[pp.int.general] Why Free Software misses the point

[Patrick Maechler v/o Valio]

As a direct answer to your article:
While I agree that most users never bother to look at the code 
(including myself, even 'though I'm a CS student), I personally do 
prefer free software over proprietary for the same reasons as I do 
prefer a scientific approach to the world in contrast to a religious 
one(*). The mere fact that anyone is provided with the power to trace 
back what's happening makes free software way more appealing than 
closed/proprietary one.

Consider this:
I have only a rough knowledge about scientific medicine. I don't think 
that I would ever bother to get into all details of this or become a med 
student myself; yet I would rather trust a medic than some magic healer 
which tells me that I'm not allowed or just incapable (by divine will?) 
to ever get his practices...
Now you might argue that magic healers are by default unsuccessful 
compared to medicine and the same does not apply to proprietary vs free 
software. However there are still diseases out there were this might not 
apply i.e. where we just lack the knowledge to develop appropriate 
medical treatment that is superior to obscure practices. Yet I would 
prefer the former one all the way if I have to, because there is a 
possibility for an open, critical debate.
Also if my personal doctor dies I may feel sorry, but I'm not as afraid 
as if my magic healer dies, of whom no one knows how his practices 
worked in detail.

- pat

(*) Note: I'm somewhere between beeing a discordianist and an agnostic, 
behaving as practical atheist. I'm not opposed to spirituality itself, 
but to "infantile behavior" caused by organized religion.

On 05/12/2010 11:08 PM, Boris Turovskiy wrote:
> Ahoi,
> I've finally finished my critical article on Mr.Stallman's and the FSF's
> viewpoint. It may be of interest for Pirate Parties which have
> difficulties with accepting FSF's philosophical reasoning while not
> knowing what their answer should be.
>
> http://wiki.piratenpartei.de/Benutzer:TurBor/Stellungsnahmen/Why_Free_Software_misses_the_point
>
>
> Best regards,
> Boris
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