the intellectual commons and strong opposition to intellectual property law. The GPL is just a tool he uses (and, as I've pointed out before, not really a very good one, technically, but we aren't talking technically, we're talking politically). > Please tell me on what is going on with this issue, > I would like some advice on what my options are. Read the Manifesto. If the condemning letters are from RMS himself, he likely understands exactly what you intend to do, and has extrapolated the long term consequences in a binary decision based on whether it promotes or does not promote the GNU Manifesto. Your only argument that could convince him has to do with the long term consequences, as they apply to forwarding or at least not hindering the goals of the FSF. If you are going to go in cold, and try to think on your feet, because you can't figure out what his objections are without him telling you, then you should just ask up front what they are, and try to address them. > Is is not funny how the GCC people did not try and bury this guys > attempt at the same : > http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc/2001-08/msg00696.html > =93I'm writing a backend for GCC to compile to Java bytecode, and I'm > having some problems with function calls." > = > http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc/2001-08/msg00696.html > this mail got him help from the compiler team. Duplicate URLs... Intentional? > http://introspector.sourceforge.net/ It looks like what you are doing is intentionally to interoperate with Microsoft's .NET; so RMS's being reticent is understandable, given his platform and view from there. PS: If you want to get FreeBSD folks on your bandwagon, fine, bur like I said above, this probably belongs in FreeBSD-chat, and if you really want the FreeBSD folks to listen to you, you may want to think about making the front page of your project site accessible to a browser other than Internet Explorer or a "view source" in Netscape... -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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