[Aqueous]

I see GCC as performing the necessary function of defining the radical antithesis to proprietary tools, historically like Think C, C++, Borland,and Metrowerks, and presents tools like Microsoft's Visual C/C++.

Without GCC staking out the position it has clang wouldn't have its middle ground to stake out. The middle ground would instead be a lot more proprietary than it is now.

Without Stallman being as radical as he is, there would be no Linus' who bridge the gap between completely free and completely proprietary software. There would be nothing to react to.

Many wrongs actually do make a right, as long as we're all wrong in opposite directions.