[htk]

What if we change "software" for "work" in your argument? "Free work is strictly more ethical than nonfree work. Any attempt at arguing otherwise basically boils down to a rationalization of 'but I want to make money', which is not a tenable ethical stance."

We can argue that not all software is work, but some certainly are, and many times the final product is used to make money. Like any other work or product of work.

That's why I consider an extremist position on FOSS (Stallmanesque) comparable to fanaticism.

[scbrg]

You did not only change the word "software" to "work". You also changed the word "free" to "free". Just because those two words happen to be spelled the same way in the English language, that does not change the fact that they mean different things.

[sloum]

I agree that the game of changing software and work is fun and interesting in a certain light, but not really meaningful.

At the core of all of this is something that people here just don't seem to want to wade into (understandably): capitalism does not have an ethical foundation. Capital is limited, for some to have, some have to forego (usually not by choice, or laziness, but by systemic force). That is not an ethical or moral system. Yes, we are talking about software here, but so many of the points made here boil down to those that are comfortable with capitalism and (so-called) democracy.... and those that see the major major flaws in it and are trying to actively pursue something better.