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Date:      04 Jan 2003 13:27:26 -0800
From:      swear@attbi.com (Gary W. Swearingen)
To:        Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>
Cc:        Mike Jeays <mj001@rogers.com>, chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Bystander shot by a spam filter.
Message-ID:  <rcptrcppvl.trc@localhost.localdomain>
In-Reply-To: <4.3.2.7.2.20030104131212.03837e10@localhost>
References:  <3E120659.3D60EB30@mindspring.com> <200212312041.gBVKfr183480@hokkshideh2.jetcafe.org> <3E120659.3D60EB30@mindspring.com> <4.3.2.7.2.20030104112015.026a5530@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20030104131212.03837e10@localhost>

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Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> writes:

> At 11:58 AM 1/4/2003, Mike Jeays wrote:
> 
> >GCC is a great gift to the world, 
> 
> No, it is not. It's an apple with a poison pill inside:
> Richard Stallman's vicious and destructive agenda.

But anyone who cares knows where the pill is located and may eat the
rest of the apple.  As true as your agenda crack is, we should not deny
that there is a gift being granted; just not as much as we would like or
as much as they lead people to believe.

(Even if you want to get picky and note that a license is involved, I'll
note that one need not agree to the license to compile with a gcc that
one's legally acquired from someone who did agree to the license.
Which, BTW, means that the liability clauses are not always effective --
a feature shared by most open source licenses including BSDLs.)

> >and has made a huge difference to
> >the development of open-source software.  
> 
> Yes, it has. It has made most such software dependent upon
> a tool that is GPLed, which is a very bad thing.

The publishing of gcc (or gcc itself) has not done that.  It's people's
(I won't say "free") choice to make themselves so dependent.  I don't
blame either Bill Gates or RMS for publishing their proprietary
software; their self-interests should be respected.  I just blame them
for their unsavory behavior dealing with people and companies,
especially for misleading people, in RMS's case.  And most of the blame
goes to their "customers".

> >It can't be all that mediocre
> >if it has destroyed the market for higher-quality compilers!
> 
> Not true at all. People will put up with mediocrity if it's
> available at no cost. To the point where it drives out much 
> better commercial products. 

Point made, but I don't think it's fair to blame the pawn shop for the
lack of a Tiffinis in your town.  The blame belongs to the consumers.

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