nathan28:
Man, what are you trying to say? Im sure not grasping it.
That poster is
a joke making fun of the American capitalists (mostly) who claim that there can be no such thing as people collaborating on a project if there isnt always money involved. They just dont get it.
And "free as in freedom" means a property of open source code, that is, you are allowed to modify it as much as you want, do whatever you like with it, AS LONG AS you also give out the modified code for OTHERS to do whatever they wish.
A phrase often seen "free as in free beer" means free as in NO PRICE attached. You CAN sell your "free as in freedom" code product for money - but you will still need to give out the source code for free. Free beer is a different matter - free beer could be Microsoft giving you Windows for free at a convention - you still wouldnt be allowed to touch the code internals of it.
So no, its not communism that poster is a JOKE. (Im not a communist either, but a co-operativist anarchist
)
Clear
Now let me quote Linus Torvalds himself, sure no commie:
Linus explains why open source works
Linus Torvalds is often described as an open source champion, interested in licensing only insofar as it affects his ability to share code and improve software more quickly. However, his real position is more complicated -- and to some,
perhaps surprising.
Asked point-blank which is more important, sharing code or empowering users -- the declared goal of the free software champions whom Torvalds is routinely depicted as being in opposition with -- and his first response in what he calls "the usual Linus polite words" is "
That's a really stupid question. Why do you put it as an 'either or' kind of concept?" He then goes on to explain that, because
open source operates in the same manner as scientific query, and is a matter of enlightened self-interest, sharing code and empowering users "are not at odds at all"
Torvalds begins his explanation by talking about science, implying that free and open source software development falls into that category. The dichotomy in the question, he says, "makes no sense. Science clearly does empower humans, but, the fact is, it does so because it has hit on a working model of the universe, and the reason it has done that is because it has a process in place for getting there that works. Sharing information is a small part of that model.
"Human inquisitiveness is an even bigger part. The fact is, what's most important is people. How they are inquisitive, and want to figure out and control the world. How they all have that selfish interest in improving their own lot in life, and almost by mistake they then end up improving other people's lot in life, too, by uncovering some small detail that explains a bit more about the universe.
"The same is true of open source. It's not about 'sharing information' per se: that's just a small part of it -- it's a part of the tools to create better software."
Nor is open source about altruism in Torvalds' view. Instead, he sees it as a matter of enlightened self-interest. "
That is worth celebrating: the constant individual struggle to improve your own standing. That little selfish person who tries to take advantage of everybody else by making the minimal possible outlay (preferably by using mostly the source code that somebody else has done) and incrementally improving it with relatively small effort."
The short-term result of this attitude, Torvalds says, is that "for a while, that person gains an advantage, because now the tool did what he wanted. And in the longer term, we all gain that knowledge. One small and meaningless advantage at a time, and it just builds up and up.
"That is where it's at. It's about 'empowering everybody' by letting some enterprising users empower themselves, and then taking advantage of it for everybody else."
Of course then there is Richard Stallman who started the GNU tools originally..
"All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.
Richard Stallman
Anything that prevents you from being friendly, a good neighbour, is a terror tactic.
Richard Stallman
Control over the use of one's ideas really constitutes control over other people's lives; and it is usually used to make their lives more difficult.
Richard Stallman
Fighting patents one by one will never eliminate the danger of software patents, any more than swatting mosquitoes will eliminate malaria.
Richard Stallman
I could have made money this way, and perhaps amused myself writing code. But I knew that at the end of my career, I would look back on years of building walls to divide people, and feel I had spent my life making the world a worse place.
Richard Stallman
If programmers deserve to be rewarded for creating innovative programs, by the same token they deserve to be punished if they restrict the use of these programs.
Richard Stallman
If you want to accomplish something in the world, idealism is not enough - you need to choose a method that works to achieve the goal.
Richard Stallman "
Now would you like to clarify your comment, because for real, I cant make heads or tails of it.
Pretty plz
ok I stole all 3 images-I know I sound stupid-but where are they from ?
