> Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 8:48 AM > From: "Jean Louis" <bugs@gnu.support> > To: "Christopher Dimech" <dim...@gmx.com> > Cc: "Stefan Kangas" <ste...@marxist.se>, "Richard Stallman" <r...@gnu.org>, > emacs-tangents@gnu.org > Subject: Re: Leaving Freenode behind > > * Christopher Dimech <dim...@gmx.com> [2021-06-22 09:40]: > > It is unfortunate to think that the moment one markets something, > > then it is corrupt. There is nothing wrong with a business or an > > industry. Business means that something that someone needs, someone > > decides to provide. As long as it is a legitimate business and people > > are paying their taxes. Of course for a cost, because if it needs to be > > sustained, there has to be a cost. > > > > Till people give up this attitude, free software will not spread > > across. Free software must go to every village if the urban people > > pay for it. That is my mission and I will take it there. > > What you don't see is that free software WAS always one or the other > business. There is nothing wrong and was never wrong in selling free > software. That is how I found it, I have paid 90 Deutschmarks in > Buchhandlung under Bahnhof in Stuttgart for the "Red Hat Linux" book > with the CDs attached. That was in 1999. All my contacts at the time > were with the companies selling free software on CDs. It was never in > my mind a question that such would be "free". What was good with it is > that license was permissive and I could buy one time and use it many > times. > > So many times I have purchased Free GNU/Linux variations of OS-es in > magazines or with books. In fact I used Internet so little, it took me > few years to figure out that I could just download software. Until > then I have been installing it from paid CDs.
I remember that time well. That's how it was. > Many companies are profiting on free software. It was since the > inception of GNU with kernel Linux that it was sold and sold over and > over again. > > How do you mean: free software will not spread? It runs now the > majority of Internet, people pay for VPS-es, it is just everywhere, > well spread. Because the non-profit obsession is basically a dislike of those who are successful. > -- > Jean > > Take action in Free Software Foundation campaigns: > https://www.fsf.org/campaigns > > In support of Richard M. Stallman > https://stallmansupport.org/ >
