Sergey Spiridonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Daniel Burrows wrote: >> On Mon, Jan 19, 2004 at 12:43:22PM +0100, Sergey Spiridonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> was >> heard to say: >> >>> Producing and distributing non-free is ethical. If I produce a >>> package with closed source and distribute it, it is ethical, since >>> it help people to solve their tasks. It compels me to non-ethical >>> action when someone, for example, will request sources from me. >> Suppose you package foo-nonfree, a package whose source code is not >> available. Some time later, a user requests the sources from you. You >> reply, "I'm sorry, I don't have the source code and so I can't give it >> to you." > > I do not have ready example on how one can compel himself to act > unethical if he distributes program without sources. I propose to > finish discussing the example which I already presented, before we > will start to discuss other cases.
Well, I've read it again, and I will put it here : > I will try to present an example. Let's say we have program 'A' > without permition to distribute modified sources. It's not > absolutely non-free - you have freedom to learn how program works, > to modify it for your own needs, to distribute it without > modifications. It is unique and there is no free analog. > If developer agrees with such a limitation he is not able to modify > this program to help his friend to adapt it for his needs. Developer > will not be able to distribute modifications to others who also need > such an improvenment. This contradicts human ethics, because help is > ethical. So, if I'm not able to modify a free software because I lack time, I'm contradicting human ethic ? so I must drop my job to have more time and to be more ethical ? I'm not sure it was what you said, but it look like. If I don't adapt a software to someone needs, I'm not doing any good, but I'm neither doing any bad, so it is a neutral action on the ethical scale. By the way, my friend will be better with an ocaml-doc with an error than without an ocaml-doc, and it will be even better if this ocaml-doc is well integrated into the debian system (with doc-base and all other interesting thing). -- Rémi Vanicat -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
