Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2001 00:01:03 +1000 From: Stephen McKay <mckay@thehub.com.au> To: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> Cc: mckay@thehub.com.au, freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: RMS: A threat to society? Message-ID: <200109181401.f8IE14h29150@dungeon.home> In-Reply-To: <3BA3248D.5E47FDC9@mindspring.com> from Terry Lambert at "Sat, 15 Sep 2001 09:51:09 %2B0000" References: <4.3.2.7.2.20010913023437.045fae70@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20010913002733.05261930@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20010912203732.0492cc80@localhost> <20010912225151.58FCD37B40B@hub.freebsd.org> <20010912215547.98067.qmail@web20806.mail.yahoo.com> <01091219512600.11358@proxy.the-i-pa.com> <20010912225428.A9675@citusc17.usc.edu> <4.3.2.7.2.20010913021952.045974f0@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20010913185102.0497c9e0@localhost> <15266.22869.722204.601040@guru.mired.org> <3BA3248D.5E47FDC9@mindspring.com>
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On Saturday, 15th September 2001, Terry Lambert wrote:
>For the man himself, from personal observation of the man and
>reading of his writings, I also think RMS has many attributes
>in common with Theodore Kazinski (the Unibomber). I can give
>you a large laundry list, starting with his luddism, the fact
>that he also has written a "Manifesto", his unkempt appearance,
Hmm. A "let's dump on RMS" thread, eh? Well, he's certainly
eccentric (not yet a crime), is wildly hairy (still not a crime),
and writes opinionated articles (soon to be a crime if encrypted).
This just makes him interesting.
He's stubborn and inflexible and deeply believes in what he does.
You can say that about the pope. Should everybody bend like the
willow and vary their beliefs to follow the current fashions?
>his appearing to have, according to the DSM IV, 5 out of the 11
>common symptoms of the rare condition Asperger's Syndrome ("Mad
>Scientist's Disease" -- a variant form of autism),
Now you'll have to be more specific. Are you just saying "He looks
funny, so he'll probably lose it and make an undead monster soon"?
>his disdain
>for the rule of law (in his case, intellectual property law),
>and so on.
Well, he certainly opposes intellectual property law, loudly and
frequently. But he doesn't break it, he uses it against people
who support it. That's "disdain" I suppose, but I think you
were implying criminality.
>In short, RMS is a scar, a shaved head, a monocle, and a bald
>cat away from being a villian in an Austin Powers movie...
Hardly the way I think of him. RMS is very useful as an unwavering
marker signifying the most extreme (yet viable) point of view in
the intellectual property/software debate. Any further and you
reach lunatic territory (illegal actions, violence, whathaveyou).
At the other end you have RIAA, MPAA, and a host of leeches (sorry,
I mean IP lawyers). They represent the other (possibly viable)
extreme, just this side of illegal actions.
I make sure what I do is between the two, and way closer to RMS.
The rocks are bigger and sharper on the RIAA/MPAA side than on the
RMS side of this narrow channel we are navigating.
Stephen.
PS Yes, I've met him. I kinda liked him, even so.
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