[losvedir]

Cue GOB's "I've made a huge mistake."

As much as RMS gets on my nerves sometimes, I have to admire him here. I feel like his reactions are over the top sometimes, but this shows me that at least they're consistently so -- even when he's the one at fault.

[p4bl0]

It strikes me that each time there's link on HN or reddit pointing to something RMS said/wrote, there's someone saying this. Always something along the line of "Usually he is overreacting/a dangerous fanatic, but this time I like what he said and how he said it".

Once and for all let's admit that RMS is actually a quite reasonable guy and that when his reactions are "over the top" it is the exception and not the rule. Let's also realize that his "over the top" reactions are due to his role in the FSF and the GNU project. If he is not the one being obsessed by the definition of "free software" versus "open source" then who will be? It's a matter of drawing too hard in one direction so the "forces" compensate and the general direction is as close as possible to what is reasonable.

[Wilduck]

> Let's also realize that his "over the top" reactions are due to his role in the FSF and the GNU project.

I remember an interview with RMS where he basically said that, while this cause is very important to him, the amount of pressure he felt in his role as a free software leader was enormous. I think you're probably right, he seems to get a lot of scorn for being a radical, and not enough praise for his integrity and results.

[losvedir]

My opinion of RMS's "over the top"-ness comes mainly from my time on the MIT CSAIL mailing list where his comments were routinely annoying and unhelpful.

Someone would email asking a question about Windows or Photoshop, and RMS would invariably chime in with something like, "you know, you shouldn't use that, it's like supporting a dictator."

So it is with that background that I was impressed with his comments here. On that mailing list I actually would say over the top reactions were the rule, rather than the exception. That said, maybe taken among all his public fora, he's quite reasonable. I haven't seen/heard him much elsewhere.

[owenmarshall]

IMO, RMS' reactions are rarely "over the top"; in fact, if you look at them, they are almost always completely consistent with his beliefs surrounding free software.

We may see them as "over the top" because we aren't as principled as he is.

[codeup]

How is he the one at fault here?

[astine]

RMS may not be directly responsible for this mishap, but it is his project so he is ultimately responsible for it. He's clearly taking responsibility so good on him I guess.

[sedev]

Cue GOB's "I've made a huge mistake."

Unfortunately I doubt we're going to see RMS on a Segway.

[sedev]

I wish I could tell whether the downvotes were for "that's not funny," "you are slandering RMS" (who is by the way far smarter than I am and has done far better things for the hacking community, I am a nobody), or "that is a cheap-shot comment that does not fit the tenor of the desired discussions on HN."

[djeikyb]

I didn't downvote, but I'm not laughing. Not because you're making fun of RMS, I just don't get it, and don't care to. Sorry.