Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 17th Dec 2007 16:32 UTC, submitted by lmvaz
Richard Stallman sent a message to OpenBSD-Misc, explaining why he doesn't recommend OpenBSD. "From what I have heard, OpenBSD does not contain non-free software (though I am not sure whether it contains any non-free firmware blobs). However, its ports system does suggest non-free programs, or at least so I was told when I looked for some BSD variant that I could recommend. I therefore exercise my freedom of speech by not including OpenBSD in the list of systems that I recommend to the public." His mail started a huge thread (that's just page 1) and since then he's under a blast of messages from Theo de Raadt and the OpenBSD users. De Raadt replied: "Richard, you are wrong. You said very clearly in your interview that the ports tree contains non-free software. It does not. It is just a scaffold of Makefiles containing URLs, and an occasional patch here or there. You are just plain wrong. And you are not enough of a man to admit that you are wrong. I may be unfriendly at times, but you are a power-misusing hypocritical liar who attacks projects that try harder than any others to only make free software available. Shame on you."
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Member since:
2005-07-22
That argument falls flat on its face and is plain stupid with a touch of arrogance in it. RMS is already a well-known figure in the FOSS world (more of "F" than the "OSS" maybe) and a champion of the free software movement. He is known for his work in FSF, the GPL and of course the software he has written/taken a major role in writing (read gcc, emacs ...). I don't think he is in some urgent need of finding his name in a public mailing list for some new found popularity. Far from it. Cantankerous and eccentric he may be, but attention-seeking, he is not.
Same for Theo. He may not be as well known as RMS in the free software world, but he certainly has a name with his work on OpenBSD. These people argue passionately on minor points in lists, because that is what they believe in; that is what they breath and live for. Difference of opinion can arise, but they can be worked out if they start thinking and acting like adults, which sooner or later they have to.
Don't try to belittle their work by raising childish arguments and projecting them like some script kiddies vying for attention. You are way off your mark in that comment Thom.