Dear Vivek,

2010/9/22 Vivek Varghese Cherian <[email protected]>

>
> Dear Comrade Anil,
>

[?] Thanks for offering comradeship with you.


> Quoting RMS (ie Shri Richard Stallman according to your article)
>
> "Communism as was practiced in the Soviet Union was a system of central
> control where all activity was regimented,
>

RMS is wrong here. Communism never practised in USSR. It was socialism
practised there.

supposedly for the common good, but actually for the sake of the members of
> the Communist party. And where copying equipment was closely guarded to
> prevent illegal copying.
>

Yes that is true. there were distortions in building socialism in USSR. And
that is identified and analysed by Indian Communists parties as well. In the
document named “On certain political-ideological issues related to
developments in some socialist countries” published in CPI (M) theoretical
quarterly "The Marxist" in first half 1990. says,
“... the recent events reveal that there have been many distortions in
building of socialism and the functioning of socialist states in these
countries ... In the sphere of running socialist state and ensuring
socialist democracy as a higher form of democracy compared to bourgeois
democracy there were many deformations. The concept of proletarian
dictatorship was reduced to the dictatorship of the party and this at times
led to the dictatorship of the leading coterie of the party. This resulted
in the growth of bureaucratism and the violation of civil liberties and
democratic rights… these distortions resulted in violations of socialist
legality and restrictions on individual freedom, which contributed to the
alienation of larger sections of the people from the party and the state.”

 The American system of software copyright exercises central control over
> distribution of a program, and guards copying equipment with automatic
> copying-protection schemes to prevent illegal copying.
>
 By contrast, I am working to build a system where people are free to decide
> their own actions; in particular, free to help their neighbors, and free to
> alter and improve the tools which they use in their daily lives. A system
> based on voluntary cooperation and on decentralization.
>
Surely, That is why RMS's activities are appreciated widely.

>  Thus, if we are to judge views by their resemblance to Russian Communism,
> it is the software owners who are the Communists."
>
Mere hypothetical argument from RMS

In fact RMS (whom you call Shri Richard Stallman in your article) seems to
> hold a very low view of communism which he says
> _only_benefits_the_members_of_the_communist_party.
>

Sure. From his write-up what I feel is his understanding on communism also
weak.


> Once again Comrade, it  seems like you are lacking understanding of what
> Shri Richard Stallman says about "'Free as in Freedom, not Free Beer"


[?]  Even if you offer me comradeship, I feel we are yet to know each other
to attain that status.

and seems to be distorting (either knowingly or out of sheer ignorance) Shri
> Richard Stallman's views on Free Software to fit  some sort of 'communist
> Propoganda'.
>

You may re-read my write-up and analysis what is written in it. It is very
much relevant in the context of history of science and technology.

- Regards,

Anil

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