[Screamname]

"Copyright laws violate basic morality"

And also makes it possible for people to create the programs that you are using but that`s another story.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

"And (copyright) also makes it possible for people to create the programs that you are using but that`s another story."

The issue is copyright in-perpetuity.

For instance, every time Mickey Mouse is about to enter the public domain, Congress miraculously extends copyright duration for another fifty years.

Walt Disney died a long time ago. The original intent of copyright was NOT to allow corporations to cash in forever, but to allow the original author to benefit from his labor for a reasonable period of time.

[antiRepublicrat]

"Copyright laws violate basic morality"

It's also what protects his own software. He relies on it quite strongly, and has used the courts to defend the copyrights of software under his license. What a loon.

Stallman would be a minor point in computer history if Linus Torvalds hadn't chosen his license for Linux.

[Slump Tester]

"And also makes it possible for people to create the programs that you are using but that`s another story."

I wouldn't diss Richard Stallman. He's been writing code since before computers used monitors.

A great book if you're interested is "Hackers" by Steven Levy.