On Tuesday 18 July 2017 20:18:07 Ben Finney wrote: > Teemu Likonen <tliko...@iki.fi> writes: > > Doug [2017-07-18 13:25:34-05] wrote: > > > My point is that most of the folks who complain about code not > > > being free to modify are not capable of modifying it, so why do > > > they complain? > > What has not being capable got to do with it? I am losing that capability slowly but surely, too many circles around this star we call the Sun being the main reason. I have outlived all the enemies I used to have, and poor short term memory lets me forget about any recently acquired ones.
> > Free software has the advantage that it does not depend on just one > > company and its interests. A free software community can maintain > > code longer and can port it to different platforms. The community > > benefits even if only some people actually modify the software. > > By analogy: I am not capable of maintaining the house I live in, let > alone of making significant improvements. > That blows me away, Ben. I have read enough of your keyboards output to know there is not one darned thing keeping you from learning to do what you deny being able to do. > Yet I benefit from the fact that anyone sufficiently motivated can > learn to do so and they don't need permission from the people who made > the house. > > If anyone who wanted to improve the house I live in were prevented > from doing so without the express permission of the people who made > the house, you're damned right I would complain. > So would I, by whatever means gets the attention. > I may have no intention of ever doing so myself, but I want a > wide-open market of people who can do so if I ask, who have learned > because no law stops them from doing so. > > > Free software includes that same freedom for software: Everyone is > free to learn about it, and try to improve it, and share their work > with others who want it. > > Because everyone has that freedom, we don't all have to exercise it. > But we must defend it for everyone, and look with suspicion on anyone > – even those who sell video cards – who tries to deny us that freedom. Extremely well stated Ben, thank you. Cheers, Gene Heskett -- "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author) Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
