Hey, I agree 100% with you on Stallman's politics. He's way out there on the Left. But that's irrelevant. His "copyleft" concept may have saved the software world from total domination by Microsoft.
If he and his fellow "hackers" (in the positive sense of the word) are willing to share the fruits of their labor, how can you complain about that?
Suppose someone could produce a quality car and copy it for $0.01 each. If he was willing to give you one, would you complain and insist on paying GM their "fair" price of $25,000 instead -- in the name of "capitalism"? Of course not.
Now let me try to explain how MS tries to control Internet access. Something like 90-95% of the users out there use IE, their browser. They can subtly and secretly violate Internet standards in such a way that only *their* Internet servers are compatible with their browser.
So if a company uses non-MS servers for their corporate website, the visitors have problems, and the company loses business. That puts pressure on the company to use MS servers, and it tends to induce users to use IE just to avoid the potential hassles.
I understand that those kinds of problems did occur in the past, but fortunately MS could not make it work because they not dominate the server market as they do the browser "market." But you can bet it wasn't for the lack of trying. And if Apache and Linux hadn't been around, MS would now have an absolute stranglehold on the Internet.
Typical open source BS. " I know he's a radical leftist socialist, but that doesn't mean he deserves any criticism, nor do I because we are together saving the world from the evil capitalists."
he and his fellow "hackers" (in the positive sense of the word) are willing to share the fruits of their labor, how can you complain about that?
How about because about all they ever do is copy the functions of other, already existing US products, and then give them away to the rest of the world for free. That's how Linux came along. Torvald's was the poor son of a communist who didn't want to pay for or couldn't afford US UNIX, so he made a cheap copy instead. The result has been Silicon Graphics, Cray, etc declaring bankruptcy the last few years and tens of thousands left unemployed at other US companies like Sun.
Suppose someone could produce a quality car and copy it for $0.01 each.
Yes the leftists are putting together an "open source" car, did you not read the link I sent you above. And no I won't support radical leftists at any price, my values can't be bribed, unlike yours, apparently.
And if Apache and Linux hadn't been around, MS would now have an absolute stranglehold on the Internet.
And if Democrats weren't around Republicans would have a stranglehold on the government. Doesn't mean I'm going to defend Democrats, ever. I guess you will though, so long as you get some of those 'free' cars they're working on.