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The Register: RMS: Why Open Source Needs Free Software’s Ideals

“I read your article about Microsoft and Security-Enhanced Linux
with interest, and saw your advice to the open-source
community.

“I do not advocate open source, but I wrote a free software
license, the GNU General Public License, that is described by some
as ‘open source’. I also launched, in 1984, the development of a
free software operating system that is ‘Linux’ by some. I hope this
makes my response worth reading.

“The article said:

“‘None of which is to say that Microsoft is doing anything
wrong. They’re a business, and they are doing what they need to do
to win in the marketplace. What’s wrong is the rest of the industry
allowing them to get away with it.’

“I beg to differ: Microsoft is doing plenty of things that are
wrong. For one thing, it is developing proprietary, non-free
software–software with licenses designed to keep users divided and
dependent. That is fundamentally wrong…”

Complete
Story

Related Story:

The Register: Lobbying for Insecurity
(Aug 31, 2002)

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