We seem to be scaring the non-free world of software

[Leo Mauler]

--- On Tue, 9/23/08, Jeffrey Watts <jeffrey.w.watts at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 9:37 PM, Oren Beck
> <orenbeck at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > It serves to  underscore the adversarial Vs
> > collaborative divide.
> >
> > Folks who cherish freedom tend to collaborative
> > processes and transparency. As in embracing Free 
> > and Open systems,
> >
> > So this may be VERY telling about the personality 
> > of those who oppose Free and Open anything.

> While I appreciate the similarities, I think it's 
> a bit much to tie the Free Software Movement to 
> Democratic movements.  

Strictly speaking, he said "those who cherish freedom" rather than "democratic movements."  You don't have to support democracy to cherish freedom.  In fact, democracy is all about trying to limit freedom in a reasonable manner (the whole "your right to swing your fist ends at my nose" argument).  Anarchy is the only movement which really "cherishes freedom."

Of course, as Linux is largely supported by the GPL, another system of "limiting freedom", one could easily say that those who use Linux support limited suppression of freedom...

> * China and most of the developing world uses Linux
> extensively.  Many of those countries are ruled by 
> oppressive governments.
> 
> Therefore, just because a group of people "cherish
> freedom" doesn't mean that they use Free Software.  
> In converse, people who apparently hate freedom 
> (dem terrists hehe) often use Free Software.

Terrorists and China's government certainly cherish freedom for *themselves*.

In the end, ideologies are based largely on US vs. THEM: if you ain't US, youse THEM, and we only cherish freedom for US, not THEM.