[GNUz] [Fwd: WLUG Wiki Licensing]

[Richard Tindall]

I guess that spells the end of my (3-year) "Linux" apprenticeship - 
realising how totally political the whole environment is. Look at poor 
Chris, getting a public drubbing on CLUG, simply for stating his 
idiosyncratic counter-cultural views. I'd like to support him, but know 
I'd just get shredded and add unneeded fuel to the fire.

It's good that we have this separate forum, specific to questions of 
title. Hopefully we'll achieve more clarity here.

Jim Cheetham wrote:

>> The more widely I read, the more it looks to me like ESR/OS is out to 
>> liquidate free (as in beer) software. - $ talks.
>
> No, I think ESR just wants to be "king of the heap", and he isn't too 
> bothered about which heap it is, or seemingly the state of it either.

It looks to me like ESR's heading a double-edged reactionary sword: 
approach bigger business for a raised FOSS profile and legitimacy, then 
flush out the F-liberals. The aim is to fully commoditise all software 
code (leave nothing Free), so as to raise the value and momentum of 
multi-platform non-MS software - i.e. not restricted to *nix and not 
defined as to cost or salary ceiling - an (optionally open) competing 
proprietary. That's what Volker's just argued will happen too - more 
diverse brand binaries.

My view? ..Another time..

-- 
Richard Tindall. hackstop.org