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by sealeck 111 days ago
> Stallman has always been right. It's mind boggling just how right he was about everything.

Mind boggling right about not allowing GCC to be used as a library, his comments on Jeffrey Esptein, a refusal to in any way compromise (e.g. the GNU/Linux meme), etc...

Oh and a recognition that free software, while nice, does not in any way solve the underlying issues he claims it does. Similarly to how letting everyone walk around their local water treatment facility and perform chemical tests doesn't really work and instead the state regulates and hires experts to monitor the water supply...
2 comments
basilikum 111 days ago
> his comments on Jeffrey Esptein

Do you disagree with his description of Epstein as a serial rapist? Do you disagree with Stallman's position that Epstein should be described according to the specific crimes he committed: rape instead of using much more vague terms that also encompass much less severe crimes which Epstein himself used to downplay and obscure the actual crimes he committed?

If so, why?

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matheusmoreira 111 days ago
> not allowing GCC to be used as a library

Nothing wrong with that move from a strategic point of view. The objective was to leverage GCC and make others play ball. People who wanted GCC should have been forced to do things the free software way.

Only problem with this is it turned out GCC didn't provide enough leverage. Replacing GCC wasn't difficult enough. People implemented LLVM instead and the rest is history.

Compare that to Linux which literally leaves companies behind in the dust when they refuse to merge. No kernel ABI stability: if out-of-tree stuff gets broken it's not their problem. Companies have a choice: play ball or pay the maintenance costs required to keep up with the biggest free software project ever. That's how it should be.

> his comments on Jeffrey Esptein

By "everything" I of course meant his ideas on computer freedom which is the context of this thread. I don't know or care about his opinions on Epstein.

> a refusal to in any way compromise

As he should. If anything he's not extreme enough. Compromise is the root of many evils.

> a recognition that free software, while nice, does not in any way solve the underlying issues he claims it does

Elaborate.

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