Civility in the Marketplace of Ideas [was: Public Domain Python]

[Jason Cunliffe]

...I am __just__ now 'beginning' to understand what [kind of subtle] turmoil
must have been roiling over and over in Europe in the mid 15th century 100
years as the seeds of the Reformation swirled around.. my goodness all those
those brilliant clerics must have debated long into the eriudite night from
Prague to Paris, Cologne to Rome, Avignon to Istanbul..

some highly recommended reading...

Doctor Copernicus : A Novel (Vintage International)
by John Banville
Paperback - 241 pages Reprint edition (October 1993)
Vintage Books; ISBN: 0679737995

or if you insist:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679737995/qid=969765863/sr=1-7/002-7
550780-5012056

enjoy

- Jason
--
________________________________________________________________
Jason CUNLIFFE = NOMADICS.(Interactive Art and Technology).Design Director

Grant Griffin <g2 at seebelow.org> wrote in message
news:39CC78B2.E6A16E95 at seebelow.org...
> Steven D. Majewski wrote:
> >
> > <http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/print/2322/>
> >
> > [ ... ]
> >
> > "But what mystifies me the most is the amount of vehemence that Richard
> > Stallman provokes whenever he weighs in on a subject.
>
> Well, as a certain historical figure said, "There's no such thing as bad
> publicity."  (Actually, I think that was actually the _only_ memorable
> thing that historical figure ever said.)
>
> > I have seen this
> > time and time again, most recently regarding licensing issues
surrounding
> > KDE, Qt, and Python. In these cases, RMS was asked his opinion regarding
> > licenses by many folks--including TrollTech, BeOpen, and Linux
Today--and
> > in each case Stallman responded in a professional and constructive
> > manner. He didn't go out in search of fights, and in the case of
> > TrollTech and BeOpen I was told both on and off the record that RMS had
> > proven to be very helpful. Similarly, when we were seeking comments on
> > licensing issues for LinuxToday, RMS was very helpful. "
>
> The cynic in me is tempted to suggest that perhaps he's _always_ helpful
> to those who show him deference--which is a very good reason to show him
> deference.  (BTW, does he wear a ring for people to kiss? <wink>)
>
> It makes good sense to consult RMS on legal issues of GPL compatibility
> concerns vis-a-vis new licenses of major open-source projects, but
> clearly that has not just a "legal" but "political" dimension.  Since
> the GPL has never been tested in court, a license currently is "GPL
> compatible" if and only if RMS says it is: GPL adherents accept his
> "benign dictatorship" on that.
>
> (BTW, if the term "dictator" isn't appropriate, what _do_ we call
> someone who has sole, personal legal authority? <wink>)
>
> > "That's why it's so distressing to me to see the reaction he engendered
> > from people on Linux Today and Slashdot. The talkbacks in both public
> > forums were filled with anger and denouncement. He was called a fascist,
> > a dictator, and a communist. Readers felt compelled to make pointed
> > personal attacks on RMS in the course of disagreeing with him. " [ ... ]
>
> They shouldn't do that: there's enough to disagree with in Richard
> Stallman's ideas that I don't think anybody should waste their time and
> energy making attacks on him as a person.  (Besides, maybe he's actually
> a nice guy underneath all that gruff iconclasticism. ;-)
>
> Personally, I've sometimes thought of Mr. Stallman as "disingenouous"
> (as evidenced by the logical inconsistencies in his writing), but I
> guess a more charitable reading of that would be merely "bewildered".
> (I'm pretty sure that didn't come across as a statement of "anger", but
> I guess one _could_ read a teensy bit of "denouncement" into it. <wink>)
>
> But another historical figure has some good advice for Mr. Stallman: "If
> you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
>
> people-who-consistently-and-vehemently-promote-controversial-ideas
>    -are-likely-to-suffer-unwarranted-personal-heat-ly y'rs,
>
> =g2
> --
> _____________________________________________________________________
>
> Grant R. Griffin                                       g2 at dspguru.com
> Publisher of dspGuru                           http://www.dspguru.com
> Iowegian International Corporation       http://www.iowegian.com