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

[Boris Turovskiy]

Hi Fedor,
I knew you couldn't walk past that thread (BTW, you were among the main 
motivations for me to write that article in the first place;)

> The question of certain freedom being essential or not isn't about
> number of people for whom it means something or means nothing.  It is
> about why this freedom is meaningful for those who need it and why it
> may become meaningful for others.  Increasing number of people who
> realize importance of certain freedom is one of the ways to promote and
> defend it, but this number by itself isn't the ultimate measure of its
> importance.
>    
You're right. However, the FSF's "essential freedoms", unlike for 
example freedom of speech, are not proven by history or theory to be 
important - rather, they have been proclaimed to be essential by a 
not-too-large group of people. In that case, it is completely legitimate 
to question whether these freedoms are as essential as their authors 
claim them to be. The number of people affected by the freedoms or 
putting value of them is, of course, not the ultimate measure; however, 
it is an important indication of their relevance.

Best regards,
Boris