Richard Stallman wrote:
Developing a program ( real software ) for a non-free platform is big
encouragement by loud communication ( actions speak better than words
) to use or continue using that non-free platform.
There are two issues here: the practical effects, and the message conveyed.
The practical effects are mixed. Making free apps run on non-free
systems paves the way for some users to migrate to free systems, and
for some users eliminates a motivation to migrate.
So it has both
good and bad effects. I don't know which effect is bigger, but I
speculate that the good effect is bigger over all. The negative
effect is limited to power users, people who might switch systems as
if it were an easy thing to do. Most users are reluctant to change
operating systems at all.
Please review (and correct) my logic deduction:
1. negative effect is power users (you said)
2. power users are able to change OS (you said)
3. all people that use a compiler are power users.. only advanced users
run a compiler
4. all MsWin gcc users are power users because of above point
5. the negative effect is therefore all MsWin GCC users
6. since the negative effect is all MSwin gcc users.. MsWin GCC is negative
7. GCC is to be removed from MSWin, since it is overall negative.
Where did I go wrong?
Or what is the reason for power users being negative?
Power users are advanced users... people that can switch operating
systems. Their bundled OS with their computer can be changed - they are
advanced enough to not fear changing bundled OS. So.... is it negative
for power users to run GCC.. because they should be running a free OS
since they know they can install one? i.e. they are abusing their GCC
since they are using windows even though they know they can run an OS
like gNewSense?
Since RMS you said that the negative effect is power users - I'm saying
that since all MsWin GCC users are power users, then MsWin GCC users are
all affecting FSF negatively. Because the logic deduction is that power
users are affecting GNU negatively.. so if compiler users are power
users.. then the logic is that all GCC windows compiler folks are
negative.. and gcc needs to be removed? Where am I wrong or what am I
not seeing that you see? Why do you think power users are negatively
affecting GNU, for example?
