This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by Brian McCallister. Original Post: Newspeak, FSF, "Free" Feed Title: Waste of Time Feed URL: http://kasparov.skife.org/blog/index.rss Feed Description: A simple waste of time and weblog experiment Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by Brian McCallister Latest Posts From Waste of Time

I am a bit amused by the hullabaloo about the ASL 2.0 not being compatible with the GPL according to the FSF. I don't particularly care, personally, about the FSF's opinion of the license -- but that is because for the most part I view the FSF as I view [insert obnoxious dogmatic beurocracy of choice] -- people that latched onto good idea and built a bad system around it to further their personal goals.

I have never been a fan of the GPL -- the redefinition of free has always bothered me in a 1984 way. The GPL places a lot of restrictions on what you can do in order to make the software free. Call me dense, but "Restriction is Freedom" sounds a lot like "War is Peace" =/ I understand (I think I do, anyway) the politics and philosophy behind the GPL and FSF -- I just disagree.

If you believe that open and free software will lead to better sofware than believe in that (and I'll agree with you). There is no need to try to force everyone else to also believe it. If you are right, you are right. If you are wrong, then let yourself be wrong and don't try to force everyone to sink with you. The FSF's dogma reads like a famous last stand (in the Terry Pratchett sense).