LWN writes about a InformationWeek interview to Linus Torvalds: "Finally, the real basic issue is that I think the Free Software Foundation simply doesn't have goals that I can personally sign up to. For example, the FSF considers proprietary software to be something evil and immoral. Me, I just don't care about proprietary software. It's not 'evil' or 'immoral', it just doesn't matter. I think that Open Source can do better, and I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is by working on Open Source, but it's not a crusade - it's just a superior way of working together and generating code."
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Member since:2005-08-28
Torvalds believes that Open Source methodology is developmentally superior.
Stallman believes that Open Source methodology is morally and ethically superior.
Any more than that and I'd be reiterating what he says in the article.
Of course, since Torvalds' Linux is the most prominent member of the Open Source movement, and attracts a lot of users (and developers) who share Stallman's ideas... well, people seem to be continually surprised when Torvalds appears to be more cool to the issue of Open versus Proprietary than Stallman.
Does he share Stallman's other beliefs, about the right to use a program when you want, where you want, and edit it if you want to? Probably, but probably not in the same way or degree as Stallman.
I like how he equates Open Source vs Proprietary to Science versus Alchemy. Just think what would happen if everyone who wanted to build a computer had to re-discover all the physics leading up to transistors... or worse, if the physics had been patented such that even if you WERE smart enough to figure them out, you wouldn't be allowed to do anything with them.
Standstill.
Member since:
2006-01-10
Seems to be so well grounded in comparison to somebody like Stallman. I don't think the success of Linux development, and his personality traits, are unrelated.