Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 21:47:36 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "James Michael DuPont" <mdupont777@yahoo.com>, <des@ofug.org>, <s337240@student.uq.edu.au>, <freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG>, <djohnson@acuson.com>, <stuyman@confusion.net> Subject: RE: Stallman stalls again Message-ID: <000101c21e5e$eca9b820$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <20020627093141.48702.qmail@web13302.mail.yahoo.com>
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>-----Original Message----- >From: James Michael DuPont [mailto:mdupont777@yahoo.com] >Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 2:32 AM >To: 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 > > >I am currently involved in a similar situation. >My introspector project extracts the ASTS out of the compiler into XML, >I am getting hostile mails from the gcc/fsf group. > >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. > Right. As Terry says, your doing exactly what they are doing, only you aren't consistent with their view of the world. Thus, they will oppose you. >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. > Why? What is it that you want from RMS? For starters, RMS doesen't even represent the views of the GNU project, in fact that project itself is as fractionalized as all the Linux people with their distribution of the month mentality. The GNU has no goals that everyone in it agrees over. They argue with each other as much as they argue with everyone else. RMS today is nothing more than a figurehead who's main usefulness to anybody is that he has an opinion on your stuff. If RMS loves something, then half the GNU will hate it and the other half will love it. If RMS hates something then half the GNU will love it and the other half will hate it. I think your operating under the delusion that getting RMS's buyoff on something will miraculously get all the GNU to embrace it. You need to realize that the fact that RMS hates your stuff is valuable - now you can go wade into the fray waving your "I'm a victim of RMS" banner and gain a following. He has done you a tremendous favor - grab it and run! > >Please tell me on what is going on with this issue, >I would like some advice on what my options are. > You have only one real option, and that is this: Write useful software. If your GCC backend does something that someone needs done, then your headed in the right direction. If it does something that a lot of people love, then so much the better. The GNU history is littered with projects that the core group fought against but the users basically told the core to shove it up their ass, then eventually the GNU capitulated and rewrote their manifesto to include the project. Keep this in mind: you cannot convince RMS of anything. He makes a snap decision as to whether he likes what your doing or not, then never changes it. By meeting him all your doing is feeding his ego, you have no more chance of convincing him your stuff is worthwhile than a flower has of convincing the sun to move it's rays into a better position. What you do to RMS is you tell him "This is what I'm doing and it's going to be great and lots of people will like it and it's not going to go away. So you may as well get used to it because nothing you can say will stop me." Your missing the point of Free software if you are seeking permission from anyone. First your seeking permission from RMS now your seeking permission from us. Wake up - you don't need permission from anyone. Just do it and if it's good, enough people will start using it, THEN you can run around doing your politicing to grease it up for easy insertion into the GNU rectum. Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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