On Mon, Aug 18, 2003 at 04:55:36PM +1000, Darryl Barlow wrote: > Obvously we all owe a lot to RMS, but this does not of course mean that we > must agree with him. He is an idealist, and his solution to the problems > raised by "non-free" software are in my view at one extreme of the spectrum. > I respect his views though I do not entirely agree with them. His attitude > should not come as a surprise to us. I am sure most people involved in > Debian are aware of his views and of what must be done or not done to retain > his approval. We cannot realistically expect to retain such approval when we > choose to depart from his philosophy. I love the Debian approach, and am > quite simply amazed at the quality of the distribution and the dedication of > those involved. The decisions which have lead to RMS withholding his > approval are in my view good ones, though once again I respect Richard's > right to disagree, as should we all. > > The tension between intellectual property rights and the public benefit of > "free" information is building, and I don't know how it will ultimately be > resolved, not only for Software but in many even more important areas. Look, > for instance, at pharmaceuticals. New drugs are developed which are in many > cases too expensive for those who would benefit most. Yet without the > rewards conferred by patents, it is doubtful that many of these drugs would > have been developed at all. I doubt the validity of this interpretation of the 'ethical' drug business. Most of the expense of developing new drugs is in developing the scientific infra-structure without which no-one would ever dream of trying to develop a drug for profit. This infra-structure expense is paid by society via government funded research at government and university laboratories (and a few government funded private laboratories).
Yet there is also the question of what advances > are not being made because of the "locking-up" of information. > > The ideas of RMS are very important and worthwhile, even if only to provide an > alternative. > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
